Employee Benefits Summary
FY 2011-2012
Effective: 7/1/11
Effective: 7/1/11
- The following information highlights the benefits program that is currently offered to employees of the Town of Oro Valley who work 20 or more hours per week on a regular basis.
- (Part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week may qualify for participation in the individual plans, dependent upon the specific terms of coverage.)
- Throughout this document, “employees” are defined as non-temporary, non-contract personnel. The benefits described herein are subject to change on a periodic basis, at the sole discretion of the Town of Oro Valley.
- While the Town is committed to extending to our employees a competitive fringe benefit program, we are also strongly committed to doing so in a logical and cost effective manner.
- HEALTH BENEFITS
- DENTAL BENEFITS
- SHORT TERM (BRIDGE) DISABILITY COVERAGE
- LONG TERM DISABILITY (L.T.D.) COVERAGE
- LIFE INSURANCE
- RETIREMENT PROGRAM
- DEFERRED COMPENSATION
- COLONIAL SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS
- EYEMED - SUPPLEMENTAL VISION CARE
- SECTION 125 FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN
- EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (E.A.P.)
- TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
- EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT PROGRAMS
- ATTENDANCE / TIME OFF BENEFITS
HEALTH BENEFITS
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Employees who work at least 20 hours per week are offered the opportunity to participate in the following plan: United Healthcare. United Healthcare has one of the largest provider networks in the U.S. & Arizona. In-network and Out-of-network benefits are provided and a primary care physician is not required. Under the terms of the plan, employees pay a co-pay for basic medical services. United Healthcare also offers a prescription plan (including mail in services), vision care services, chiropractic services, mental health services and other benefits.
Currently, the Town contributes 100% of the monthly premium for the “employee only” coverage for employees who are budgeted to work 32 hours (or more) per week. The Town also contributes 75% of the additional monthly premium cost for dependent coverage. Employees who are budgeted to work 20-31 hours per week are eligible to participate in the Health Benefit plan by paying 50% of the total monthly premium cost, regardless of the level of coverage selected.
PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU ENROLL IN THE PLAN, COVERAGE BECOMES EFFECTIVE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING YOUR 30TH DAY OF EMPLOYMENT. IF YOU DO NOT ENROLL AT THIS TIME, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE UNTIL THE NEXT OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD.
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The Town provides a choice between two dental plans offered through Principal. Employees can elect to enroll in the Base Option or Buy Up Option Plan. The Town pays for 100% of the premium for employee only coverage and 75% of the premium for dependent coverage under the Base Option Plan. No out-of-network benefits are covered under the Base Option Plan. Employees can choose to purchase more dental benefits through the Buy Up Option Plan at an additional cost.
Principal utilizes a network of participating dentists and within that network under the Base Plan covers preventive procedures at 100%; basic procedures at 80%; major procedures at 50% and an orthodontia benefit. The Buy-Up Plan covers preventive procedures at 80%; basic procedures at 60%; major procedures at 40% and an orthodontia benefit. You are encouraged to read and familiarize yourself with the Principal materials which are provided to you.
Employees budgeted to work 20-31 hours per week may participate in the program by contributing 50% of the total monthly premiums.
PLEASE NOTE- IF YOU ENROLL WITH PRINCIPAL, COVERAGE BECOMES EFFECTIVE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING YOUR 30TH DAY OF EMPLOYMENT. IF YOU DO NOT ENROLL AT THIS TIME, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS BENEFIT UNTIL OPEN ENROLLMENT. IF YOU DO NOT ENROLL YOUR DEPENDENTS AT THIS FIRST OPPORTUNITY, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO LATE ENTRANT PENALTIES AND DELAYS IN COVERAGE. SEE PLAN DETAILS.
