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PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT |
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Director of Civil Service Administration |
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Civil Service: 845-340-3539 |
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Exam Hotline: 845-334-5454
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Director of Personnel Services |
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Fax: 845-340-3592 |
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Personnel Officer |
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Director of Employee Relations |
TO: All County Employees
FROM: Brenda Bartholomew
Personnel Director
DATE: October 16, 2009
RE: 2010 Health Insurance Rates and Important Changes
All health enrollment changes and buyouts must be
submitted to the attention of Employee Benefits at the Personnel Department, 5th
Floor,
I. 2010 Health Care Benefits
Medical Benefits
The County will continue to offer Empire Blue Cross / Blue Shield PPO and Direct POS medical programs as provided in 2009 and will continue to pay for the Direct POS $500 in-patient hospital co-pay. We encourage you to visit the empireblue.com website to see what programs your doctors may participate with in order to make the best plan choice for you and your family.
If you are considering retirement during 2010, please be mindful of your plan choice, retirees aged 55 to 64 are not permitted to change plans mid year and may only make a plan change during next year’s open enrollment. Also, please be reminded that the County offers Medicare supplement health plans to Medicare eligible employees upon their retirement. If you are planning retirement, please call Kevin Roach, Employee Benefits Administrator at (845) 340-3545 to discuss your plan choices.
Prescription Drug Card
Effective January 1, 2010, prescription coverage will be provided by Express Scripts Inc. You will be receiving a new prescription card in the mail, separate from your current Empire PPO or POS card. The drug formulary will be available on the intranet, personnel department website and at the open enrollment meetings.
Dental and Vision Benefits
Since January 1, 2009, all employees may participate in the option of buying dental and vision (combined) only, as well as participate in the buyout option. Please note that you must be eligible for the buyout in order to participate in enrolling for dental and vision coverage only.
The County will continue the same Delta Dental program and Davis Vision Eye Care Advantage program as provided in 2009.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Rose & Kiernan will manage the County’s Flexible Spending Account program effective January 1, 2010. The FSA has been very successful during its first year in 2009. If you are currently enrolled in the FSA, you will be receiving new enrollment forms and further details. If you are not currently enrolled in a FSA, we encourage you to ask how you can save money on your purchases of health products and services.
Health Advocate Service
Rose & Kiernan will also be introducing a new service – Health Advocate. The Health Advocate program will be available to all County employees and their extended families. The Health Advocate Service offers, free of charge, assistance in a wide array of health insurance issues. Please come to open enrollment to learn more of this great benefit and look for more information in your mail.
II. Open Enrollment / Benefit Fair
We encourage all employees to take the opportunity to participate in the open enrollment sessions. Representatives from Rose & Kiernan, Inc., Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental, Davis Vision and Express Scripts Inc. will be available to assist you with any questions you may have.
Coverage descriptions and benefit comparisons will be available at open enrollment meetings and are also available on the Ulster County Intranet and on the Ulster County Personnel Department website, at www.ulstercountyny.gov/personnel/ .
This year we have also invited representatives from
Pearl Carroll (CSEA- endorsed insurance program broker), Aflac
(non-CSEA voluntary insurance products), CSEA/Labor Management for the Sick
Bank Donation Program, our EAP provider Emergency One, the NYS Retirement
System, the Deferred Compensation Plan, and the
United Way’s Great Big Pumpkin Weight Guessing Contest
During open enrollment, please participate in the
Guess the Weight of the Great Pumpkin Contest for a chance to win a $50 gas
card, courtesy of the
The Ulster County Health Care Open Enrollment Sessions will be held as outlined below:
Schedule of Open Enrollment Sessions
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Mental Health |
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Tuesday |
10/27/2009 |
9:00 am to 12:00 pm |
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GHHCC |
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Tuesday |
10/27/2009 |
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm |
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Social Services |
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Wednesday |
10/28/2009 |
9:00 am to 11:30 pm |
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Development Ct, |
Wednesday |
10/28/2009 |
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm |
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Thursday |
10/29/2009 |
9:00 am to 12:00 pm |
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Thursday |
10/29/2009 |
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm |
III. Other Important Employee Benefit Issues
Health Insurance and AFLAC Deductions from Paychecks
The County will now be collecting premium contributions and Aflac deductions one month in advance. In the past the County collected these payments two months in advance. There will be no Health Insurance deductions made for any employees during November 2009 in order to effectuate this change.
As of December 2009, all deductions for health insurance coverage and Aflac coverage for employees paid weekly will be deducted from the first and third paychecks of each month. For employees paid biweekly, these deductions will be from the first and second paychecks of each month.
Dependant Eligibility and Verification
Eligible dependants for Ulster County Health Insurance coverage are defined as a spouse, same-gender domestic partner, natural child, step child, and a legally adopted child. For further definitions and limitations, please contact Employee Benefits.
As of December 1, 2009, the County reserves the right to ask for proof of dependent eligibility. If it is determined that a dependent is not eligible and enrolled as such, an employee will be held financially responsible in reimbursing the County for any premiums paid or claims paid for services rendered by a knowingly ineligible dependent. The insurance company also reserves the right to bill an employee for any medical services paid on behalf of an ineligible dependent.
If you have any questions, please call Kevin Roach, Employee Benefits Administrator at (845) 340-3545 or Mary Connolly, Employee Benefits Specialist at (845) 340-3546.
Ulster County Website: www.co.ulster.ny.us