Lincoln Public Schools

B. Optional Deductions

Payroll deductions may be made for any of the following benefits described in Section X. Employee Benefits below, and

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X. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

All employees who purchase a district health insurance policy through the Educators Health Alliance (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska) will receive a negotiated amount per month toward that purchase. If the district's contributions towards the benefits purchased are not sufficient to purchase the benefits, the employee may purchase the available benefits through payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis.

Eligibility - Hourly as reported and substitute employees are not eligible to receive the district health insurance allocation and may not participate in the group insurance programs. In addition, employees who have an assignment less than 3 1/2 hours a day are not eligible to participate in health insurance. Employees working less than 3 1/2 hours a day are not eligible to participate in health insurance. Employees working less than 3 hours per day are not eligible for term life insurance, and employees working less than 4 hours a day are not eligible for disability insurance.

By September 30, each employee (except those noted above) must have certified in which of these optional programs he/she wishes to enroll: health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance.

Eligibility for enrollment or re-enrollment in the district health plan after a leave of absence is dependent upon any applicable Family Medical Leave Act provisions, the underwriting guidelines of the health insurance company, and the employee’s ability to pay his/her portion of the premium through payroll deduction for the remainder of the fiscal year. Less than 12-month employees hired after February 1 are generally not eligible to participate in the insurance programs until the beginning of the following school year.

A. Insurance Programs

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B. Employee Flexible Benefit Plan

Lincoln Public Schools offers its employees a complete IRS Section 125 Plan which is called the Employee Flexible Benefit Plan. Participants in this plan use pre-tax dollars from their salary for any combination of the following: 1) to pay premiums on district-offered insurance plans; 2) to pay medical expenses which are not covered under their health insurance plan or are not reimbursed from other sources; and 3) to pay eligible dependent care expenses.

The primary purpose for participating in the flexible benefit plan is the tax savings that results from using pretax dollars for the expenses described above. New employees may enroll in this plan during their first thirty (30) days of employment with the school district while employees on staff may enroll during the September open enrollment period. Call Human Resources, 436-1593, for information about this plan.

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C. Death Benefit

The Board of Education provides a death benefit for the named beneficiary of each regular employee. Please refer to your group's negotiated agreement or addendum for your death benefit. Employees should notify the Human Resources Office, 436-1593, of any changes in beneficiary that may have occurred since they began employment with the district.

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D. Tax-Sheltered Annuities (TSA)

A tax-sheltered annuity program, 403(b), is available to all employees. Under this program, income is deferred until a certain age (generally 65). Usually at retirement age the deferred income is reported for income tax purposes. Employees may refer to Business Affairs Bulletin #2 (BA#2) for more information or call the Accounting Department, 436-1703. Information concerning the program and the vendors is also included in the LPS web site.

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E. Employee Assistance Program (Policy Regulation 4630.1)

Lincoln Public Schools recognizes that a wide variety of problems not directly associated with one's job function can have an effect on an employee's job performance. In most instances, the employee will overcome such personal problems independently and the adverse effect on job performance will be negligible. However, for some employees, professional assistance may be helpful.

The Lincoln Public Schools, in cooperation with the Continuum Employee Assistance Program, provides training supervisors and other appropriate personnel. The training will help supervisors with early recognition of behavioral or medical problems adversely affecting job performance and provide supervisory techniques and strategies to assist proper usage of the Continuum Employee Assistance Program.

No employee's job security or promotion opportunities will be jeopardized by requesting or receiving assistance or treatment.

Types of Referrals - Referrals to the Continuum Employee Assistance Program will be either by (1) voluntary self-referral by the employee or (2) mandatory supervisory referral.

Mandatory Supervisory Referrals - When an employee's performance at work is negatively impacted by events in their life or the lives of their families, supervisors may refer the employee to Continuum after consultation with the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources.

The employee must comply with any mandatory supervisory referrals for diagnosis and cooperate with prescribed counseling or therapy.

Unacceptable job performance will continue to be addressed regardless of the employee's participation in the employee assistance program.

Leave - Employees may utilize applicable leave for treatment or rehabilitation. The district will not be obligated to pay fees of referral agencies.

Dependents - Since employee work performance can be affected adversely by the problems of his/her spouse or other dependents, the program is available to the families of the employee.

Confidentiality - Records of employees seeking assistance either through self-referral or supervisory referral shall be kept strictly confidential.  Self-referrals will not be noted in any official records or in the employee’s personnel file.

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F. Retirement

Employees are encouraged to schedule a conference with Human Resources a few months prior to pretirement. Call Human Resources, 436-1593, for information or to make an appointment. Also, Human Resources schedules a retirement planning orientation session for classified employees each year during February or March. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the retirement process and to answer questions. Employees are not obligated in any way by attending the session.

To begin the retirement process, the employee must first complete a "Request for Change of Status Form."