SHORT TERM (BRIDGE) DISABILITY COVERAGE
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The Town of Oro Valley provides a benefit if you become disabled for more than 90 days due to accident or illness. From day 91 to day 180 of eligible disability the plan will provide you with 66 2/3% of your weekly earnings, not to exceed $1000 per week. This benefit covers non-occupational or non-work related disabilities. Long term disability begins after 180 days.
LONG TERM DISABILITY (L.T.D.) COVERAGE
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Employees that are members of Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) are provided long-term disability insurance benefits through ASRS. All other eligible employees budgeted at least 20 hours per week are provided long-term disability insurance benefits through Principal Life Insurance. These plans provide continuing income to employees who are totally disabled as the result of non-occupational injuries or illnesses and are away from work for at least 180 days. The benefit levels are 66.67% percent of salary and benefits are subject to reductions based on receipt of worker’s compensation, social security benefits, or other disability income.
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PRINCIPAL BASIC LIFE INSURANCE:
The Town currently contributes 100% of the cost of providing insurance for all regular employees budgeted 25 hours or more for a benefit level of one times the employee’s annual salary, up to a maximum of $100,000.00.
PRINCIPAL - Supplemental Life Insurance:
In addition to their basic life insurance, employees are able to purchase supplemental term life insurance benefits for themselves, their spouses, and/or their children through Principal, which is offered to all full-time employees. The insurance is offered in multiples of $10,000, with similar variations in the coverage for spouse and children. As a result, the cost of the coverage varies based on age. The Town of Oro Valley does not contribute to the cost of this program. Questions should be brought to the attention of the Human Resources Office. (Note: Requests for more than $100,000 of coverage for an employee or requests to enroll after the initial enrollment eligibility and requests for spousal coverage of more than $25,000 are subject to the insured providing proof of insurability to Principal, which includes a statement of health, access to your doctor, and possibly a physical examination.
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The Town of Oro Valley currently offers two separate retirement programs. Participation in one of the two plans is determined based on your job classification.
Most of the Town’s employees will be participants in the Town’s primary retirement program, Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) beginning the first day of employment. ASRS is administered by the State of Arizona and is a defined benefit plan providing participants with a specific benefit amount at the time of their retirement. The benefit amount is based on a formula that is derived from the employee’s number of years of service and salary level during their participation in the program. The employee and the Town of Oro Valley contribute equally to the plan, based on actuarial assessments which are determined periodically by ASRS. The contribution levels change from time to time, based on the performance of the plan. The employee and the Town both contribute to the plan on a pre-tax basis through payroll deductions.
Most certified, or “sworn” police personnel are covered by the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS). The PSPRS is a defined benefit plan providing participants with a specific benefit amount at the time of their retirement. The benefit amount is based on a formula that is derived from the employee’s number of years of service and salary level during their participation in the program. The employee and the Town of Oro Valley contribute to the plan, based on actuarial assessments which are determined periodically. The contribution levels from the Town change from time to time, based on the performance of the plan. By state law, participation in PSPRS begins with the employee’s first day of eligibility.Top
In addition to the retirement programs, all regular employees of the Town of Oro Valley may participate in the Town of Oro Valley’s Deferred Compensation Plan, which is administered by ICMA Retirement Corporation (an “I.R.S. Qualified” plan permissible under Section 457 of the Tax Code).
COLONIAL SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS
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Colonial Supplemental Insurance Company offers several employee-funded programs. The offered plans include Short-Term Disability, Accident, Cancer, Critical Illness, Hospital Coverage and Life Insurance.
EYEMED - SUPPLEMENTAL VISION CARE
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In addition to vision care provided through United Healthcare, the Town also offers a supplemental eye care plan which provides coverage for vision care and vision products.
SECTION 125 FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN
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If you decide to participate in this program, which is administered by CBIZ, at your election, the Town will withhold contributions from your pay used for a Health Care Flexible Spending Account and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. A pre-tax election reduces your taxable income, which in most cases, results in less taxes being withheld from your pay.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (E.A.P.)
