Department of Civil Service

NY11-50
PE11-32
SEHP11-13

TO: New York State Agency Health Benefits Administrators; Health Benefits Administrators of Participating Employers offering the NYS Vision Plan; Student Employee Health Insurance Plan (SEHP) Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: NYS Vision Plan Vendor Change to Davis Vision
DATE: December 21, 2011

Effective January 1, 2012, the New York State Vision Plan will be administered by Davis Vision. Davis Vision will provide claims payment, enrollment data management, distribution of plan implementation materials, and an extensive network of eye care providers throughout New York State and nationwide. Although the carrier is changing, the benefit design is not changing.

The following employee groups are covered under the NYS Vision Plan:

• New York State employees designated Management/Confidential (M/C);

• Enrollees of certain Participating Employers;

• Council 82 - employees in the Security Supervisors Unit represented by the NYS Law Enforcement Officers' Union, District Council 82 (C-82);

• ALESU - employees in the Agency Law Enforcement Unit (ALESU) represented by the Police Benevolent Association of New York State, Inc. (PBANYS);

• NYSCOPBA - employees in the Security Service Unit represented by the NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Inc (NYSCOPBA);

• PBA - employees in the Troopers and Supervisors Units of the Division of State Police represented by the NYS Police Benevolent Association of NYS Troopers, Inc. (PBA);

• PEF - employees in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Unit represented by the Public Employee Federation (PEF);

• PIA - represented employees in the BCI Unit of the Division of State Police: and

• SEHP - employees in the Student Employee Health Plan (SEHP) represented by the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU) or CUNY graduate student employees

NYS Vision Plan Vendor Change to Davis Vision

The enclosed Davis Vision FAQ document and Member Welcome Kit templates provide information on the transition of the NYS Vision Plan from EyeMed to Davis Vision.

In late-December, Davis Vision will mail to enrollees' homes:

• the Davis Vision Care Member Welcome Kit describing vision benefits
  • two (2) ID cards
  • information on how to access the Davis Vision web site from the Employee Benefits portion of the Department's web site (www.cs.ny.gov/ebd). This site will allow registered users to access benefit information, locate a provider, order replacement ID cards and more. Enrollees may access this web site beginning January 1, 2012
  • a listing of a sample of in-network providers, based on enrollee zip code.

The file for this mailing was pulled from NYBEAS on November 27, 2011, so any enrollee added after this date will not receive this initial mailing but will be caught in the subsequent follow-up mailing.

In January 2012, a Vision Plan Benefit booklet with additional Plan information and forms will be mailed to enrollees' homes. Enrollees will be able to download and print a copy of the benefit booklet from the Employee Benefits portion of the Department's web site, NYSHIP Online (https://www.cs.ny.gov/ebd) starting in late January, 2012.

Additional Information/Ordering Publications

As new materials, publications, and information become available, we will inform you. We will provide instructions for ordering Vision Plan Benefit booklets in late January 2012.

Procedures are being developed at this time. Meanwhile, if you have any questions about this distribution, please call the Employee Benefits Division at (518) 402-4114.

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