(A) Enrollment.
(1) The county offers employees the opportunity to enroll in health, dental, life and long-term disability insurance plans. The cost for each of the plans depends upon the employee’s coverage selection. Actual plan benefits and rates are provided upon employment and are reviewed annually with all employees.
(2) Enrollment forms for all these plans must be completed within 30 days of the employee’s date of hire or initial eligibility. Newly hired employees are eligible for coverage in the plans as follows:
(a) Health insurance: First day of month following 30 days of employment;
(b) Dental insurance: First day of month following 90 days of employment;
(c) Life insurance: First day of month following 30 days of employment; and
(d) Long-term disability insurance: First day of month following 30 days of employment.
(B) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
(1) General. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act requires employers sponsoring group health plans to offer employees and certain eligible dependents the opportunity to purchase a temporary extension of health coverage, at group rates, in certain instances when coverage under the plan would otherwise end. The following information is intended to give employees of Woodford County information regarding their rights and obligations under this federal legislation. Additional information may be obtained in the Judge/Executive’s office.
(2) Qualifying events. Employees and eligible dependents covered under the county’s health and dental insurance plans are entitled to purchase continuation coverage if a qualifying event, as described below, occurs:
(a) Termination of employment/reduction of hours. An employee and his or her eligible dependents can purchase up to 18 months of COBRA coverage if the employee (and his or her dependents) loses health coverage as a result of the employee terminating employment (other than as a result of gross misconduct) or reducing the employee’s hours of employment.
(b) Death, divorce, entitlement to Medicare or loss of dependent status. An employee’s eligible dependents can purchase up to 36 months of COBRA coverage if the dependents lose health coverage because of the employee’s death, divorce/legal separation or entitlement to Medicare, or because the dependent ceases to be an eligible dependent under the plan.
(3) Eligible dependent. A dependent is eligible to purchase COBRA coverage if the dependent was covered under the group plan on the day before a COBRA event and will lose coverage as a result of the COBRA event. Each affected employee and dependent can make a separate election whether or not to purchase COBRA coverage. An employee or dependent cannot, however, elect COBRA if he or she was entitled to receive Medicare on the day before the COBRA event.
(4) Employer notification of employee/dependent eligibility.
(a) When the qualifying event is the employee’s termination of employment, reduction of work hours or the employee’s eligibility for Medicare, Woodford County shall notify the off-site service provider, if applicable, within 30 days of the qualifying event. The service or court representative has 14 days to generate the qualifying event notice. All qualified beneficiaries have 60 days from the later of the date of the notice or the loss of coverage date to elect COBRA.
(b) When the qualifying event is the employee’s divorce, legal separation or a dependent no longer meeting the plan’s definition of dependent, the employee shall notify the employer within 60 days (from the later of the date of the event or the date coverage is lost on account of the event).
(5) Time frame for selecting coverage. All qualified beneficiaries have 60 days from the later of the date of the notice or the loss of coverage date to elect COBRA (according to regulations, the election is deemed made on the date it is sent to the employer).
(6) Premium for COBRA coverage. Employees or eligible dependents who elect to purchase COBRA coverage may be charged 102% of the cost of providing the coverage. Under certain circumstances, employees who are determined by the Social Security Administration to be disabled when their employment is terminated are entitled to extend their coverage from 18 months to 29 months. In these cases the premium for the additional 9 months of coverage may be as much as 150% of the cost of providing coverage.
(7) Payment of premium. The initial/retroactive premium (defined as the premium due from the loss of coverage date to the COBRA election date) must be made within 45 days after the date the employee or dependent elects to purchase COBRA coverage. Additional premiums are due on the first of the month. Qualified beneficiaries are allowed a grace period of 30 days.
