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  3. 2024 Blackout Period

2024 Blackout Period

Blackout for New hire enrollments and life events

On July 1, Vanderbilt is moving its benefits administration to Empyrean Benefit Solutions from WEX/Benefit Express. As part of this transition, there will be a blackout period beginning on June 11 and running through June 30. During this period, employees will not be able to make elections or changes to their benefits on My VU Benefits.

The Benefits team knows that you may need to enroll or make changes to your benefits during this period, so from June 11 – June 30, you may submit a paper enrollment form which can be collected at the HR Front Desk (10th floor of Baker Building) or by completing a  fillable form and sending that form to Blackout Enrollment Forms . The Benefits team will manually process these enrollments for you and ensure you have the coverage you need during the blackout period.  If you have any questions about the blackout or need assistance, please contact the Benefits Team at benefits@vanderbilt.edu.

 

Flexible Spending Account Blackout

Vanderbilt is moving its flexible spending account (FSA) administration to Fidelity on July 1st. There will be a blackout during the transition period as accounts are tallied and moved from WEX/Benefit Express to Fidelity. Beginning on June 3rd, debit cards from WEX will be turned off so that WEX is able to process any remaining transactions and ensure that the accounting for each person with an FSA is accurate before the information is sent to Fidelity.

During this blackout period, employees will not be able to use their WEX debit cards to pay for services. All reimbursements will also be suspended during this period, for both healthcare FSAs and dependent care FSAs.

In early July, Fidelity will open FSAs for enrolled Vanderbilt employees and debit cards will be created and mailed out in the first week of the month for anyone who does not already have a NetBenefits AccessCard. We anticipate that FSA debit cards will be received in homes by mid-July.

If you have any out-of-pocket expenses during the blackout period, you will be able to submit them to Fidelity for reimbursement as soon as the blackout is lifted in mid-July. To request reimbursement in July, visit netbenefits.com/Vanderbilt and select the Flexible Spending and Reimbursement Accounts tab, then click on Reimburse Yourself.