Health and Dental Plan Coverage. (a) All eligible employees scheduled to work forty (40) hours or more per pay period in a regular position must enroll in a County Fire-sponsored health and dental plan. Employees who fail to elect health plan coverage will be automatically enrolled in the health and dental plan with the lowest bi-weekly premium rates available in the geographical location of the employee’s primary residence.
(b) To be eligible for County Fire-sponsored health and dental plan coverage, an employee in a regular position must be scheduled for a minimum of forty (40) hours and have received pay for at least one-half plus one hour of scheduled hours in a pay period or be on an approved leave pursuant to Section 2(e) of this Article.
(c) Enrollment elections must remain in effect for the remainder of the Plan Year unless an employee becomes ineligible for an HMO network service area.
(d) Eligible employees may elect to enroll their dependents upon initial eligibility for health and dental insurance. Thereafter, newly eligible dependents may be enrolled within sixty-one (61) days of obtaining dependent status, such as birth, adoption or marriage. Notification of a mid-year qualifying event must be submitted to the County’s Human Resources Employee Benefits and Services Division in accordance with procedures adopted by the County. Employees are responsible for notifying the Employee Benefits and Services Division within sixty-one (61) days of dependent’s change in eligibility for the County plans.
(e) Dependent(s) must be removed mid-Plan Year when a dependent(s) becomes ineligible for coverage under the insurance plan eligibility rules, for example divorce, over aged dependent or termination of domestic partnership.
(f) Premiums for coverage will be automatically deducted from the employee’s pay warrant. Failure to pay premiums will result in loss of coverage for the employee and/or the dependents.