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The Town of Oro Valley is pleased to provide employees (both full-time and part-time) the services of Jorgensen/Brooks Group Employee Assistance Program. Under the terms of this program, the employee and anyone residing in the same household as the employee are encouraged to utilize the program for counseling regarding a variety of issues which may periodically affect the employee. Under the terms of the plan, the employee is allowed to visit the E.A.P. counselor(s) up to six times per incident. The cost of the initial six visits is paid by the Town. The service is strictly confidential, and the only feedback the Town receives is a quarterly statement indicating how many employees have utilized the service in the preceding three months. No names or terms of the cause of treatment are disclosed.
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The Town of Oro Valley encourages employees to further their careers through ongoing educational opportunities. To assist in that effort, the Town offers regular, full-time employees (who have been employed by the Town for a minimum of six months) tuition reimbursement of college courses offered through accredited colleges and universities. Under the terms of the policy, employees must obtain pre-approval for applicable courses, and attain “C” grades, or better. The Town’s reimbursement amount is up to $2000 per fiscal year, per employee, with the exclusion of books. Employees who leave the employment of the Town within one year of a reimbursement will be required to pay back that reimbursement.
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Employees may have their pay deposited directly into their bank or credit union accounts by completing direct deposit forms that may be obtained from the Human Resources Department. A voided check should be attached to the form to facilitate the transfer of funds.
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The Town participates with various vendors in providing discounts to our employees. While the number and scope of these programs will change periodically, they will normally include tickets to various regional and national theme parks and whatever other offers are extended to our employees.
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While hours of work vary depending upon the work assignment of the employee, and the department to which they are assigned, all employees of the town are expected to maintain professional levels of attendance. While sustained levels of excessive unexcused absenteeism is unacceptable, in return for their efforts Town employees receive generous paid-time off benefits which include:
Annual leave:
Annual leave must be granted in advance by the appropriate Department Head. While every effort will be made to accommodate employee wishes in granting time off for annual leave, it must be coordinated with the needs of the department. Only employees who have completed 90 days of service with the Town are eligible to use paid annual leave benefits. For additional clarification you should read and familiarize yourself with the appropriate personnel policy regarding Annual Leave Benefits.
Full-time employees earn annual leave benefits according to the following schedule:
Years of Regular Earned Vacation per year of service
service Work Week Hours
1 - 5 40 96
6 - 10 40 136
11 or more 40 176
Exempt Employees: 1 – 5 years employed 136
6 + years employed 176
Department Heads: 176
Sick Leave Benefits:
Full-time employees of the Town (those who are budgeted to work 32 hours, or more per week) earn sick time at a rate of 3.6923 hours per pay period. Part-time employees (those working 20-31 hours per week on a regular basis) earn sick time at a rate of half the rate of a full time employee. Newly-hired employees accrue sick time from their date of hire, and are allowed to use paid sick time during their first six months of employment.
Unused sick time is carried forward from year-to-year. Fifty percent (50%) of the amount of accrued sick time exceeding 480 hours will be paid to the employee at the time of their separation from service.
Holiday Benefits:
The Town offers employees budgeted to work at least 20 hours per week, twelve paid Holidays per year. Recognized Holidays are:
New Year’s Day Labor Day
Civil Rights Day Veteran’s Day
Presidents Day Thanksgiving Day
Memorial Day Day after Thanksgiving
Independence Day Christmas Eve
Christmas Day New Year's Eve
When a Holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be recognized. When the Holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be recognized. (In the interest of public safety, or for the best interest of the Town, employees may be required to work on a designated Holiday. Employees, who work on a designated Holiday, will be paid in accordance with existing policies.)
Part-time and full-time employees budgeted to work at least 20 hours per week are eligible to take their birthday off or a day off during their birth month as an additional holiday. This additional holiday must be taken during the employee’s birth month, is not accruable, must be approved in advance by the appropriate supervisor, and will be forfeited if not used.