My Insurance Benefits: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Please make sure that you have a My Benefits account set up with ETF if you haven't already done so. To access My Benefits, you'll need to have a MyWisconsin ID.

If you don't already have a MyWisconsin ID, please check out this video from ETF for a step-by-step guide on how to access My Benefits. Troubleshooting help is available via the State's Division of Enterprise Technology, which manages MyWisconsin ID.

• Please note: ETF strongly recommends you use your personal email address for MyWisconsin ID. This ensures you can still access your information if you leave City employment and lose access to City email.

ETF is shifting to month-of billing for health insurance premiums. (Currently, health premiums are deducted on the first paycheck of the month for the following month's coverage.) Because enrolled employees have already paid June's health premium on the first check in May, you won't see a health insurance premium deducted on the first paycheck in June. The next deduction for health insurance will be the first paycheck in July, for July's coverage.

Once the system goes live, you will need to submit any health insurance changes using the My Insurance Benefits portal. Barring a reasonable accommodation, it will no longer be possible to submit changes with a paper health form.

Also, there will be a processing freeze for employers from May 22nd through mid-June. During this interval, the Benefits team will not be able to process health insurance changes, and health plans will not receive notification of changes from ETF. (See the next FAQ question for more details on this!)

Finally, please note that the new system will display the full monthly cost of health insurance, rather than just the employee share of the monthly premium. Don't worry – the cost hasn't changed, and the City will still be paying the employer contribution. For details on health insurance premiums and employee/employer contribution splits, please see the Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance page of the HR Benefits website.

The processing freeze for employers is from May 22 through mid-June. During this interval, the Benefits team will not be able to process health insurance changes, and health plans will not receive notification of changes from ETF.

• If you've recently experienced a qualifying event, you should submit health insurance change forms + documentation to HR by May 18th where possible, to ensure processing before the freeze begins.
• Deadlines and documentation requirements for health insurance changes are not impacted by the freeze – so if you experience a qualifying event during the freeze, you should still submit your forms/documentation to HR as usual. 
• Health insurance changes processed when the freeze ends will be retroactive to the qualifying event date (where applicable).
• If you have concerns about timing (for example, if you will be losing other coverage on June 1st and anticipating needing to use your health insurance immediately), please contact the Benefits team ASAP at benefits@cityofmadison.com.