Getting Married Adding a Spouse to Health Coverage What do I need to do to add a new spouse to my health plans? You have a 31-day period from the date of marriage to add you spouse to your health, dental and vision plans. Request a change form from your payroll specialist or from the Benefits office. This should be competed and returned to the Benefits Office (Pony#EPS133) within 31 days. What if I don't add my dependent within 31 days of marriage? If you miss the 31-day grace period, your next available opportunity to add a spouse is during the open enrollment period held annually. The only exception to this rule is if your spouse unexpectantly loses coverage through his employment. By submitting a letter of insurability (HIPPA letter) from his employer, you may add him to your health plan effective with the date he will lose coverage. Affidavit of Domestic Partnership  Form to Add Dependent to Health Coverage Impact of Adding Spouse and/or Dependent This may affect your payroll deductions for your health plan. If you currently have single or one additional family member, you cost will increase. If you currently have coverage for 3 or more there will be no change in your bi-weekly deduction. The cost of your dental plan is a single rate and will not change regardless of family members enrolled You may need COBRA How do I change my beneficiaries? You may want to change your named beneficiary for both your retirement benefitsand your life insurance. You may contact the Benefits office at x4157 to request a beneficiary change form for your life insurance. You will need to contact the Retirement office at x4581 or go to their web site at www.samcera.orgto change your beneficiary for your retirement plan. How Do I Change My Tax Status? Contact your Payroll Specialist or the Controller's Payroll Department to obtain a W-4 form. Having a Baby What Programs are available through the County for employees who are pregnant There are a variety of programs available to employees. Click on the Health and Fitness' Family Life Programs where you will find information on parenting workshops, the "Babies and You" workshop, lactation program and much more. What happens when I go on a leave? Leave of Absence Form You can also contact your Payroll Specialist to obtain a leave of absence form. This is required when you go out on a paid and/or nonpaid leave of absence. Obtain a statement from your doctor for the period needed for your Medicare leave. Indicate both the medical and personal (Parental) portions of your leave of absence and use of time (vacation, sick leave (medical portion only) and leave without pay.   SDI Employees other than Management, Confidential, Dist Attorney/County Cnsl, DSA, PDS and Engineers are eligible to file a claim with State Disability. A claim form is obtained from your payroll specialists and should be taken to your doctor to complete. Short Term DisabilityEmployees not covered by SDI and who have elected to purchase Short Term Disability from the County should obtain a claim form from the Benefits Office. Health Insurance CoverageYour insurance coverage will continued uninterrupted while on a leave of absence. You will continue to be responsible for the cost of your insurance that is normally deducted from your paycheck. As long as you are in a pay status (receiving sick/vacation/holiday pay) your deductions will be taken from your paycheck. Once you have exhausted all your paid time and go on a leave without pay, the Benefits Office will bill you for the cost of your insurance. For more information, review the Leave of Absence section, specific to your leave, in your respective MOUs and/or contact Benefits for information concerning LOA insurance billing. Adding a Dependent to Health Coverage When and How do I add my baby to my insurance coverage? You have a 31 day period to add your newborn to your health plans. If you miss this 31 day period, the next opportunity to add would be during the open enrollment period held annually. Contact the Benefits Office or your payroll Office to obtain a change form to add your new baby. The bi-weekly cost of your health plan will increase if you do not already have family coverage. Buying a home Buying a home in the San Francisco Bay Area is increasingly difficult. The high cost of housing, leasing and renting has forced many employees to look well beyond the Bay Area to obtain affordable housing. The County has offered a series of counseling programs in collaboration with the California Dream Alliance (a coalition of profit and non-profit organizations that work together to expand homeowner opportunities for first-time homebuyers). The seminars have been very well attended and participants have consistently rated the program very high in providing critical information and resources to assist in home-buying efforts. Individuals are notified by memo and e-mail whenever sessions will be offered at the County. Additionally, the California Dream Alliance hosts numerous weekend public series and the County also participants in subsidy programs offered by local cities. Below is a description of the series. Session 1: Understanding and Working with Your Credit Report  The objectives of this session are to: enable employees to assess their current credit capability and 2) initiate a plan (if and when necessary) that outlines the steps required to reconstruct and/ or establish the employee's credit to purchase a home. This first session requires participants to obtain a confidential "new" mortgage credit report with FICO scores available to them. The credit reports are obtained at a discounted cost of $25.00. Session 2: Cost of Ownership and Qualifying for a Home  The objective of this session is to develop an understanding of the cost implications of home ownership and its comparison to rent costs. This session covers the tax implications of ownership, how Mortgage Credit Certificates effect overall cost of ownership and the implications of future rent costs in relationship to current ownership costs. This session will also cover personal financial planning principals to aid participants in purchasing a home. Session 3: Special First Time Homebuyer Programs  The objectives of this session are to cover public and private first-time homebuyer programs that employees can utilize including: 1) competitive 0% down and 100% financing programs, 2) strategies for combining public and private programs to maximize purchasing benefits and 3) ways to find and negotiate the purchase of a home. Preparing for Retirement What do I need to do? Employees who are considering retirement should contact the retirement office to sign up for a retirement seminar that is held, usually, three time each year. The seminar is available to all employees and covers pension options and amounts, continued health benefits, healthy living, financial planning, Social Security, Long Term Care and Deferred Compensation. Employees should contact the Retirement Office to obtain a quote on the amount of the pension they may receive and also to make an appointment to discuss retirement options in detail. Employees should also contact the Benefits Office to