Employee Benefits

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Website

Waiver of Group Health Benefits & Notice of Special Enrollment Rights Form 2025

If you enroll in a CareFirst BlueChoice or PPO/ PPN plan, you are enrolled in the CVS/Caremark prescription drug plan. The CVS/Caremark prescription plan provides benefits for medications to be filled at participating retail pharmacies. You also have the choice of filling your long-term medications through the CVS/Caremark Mail Order Pharmacy. Call the CVS/Caremark number on your card, 877-411-8168, for a mail-order form.

Claim form

CVS/Caremark

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Online Benefit Enrollment Instructions

Before you enroll:

Familiarize yourself with your options by reading the Benefit Guide. Have the following information available (including your dependents):

• Social Security Number (s)
• Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificates - copies
• Information on any other medical coverage ( i.e. Medicare)
• Disability certification form for dependents needing continued coverage

How to enroll for your benefits:

• Access your account in Oracle. Your login is the same as your ccboe email:

• Click on the "Me"  tab at the top of the screen:
   

   

• From the APPS screen, click on the Benefits icon:

• Add  your beneficiaries and family to the system by clicking on "Before You Enroll":

• Upload all dependent documentation and affidavit, by click on Document Records:
   

   

• Click on "Make Changes" to Enroll:

   

If you have problems logging in, please contact the Office of Fiscal Services, Benefits at (301)934-7202, 301-934-7289, 301-934-7317, or email employeebenefits@ccboe.com.

Online access to your health care information, View your personalized health insurance information online with My Account. Simply log on to www.carefirst.com from your computer, tablet or smartphone for real-time information about your plan.

The employee should access the online site to waive your medical election.  This enrollment site also includes enrollment for Life and Flexible Spending.

Outside of Open Enrollment, changes to your Health or Flexible Spending Accounts are permitted during the year within 31 days of a life event, provided your change is consistent with the life event. Please note that you will be required to provide proof of the event, such as a marriage certificate, or notice of your spouse’s change in employment or loss of insurance coverage. These events are defined by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code and include:

• Marriage or Divorce; Legal Separation  
• Birth of your child, adoption of a child
• The placement for adoption of a child in your home
• Death of your spouse or other dependent(s)
• Return from an unpaid leave of absence for you or your spouse
• Beginning or end of your spouse's/dependents employment
• A significant change in your spouse's employment-based benefits 
• Switch from temporary to full-time employment by you or your spouse     

Please forward your completed Enrollment form, Status Change form, Dependent Affidavit, and copies of your dependent(s) documentation, attention: Employee Benefits at the Board of Education. 

You can call Carefirst directly at 1-877-691-5856 for the PPN, Custom Comprehensive, and Blue Choice Opt-out Open Access Plans
Dental: 1-866-891-2802
CVS/Caremark: 1-877-411-8168

Establishing a relationship with a primary care provider (PCP) is the best way to receive consistent, quality care. Except for emergencies, your PCP should be your first call when you require medical attention. To update your current PCP members can contact CareFirst Customer Service directly at 1-877-691-5856.  Medical cards will not generate without a PCP.

You will need to contact CareFirst directly.  HIPPA laws require that the individual contact the insurance company about any problems with claims.

If they have contacted BCBS and has no result, have them provide Date of Service and Providers name.

Under the federal health reform law, individuals must have health insurance called minimum essential coverage. The plan sponsored by Charles County Public Schools does provide minimum essential coverage. We must report this information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Therefore, Social Security numbers for all the members covered under your health plan are required. If your coverage is not reported to the IRS, you may have to pay a fee when you file your taxes.

Employees have two options, they can send a check each month or double the payments when they return.

They need to send us a copy of the Medicare Card. Members must enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B CCPS will notify the State Pension or the Classified Pension of the change in the insurance premium amount.

The plans are split into two individual plans, Medical, Dental and Vision. If it is a family plan the Medicare recipient goes on an individual plan for Medicare.  Thus each member is the primary cardholder.

The life insurance is one times salary at the time of retirement rounded to the nearest thousand. If an active employee the salary at the time of their death.

An employee has to be enrolled in the insurance for 10 consecutive years to continue at the current employee rate which is the 25% rate. If an employee does not have 10 years consecutive years they can take the lowest policy at 50% of the cost. Employees should review the insurance article in your negotiated agreement.

Pretax contributions lower taxable income, and reimbursements are made tax-free from the employee’s account. In addition, an employee has access to the entire elected amount on the first day of the plan year.

FSA programs can lower employers’ FICA taxes on employee payroll and possibly what is paid for other benefits plans, such as workers’ compensation and disability, that are based on employees’ taxable income.

Yes. A Visa® Debit Card is available for eligible medical expenses and can be used at the point of purchase or aftercare.

Unused money in an FSA account is forfeited at the end of the plan year:

Yes. However, you must have a qualifying life change in order to change your election mid-year. Be sure to check with Employee Benefits for additional requirements.

Yes. Your medical FSA can be used to cover expenses incurred by you, your spouse, and your dependents (as defined by Code Section 152).

Any out-of-pocket and unreimbursed medical expenses allowed under section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, including medical premiums (under limited circumstances) and long-term care expenses.  For a detailed listing, see Eligible Expenses.

Further will always attempt to pay your expenses from the FSA first as this is a “use it or lose it” type of account. However, medical expenses can’t be paid from the FSA during the HDHP deductible so the FSA will be bypassed in this circumstance. To make your FSA work with HSA requirements, your employer should provide a special FSA plan for you instead of a general purpose FSA. A limited purpose FSA is a special FSA that can’t be used for medical expenses but can be used for vision and dental expenses. A post-deductible FSA can pay vision and dental expenses immediately and can also pay medical expenses once the deductible has been satisfied. If the FSA is limited to vision and dental, it can pay for these claims first. However, keep in mind they’re also eligible expenses under the HSA.

