Learn about USA benefits at virtual expo

What’s new with benefits for University of South Alabama and USA Health employees in 2021?

Find out what’s new at this year’s Benefits & Wellness Expo, which will be held virtually Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Nov. 6. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all sessions accessible by Zoom.

“We are taking the expo to a virtual platform because we are not able to gather in large groups,” said Jelicka Caldwell, senior benefits consultant at USA. “Employees will be able to interact with vendors and ask questions by Zoom.”

The web-based expo will feature live Zoom sessions with benefits vendor representatives and human resources benefits consultants. Representatives will be available from the Retirement Systems of Alabama, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, HealthEquity, TIAA, AIG/VALIC, Express Scripts, The Standard and USA Health.

Open enrollment for employee health insurance plans and SouthFlex, the flexible spending account, begins Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. Employees who do not wish to make changes to their health insurance are not required to re-enroll in those plans. However, SouthFlex participants must re-enroll each year. All changes take effect Jan. 1, 2021.

The virtual expo will include live Q&A sessions and on-demand videos for viewing. USA and USA Health employees may choose which sessions to attend, with supervisory approval, during normal work hours. Caldwell said that the recorded videos enable employees to watch with family members at home.

Employees also can reference the online 2021 Benefits & Wellness Open Enrollment Guide, which also was mailed to home addresses recently.

During the virtual expo, prizes will be awarded to participants based on their attendance at live sessions. “The more you participate, the better your chances are to win a door prize,” Caldwell said.