{"id":14,"date":"2017-01-30T18:32:58","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T18:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wyomingtraining.com\/subject-matter-minute-blog\/?p=14"},"modified":"2017-10-12T15:17:57","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T15:17:57","slug":"benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wyomingtraining.com\/subject-matter-minute-blog\/benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Subject Matter Minute, Episode #2: Vision Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

The below post is taken from the Video Blog, the Subject Matter Minute. If it’s a little hard to read, it’s because it’s taken from the spoken word. You can view the episode on YouTube if you would like. Find it here: \u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OzWLKctL1PM<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If YouTube is blocked for you or your agency, you can scroll to the bottom of this post to view it from Google Drive.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also listen to an audio version: Episode #2: Vision Benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hey, hey, hey! Welcome to the second episode of the\u00a0subject matter minute, I’m Matt Nagy.\u00a0Before I get going on the topic at hand, I\u00a0want to mention who my\u00a0subject matter expert was for the last episode.\u00a0I\u00a0can’t leave that out… that’s why I\u00a0named\u00a0this the Subject Matter Minute! I rely on\u00a0you folks out there, all the experts in\u00a0your own field, to get me the information\u00a0to pass on to the other employees. So, honestly, she might not care because she\u00a0just retired, literally like last month\u00a0or maybe\u00a0two months\u00a0ago, but in any case, I want to\u00a0thank Lori Eichheim,\u00a0who was an\u00a0HR program\u00a0supervisor before she decided to run off\u00a0to better things. Thanks Lori for the information!<\/p>\n

Today’s subject matter minute is on\u00a0vision benefits.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Alright, let’s talk about vision benefits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

First of all, I want to thank my subject\u00a0matter expert, which really is all of EGI. I didn’t have a specific person I\u00a0talked to. I was able to get all the\u00a0information from their website where\u00a0they have a great training video, brochures, and more.\u00a0I did email a\u00a0couple people just to clarify a couple\u00a0points and they were very helpful and\u00a0quick, so I\u00a0want to thank EGI,\u00a0or\u00a0employee’s group insurance<\/a>, for their help.<\/p>\n

Alright, so vision benefits. First of all, something you need to know is they are\u00a0not\u00a0paid for by the state. This is a side\u00a0benefit that you can opt into. You can\u00a0decide to use it, but it’s going to come out\u00a0of your check. That leads me to the next\u00a0thing. If you opt-in, it’s a two-year\u00a0thing. You are required to pay for\u00a0two years and then if, let’s say you drop\u00a0out… you are not going to be able to sign\u00a0back up for two years. I’m sure it’s a financial thing\u00a0that I don’t understand. Them’s just\u00a0the rules, ok? Got to know that up front.<\/p>\n

What does vision coverage entail? Well,\u00a0it’s eye\u00a0exams, it’s glasses, and its contacts. These\u00a0are the things that are covered.\u00a0Typically, you’re going to have a copay… I don’t\u00a0know why they use that word, you know, basically a charge. Let’s start with\u00a0the exam. You have\u00a0to get an eye exam\u00a0before you can get glasses or contacts. That’s going to cost you $10…\u00a0the\u00a0co-pay is $10,\u00a0and the rest is\u00a0covered.<\/p>\n

Let’s\u00a0say you just want lenses.\u00a0If you just want lenses you’re going\u00a0to pay a $25 copay and the rest is covered.<\/p>\n

Now let’s just say you just want\u00a0frames… if you just want frames it’s a $25\u00a0copay, and then it’s covered up to $160. Above $160\u00a0you will get a\u00a020-percent discount on the rest but the\u00a0coverage goes to $160. So if you get frames, you know\u00a0like me, that cost more, you’re going to pay extra. You will get a discount, but\u00a0you’re going to pay extra.<\/p>\n

If you want to get both, which we typically do, our lenses and\u00a0frames, it’s still just one\u00a0$25 copay. You will\u00a0not pay double co-pays. So if\u00a0you get the whole thing, it’s a $25 copay, and again, they cover up to $160,\u00a0and then you\u00a0get a 20-percent discount on the charge\u00a0above that.<\/p>\n

So now let’s talk about contact\u00a0lenses. For contact lenses there is no copay, and they cover up\u00a0to $160.\u00a0Above\u00a0that, you will have to pay the rest.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0need to back up on glasses… there’s a little twist here. There’s two\u00a0different plans and it kind of depends\u00a0on the type of person you are as to which you choose. There’s two plans call Plan B and Plan C… no idea where plan A\u00a0went. Plan B allows\u00a0you to get new glasses every 24 months\u00a0or two years. While plan C\u00a0allows you to get\u00a0new glasses every 12 months or one year. So if you’re the kind of person\u00a0that loses your glasses, steps on them, lets the kids break them in half, whatever, you may need Plan C. Plan C will\u00a0cost you a little bit more per month.<\/p>\n

So, let’s go over using\u00a0your benefits. First of all, you have to\u00a0go to certain vision care specialists. You can find out who your local specialists are by going to the VSP website, VSP.com<\/a> and search for your providers.\u00a0So, again, if you want to use these benefits\u00a0you have to go to those providers. You don’t have to have a card or\u00a0anything, as they can look you up in the\u00a0system.<\/p>\n

So that’s the end of episode number\u00a0two! Hopefully I made vision benefits clear, and hopefully I didn’t leave anything out. Please contact EGI if you have questions. You can find all the contact info on their website, here: http:\/\/ai-hrd.wyo.gov\/egi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel<\/a> and get the word out, and once again, thanks for watching!<\/p>\n

Here is the full episode!<\/strong><\/p>\n