FAQ

You can participate in Katy ISD’s benefits plans if you’re a regular employee, either active or on a paid leave approved by the district, and an active, contributing member of the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). You may also participate if you’re retired from TRS and have been rehired by the district into a position that makes you eligible for benefits. According to the Affordable Care Act guidelines, you are also eligible for benefits if you work for Katy ISD 30 hours or more per week. Please contact Benefits Outlook at 866-222-KISD (5473) if you feel you are eligible under these guidelines and have not been given the opportunity to enroll. 

Eligible dependents can participate in some of the benefits, too. Eligible dependents include:

• Legal spouse (unless legally separated)
• Child* under age 26 for medical, dental and vision, life and personal legal coverage
• Unmarried child of any age, who is incapable of self-support because of mental disability or physical handicap if declared as such before age 26, provided the child was covered before the limiting age and is solely dependent on the employee for support and maintenance, and that proof of the incapacity and dependency is provided when first enrolled and verified when asked**
• Child who qualifies as your dependent under the terms of a qualified medical child support order (QMCSO)

*The term child can mean your natural or legally adopted child, stepchild, foster child, any other child for whom you are a legal guardian, or any grandchild whom you claimed as a dependent on your federal income tax return in the year you first covered him or her, and have continuously covered since.

**For more information about disabled dependent eligibility and status, contact Aetna customer service at 877-224-6857, available 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Employees and their dependents may lose or have their benefits eligibility suspended if they are found to have dependents on the plan who are not eligible.

Choose your benefits carefully because, in most cases, once the enrollment deadline passes you can’t change your options until the next annual enrollment period. In general, you can only change your benefits coverage during the year if you have a qualified life event. Any changes you make for yourself and your dependents at that time must be consistent with and on account of the event. For example, you can enroll your newborn in medical coverage, but you can’t drop coverage for your spouse or change medical options because of the birth of your child. More information is available here.

Call Benefits Outlook at 866-222-KISD (5473) and follow the prompts to speak to a Benefits Outlook representative, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST, weekdays (except holidays).

Yes. Benefits Outlook has Spanish-speaking representatives.

• If you are a new employee or newly eligible and select benefits before the deadline, coverage begins the first of the month following your hire date (or the date you become benefits-eligible).
• For benefits selected during the annual enrollment period, coverage begins January 1 of the following year.
• For benefits requiring evidence of insurability, coverage begins the beginning of the month following carrier approval of your application.
• If you are adding benefits due to a life event, in most cases the benefits become effective the first day of the month following the notification.

Benefits coverage ends on the earliest of:

• The date the plan ends
• The last day of the month in which you are no longer eligible
• The date you stop paying for coverage
• The last day of the month after you notify the district of your selection to stop participation based on annual enrollment (coverage ends December 31 in this case) or a qualified life event or a family status change (if the family status change is reported with 31 days of the event)
• The last day of the month in which you stop working for the district

If you are a newly eligible employee and you don’t enroll, or you're an existing employe and you don't enroll during annual enrollment, you don’t have any Katy ISD benefits coverage except:

• $20,000 district-provided basic life and AD&D insurance for most employees
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Due to federal regulations, employees who lose benefits eligibility (through a change in schedule, termination of employment or any other reason) and regain that eligibility within 31 days have benefits re-instated with no break in coverage. Premiums for the reinstated coverage are deducted from the first available paycheck. If you leave Katy ISD or lose your benefits eligibility and return to work after 31 days, you must re-enroll to receive benefits coverage.

The 24/7 Nurse Line provides health care decision counseling with the information and support you need to understand your medical care options and how to make the most of your coverage. Call 866-222-KISD (5473) and follow the prompts to talk one-on-one with an experienced registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Specially trained nurses can help you understand your medical problem, evaluate self-care possibilities and plan questions for your doctor. They can also research options for care and send you easy-to-understand information tailored to your specific needs. This free service is available to all employees.

The health care providers may collect personal information about you, including your name, employee number, Social Security number, date of birth, health-related questions or concerns and participation status. This information is used only to provide confidential services to you and gather anonymous statistical data for Katy ISD. In other words, your basic statistics are combined with everyone else's and presented in reports only to show trends in health conditions and use of services. No individual names or other personal information are provided to Katy ISD. In addition, the health care plan providers don’t share personal information with any third party unless it’s necessary to:

• Allow another health care provider to offer you additional assistance
• Comply with applicable laws or valid legal processes

See the HIPAA Privacy Policy for more information.