• BENEFITS ELIGIBILITY
     
    The Plan Year for all Richmond County School System benefits is January 1 through December 31 of each year.
    Insurance benefits become effective on the first day of the calendar month after you have completed one full calendar month of service. (Example: Employees beginning employment for the new school year by July 31 will have premiums deducted from the August 31 paycheck with benefits effective on September 1).
    An employee is eligible for benefits, if he or she qualifies for one or more of the following categories:
    1. To be eligible for employee benefits, an employee must work at least 20 hours a week on a continuing basis.
    2. A person employed in a professionally certificated capacity and must work at least 20 hours a week. The employee cannot be classified as a substitute, temporary employee or an emergency substitute.
    3. An employee who is employed in a non-certified position must be eligible to participate in the Teacher's Retirement System or Employee Retirement System, and work a minimum of 20 hours per week. 
     
    ELIGIBLE DEPENDENTS 
     
    Eligible Dependents covers dependents who meet dependent guidelines. Eligibility documentation must be submitted before the deadline to avoid termination of your insurance coverage. Eligible Dependents include:
    • Spouse (includes same sex) 
    • Dependent Child 
      • Natural child
      • Adopted child
      • Stepchild 
      • Guardianship 
      • Totally disabled child 
     
    QUALIFYING EVENT
     
    Some benefits can only be changed during Open Enrollment and/or when a “qualifying event” occurs.  Qualifying events may allow you to enroll, change rate tier, or discontinue the insurance in which you are currently enrolled outside the Open Enrollment period, if applicable to the event or benefit. You have 31 days from a qualifying event to complete the necessary forms and make benefit changes. For health insurance plans, a dependent child may be covered to age 26. For dental, vision, accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, legal and life insurance plans, a dependent child may be covered to age 19, or to age 26 if a full-time student and unmarried.
    Examples of qualifying events include:
    • Acquisition of coverage under a new spouse’s group plan 
    • Acquisition of dependent by marriage, birth, or adoption 
    • Acquisition of coverage under your spouse’s new employment 
    • Change of coverage due to spouse’s Open Enrollment 
    • Loss of eligible dependents 
    • Loss of benefit coverage because of spouse’s job termination 
     
    Remember that you have 31 days following the qualifying event to file a request for change of coverage. If you miss the “window of opportunity,” you must wait until Open Enrollment to make your change(s). Make your selections carefully. New hires have 31 days from their hire date to elect/change benefits.