Notwithstanding other provisions of this article, any city officer or employee eligible for medical coverage under the city's medical plan may waive coverage under the city's medical plan and elect to receive a medical insurance incentive allowance of thirty-six dollars and ninety-two cents ($36.92) per pay period provided that the city officer or employee is not currently covered by the city's retiree medical plan or as a dependent under another city employee or retiree's plan, and provided that the employee provides acceptable proof of non-city medical insurance to the Benefits division of Human Resources. This waiver does not extend to dental coverage or to other plans provided under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Any city officer or employee may request the incentive for waiver of medical coverage during the initial thirty-one (31) days of city employment, during the annual open enrollment period, or whenever there is a qualifying life event such as gaining coverage through a non-city medical plan, and provided that the city officer or employee is not currently covered by the city's medical plan.
The actual effective date for the incentive payment will depend upon the reason for the change. For newly hired employees, the effective date for start of the incentive will be the date a new hire employee normally becomes eligible for other city-paid benefits. For an open enrollment change, the effective date for start of the incentive will be the date that the new fiscal year's medical insurance premiums otherwise would take effect. For qualifying life events, the effective date for starting the incentive payment will be the first day the waiver of city medical coverage takes effect. Regardless of the reason, in order for the incentive to take effect on the dates prescribed above, proper documentation supporting the incentive for waiver must be received by the Benefits division of Human Resources before the incentive payment will begin. If documentation is received after the date incentive otherwise would have taken effect, the incentive will begin the pay period that the acceptable documentation is received, and retroactive payments of the incentive will not be made.
When an eligible employee resumes medical coverage on a city plan, the effective date for stopping the incentive will be the last date prior to the date the city medical coverage begins.
Any city officer or employee waiving medical coverage under the city's plan must provide written proof of medical coverage from another non-City of Tucson source. Failure to provide periodic proof of medical coverage from another non-city source, satisfactory to, and at such frequency as determined by the city, will be grounds for the city to discontinue the incentive and recoup any incentive payments made for the time the employee did not maintain medical coverage. Proof of medical coverage from another non-city source must be provided within thirty (30) days of any request.
(Ord. No. 9857, §§ 1, 2, 6-2-03; Ord. No. 10059, § 1, 10-11-04; Ord. No. 10678, § 2, 6-9-09, eff. 7-1-09; Ord. No. 10991, § 1, 6-12-12, eff. 7-1-12; Ord. No. 11364, § 3, 6-7-16, eff. 6-26-16; Ord. No. 11628, § 10, 3-5-19)
Editor’s note – It should be noted that § 22-88 is effective retroactive to April 30, 2003.