Health Care Spending Account After six (6) months of permanent employment, full time and part time (20/40 or greater) employees may elect to participate in a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) Program designed to qualify for tax savings under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, but such savings are not guaranteed. The HCSA Program allows employees to set aside a predetermined amount of money from their pay, not to exceed the maximum amount authorized by federal law, per calendar year, of before tax dollars, for health care expenses not reimbursed by any other health benefit plans. HCSA dollars may be expended on any eligible medical expenses allowed by Internal Revenue Code Section 125. Any unused balance is forfeited and cannot be recovered by the employee.
Health Spending Account (HSA Wellness Spending Account (WSA)/Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) utilization rates;
Health Spending Account contributions by the Executive will cease on the Effective Date. The Executive may submit claims against the balance accrued to the Effective Date, until the end of the calendar year in which the Effective Date occurs.
HEALTH CARE PLANS Notwithstanding the references to the Pacific Blue Cross Plans in this article, the parties agree that Employers, who are not currently providing benefits under the Pacific Blue Cross Plans may continue to provide the benefits through another carrier providing that the overall level of benefits is comparable to the level of benefits under the Pacific Blue Cross Plans.
Health Care Benefits A. Each regular, full-time employee may elect coverage for himself and his eligible dependents* under one of the following health insurance plans:
1. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan Flexible Blue 3 with Flexible Blue Rx Prescription Drug Coverage with a Health Savings Account (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “H.S.A Plan”). The Employer shall pay for the illustrated premium cost of this coverage and make an annual contribution to each participating employee’s Health Savings Account in the amount of $500 for those selecting single coverage and $1,000 for those selecting Employee & Spouse, Employee Child(ren) or Family coverage, or the maximum annual amount the Employer is permitted to pay under Section 3 of the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act, Public Act 152 of the Michigan Public Acts of 2011, whichever results in the lesser Employer contribution to the cost of such plan. Employees may, at their option, make additional contributions through bi-weekly pre-tax payroll deduction as permitted by applicable law.
2. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan Community Blue PPO Option 3 Revised Plan with Blue Preferred Rx Prescription Drug Coverage with a 50% co-pay ($5 floor and a $50 ceiling). Employees shall pay the difference between the illustrated premium cost of this coverage and the amount of the Employer’s total contribution towards the cost of coverage under the H.S.A. Plan as described in Section 1 (a) (1), for the same level of benefit (i.e. single, employee/spouse, employee/child(ren) and family), or pay the difference between the total cost of such coverage and the maximum annual amount the Employer is permitted to pay under Section 3 of the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act, Public Act 152 of the Michigan Public Acts of 2011, whichever results in the greater employee contribution.
3. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan Community Blue PPO Option 6 Revised Plan with Blue Preferred Rx Prescription Drug Coverage with a 50% co-pay ($5 floor and a $50 ceiling). Employees shall pay the difference between the illustrated premium cost of this coverage and the amount of the Employer’s total contribution towards the cost of coverage under the H.S.A. Plan as described in Section 1 (a) (1), for the same level of benefit (i.e. single, employee/spouse, employee/child(ren) and family), or pay the difference between the total cost of such coverage and the maximum annual amount the Employer is permitted to pay under Section 3 of the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act, Public Act 152 of the Michigan Public Acts of 2011, whichever results in the greater employee contribution.
(a) All coverage under any of the foregoing plans shall be subject to such terms, conditions, exclusions, limitations, deductibles, co-payments premium cost-sharing, and other provisions of the plans. Coverage shall commence on the employee’s ninetieth (90th) day of continuous employment. The employee’s contribution to the cost of such coverage shall be payable on a bi-weekly basis through automatic payroll deduction.
(b) To qualify for health care benefits as above described each employee must individually enroll and make proper application for such benefits at the Human Resources Department upon the commencement of his regular employment with the Employer.
