Benefits Enrollment

Follow the instructions below to enroll in your State benefits. These are general instructions that are intended to be most useful to new hires and ongoing employees in open enrollment. If you are making changes to your benefit elections (enrolling in or changing coverage) due to a qualifying status change, please visit the Status Changes page for enrollment instructions that are specific to you.

Before making any benefit elections, it is recommended that you review our decision support materials to better understand your options and choose the best coverage for you and your family. Visit the virtual benefits fair, read the State of Rhode Island Benefits Guide, and take advantage of resources such as ALEX, the State’s interactive online benefits counselor, and whiteboard animated benefit videos on the Decision Support page.

Medical/Prescription, Dental, Vision, FSA

    To enroll in or waive (and elect receipt of the medical waiver opt-out payment) medical/prescription, dental, vision and FSA coverage, you will use the State’s online enrollment system Workterra.

    Workterra User Guide

  1. Before accessing Workterra, gather the following information:
    • Family member social security numbers and supporting documentation - If you plan to enroll any family members on your plans, you will need to enter their social security numbers and upload supporting documentation proving their relationship to you.
      • All elections are pended for administrator review. If you add a new dependent (one that was not already listed in Workterra when you first logged in) but do not submit supporting documentation in a timely manner, your elections WILL be rejected.
    • PCP NPI number(s) - If you plan to enroll yourself and any family members in the State medical plan, please note that you will need to designate primary care physician(s) (PCPs) for each person during the enrollment process. You designate a preferred PCP by entering the PCP’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) number in Workterra.
      • See the PCP Coordination of Care flyer to learn more about how the PCP requirement works as part of your State medical coverage.
      • Follow these Step-by-Step Instructions to find your preferred PCP(s) and their 10-digit NPI(s). Write down the number(s) so that you will be ready to enter them when you make your elections in Workterra.
      • You may also choose to have your PCP(s) chosen for you by checking the “Auto Allocate” box on the PCP pop-up page in Workterra.
  2. Access Workterra and make your health benefits elections.
    • Log in to sori.workterra.net
    • › Login credentials
      • User Name: First initial of your first name, your full last name (no hyphens, apostrophes, spaces or titles), last four digits of your SSN
        • Example: if your name is John O’Brien-Johnson, Jr. and the last four digits of your SSN are 1234, your user name would be “jobrienjohnson1234”
      • Password: First five digits of your SSN.
        • You will change this upon first login. Be sure to write down your new password!
      • Company: Rhode Island (not case sensitive; space between "Rhode" and "Island" is required)
      • Can't log into Workterra / need help resetting your password? Call the BCBSRI State Employee CARE Center at (401) 429-2104 or 1-866-987-3705. CARE Center hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm and Saturday, 8am–12pm.
    • Follow the Workterra User Guide for detailed instructions on how to navigate the system, add dependents, and make your elections.
    • Notes for adding dependents to your plans :
    • › Enrolling dependent(s)
      • When making your elections, be sure to CHECK THE BOX next to any dependent in order to enroll them.
      • After completing your plan elections you will reach your Confirmation Statement. If you enrolled any dependent(s), be sure to check that their name(s) appear in the ENROLLMENT SUMMARY section.
      • If your dependent(s) do not appear in the Enrollment Summary, that means they are NOT enrolled! You must return to the appropriate enrollment sections and check the box(es) next to their name(s).
    • Notes regarding ex-spouses
    • › Regarding coverage for ex-spouses

      (Not applicable to new employees - ex-spouses that have not been continuously covered by the RI State Employee Health Plan since before January 1, 2014 are not eligible)

      When you log into Workterra, if your ex-spouse is currently covered, you will see that their relationship status is "Spouse."

      • If you are divorced and your ex-spouse has been continuously covered under your plan since before January 1, 2014, and you intend to continue that coverage, please do not change your ex-spouse’s relationship status to "Ex-Spouse."
      • If you change the status to "Ex-Spouse,” the change will be pended for administrator review and you will need to supply a copy of your final divorce decree. If the change is approved, any current coverage will be immediately terminated, and COBRA will be offered to your ex-spouse so long as the final divorce decree was issued in the previous 31 days. If the final divorce decree was issued more than 31 days prior, COBRA will not be offered.
      • If you uncheck the boxes next to your ex-spouse’s name during open enrollment, they will be removed from your coverage as of January 1 of the following year, and COBRA will not be offered because it is a voluntary drop of coverage during open enrollment. If you voluntarily drop your ex-spouse from your coverage, you will not be able to add them back at any time in the future.
  3. Workterra support:
    • If you need help with logging into Workterra / resetting your password, or finding your PCP and their 10-digit NPI, call the BCBSRI CARE Center at (401) 429-2104 or 1-866-987-3705. CARE Center hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm and Saturday, 8am–12pm.
    • If you have any other questions related to Workterra or regarding plan eligibility rules, please call the Office of Employee Benefits or email doa.enrollmenthelp@hr.ri.gov.

