New Hanover County Schools New Hire Benefit Orientation Human Resources Benefits Division
On behalf of the Human Resources Benefits Division, we would like to extend our welcome to you as you begin your full-time employment with New Hanover County Schools! This presentation will walk you through the benefits you are entitled to, as well as the enrollment process for your insurance plans. Some of the items to be covered are: Health Insurance Benefits through the State Health Plan Flexible Benefit Plans including dental and vision plans through Pierce Group Benefits Retirement Plans including NC State Retirement, NC 401k and 403b plans Earned Leave NHCS Employee Assistance Program State Employees Credit Union Membership 10/01/15
Health Insurance Enrollment Rules! You MUST enroll yourself and your dependents within 30-days from your date of hire! If you do not enroll within the 30 day period you will not be allowed to enroll in the State Health Plan until the Annual Enrollment Period (in October of each year) or unless you experience a qualifying event/change in family status. There will be no exceptions to this rule! The 30-day enrollment deadline is not a NHCS policy. It is State law under the ratification of House Bill 1085 on June 29, 2012.
Health Insurance NC State Health Plan As a full-time employee you are eligible for health insurance through the NC State Health Plan. New Hanover County Schools pays the employer cost for your health insurance, which is currently $448.12 per month. Employees have the option of enrolling in 3 different plans, as well as coverage for your dependents. The cost of the coverage depends on your plan selection and the election of dependent coverage. The plans include: Traditional 70/30 plan - $0 cost for employee only coverage. Enhanced 80/20 plan - $13.56 current cost for employee only coverage if 3 wellness activities completed. Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP) - $0 cost for employee only coverage if 3 wellness activities completed.
New Member Enrollment If you enroll yourself, you can also enroll your eligible family members in health plan coverage. You and your dependents must be on the same plan. Eligible family members include: Your spouse Your or your spouse s biological, legally adopted or foster child up to the age of 26 (including a child for whom you are the court-appointed guardian and a stepchild if you are married to the child s biological parent). A dependent child age 26 or older if he/she is physically or mentally handicapped and incapable of earning a living. The handicap must have developed or begun to develop before the dependent s 26 th birthday and while he/she is covered by the State Health Plan.
Verifying Dependent Eligibility If adding dependent coverage you MUST provide documentation to verify your dependent s eligibility within 30 days of your hire. Failure to submit the required verification will result in loss of your dependent s insurance. Supporting documents should be submitted directly to the NHCS Benefits Department, again within 30 days from your hire.
Important Links for Plan Information New Employee Enrollment Kit Recommend Viewing. Video Presentation for New Hires Recommend Viewing. Rate Sheets Please see sheets titled Non-Medicare Primary Members. Benefit Booklets and Summaries of Coverage Very detailed. Plan Comparison Chart Easy to read/less detailed version.
Enrollment Information and Instructions e-enroll for Enrollment Log In and Enrollment Instructions Please go to www.ebenefitsnow.com Login ID : Your first name, the first initial of your last name and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. Initial Password: Your SSN without spaces or dashes. Example: Employee John Doe with SSN 123-45-6789 Login would be JohnD6789 and Password is 123456789. If you are unable to log in click on Reset Your Account. If you have been employed previously with another State Agency please contact the Benefits Department for a new Login ID and Password. Julie Moore 254-4231 Tammy Jones 254-4274 Login or site navigation questions: 1-800-422-5249
Important Reminders: Complete your enrollment within 30 days of your hire date! Print your confirmation page upon completion of your enrollment! If adding dependents, submit your dependent verification information to the Benefits Department within 30 days of your hire date! If enrolling in the 80/20 or CDHP plans complete all 3 Health Assessments!
Flexible Benefit Plans New Hanover County Schools is pleased to offer our employees options for Flexible Benefits through Pierce Group Benefits. You should review all of the products carefully and determine which programs would best suit your benefit needs. Both pre-tax and post-tax benefits are available. To enroll in any of the Flexible Benefit plans, you will need to contact the Pierce Group Benefits Service Center at 1-888-662-7500 within 30 days from your date of hire. If you do not, you will not have another opportunity to enroll until the Flexible Benefit Annual Enrollment period in the spring of each year. For detailed information on the plans, please visit Pierce Group Benefits. Scroll down to view a brief video explaining how each individual plan works. You can view only the plans you are interested in learning more about. For a quick view of what plans are offered, please see the next slide.