(c) Except as otherwise provided under the Family and Medical Leave Act, when on an authorized unpaid leave of absence of more than two weeks, the employee will be responsible for paying all his benefit costs for the period he is not on the active payroll. Proper application and arrangements for the payment of such continued benefits must be made at the Human Resources Department prior to the commencement of the leave. If such application and arrangements are not made as herein described, the employee's health care benefits shall automatically terminate upon the effective date of the unpaid leave of absence.
(d) Except as otherwise provided under this Agreement and/or under COBRA, an employee's health care benefits shall terminate on the date the employee goes on a leave of absence for more than two weeks, terminates, retires or is laid off. Upon return from a leave of absence or layoff, an employee's health care benefits coverage shall be reinstated commencing with the employee's return.
(e) An employee who is on layoff or leave of absence for more than two weeks or who terminates may elect under COBRA to continue the coverage herein provided at his own expense.
(f) The Employer reserves the right to change a carrier(s), a plan(s), and/or the manner in which it provides the above benefits, provided that the benefits and conditions are equal to or better than the benefits and conditions outlined above.
(g) To be eligible for health care benefits as provided above, an employee must document all coverage available to him under his spouse's medical plan and cooperate in the coordination of coverage to limit the Employer's expense. If an employee’s spouse or eligible dependent children work for an employer who provides medical coverage, they are required to elect medical coverage with their employer, so long as the spouse’s or monthly contribution to the premium does not exceed 20% of the total premium cost of said coverage. The Monroe County Plan shall provide secondary coverage.
(h) Each employee is responsible for notifying the Human Resources Department of any change in his status, which might affect his insurance coverage or benefits, such as, marriage, divorce, births, adoptions, deaths, etc.
Insurance Reimbursement If you have a health insurance policy, it will usually provide some coverage for mental health treatment. I will facilitate your receipt of the benefits to which you are entitled including filling out forms and speaking with insurance representatives. You will be held responsible for full payment of our agreed upon fee should your insurance company deny benefits or should your coverage lapse. Therefore, it is very important that you find out exactly what mental health benefits your insurance policy covers. Read your plan carefully and call your service representative if you have questions. Many insurance plans require advance authorization before they will provide reimbursement for mental health services. These plans often are oriented toward a short-term model and provide only a certain amount of sessions per year. Many insurance companies may only authorize a few sessions at a time and I will need to periodically call them to authorize additional sessions. When I call to authorize treatment or continue our sessions, I will provide them with the minimum amount of information needed, usually including a diagnosis, goals for treatment, and a brief summary of your current functioning. It is possible, but very rare, that they would require a copy of my clinical record. This information will become part of insurance company files and is likely to be computerized. All insurance companies claim to keep such information confidential, but once it is in their hands, I have no control over what they do with it. In some cases, they may share the information with a national medical information data bank. By signing this Agreement, you agree that I can provide requested information to your insurance carrier. If you request it, I will provide you with a copy of any report that I am asked to submit. I make it my policy to inform you along the way of where we stand with your insurance company and what kind of information they have requested. Should insurance coverage end for some reason, we can discuss an out-of-pocket session fee. You can always choose to select this option and have the right to pay for my services yourself to avoid the complexities of the insurance industry.
Dental Care Plan The Welfare Plan will include a Dental Care Plan which will reimburse members for expenses incurred in respect of the coverages summarized in Appendix "1". The Plan will not duplicate benefits provided now or which may be provided in the future by any government program.
Flexible Spending Accounts Employees in the unit shall have access to the County’s flexible spending account program, which provides employees with the options of dependent care assistance benefits with a calendar year maximum of $5,000, and medical expense reimbursement benefits with a calendar year maximum of $2,400. The County shall maintain this plan in compliance with IRC §125. Employee premiums for flexible spending account benefits shall be deducted on a pre-tax basis from employee pay.
