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Cafeteria Plan Overview The Maricopa Community Colleges (MCCCD) is pleased to offer its employees a comprehensive Flexible Benefit Program (Flex). How Flex WorksFlex lets you create the benefits package that’s right for you. Flex allows employees to choose from a variety of benefits. Each employee is allocated flex benefit credits to spend on options that meet the employees’ needs. Each flex benefit has a cost. If the cost exceeds flex benefit credits, you pay the difference through biweekly payroll deductions. If the cost is less than your benefit credits, the unused amount is returned to you as taxable income. Your flex credits are allocated on a monthly basis and are determined by the tier of medical coverage purchased. Automatic BenefitsMCCCD automatically provides $20,000 group term life insurance and $15,000 accidental death and dismemberment insurance. Also provided, is mid-term disability which pays up to two-thirds of your salary if you become sick or disabled and are unable to work after ninety (90) days and up to the one-hundred eightieth (180) day. These benefits are provided at no cost to you the employee. (For more information on these benefits refer to the Life, AD&D, and Disability sections). Additional BenefitsIn addition you may use pretax “benefit dollars” provided by MCCCD to buy more benefits. These additional benefits include the following insurance programs:
Benefit elections will automatically carry over from one year to the next unless you make changes during the annual open enrollment period. Pretax Premiums Save You MoneyMedical, dental, AD&D, Life and short-term disability premiums are automatically deducted from your pay on a pretax basis. Premiums for supplemental life insurance in excess of $30,000 are taxed as imputed income per IRS regulations. Using Flex Benefits, you get an immediate tax savings and an increase in your spendable income. Before You EnrollKeep in mind that this is only a summary of your benefits and does not include all of the rules and provisions which govern the plans. Insurance plan benefits are subject to the provisions, definitions, exceptions, and limitations of the master insurance policy. In preparing this information, we have tried to accurately summarize the MCCCD benefits program in clear, understandable and informal language. However, should there be any conflict between the web and the official documents, the official plan documents and contracts will prevail. MCCCD reserves the right to amend, modify, suspend, withdraw or terminate the plan, in whole or in part, at any time. If this happens, all procedures required by state and/or Federal law will be followed. Participation in the MCCCD benefits program should not be construed as a contract of employment. EligibilityYou are eligible to participate in Flex if you are employed by MCCCD in one of the following categories and occupy a position budgeted and approved by the Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board:
Dependent CoverageMedical, dental, voluntary dependent life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage are available to eligible dependents of MCCCD employees. This includes your spouse, your unmarried children, stepchildren and adopted children under age 19. (Exceptions: Coverage can continue until age 24 for your unmarried children who are enrolled in an accredited school full time. The coverage period may also be extended for your unmarried dependent children if they are physically or mentally incapable of self-support.) The insurance company requires proof of continuing eligibility of children age 19 or older. If the proof of eligibility is not received within 30 days from the date of the request, your dependent will be removed from your policy immediately. Persons excluded from the benefit coverage provided by the District are brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, ex-spouses, ex-partners, children of ex-spouses and ex-partners. However, medical support orders for children will qualify for eligibility. It is a fraudulent practice to add ineligible dependents to the District provided benefit coverage and disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination, should this occur. When Coverage BeginsIf you are a new employee, coverage begins on the first day of the month following your Board-approval date or start date, whichever is later. If you do not enroll within thirty-one days of your eligibility date, you will automatically be enrolled for single Core medical coverage effective on the first day of the next month. For continuing employees, coverage remains in force for the plan year (July 1 through June 30). Employees on one-year-only contracts are eligible for coverage only during the period in which they are benefit eligible. Making Changes
Open enrollment for the MCCCD Flexible Benefit Program is normally held once a year in the Spring. During open enrollment you will have an opportunity to change your benefit selections for the upcoming plan year. The plan year is the 12 month period from July 1 through June 30. You may not add, change or cancel coverage at other times during the year unless there is a “change of status” (e.g., marriage, divorce, death of a spouse or child, birth or adoption of a child or change or termination of your spouse’s employment). Changes between plans, e.g.: Core to Buy-Up or Assurant to MetLife, can only be made during Open Enrollment. Any changes must be made within 30 days from the date of the “change of status”. See the “Change of Status” section for further information. Insurance fraud is generally defined as the "intentional misrepresentation of material facts and circumstances to an insurance company to obtain payment that would not otherwise be made." It is fraudulent to fail to notify the Benefits office of a change in status or to misrepresent dependents in any manner. Disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination, should this occur. If you are on a leave of absence and have a qualified change in status, you may make changes to your medical, dental and flexible spending account elections by following the change in status guidelines. If you are on a leave of absence during open enrollment, any open enrollment changes you make will not become effective until your return to work. When Coverage EndsEligibility for group insurance coverage under the Flex Benefit Program ends on the last day of the month in which your MCCCD employment terminates. However, if you wish to continue medical, Assurant dental, life insurance, dependent life insurance or accidental death and dismemberment insurance, you may apply to the insurance company for conversion to an individual insurance policy. Conversion policies are not available for Delta dental or disability insurance. Note: Special coverage rules may apply to employees on leave of absence and those employees already receiving disability benefits under the long term disability plan. Check with the MCCCD Benefits Office for more details. Under federal law, you and/or your covered dependents may apply for COBRA, a temporary extension of medical and dental insurance. (See COBRA on the web) There are also private policies for medical insurance available which may fit your needs. Medical WaiversMedical and mental health insurance is the only coverage that is mandatory. All other benefit selections are optional coverage. However, MCCCD has made a provision for employees that are covered by another employer’s group medical plan. If an employee shows evidence of coverage under another employer’s group plan, they may qualify for a medical insurance waiver. All employees on a medical insurance waiver must reapply for the waiver each fiscal year. Failure to complete an updated waiver will result in loss of the waiver and the employee will be enrolled in single Core medical coverage for the next plan year. Flex PLUS Your Other BenefitsAt MCCCD, we recognize that people are our most valuable asset. In addition to the wide range of benefit choices available through Flex, we offer many other programs for the benefit of our employees, including:
And There’s MoreMCCCD is a member of the Employee Services and Management Association (ESMA). This organization offers special memberships and discounts to MCCCD employees on a wide variety of sports, cultural, dining, vacation and recreational activities. There are also other special programs available to you as an employee of a public educational institution, including:
Don’t Forget Your Statutory BenefitsIn addition to your other benefits, Federal and State laws require employers to provide certain benefits to all workers. These “statutory” benefits include Social Security, Medicare, Workers Compensation, and unemployment insurance. These programs may provide benefits when you are injured on the job, become disabled, retire or die. NOTE: Not all employees may be eligible for the previously listed programs.
Last modified: July 02, 2007 |
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