HOW ASSOCIATES IN STORE 473 WORKED TOGETHER TO KICK THE HABIT!

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1 SPOTLIGHT> HOW ASSOCIATES IN STORE 473 WORKED TOGETHER TO KICK THE HABIT! TOBACCO USERS: QUIT NOW AND PAY LESS FOR MEDICAL COVERAGE IN 2011 CHECK OUT NEW ASSOCIATE DISCOUNTS MAKE A PLAN FOR A HEALTHIER 2010 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE PROGRAMS

2 DON T JUST MAKE A RESOLUTION, MAKE A PLAN Have a healthier, happier New Year by making a plan to: Take charge of your health Get control of your money This special New Year s issue of ORANGE LIFE highlights a few of the many Home Depot benefit plans and programs that provide the expertise you need to transform your resolutions into a plan. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH: SCHEDULE YOUR PHYSICAL EXAM TODAY Feeling fine? Even if you believe you re in good health, here are two good reasons to schedule your physical exam today. First, your physical exam and many health screenings are FREE when you see an in-network doctor. Second, you may not be aware of health issues until you receive those FREE in-network screenings: High blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol usually have no symptoms. In fact, more than 33 percent of people with high blood pressure don t know they have this condition. People with high blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes and kidney disease, may have mild symptoms or no noticeable symptoms. Cancer gives most people no symptoms or signs that exclusively indicate the disease. Make a plan to get your check-up soon and take charge of your health in (Health information from emedicinehealth.com.)

3 TOBACCO USERS: QUIT NOW AND PAY LESS FOR MEDICAL COVERAGE IN 2011 Tobacco use results in high costs to society and to companies that provide medical insurance: Tobacco use results in an annual cost of more than $96 billion per year for medical care. (Centers for Disease Control) Smokers cost companies about 25 percent more than nonsmokers for health care. (Hewitt Associates) Because tobacco use increases health care costs for all associates and the Company, beginning January 1, 2011, tobacco users associates and spouses covered under a Home Depot medical plan will pay more for coverage. Under The Home Depot medical plans, a tobacco user is someone who has smoked cigarettes, pipes, or cigars or used smokeless tobacco products in the six months before the medical coverage effective date. This means that if you use tobacco today, you must quit by July 1, 2010 to avoid the tobacco rate for medical coverage that will take effect on January 1, A good first step for tobacco users: call Quit for Life. COVER STORY: THE QUIT FOR LIFE PROGRAM WORKS FOR ASSOCIATES IN STORE 473 When Sherman Yerkes, from Store 473 read about the Quit for Life Program in the Benefits quarterly newsletter last summer, he immediately called Quit for Life and told as many people in the store as he could about his goal, making himself accountable to his coworkers. Sherman said the nicotine patches and telephone support he received from Quit for Life coaches were essential. Today, Sherman has been smoke-free since August 8. And he has shared his success with fellow associates 12 associates at his store, including Rose Marie Petroff, have started the Quit for Life Program. Read more about how Sherman, Rose Marie and others at Store 473 are kicking the habit on PLAN TO BE TOBACCO FREE BY JULY 1. CALL QUIT FOR LIFE TODAY. To help you kick the habit, The Home Depot offers the Quit for Life Program FREE to you and to your spouse if he or she is covered under a Home Depot medical plan. Quit for Life participants can receive coverage for prescription smoking cessation drugs, free one-on-one coaching services, free nicotine patches and more. Call Quit for Life at QUIT-4-LIFE ( ) or visit today. SHERMAN YERKES STORE 473 ROSE MARIE PETROFF STORE 473

4 KNOW WHERE TO GO IN ADVANCE TO FIND THE CARE YOU NEED When you need medical care, the best place to start is with your in-network primary care physician. But sometimes, you can t wait for an appointment or you have medical issues after office hours or during the weekend. If you can t wait to see your personal doctor, you need to have a plan in place to get care where it is most time and cost-efficient for you. The emergency room at your nearest hospital may not necessarily be your best option. Emergency rooms usually involve long wait times and expensive care in crowded conditions with many other sick people. Why put yourself or a family member through that if you don t have a true emergency when it could be faster, more comfortable and less expensive to go to a walk-in clinic or an urgent care center? WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT STRETCHING YOUR HEALTH CARE DOLLARS? WATCH BENEFITS BASICS 2. Being treated in the most appropriate facility will not only give you the best possible care but it also will save you money. Find out more by watching the Benefits Basics 2 video on Take a few minutes to do a little research and: 1. Find the Medical Care Options Chart on Using steps 2 and 3, fill in the information on the chart and put it in a prominent place. When you have a medical issue, you ll be glad you know exactly where to go quickly. 2. Find the facilities nearest you. On click Find a Provider on the left side of your screen. Then go to Medical > DocFind > Enter DocFind > Provider Category and click Facilities.* 3. Call the facilities or visit their Web site to learn more about the services they provide and get their hours of operation. Think about the services you might need for an illness or injury. For example, if you or your children play weekend sports, check to see if the urgent care center has x-ray equipment and can treat a sprain or broken bone. *Depending on where you live, you may not have access to certain facilities at an in-network level. If this is your situation, it s still important to locate your out-of-network options for the most cost-effective way to get treatment for non-emergency care.

