(A) Compensation.
(1) Each City officer and employee who is a member of the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio State Guard, the Ohio Naval Militia or any other reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be entitled to leaves of absence from employment duties for the time such person is in military service, on field training, or on active duty, for periods not exceeding thirty days in any calendar year.
(2) Any City officer or employee on military leave of absence shall be entitled to receive pay in accordance with any applicable collective bargaining agreement, state or federal law.
(3) An officer or employee returning from extended military leave, which shall be defined herein as being greater than 30 calendar days, will receive applicable pay step time credit for the period the person was on extended military leave. The City’s share of pension contribution for an officer or employee on extended military leave will be made in accordance with USERRA and relevant state law.
(4) An officer or employee returning from extended military leave who has not been promoted because of being on active military service will receive promotion upon return in accordance with USERRA, the City Charter, a relevant collective bargaining agreement, and City ordinance. Classified civil service employees must appear on an eligibility list at the time of promotion opportunity to be eligible for promotion upon return. Being on an eligibility list does not guarantee promotion, the person returning from extended military leave will only be eligible for promotion if the sole reason the person was not promoted was due to the absence for active military service.
(B) Group Health Care Benefits. For officers or employees on extended military leave, health care benefits will terminate on the last day of the month in which the officer or employee last receives pay from the City of Lima. As defined by Federal Law, while on extended military leave, an officer or employee and their family members will have access to health care without cost through the military’s health care delivery system. However, officers or employees eligible for extended military leave will also have options available for a 24 month period for providing health care benefit coverage for their qualified dependents during the period of extended military leave as follows:
(1) Continue their health coverage at 102 percent of the full premium rate in accordance with Federal Law.
(2) Continue their health coverage at the normal full-time employee contribution rate payable by the first of the month that the coverage will be provided. Coverage will be as defined in the City’s health plan document.
(3) Discontinue health care benefit coverage and receive mileage reimbursement for travel to out-of-county Tri-Care Prime providers for health care services that are covered under the City’s health plan. The rate of reimbursement will be the standard mileage rate as determined by the Auditor’s office. The Human Resource Department will be responsible for verifying that a trip qualifies for reimbursement. Requests for reimbursement must include proof of a visit to an out-of-county Tri-Care Prime provider and must be submitted within 60 days of the visit.
(Ord. 194-06. Passed 8-7-06.)