To establish your health insurance benefits, you must complete and submit the Health Insurance Enrollment forms with supporting documents (if applicable) to the Benefits Office within 30 days of your hire date.

Health Insurance Enrollment Form 

• You must enroll within 30 days of your start date.

• If you do not enroll within this window, you must wait until Open Enrollment (November) or experience a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) to enroll.

• Important: Plan changes are only allowed during Open Enrollment.

OR

Waiver  (ONLY if declining coverage due to coverage elsewhere)

• Required form if you choose not to enroll in District health insurance.

• Waiver payments are issued once per year in January (final January paycheck).

• Forms are not retroactive.

Group Life Insurance Enrollment Form 

• Required form

• No cost to you (District-paid benefit)

Employee Notification Acknowledgement

• Required form

Failure to submit all required forms—completed in full and with supporting documentation—will result in processing delays.

Additional Benefits available to you

The additional benefits below are available to you as a BPS staff member:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Employee Wellness

Optional Benefits

You may also choose to enroll in the following:

• Pre-Tax Retirement Savings: 403(b) and/or 457(b)

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Health and/or Dependent Care

• Commuter Benefit Account

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Additional details on these benefits are provided below.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Dependent Care

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program allows you to save money by setting aside pre-tax dollars for eligible health care or dependent care expenses. You choose your annual contribution amount, which is deducted from your paycheck. Because contributions are made pre-tax, your taxable income—and overall tax liability—is reduced. When you enroll in an FSA, you will receive an Ameriflex Benefits Card—a convenient debit card that allows you to easily pay for eligible expenses such as copays, prescriptions, vision care, dental services, and more. The plan year runs from January 1st through December 31st

Available FSA Options:

Health Care (Medical) FSA
For eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses

Dependent Care (DCA) FSA
For daycare, summer camp, or elder care expenses only

How It Works

• Estimate your eligible expenses for the upcoming year to chose your annual limit

• You must enroll in the FSA within 30 days of hire or during the Open Enrollment period (November 1–30).

• When you enroll at time of hire:

  • Your FSA account will start the 1st day of the following month. Please be advised - For new hires or mid-year enrollments (due to qualifying life events), your total election will be prorated over the remaining pay periods in the calendar year (January 1–December 31).

    Example: If you enroll in October and elect $2,500, your contributions will be spread across the remaining paychecks in October, November, and December.

  • You will receive your Ameriflex debit card to use for eligible purchases, or

  • Submit claims through the online portal -> WELCOME FROM AMERIFLEX

  • Your annual election amount is deducted from your paycheck bi-weekly.

• When you enroll during Open Enrollment:

  • You will receive your Ameriflex debit card to use for eligible purchases during the month of December to use January 1st, or

  • Submit claims through the online portal -> WELCOME FROM AMERIFLEX

  • Your annual election amount is deducted from your paycheck bi-weekly.

Please be advised Flexible Spending Accounts are regulated by the IRS

IRS substantiation guidelines have tightened up. Participants will be receiving more frequent claim substantiation requests to ensure the plan funds are being utilized appropriately. Although an FSA debit card does a good job weeding out most ineligible items/services, there are times when eligible providers provide ineligible services (for example, teeth whitening at a dentist or Botox at a doctor's office). Please note that documentation should be kept for all claims, even if it is not requested, as it will be needed in the event of an IRS audit.

For more information and to access enrollment, please click below.

The District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides free and confidential support for employees and their family members facing personal or work-related challenges. We encourage all staff to take advantage of this valuable resource.

For more information about the EAP, please click below.

In June 2017, the Buffalo Board of Education approved the District Wellness Policy.  The District recognizes that in order to achieve student wellness, well-being and academic success employee wellness must also be stressed, emphasizing the importance of creating a District-wide workplace culture that supports employee health and wellness.