Educational Reimbursement A) The City will reimburse tuition costs and general fees for courses taken at an educationally accredited college or university by full-time permanent employees. Such course work must be approved prior to enrolling by submitting documentation that the course(s) is necessary toward a degree which is required for a position in the City (including electives for that degree). Thereafter, the course work must be approved by the Department Head and finally to the Director of Human Resources. The fact that a specific course is required for a degree major where the degree with such a major exists as a minimum requirement for a higher classification will be relevant.
B) The City will also reimburse for technical courses. Courses must either be directly related to the employee’s current job or related to another classification career path. The determination of relatedness shall be made by the Director of Human Resources. To be related to a career path the course work must be within three (3) normal promotional steps. Technical courses will be fully reimbursed for a passing grade.
C) The City will reimburse the employee the cost of tuition and general fees for ten (10) credit hours per quarter/semester at the percentage rate of 100% for a grade of "A" "B" or "C". Reimbursement shall be limited to tuition levels and general fees charged by the University of Toledo. These costs will be reimbursed upon the documented presentation of a "C" or 2.0 grade or better.
D) If licensing or certification is a requirement of a classification held by an employee, the City shall pay the employee's licensing or certification expenses. Expenses for required training and/or educational units necessary for maintaining licenses or certifications used or mandated for any classification shall also be reimbursed by the City.
E) The City shall provide training and/or educational programs for full-time permanent employees to enhance career development under a program established jointly by the parties. (refer to Section 2106.72)
F) The City and AFSCME Local 2058 recognize the importance of maintaining and upgrading skills as changes occur in the workplace. The parties are committed to identifying resources to assist employees with upgrading their skills. Training in these new areas may be done by City personnel. When it is beyond the scope of City personnel, training may be conducted through outside services. These costs shall be borne under the City's continuing education program.
G) Any employee participating in the tuition reimbursement program that resigns, retires (non- disability) or is terminated must repay in full the tuition reimbursement paid by the City for courses completed less than five (5) years prior to the date of resignation, retirement, or termination. If necessary, this amount shall be deducted from the employee’s severance pay and/or his or her final paycheck. In the event the employee’s severance pay and/or final paycheck are insufficient to cover the full tuition reimbursement owed to the City, the employee must make arrangements to repay the amount owed. The City may pursue collection of the amount owed, if necessary. An employee who resigns or is terminated for cause or performance will lose all rights and benefits under the educational reimbursement refund policy effective on the date of his or her resignation, retirement, or termination. 2106.92 Base Annual Salaries A) Hourly Wages B) In accordance with Section 2106.02 “Classifications,” effective January 1, 2019, the Supervisor – Communications position will be divided into Supervisor - Police Communications and Supervisor - Fire Communications. The Supervisor - Fire Communications classification will be assigned to salary group eleven (11) and the Supervisor - Police Communications classification will be assigned to salary group thirteen (13). The employees will not receive another base wage increase for the duration of the agreement. CD) An employee who is promoted or who works above his classification will receive the Starting Rate of the class to which the employee has been promoted unless the Starting Rate of the new classification is less than four percent (4%) greater than the rate the employee was earning in his regular classification. If the Starting Rate of the new classification is not at least four percent (4%) greater than the rate the employee was earning in his regular classification, then the employee shall receive the full rate of the new classification. When an employee falls into a pay status that reflects less than one (1) cent, between the start rate and the full rate, then the City shall pay the full rate of pay. The Mayor may decide to pay a promoted employee at the full rate of pay that is applicable, provided that such decisions shall not establish a precedent or practice. Promoted employees at the Starting Rate will remain at the rate for one thousand forty (1,040) actual work hours after their appointment.
Medical/Dental Expense Account The Employer agrees to allow insurance eligible employees to participate in a medical and dental expense reimbursement program to cover co- payments, deductibles and other medical and dental expenses or expenses for services not covered by health or dental insurance on a pre-tax basis as permitted by law or regulation, up to the maximum amount of salary reduction contributions allowed per calendar year under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code or other applicable federal law.
