What’s the BIG news?We recently went out to bid for our medical, dental, and pharmacy vendors and will wrap up that process in the next few weeks. Because we want to have all of the details worked out before we begin communications leading up to our August Open Enrollment period, we’re giving you a quick heads-up now that Open Enrollment will be held August 1st through August 19th.
What’s Open Enrollment??? Continue reading
Due to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance and to ensure consistency within the school division, we are in the process of revising School Board Policy GCJ regarding compensatory time for non-exempt employees. Exempt employees will not be impacted by the changes.
Effective April 30, 2016, compensatory time will only be available to employees who regularly work 40 hours per week. Also effective April 30, 2016, straight compensatory time will no longer be available; only time and a half compensatory time will be available for those employees who regularly work 40 hours per week. Learn more »
Join Weight Watchers through BeWell to get special rates and earn rewards based on participation! You can choose to attend At Work or Community meetings, or participate in the Essentials online program. Any benefits eligible employee can earn rewards. Find out how »
Open House! When? Tomorrow, April 14, noon to 12:30, at the Carver Recreation Center, located at 233 4th Street NW in Charlottesville. Stay tuned for more locations! Continue reading
What’s the BIG news?In addition to a traditional health insurance plan like we have now, we’ll be offering a NEW type of health insurance plan for the next plan year (which begins on October 1st). It’s called a Consumer Driven Health Plan, and it comes with a Health Savings Account. A Consumer Driven Health Plan gives you as a consumer more choice as to how YOU spend YOUR health care dollars. Continue reading
Spring brings daffodils, warmer temps, and retirements! We recommend that employees retiring under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) at the end of this school year submit their VRS application materials to Human Resources (HR) by April 1 in order to avoid delayed retirement benefits. If you are planning on retiring at the end of this school year, be sure to contact John McQuilkin in HR (jmcquilkin@albemarle.org or 434-296-5827 x3074) for more information. Continue reading
What’s the BIG news?The Albemarle County medical plan dependent eligibility review process has begun. This review is being conducted by HMS Employer Solutions. Packets went into the mail last week, and if you have not yet received yours, you should in the next few days. If you do not receive a packet by the end of the week or if you have any questions about the review process, please contact HMS at 866-252-0734. Continue reading
Attention all employees who were insured under the County’s medical plan for any portion of 2015: Your updated 1095-C form (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage) is now available via the Greenshades website (the same site you use to obtain your W-2 form). If you previously downloaded your 1095-C when it first was made available, please download the updated version.
It’s a new tax form that we are required to issue to certain employees due to Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements. Think of the 1095-C as a kind of W-2, but for benefits. Continue reading
REMINDER: Upcoming medical plan dependent eligibility reviewAs mentioned in the January edition of the benefitsFOCUS, we will soon begin a dependent eligibility review, conducted by HMS Employer Solutions. The purpose of this review is to ensure all dependents enrolled on our plan meet eligibility guidelines so that only eligible dependents are covered. All employees, retirees, and COBRA participants who currently have a dependent spouse (this includes “county spouses”) or children enrolled on our medical plan will be required to participate. It is important that you submit the documentation upon request, as failure to comply will result in your dependents being dropped from your medical insurance policy. Continue reading
Just a reminder that you can view and download your W-2 form (Wage and Tax Statement) from your personal account with Greenshades! View or print your 2015 tax forms »
As you gather your information for the IRS income tax filing season, Payroll has some important information to share regarding your W-4 form (Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate) for 2016. Your W-4 tells Payroll the amount of tax to withhold from your paycheck. Situations when you might need to change your W-4 include marriage, divorce, having a child, or if you discover through filing your federal income tax return that you had too little or too much withheld from your pay. Continue reading
What’s the BIG news?Medical costs – and what we’re doing to help contain them:
Upcoming medical plan dependent eligibility review
One of our most important organizational goals is continuing to provide excellent and affordable health insurance coverage to our employees. The past few years have been particularly challenging in regard to our health care expenses and we expect these challenges to continue. Continue reading