5 MAKE A PLAN TO REACH A HEALTHIER WEIGHT START AN AETNA HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TODAY If you need to lose weight, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Those extra pounds mean extra health risks for heart disease, diabetes and many types of cancer, just to name a few. The good news is that as an Aetna medical plan participant, you can get professional help to reach a healthier weight, and that help is FREE. HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY WEIGHT PROGRAM: DEVELOP A STRATEGY WITH YOUR PERSONAL COACH Based on your answers to the Health Assessment, you could receive a call from an Aetna health coach inviting you to participate in the Healthy Body, Healthy Weight Program. If you agree to participate, a world of resources will open up to you, including monthly one-on-one sessions with a personal health coach. Your coach is a registered nurse or specially trained health educator who can refer you to a registered dietician or weight-loss therapist, depending on your individual needs. He or she will work with you to identify any psychological barriers to losing weight and develop a personalized strategy that sets achievable goals and specific steps to reach those goals. If you are invited to participate, don t hesitate to say yes. The Healthy Body, Healthy Weight Program is free and completely confidential. And, it will help you feel better and look better. CARLENE NOTO STORE 405 FREE ONLINE HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAMS ON AETNA.COM You can participate in an online Healthy Living Program any time at your convenience. Aetna s online programs are personalized for your specific needs based on your responses to the Health Assessment. Along with nutrition, topics include weight management, stress management, depression, sleep issues and more. Visit and log in as a member for more information.

6 MORE SAVING. MORE PROTECTION. THESE NEW HOME DEPOT ASSOCIATE DISCOUNT PROGRAMS CAN SAVE YOU MONEY ON A VARIETY OF GOODS AND SERVICES. GET AN 80 PERCENT DISCOUNT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ON DEBIX IDENTITY PROTECTION Imagine your bank account cleaned out and your credit wrecked. Then, imagine the hours and hours you would have to spend trying to restore your lost funds and deal with creditors. That s the reality of identity theft, and it affects more than 8.2 million people each year. Debix Identity Protection provides one year of OnCall Credit Monitoring Alerts, Triple Bureau Credit Monitoring, up to $1 million of identity theft insurance and identity restoration services for only $20 per year per enrolled adult ($18 per year for each enrolled child) that s more than 80 percent off Debix s normal price of $120 per year. The discounted coverage is available to associates and their extended family members. Sign up at using the promotion code orangelife or call MAKE TAX TIME EASIER WITH A DISCOUNT ON TAX PREPARATION Leave the tax forms to the experts and pay less. As a Home Depot associate you ll receive a $20 discount through H&R Block or a $30 discount through Jackson Hewitt when you have your return prepared at one of their participating locations and show your coupon (see below). Discounts on online and software tax products also are available. More than 70,000 Home Depot associates used one of these companies to prepare their return in Note that these offers expire on April 15, Additionally, discounts for online and software tax products also are available. For H&R Block coupon and discounts, visit or call For Jackson Hewitt coupon and discounts, visit or call In-store coupon code: JMKE3 DISCOUNT ON BROOKS SHOES AND FOOT ORTHOTICS Whether you need comfortable, supportive shoes to serve customers in our stores or to walk or run through your neighborhood, you ll find the right shoe at And now, as a Home Depot associate, you ll receive a 40 percent discount on Brooks shoes. To make you even more comfortable on your feet, take advantage of a free clinical evaluation by a practitioner at a Hanger Patient Care Center and a 30 percent discount on most custom and off-the-shelf foot orthotics purchased at a Hanger facility. Find the Brooks shoes discount at > Brooks Shoes and enter Promo Code PROBROOKS at checkout. To find the Hanger facility nearest you, call Hanger ( ) or visit Relationships established with H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt and Debix exist directly between the associate and the vendor, not through The Home Depot.

7 GET CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE: SAY YES! TO FREE MONEY IN FUTUREBUILDER IN 2009, HOME DEPOT CONTRIBUTED MORE THAN 142 MILLION TO ASSOCIATES FUTUREBUILDER 401(k) ACCOUNTS Join thousands of your fellow associates who receive help building their financial futures through matching contributions in their FutureBuilder 401(k) accounts. Once you have completed one year of service (at least 1,000 hours in a 12-month period), the Company contributes: $1.50 for every $1 you contribute up to the first one percent of your pay; and 50 cents for every dollar you save from the next two to five percent of your pay. For an associate earning $28,000 a year and contributing five percent of pay $1,400 that s an additional $980 in Company matching contributions. Get the full power of the Company s matching contribution by saving at least five percent of your pay in the FutureBuilder 401(k) Plan. To change your contribution percentage, visit the Your Benefits Resources Web site at That s the power of The Home Depot. CECILE SEW GETS THE FULL POWER OF THE COMPANY FUTUREBUILDER 401(k) MATCH Cecile Sew of Store 903 knows that she can t rely solely on her Social Security check when she retires, so this 10-year associate is getting the full power of The Home Depot s Future- Builder 401(k) Plan by contributing at least five percent of her pay to the plan. When the stock market became challenging last year, Cecile took advantage of another FutureBuilder feature professional investment advice through Merrill Lynch Advice Access. The Company matching contribution is free money. Cecile said. I am extremely lucky that our Company provides this. And, I have had a good experience diversifying my investments using the experts at Merrill Lynch Advice Access.

8 The Benefits Department The Home Depot 2455 Paces Ferry Road, C-18 Atlanta, GA IN MARCH, YOUR BENEFITS RESOURCES WEB SITE WILL GET EVEN BETTER In March, the Your Benefits Resources Web site s makeover will be complete. The new look will feature key information clearly highlighted to allow you to find what you need at a glance. The site will offer quicker, easier navigation as well. Make a point to visit the improved Your Benefits Resources Web site where it will be easier than ever to manage your FutureBuilder 401(k) account, check your spending account balance, take advantage of associate discounts and more. OLQ12010