CONNECT with the CityFlexible Benefits Plan 2025
The City of San Diego offers an IRS-qualified cafeteria-style benefits program to all eligible employees. Eligible employees may choose the flexible benefits they want or need from a package of programs. The programs include medical, vision and dental insurance, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts to pay for out-of-pocket health or childcare expenses.
On this page:
- Learn More
- Enroll
- Submit Dependent Verification Documents
- Benefits by Bargaining Unit (Union)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Learn More
Information is right at your fingertips. Here’s a summary of all the resources and tools that are available to you:
| Health plan options and costs, FBP credits, benefit summaries, and more |
Straight to the point: |
| Medical Plans Comparison | Check out the 2025 Medical Plans Comparison matrix which provides a side-by-side comparison of each medical plan. Including co-pays for common services, pharmacy benefits, finding a doctor, pre-enrollment phone numbers, and other helpful resources. |
| Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) | Review the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage to learn more. |
| Flexible Benefits Video | Review the Flexible Benefits Plan Video for a quick overview on how the plan works. This video is automatically assigned to new hires in SuccessFactors. |
Enroll
Enrollment for New Hires, Rehires, and Status Changes
Benefits enrollment is completed in the benefits enrollment application in the City’s SAP portal. New hires, rehires, and those that have become eligible for benefits as a result of a job status change, will have 30 days from their hire date/rehire date/status change date to enroll. Follow the steps below to complete the enrollment process:
- From Citynet, select the SAP Portal button located under Quick links
- Select the “Access Benefits Info” tile, then select the “Benefits Enrollment” tile.
- Select your enrollment event (New Hire, Rehire, Job/Class Change) then press the continue button.
- The application will walk you through the steps for reviewing, changing, and confirming your benefits enrollment.
- Submit dependent verification documents (if applicable). See Submit Dependent Verification Documents section below.
Open Enrollment
The City’s open enrollment period is a four-week window that takes place in the fall (beginning in October and wrapping into November) where employees can select their benefit elections for the following calendar year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31).
Qualifying Life Events
You cannot change your benefit elections during the plan year unless you experience an IRS qualifying life event. Common qualifying life events include marriage, divorce, birth of a child, and loss or gain of coverage. If you experience a qualifying life event and would like to make enrollment changes, please complete the steps below:
- Submit the Qualifying Event Form in SAP within 30 days from the date of the event.
- To process your qualifying life event enrollment changes, proper proof documentation must be provided. You can either attach the proof documentation to the SAP form OR you can email them to qualifying_events@sandiego.gov.
For more information, review the Qualifying Life Events webpage.
Submit Dependent Verification Documents
If you are a new hire or newly eligible employee and you are enrolling dependents to your health plan or enrolling in supplemental life insurance coverage for your spouse/domestic partner or child(ren), you must submit dependent verification documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.) to benefits@sandiego.gov within 30 days of your enrollment deadline. If you fail to provide dependent verification, your dependents could be disenrolled. For a complete list of dependent verification documents, please review page 11 of the 2025 Employee Benefits Guide.
Benefits by Bargaining Unit (Union)
View your benefits by selecting your bargaining unit below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Flexible Benefit Plan Credits? What happens if I do not use all of my credits?
The City of San Diego offers employees a “cafeteria style” benefits plan and credits to use towards flexible benefits including medical, vision, dental plans, FSAs and basic life insurance. The amount of credits you’ll receive is based on your bargaining unit, date of hire, and whether dependents are covered on your medical plan. You can access a summary of your credits by selecting the appropriate bargaining unit tile above. For additional information please refer to your bargaining unit MOU. Flexible Benefit Plan Credits are paid out throughout the year on a bi-monthly (twice per month) basis.
If an employee chooses a mix of benefits that add up to the amount of flexible benefit plan credits allotted to them, then the employee owes nothing more for their benefits. If the benefits exceed their flexible benefit plan credits, the employee pays the difference through payroll deductions throughout the year.
Certain tiers have a cash-back option if the costs of elected benefits are less than the Flexible Benefit Plan Credits. The cash-back option also includes the ability to allocate excess credits toward a 401(k). Under the cash-back option, any remaining flexible benefits credits will be included in the employee's paycheck as taxable income. If your coverage falls under a tier that does not have the cash-back option, then you will not be eligible for the 401(k) flex option or excess credits paid as taxable income.
Employees are allowed to make changes to their flexible benefits outside of the open enrollment period when they have a qualifying event, such as a marriage, birth or a change in employment status. Please visit the Qualifying Events Website for more information. There is a Qualifying Event Chart which includes a list of events that qualify for mid-year changes, the allowable changes, and verification documents which you will need to provide (e.g. birth or marriage certificate). Be sure to submit the online Qualifying Event Form within 30 days of the qualifying event.
Please call a Risk Management representative at 619-236-5924 or email Benefits@sandiego.gov.
I want to enroll my spouse and children but there is no “Family” option for my health plan
Your coverage election options are based on the dependents you have listed in the “Dependents & Beneficiaries” section. Return to the “Dependents & Beneficiaries” step and add the dependents you would like to include in your health plan(s).
How much will be taken out of my paycheck to pay for the flexible benefits I’ve selected?
Please refer to the 2025 Open Enrollment Guide. In the Benefits Application, you may also click on the calculator icon to see your bi-monthly running total of costs.
When will the benefits I enroll in become effective?
If you change or enroll in benefits during Open Enrollment, benefits will be in effect Jan. 1, 2025.
If you enroll in benefits as a New Hire, Rehire or are newly benefits-eligible due to a Job/Class Change (e.g. promotion to a benefits-eligible position), you may elect benefits to begin the month following your date of hire/promotion or delay it an additional month.
Upon separation from the City, your health plan coverage will continue through the last day of the month in which you had your last day of “active” employment with the City. For example, if your last day of active employment was May 7, your coverage will continue through May 31.
Please visit the COBRA website for information on continuation periods, FAQs and how to sign-up for benefits through WageWorks.
It can take up to two weeks for the City to process your separation at which time your COBRA information will be mailed out to you.
What dates will FBP transactions (credits and deductions) be skipped?
Flexible Benefit Plan credits and any related transactions will be distributed over 24 paychecks instead of all 26 paychecks during the plan year. Flex Benefit Plan transactions will be skipped on the following pay periods:
| Pay Period Ending | Check Date |
|---|---|
| 1/3/2025 | 1/17/2025 |
| 8/1/2025 | 8/15/2025 |