Flexible Benefits - continued Pre-tax plans: Dental in order to receive the full benefits of this plan, you should enroll when you are first hired. Vision in order to receive the full benefits of this plan, you should make sure your eye doctor is an In-Network provider. Medical Bridge Insurance Cancer Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts Medical Reimbursement maximum $2550/year Dependent Care Reimbursement maximum $5000/year Post-tax plans: Disability Insurance Group Critical Care Accident Insurance Term Life Insurance Universal Life Insurance Group Term Life Insurance - if electing when first hired, you are eligible to enroll for up to $200,000 of coverage on yourself, up to $50,000 on your spouse, and up to $10,000 on your children without any medical questions asked. If you wait to enroll during the yearly Annual Enrollment period, you will be required to answer medical questions in order to qualify, regardless of the amount of coverage elected.
Retirement As a full-time employee you are required to participate in the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System. For information pertaining to benefits through the Retirement System, please see the Quick Reference Guide. You will need to designate a beneficiary(ies) for a return of your contributions and the active employee death benefit, in the event you pass away during active service. If you are new to the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System or have less than 10 years of service, you can designate your beneficiary(ies) through the Retirement System s secure website ORBIT (Online Retirement Benefits through Integrated Technology). Please see Online Designation. If you have more than 10 years of service, you will need to complete a paper copy of both forms listed below and return it to the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System. Form 2RC Return of Retirement System Contributions, Form 2DB Active Employee Death Benefit. Please see Retirement Forms and scroll down to access the Form 2DB and 2RC.
NC 401(k) Plan As a contributing member to the NC Retirement System, you are eligible to participate in the State s 401(k) plan through Prudential. You have the option of participating in a Traditional Pre-tax 401(k) or a Roth Post-tax 401(k). Enrollment can be done at any time. There is no employer matching with the 401(k). To learn more about the 401(k) plans, please see the following links: 401(k) Plans 401(k) Plan Features Prudential 401(k) Currently NHCS does not participate in the NC 457 and NC 403(b) plans.
NHCS Approved 403(b)Plans A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement program available to school system employees. In order to enroll in one of the 403(b) plans, you will need to first open an account with the approved vendor. Afterwards, you will complete the Authorization for 403(b) Salary Reduction Agreement form. Enrollment into a 403(b) can be done at any time and must be with one of the approved vendors. Approved Vendor Contact Number Location Ameriprise Fin Services, INC Robert Edmonds (336) 574-3160 Greensboro, NC Ameriprise Fin Services, INC Richard Hartzell (919) 228-6372 Cary, NC AXA Advisors AXA Advisors AXA Advisors John Riemer Ross Moore Marty Bullard (910)512-6594 (910)512-9998 (910)734-3098 Wilmington, NC Wilmington, NC Wilmington, NC National Life Group (Southwest) Phronsie Stopple (919) 523-9514 Wilmington, NC Nationals Life Group (Southwest) Susan Simpson (910) 297-5620 Wilmington, NC Northern Life Ins Co. Reliastar/Voya Jerry Alford (919) 479-8438 Hillsborough, NC Northern Life Ins Co. Reliastar/Voya Tim Alford (919) 479-8438 Hillsborough, NC Northern Life Ins Co. Reliastar/Voya Kim Alford (919)479-8438 Hillsborough, NC The Horace Mann Companies John Brooks (910) 799-8765 Wilmington, NC The Horace Mann Companies Brent Brooks (910) 262-1005 Wilmington, NC Variable Annuity Life Insurance Co. David Haden (910) 791-4659 Wilmington, NC
Earned Leave As a full-time employee, you are eligible for and will earn paid time off which can include: Annual/Vacation Leave accrual rate is based on your years of State service. Sick Leave accrual rate is 1 day per month and can be accumulated indefinitely. Extended Sick Leave (Teachers Only) provided 20 days each year, minus a $50 per day deduction for the cost of the substitute. Personal Leave (Teachers Only) earn.2 days per month. When used on a student attendance day, a deduction of $50 per day is taken for the cost of the substitute. Holiday Leave 10-month employees normally observe 10 holidays per year. 12-month employees normally observe 11 holidays per year. Compensatory Leave (Non-Exempt Employees Only)
Earned Leave / Special Leaves To learn more information about earned leave time and special leaves such as: Voluntary Shared Leave The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Military Leave Parental Leave Workers Compensation Please see Working In NC Public Schools. This is a great resource for information on benefits that are offered to NC Public School System employees!
