Health and Dental Plan Coverage Sample Clauses

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 health and dental plan offered by the County. 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 health and dental plan coverage, an employee must be in a regular position scheduled for a minimum of forty (40) hours and have received pay for at least one half plus one hour of scheduled hours or be on approved leave pursuant to Section 1(c) 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 (60) days of obtaining dependent status, such as birth, adoption, marriage, or registration of domestic partnership. (e) Notification of a mid-year qualifying event must be submitted to the Human Resources Employee Benefits and Services Division in accordance with procedures adopted by the County. Employees are responsible for notifying the County within sixty (60) days of dependent’s change in eligibility for the County plans. (f) 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 age dependent, or termination of domestic partnership. (g) 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. (h) For employees assigned to work in the Needles, Trona and Xxxxx work locations, the County will establish a “Needles Subsidy.” The Needles Subsidy will be paid by the employee’s Department and will be equal to the amount of the premium difference between the indemnity health plan offered in these specific work locations and the lowest cost health plan provided by the County. This Subsidy will be established each year when premiums change for the County-sponsored health plans. The Subsidy will be discontinued when the lowest cost health plan becomes available to the employees.