Effective January 2008

Health Plan options provided by Washington State Health Care Authority & Public Employees Benefits Board.

Medical Plans:

S       Aetna Public Employees Plan

“Classic” Managed Care Plans:

S       Group Health Classic

“Value” Managed Care Plan:

S       Group Health Value

Preferred Provider Plan:

S       Uniform Medical

Dental Plans:

The District offers a choice of 3 dental plans. There is no additional employee cost for dental coverage.

Preferred Provider Plan:

S       Uniform Dental Plan

Managed Care Plan:

S       Delta Care by Washington Dental Service

S       Willamette Dental

Vision Plan:

The District offers Vision Service Plan. There is no additional employee cost for vision coverage.

HRA/VEBA

VEBA is a tax free health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) that enables The District to make tax free contributions into a special trust account on your behalf. The contributions are funded through a mandatory employee payroll deduction of $50 per month.  The tax free funds can be used to pay or reimburse eligible out-of-pocket healthcare costs and premiums for yourself, your spouse or qualified dependants. There are several choices of investment options for your account. VEBA is not a “use it or loose it plan”, but can be carried over year to year (even after retirement or separation of employment at the District). In addition, sick leave in excess of 320 accrued hours quarterly is cashed out into your VEBA account, dollar for dollar. Sick leave balances under 320 hours are cashed out dollar for dollar into the VEBA account on a sliding scale (0,10 or 25%).

Holidays:

The District offers the following twelve (12) paid holidays per calendar year.

Sick Leave:

Regular full time employees accrue eight (8) hours of sick leave benefits each calendar month of continuous employment up to the maximum of 320 hours. Sick leave in excess of 320 hours per quarter is cashed out into the employees’ VEBA account.

Vacation Leave:

Length of Service                        Monthly Accrual                  Total Yearly Accumulation

Carry over of vacation leave to the next year is limited to a maximum of six (6) weeks accrual. The District also has a “Cash Out” option for unused vacation after 5 years of employment. Unused vacation not used or cashed out is forfeited.

Flexible Work Schedules:

The District offers several options for alternative work schedules, which include the following options:

Flexibility in shift start and end times. (i.e. 7:30 – 4:30, 7:00 – 4:00). This option is offered year round to all staff. The eligible start and end hours vary based on Winter or Summer flex schedule.

Four (4) ten (10) hour days per week (4/40 week) Or Four (4) ten (10) hour days per week (4/40 week) alternated with a week of Five (5) eight (8) hour days (5/40 week). These options are offered from Summer schedule only (April – October - inclusive) for field staff.

Eight (8) nine (9) hour days and one (1) eight (8) hour day per two (2) week period.  (9/80 schedule). This option is offered year round for most office positions.

Long Term Disability:

The District provides a long term disability plan, currently offered through the Washington State Health Care Authority at no cost to regular full-time employees.  The District provided plan specifies a disability benefit waiting period of 90 days.  Employees have the option of buying down the waiting period to either 60 days or 30 days at the employee’s expense. This policy provides for up to 60% of wages in the event of a long term disability.

Term Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

The District provides all full-time regular employees with term life insurance coverage and accidental death and dismemberment coverage in a combined coverage amount not to exceed $50,000.  Eligible employees may purchase additional coverage for themselves or their families at their own expense.

State Department of Retirement Systems:

The State of Washington provides the retirement systems to which the District and its employees contribute.  All regular full-time and some part-time employees (depending on their position) are covered under the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).  Employees can choose between PERS 2 & PERS 3 plans.  Employees are vested into the retirement systems after five (5) years with the system.  Benefit levels and contribution rates are set by the State of Washington.

Deferred Compensation Program

All District employees have the opportunity to participate in the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems deferred compensation program.  Deferred compensation plans allow employees to defer a portion of their salary until retirement.  The amount the employee elects to defer is deducted from the employee’s gross pay before taxes, reducing current taxable income.  The employee selects how their deferrals are invested from a range of investment options. 

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees and their families.  The program is designed to put employees and/or their family members in touch with a professional who can address their needs, whether those needs fall within the category of personal or work related concerns.

Tuition Reimbursement and Training:

Employees at every level of the District are encouraged to take advantage of various opportunities for additional skill set, management and/or job and related training workshops, conferences, and class room courses based on individual needs assessments.

Full time District employees are eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 20 credit hours per year of education in pursuit of a job related degree. Tuition reimbursement is based upon the current Green River Community College tuition fees and is prorated based on years of service. Employees with up to two years of continuous employment will receive seventy five percent of the annual maximum dollar allowance.  Employees with greater than two years of service will receive one hundred percent of the annual maximum dollar allowance.

AFLAC Plans

As an additional benefit, the District offers voluntary employee paid participation in the following AFLAC Plans: Short Term Disability, Accident, Hospital Confinement Sickness, Cancer Indemnity, and Hospital Indemnity Limited Benefit insurance plans.

Note: District benefits as listed are subject to change with or without notice. Before making any decisions about benefits offered at the District, consult plan booklets and/or the Employee Handbook for complete details.