(8) Termination of coverage. The COBRA coverage period will end on the first to occur of the following dates:
(a) The date the 18-, 29- or 36-month maximum coverage period ends;
(b) The date the employer terminates all group health plans;
(c) The first day an employee or dependent fails to timely pay the COBRA premiums;
(d) The date the employee or dependent is covered under another group health plan, unless the other group plan excludes or limits coverage for a preexisting condition affecting the employee or dependent; or
(e) The first date the employee or dependent is entitled to Medicare benefits.
(9) This is intended to be a summary of employee rights under the COBRA law. Details regarding individual benefits will be sent upon notification of a qualifying event and will be subject to the laws and interpretations in force at that time.
(C) Workers’ compensation insurance and safety policy.
(1) The health and safety of employees is a primary concern of Woodford County. As a condition of employment, employees are required to comply with all safety procedures that are established for the position held by the employee. Additionally, any employee who becomes aware of any unsafe or hazardous condition shall report the situation to his or her supervisor or the County Judge/Executive immediately. Failure to comply with established workplace safety rules, report workplace injuries or failure to report unsafe/hazardous conditions of which the employee is aware will result in personnel action, up to and including termination from employment.
(2) Woodford County carries workers’ compensation insurance. The benefits of workers’ compensation for a job-related injury include payments for lost income, medical treatment and new job training.
(3) All job-related injuries must be reported to the employee’s immediate supervisor or the County Judge/Executive as soon as possible after the injury occurs, but no later than the end of the work day/shift. A first report of injury should be completed by the Department Head or his or her designee within 24 hours of the notification of the injury by the employee and submitted immediately to the Judge/Executive or his or her designee for reporting to the county’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier.
(4) The workers’ compensation insurance carrier pays temporary total disability (TTD) benefits during the period in which the worker is recovering from an injury or disease and is unable to return to some type of work. TTD is not payable unless the employee is unable to work for more than 7 days. Once an employee misses 8 days from work due to a work-related injury, the employee is entitled to benefits from the workers’ compensation insurance carrier for each additional day he or she is unable to work. If the employee exceeds 14 days, he or she is also entitled to the payment of benefits for the first 7 days.
(5) If the Department Head foresees that the employee will not be off work for more than 14 days, the employee may use his or her accumulated sick time for up to the first 7 days he or she is off work due to the job-related injury.
(6) Sick, holiday and vacation leave shall accrue during the period an employee is being paid disability benefits and is covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act. If the employee is not eligible for FMLA or once the FMLA benefits are exhausted, these benefit accruals will cease.
(7) At the end of an employee’s workers’ compensation disability leave, the employee’s unused sick, holiday and vacation leave accruals shall be resumed at the same levels as provided when the leave began. However, the employee shall be subject to any changes affecting the entire work force that may have taken place while the employee was on the leave.
(8) While an employee is on workers’ compensation leave, he or she shall continue to pay to the county any insurance premiums currently being paid by payroll deduction or make a written arrangement to adjust payroll deductions when he or she returns to work. If arrangements are not made to reimburse the county, then insurance coverage shall revert to a single plan and the employee shall sign all necessary papers.
(9) If the employee does not return to work, the balance of all unpaid insurance premiums shall be due within 30 days of the last day of insurance coverage. If an employee does return to work and his or her employment is terminated prior to full reimbursement to the county, the balance of unpaid insurance premiums shall be due within 30 days of the last day of insurance coverage.
(10) Employees who are eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will be notified that this time will run concurrently with the time away from work due to the work-related injury. This notification will be provided by the Personnel Administrator and will include the information pertinent to the benefits associated with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
(Order 9, passed 2-10-2004)
(11) Additional information on workers’ compensation may be obtained from the office of the Judge/Executive.
(D) Unemployment insurance. All employees are covered under this program. Woodford County pays 100% of the cost for this coverage. An individual who terminates his or her employment with the county may or may not be eligible to receive payments under this program, depending upon the circumstances involved in the termination.
(E) Social Security. The county and the employee both contribute to the Social Security program at rates specified by the U.S. Congress.
(Order 10, passed 5-27-1998)