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Health Savings Account (HSA)

Only applicable if you are enrolled in the Anchor Choice Plan with HSA

  • If you enroll in the Anchor Choice Plan with HSA, an HSA will be automatically opened for you.
  • The State contributes up to $1,500/$3,000 for individual/family coverage each plan year*
  • To make additional voluntary contributions via payroll deductions**, complete and submit the HSA Employee Payroll Deduction Authorization Form by:
    • Using the "Upload Documents" option in Workterra
    • Emailing , or
    • Faxing to (401) 574-9281
  • HSA Contribution Limits:
    • 2019 Limits*** 2020 Limits*** 2021 Limits***
    Individual coverage $3,500 $3,550 $3,600
    Family coverage $7,000 $7,100 $7,200
    Additional catch-up contribution for age 55 and over $1,000 $1,000 $1,000

* Contributions are made biannually with half deposited on January 1 and the other half deposited on July 1. The State’s HSA contributions are not pro-rated for employees that enroll after those dates.

** You may make changes to your HSA contribution at any time during the year.

*** Includes any contribution from the State. For example, if you have individual coverage for 2021 and the State contributed $1,500 to your HSA, you have $3,600 - $1,500 = $2,100 available to contribute on your own.

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Supplemental Benefits

› Deferred Compensation

Click here if you want to learn more about deferred compensation.

The State offers investment options from three providers: Fidelity, TIAA, and Voya

You may enroll in the 457 Plan at any time during the year.

To enroll in the 457 Plan, please follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to your Retirement@Work account to choose your investment provider(s) and salary deferrals. If you are a new employee, you will not be able to access Retirement@Work until you receive your first paycheck.
  2. Follow the on-screen prompts and visit the website(s) of the investment provider(s) you choose to complete your account set-up, including fund selections and assigning your beneficiaries. If you don't complete your account set-up with each investment provider you selected, your contributions will either reject or be directed to an age-appropriate target date fund.

If you have any enrollment-related questions, please call Retirement@Work at (855) 200-0135.

› Group Life Insurance

Click here if you want to learn more about group life insurance.

New hires are automatically enrolled into basic life insurance coverage at the time of hire unless they elect to waive life insurance coverage.

To enroll in life insurance coverage or waive life insurance coverage, submit the Group Term Life Insurance Enrollment Form during an enrollment period by:

  • Using the "Upload Documents" option in Workterra (recommended)
  • Emailing , or
  • Faxing to (401) 574-9281
    • Be sure to keep your fax confirmation for proof of submission!
Evidence of Insurability

If you want to add supplemental coverage at a later date, or if you initially waived all coverage and want to elect some level of coverage at a later date, you are considered a late applicant and will need to submit the Group Term Life Insurance Enrollment Form and provide evidence of insurability (EOI) to The Hartford when prompted. “Providing EOI” usually only means completing a medical history questionnaire, but The Hartford may request additional information/documentation. Life insurance coverage for late applicants is not effective unless and until The Hartford approves the application. The EOI process is handled entirely by The Hartford.

› Legal Services

Click here if you want to learn more about legal services.

To elect legal coverage, submit the Legal Care Deduction Authorization Form by:

  • Using the "Upload Documents" option in Workterra (recommended)
  • Emailing , or
  • Faxing to (401) 574-9281
    • Be sure to keep your fax confirmation for proof of submission!
› Short-term Disability Insurance

Click here if you want to learn more about short-term disability insurance.

Please contact the Aflac or Colonial Life RI office to enroll or obtain additional information regarding coverage options and plan costs. Make sure you identify yourself as a State of Rhode Island employee.

› CollegeBound Saver

Click here if you want to learn more about CollegeBound Saver.

The CollegeBound Saver program is administered through the Office of the General Treasurer. Click here for the CollegeBound payroll deduction instructions.

Note: You can make changes to your deductions at anytime during the year.

› RIPTA Transit Passes

Click here if you want to learn more about RIPTA transit passes.

To purchase or to stop purchasing your RIPTA passes, please complete, sign and submit the RIPTA Payroll Deduction Form to your agency payroll office. Please submit this form roughly two months before the month in which you would need to use your RIPTA passes.

See the RIPTA Payment Schedule for the list of payment and pass effective dates.

If you are purchasing RIPTA passes, your agency payroll office will distribute the passes to you prior to the start of the month for which the passes will be effective.*

*Any unclaimed transit passes will be returned to RIPTA. It is your responsibility to obtain a refund directly from RIPTA (if permitted by RIPTA) for any unwanted or unused transit passes once a transit pass has been purchased via a payroll deduction.

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If You Need Assistance

  • If you need help with logging into Workterra / resetting your password, or finding your PCP and their 10-digit NPI, call the BCBSRI CARE Center at (401) 429-2104 or 1-866-987-3705. CARE Center hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm and Saturday, 8am–12pm.
  • If you have any other questions related to Workterra or regarding plan eligibility rules, please call the Office of Employee Benefits or email doa.enrollmenthelp@hr.ri.gov.
  • The Office of Employee Benefits can help you with most benefits-related questions. However, you may need to refer directly to one of the State’s benefits vendors for more detailed and in-depth plan-related questions. Please find vendor-specific contact information below:

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