Yes. You can use your debit card for online purchases, such as prescriptions, if the site is a medical merchant.

You cannot use the Further debit card for cash withdrawals from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), from a Point-of-Sale (POS) device, or by any other means. The card will not work in these situations.

Yes, for eligible expenses. Just present your debit card to the merchant to pay for eligible expenses. The account will pay up to the available balance.

No. You can use your debit card by signing for your purchases and selecting “credit” when asked. Having a PIN puts more security accountability on you as the debit card owner if the card is used fraudulently.

Your debit card may be denied if:

• There is not enough money in your account to cover the expense. Visit www.hellofurther.com or call us toll free at 1-800-859-2144 to check your account balance.
• The items being purchased are not eligible expenses. For a list of eligible expenses, visit www.hellofurther.com.

There are three options:

• You can return the funds to the account by submitting the Reimbursement Return Form (below) within the same tax year of the non-eligible expense.
• You can offset the amount with future expenses that are qualified during the same tax year. You must keep your documentation for your own tax purposes.
• You can declare the amount as a prohibited transaction. You may be subject to income taxes on the amount as well as an IRS penalty. Reimbursement Return Form

Call Further customer support at 1-800-859-2144 at any time, any day of the week. You can follow the automated prompts to report your card lost or stolen. This will cancel your card and you will be mailed a new one.

Exclusions and limitations:

We won’t pay benefits if your disability is caused by, contributed to by, or results from any of the following:

• Subject to the applicable law in the state where the Policy is delivered or issued for delivery, commission or attempt to commit a felony or illegal activity.
• Engaging in any illegal occupation, work or employment.
• Operating a motorized vehicle while under the influence of alcohol as evidenced by a blood alcohol level at or in excess of the state legal intoxication limit as defined by the state law where the disability occurs.
• Intentionally self-inflicted harm.
• Attempted suicide, regardless of mental capacity.
• Participation in a war, declared or undeclared, or any act of war. An act of war is military activity by one or more national governments and does not include terrorist acts, other random acts of violence not perpetrated by you, or civil war or community faction.
• Active duty as a member of the armed forces of any nation. However, we will refund, upon written notice of such service, any Premium which has been accepted for any period not covered as a result of this exclusion.
• Active participation in a riot, insurrection or terrorist activity, but not including civil commotion, disorder, injury as an innocent bystander, or injury because of self-defense.
• Subject to the applicable law in the state where the Policy is delivered or issued for delivery, voluntary intake of any narcotic or other controlled substance, unless the narcotic or controlled substance is taken under the direction of and as directed by a doctor.
• Voluntary intake of poison, drugs or fumes, unless a direct result of an occupational accident.
• Cosmetic surgery except when required for your appropriate care as a result of your injury or sickness; cosmetic surgery shall not include (1) reconstructive surgery when the surgery is incidental to or follows surgery resulting from trauma, infection or other diseases of the involved part, (2) reconstructive surgery because of congenital disease or anomaly resulting in a functional defect and (3) surgery necessitated by gender dysphoria.
• Traveling in any aircraft other than as a fare-paying passenger on a scheduled or charter flight operated by a scheduled airline.
• Traveling in any aircraft (or device) used for testing or an experimental purpose, used by or for any military authority, or used for travel beyond the earth’s atmosphere.
• Hang-gliding, skydiving, parachuting, ultralight, soaring, ballooning and parasailing.
• Participation in recreational motor sports events, racing, speed or endurance contest (auto, truck, cycle or boat), rock or mountain climbing, skin or scuba diving, or bungee jumping.
• Participation in any sport for wage, compensation or profit.

If your employer’s plan covers only non-occupational injuries, then the following exclusion also applies:

• Occupational sickness or injury

We will not pay a benefit for any period of Disability during which you are incarcerated.

Pre-existing conditions: We won’t pay benefits if your disability is due to a pre-existing condition, and you became disabled during the first 6 months following the effective date of your coverage. A pre-existing condition is any condition for which you have done any of the following at any time during the 3 months just prior to your effective date of coverage, whether or not that condition is diagnosed, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed:

• Received medical treatment or consultation.
• Taken or were prescribed drugs or medicine.
• Received care or services, including diagnostic measures.

If your disability is determined to be due to a preexisting condition the benefit is limited to 50% for 4 weeks.

Your benefits may be reduced by other income you are eligible to receive while disabled.

• Sickness or accidental injury for which you have or had a right to payment under a workers’ compensation or similar law. This includes payment you would have been entitled to receive if the Policyholder had not declined to provide workers’ compensation insurance as allowed by the Policyholder’s state of domicile.
• Sickness or accidental injury arising out of or in the course of work for pay, profit or gain.

Benefits are not payable if your disability is due to a preexisting condition and you became disabled during the first 6 months your coverage is in effect. A pre-existing condition is a sickness or accidental injury for which, during the 3 months immediately before the effective date of your coverage or increased amount of coverage, you did one or more of the following: received medical treatment, care, services or advice; or took prescribed drugs; or had medications prescribed.

Even though you may experience multiple reasons for your disability, only one Disability benefit is payable at any given time.

Your benefits will be reduced by other income you are eligible to receive while disabled. These include but aren’t limited to:

• Income received from any form of employment
• Unemployment benefits and any type of income replacement provided by your employer
• Workers’ Compensation benefits or benefits from similar programs
• Judgments or settlements you receive related to disability
• Disability or retirement payments under Social Security or other federal and state plans
• Disability income payments under automobile liability insurance benefits
• Disability income payments payable under any other group insurance policy and certain retirement payments provided under your employer’s retirement plan

*Limitations and exclusions will vary by state and by your employer’s benefit plan.