Longevity Pay Permanent full-time employees receive annual longevity payments after completing 10 years of qualifying state service. Longevity payments are made no later than the end of the month following the person s anniversary date. The longevity pay is a percentage of your salary and the percentage is based on your years of service. The table below reflects the longevity rates. Years of State Service Longevity Pay Rate % 10 but less than 15 years 1.50% 15 but less than 20 years 2.25% 20 but less than 25 years 3.25% 25 or more years 4.50%
State Employees Credit Union As a NHCS employee, you are entitled to membership in the State Employees Credit Union (SECU). You and your immediate family members may join the SECU by opening a $25 share account. This membership will allow you to take advantage of SECU s excellent rates and services which include: Checking and Savings Accounts Summer Cash Account Salary Advance Loan New and Used Car Loans With 5 branch locations in Wilmington and 1 in Leland, as well as numerous Cash Points ATMs, you are sure to find one convenient to you! To learn more about membership, please see SECU.
Employee Assistance Program NHCS is proud to offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees and/or their immediate family members. The EAP provides confidential, professional counseling to help resolve personal problems that are affecting us, our families, and/or our work. Problems to be discussed can include depression/stress, marital/family problems, alcohol and substance abuse. To get started with this benefit, please contact our EAP counselor : Ann Foltrauer, CSAC (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor) 4105 Fraternity Ct. Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 515-6214 (Please identify yourself as a NHCS employee when calling.) The first 3 hours of counseling will be paid by NHCS. If further counseling is recommended, the cost of counseling will become your responsibility. There may be coverage for certain services through your health insurance plan. If time away from work is needed, personal or sick time may be used.
Liability Insurance Liability Insurance for Public School Employees is provided to all employees, including volunteers of public schools. There is no enrollment process, nor is there a fee or premium charge to employees. Excess Professional Liability coverage is provided to all employees up to $1 million per occurrence with a $1 million aggregate. Coverage for consultation with an attorney regarding violation of professional or employment related right is provided at $2,500 per claim, subject to a $5,000 aggregate per employee, per policy year. Reasonable and necessary attorneys fees and costs incurred by an employee arising from a criminal proceeding alleging a criminal act was committed within the professional activities of an employee are covered up to $50,000. The employee must be found "not guilty of all criminal charges. To learn more about this state-funded program and details on how to file a claim, please visit professionalliabilitync. After viewing the Professional Liability website, if you still need additional information or have questions, please contact Eileen Townsend, Chief of Insurance at the Department of Public Instruction. Ms. Townsend can be reached at 919-807-3522.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS!! Complete your enrollment for the State Health Plan AND Flexible Benefits within 30 days of your hire date! Print your health insurance confirmation page upon completion of your enrollment! If adding dependents to your health insurance, submit your dependent verification information to the Benefits Department within 30 days of your hire date! If enrolling in the 80/20 or CDHP health insurance plans complete all 3 Health Assessments!
Contact Information The NHCS Human Resources Benefits Division team members are: Heather Listebarger, Supervisor of Benefits 254-4269 heather.listebarger@nhcs.net Julie Moore, Workers Compensation/Benefits Specialist 254-4231 julie.moore@nhcs.net Tammy Jones, Insurance/Benefits Assistant 254-4274 tammy.jones@nhcs.net Martie Fisher, LOA/Disability Assistant 251-2928 martie.fisher@nhcs.net