Newly Hired Employees All employees hired to an insurance eligible position must make their benefit elections by their initial effective date of coverage as defined in this Article, Section 5C. Insurance eligible employees will automatically be enrolled in basic life coverage. If employees eligible for a full Employer Contribution do not choose a health plan administrator and a primary care clinic by their initial effective date, and do not waive medical coverage, they will be enrolled in a Benefit Level Two clinic (or Level One, if available) that meets established access standards in the health plan with the largest number of Benefit Level One and Two clinics in the county of the employee’s residence at the beginning of the insurance year. If an employee does not choose a health plan administrator and primary care clinic by their initial effective date, but was previously covered as a dependent immediately prior to their initial effective date, they will be defaulted to the plan administrator and primary care clinic in which they were previously enrolled.
Permanent Employees The allocations outlined in paragraphs b) and c) above will be provided on the first day of each fiscal year, or the first day of employment, subject to the exceptions below: Where a permanent Employee is accessing sick leave and/or the short-term disability plan in a fiscal year and the absence continues into the following fiscal year for the same medical condition, the permanent Employee will continue to access any unused sick leave days or short-term disability days from the previous fiscal year’s allocation. A new allocation will not be provided to the permanent Employee until s/he has returned to work and completed eleven (11) consecutive working days at their regular working hours. The permanent Employee’s new sick leave allocation will be eleven (11) days at 100% wages. The permanent Employee will also be allocated one hundred and twenty (120) short term disability days payable at ninety percent (90%) of regular salary reduced by any paid sick days already taken in the current fiscal year. If a permanent Employee is absent on his/her last regularly scheduled work day and the first regularly scheduled work day of the following year for unrelated reasons, the allocation outlined above will be provided on the first day of the fiscal year, provided the employee submits medical documentation to support the absence, in accordance with paragraph (h).
Shift Employees Employees who work rotating shift patterns or those who work qualifying shifts shall be entitled, on completion of 12 months employment on shift work, to up to an additional 5 days annual leave, based on the number of qualifying shifts worked. The entitlement will be calculated on the annual leave anniversary date. Qualifying shifts are defined as a shift which involves at least 2 hours work performed outside the hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm, excluding overtime. Number of qualifying shifts per annum Number of days additional leave per annum 121 or more 5 days 96 – 120 4 days 71 – 95 3 days 46 – 70 2 days 21 – 45 1 day