review insurance benefits after retirement. For more information on your health options after Retirement, please visit our Retirement Section for Active County Employees. Dealing with Family and Domestic Violence What can I do? Divorce What do I need to do in the event of a divorce? Request a change form to drop your spouse (from your health, dental, vision and life insurance) from your payroll specialist or from the Benefits office. This should be completed and returned to the Benefits Office (Pony#HRD133) as soon as the divorce is final. How do I change my beneficiaries? You may want to change your named beneficiary for your retirement benefits and your life insurance and if you have any deferred compensation account. You may contact the Benefits office at x4157 to request a beneficiary change form for your life insurance. You will need to contact the Retirement office at x4581 or go to their web site at www.samcera.org( http://www.samcera.org/)tochange your beneficiary for your retirement plan. You will need to contact Nationwide at 1-800-769-4457 or Hartfordlife at 1-8000-528-9009 or go to their website at https://retire.hartfordlife.com. COBRA Benefits and Coverage Under a federal law called COBRA,divorce or legal separation is a "qualifying event" for continuing benefits coverage up to 36 months for your spouse and dependent(s). The coverage includes health, dental and vision benefits. The COBRA section of the Benefits web site summarizes the current monthly cost for health, dental and vision COBRA coverage which, by law, is 102% of the Countys total group premium cost. Eligibility for COBRA coverage extends for a maximum period of 36 months after which time the individual will be terminated from County insurance but may enroll in individual coverage. When coverage is terminated, each COBRA-covered individuals will be given the option to transfer to and purchase individual coverage with their health provider. There are no pre-existing conditions either under COBRA or this individual coverage. Death of an Employee, Spouse or Dependent  The death of a loved one is never easy. In addition to the emotional pain, the survivors must deal with a myriad of issues. The Bereavement Packet below is our effort to make this process as easy as possible. Additionally, we have provided the names of key County staff who can assist you through this process. What documents are required by the County in the event of a death? The most important document is a certified copy of the Death Certificate. The cause of death must clearly be stated. You will need to complete a Death Claim Form. These two documents should be mailed to the Benefits Office and the Retirement Office. Once the County receives a certified copy of the Death Certification and a Death Claim Form, it may begin processing eligibility for any benefits or pension that are provided. Is there any money as a result of employee pay? Any unused pay will be issued in a final pay warrant by the Controller’s Office. The paycheck will include any time that has been worked but not paid as well as any vacation, holiday or other compensable time that is due to the employee. Can health coverage for a spouse, domestic partner and/or other dependent(s) continue in the event of the death of the employee?  For the death of an employee, health coverage may continue under retiree health, if the employee was eligible to retire or under COBRA. Health Plan Information Operating Engineer Benefits Retirement If the employee has worked a sufficient time to qualify for retirement, the spouse or dependents may be eligible for both a retirement pension and retiree health coverage. If the employee has unused sick leave at the time of death (and qualifies for retirement) the County may make a contribution towards the cost of retiree health benefits. Eligibility for this provision can be discussed with Benefits personnel. When sick leave "credits" expire, the surviving spouse or domestic partner may continue to purchase group coverage. Please contact SamCERA for retirement information. COBRA Benefits and Coverage Under a federal law called COBRA, the death of an employee is a "qualifying event" for continuing benefits coverage for a spouse or dependents. The coverage includes health, dental and vision benefits. The COBRA section of the Benefits web site summarizes the current monthly cost for health, dental and vision COBRA coverage which, by law, is 102% of the County’s total group premium cost. Eligibility for COBRA coverage extends for a maximum period of 36 months after which time the individual will be terminated from County insurance but may enroll in individual coverage. When coverage is terminated, each COBRA-covered individuals will be given the option to transfer to and purchase individual coverage with their health provider. There are no pre-existing conditions either under COBRA or this individual coverage. Is a retirement or pension benefit available when the employee has died? Possibly. Depending on how long the employee has worked, a surviving spouse and or children might be eligible for a retirement benefit. Even if the employee has not worked a sufficient time to be eligible for a retirement benefit, the surviving beneficiaries may be eligible for a refund of any employee contributions. Is grief and bereavement counseling available? Yes. The County contracts with MHN (Managed Health Network) for its EAP (Employee Assistance Program) benefits. The benefits include four free counseling sessions to the employee, spouse / domestic partner and other dependents. MHN can be reached at 800-826-4690. You can also obtain counseling through your health insurance plan. If you do not currently have a mental health provider, consider getting a recommendation from your Primary Care Physicians. If you belong to Aetna or Blue Shield, you may also call the Customer Service number for assistance in locating a provider. Kaiser members should call the Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Department directly for assistance. Is a life insurance benefit available? Yes. The County provides group term life insurance to all regular employees and covered dependents as a fully-paid benefit with the specific amount determined by union negotiations. Additionally, employees are given the opportunity to purchase additional life insurance up to a maximum of $250,000 for employees and $125,000 for a spouse / domestic partner.. Once the County receives a certified Death Certificate and a Death Claim Form it can process the amount with the life insurance company. Death Claim Form Life Insurance Summary Operating Engineers Plan The County’s retirement system, SamCERA, may also provide a life insurance benefit upon the death of an employee. Who do I contact if I have questions or need more information? Check the Benefits Contact Page for Phone Numbers, or click on a link below to email: For any paycheck information please contact Gladys For information regarding health, dental or vision coverage, please contact Marife For life insurance, please contact Flor For information on COBRA, please contact Paul For retirement information please contact Janell