Benefits Summary DC Government Employees Hired Before October 1, 1987 For more information on specific benefits or programs, select from the following. Federal Employees' Health Benefits Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Dental and Optical Coverage Flexible Spending Accounts Short-Term/Long-Term Disability Insurance Program Commuter Benefits Indemnity Plans Holidays Annual Leave and Sick Leave Annual Leave Bank Family and Medical Leave Act Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan Employee Assistance Program Direct Deposit Savings Bonds Federal Employees' Health Benefits Employees hired before October 1, 1987 are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program (FEHB), which is administered by the US Office of Personnel Management. The FEHB offers several kinds of plans, including Fee-for-Service, Health Maintenance Organizations, Point-of-Service, and Preferred Provider Organizations. Once you've selected which type of plan you wish to enroll in, there are numerous options to choose from. The cost of your monthly health insurance premium is shared with the District government, which contributes up to 75 percent toward the total premium cost. All health insurance premium deductions are made on a pre-tax basis, unless a specific waiver form is requested. A Pre-Tax Benefits Waiver form is available on this site, and also from the DC Department of Human Resources, Employee Service Center, One Judiciary Square, Suite 340N. When enrolling in a FEDVIP plan through BENEFEDS, you will initially be asked to choose your employment status from a drop-down list. DC Government and DC Courts employees should indicate they are a "Federal or US Postal Service Employee (Not a New Hire)." Employees will later be asked to choose their specific agency for payroll deduction purposes. It is here where you will indicate whether you work for DC Courts or the DC Government. Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Employees hired before October 1, 1987 are eligible for Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), which is administered by the US Office of Personnel Management. Term life insurance provides coverage equal to an employee's annual salary rounded to the next thousand, plus an additional $2,000.  The cost of your monthly premium is shared with the District. You pay two-thirds of the total cost and the District pays one-third. Additional life insurance levels are available for employees and their dependents at low cost.     Optional Plan Additional Coverage Premium Amount Option A Standard Provides $10,000 coverage Cost determined by age Option B Additional Provides coverage up to five times the employee's annual salary Cost determined by age and employee's salary Option C Family Provides $5,000 coverage for the eligible spouse and $2,500 coverage for each eligible child. Cost determined by age Dental and Optical Coverage The District provides comprehensive optical and dental coverage for all non-union employees and union employees covered by the Compensation Unit 1 and 2 Agreement. The District pays 100 percent of the premium costs. Dental Plan Information Cigna Dental Health, Inc. P.O. Box 189060 300 NW 82nd Avenue Plantation, FL 33318-9060 Tel: (800) 367-1037 Cigna Dental Health, Inc. Optical Plan Information Quality Plan Administrators 6101 16th Street, NW #418 Washington, DC 20011 Customer Service: (202) 722-2744 or (800) 900-4112 Quality Plan Administrators For more information see the Benefits FAQs* or call DCHR, Employee Service Center, at (202) 442-9655. Flexible Spending Accounts The District offers all benefit-eligible employees two pre-tax benefits: the Health Care Flexible Spending Account and the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. These pre-tax accounts allow you to pay for eligible, out-of-pocket health and/or dependent care expenses. Every plan year you must designate the amount to be set aside in your FSAs. These accounts are administered by PayFlex. Health Care Flexible Spending Account Program (HCFSA) An HCFSA allows you to plan for and cover eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses on a pre-tax basis, with deductions taken directly from your base salary. Deductions for the HCSFA reduce the gross income on your Form W-2 for federal and social security tax purposes. Your deductions are put into a special account, which will be used to reimburse participants for covered expenses up to a maximum of $3,000 annually. If you have not used all of the money that you deposited into your HCFSA by December 31, 2006, it must be forfeited, according to IRS rules. All receipts for 2006 expenses must be submitted by March 31, 2007. You may elect to participate in this program and/or select a new deduction amount during the next open enrollment period. Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Program (DCFSA) A DCFSA allows you to pay for eligible dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis, with deductions taken directly from your base salary. These deductions reduce your gross income on your Form W-2 for federal and social security tax purposes. The deductions are put into a special account, which will be used to reimburse participants for covered expenses up to a maximum of $5,000 annually. If you have not used all of the money that you deposited into your DCFSA by December 31, 2006, it must be forfeited, according to IRS rules. All receipts for 2006 expenses must be submitted by March 31, 2007. You may elect to participate in this program and/or select a new deduction amount during the next open enrollment period. Short-Term Disability Insurance Program All benefits-eligible employees may enroll in the Short-Term Disability Insurance Program. Short-term disability insurance provides income replacement that may be used in conjunction with your annual or sick leave. This program has a 20-day elimination period. Income is replaced at 66 2/3% of the employee’s base pay and coverage lasts for six months. This program is designed to lessen the financial burden employees may incur from an extended non-work-related injury or illness. Short-term disability insurance specifically addresses absences from work due to one’s own health-related reasons. If you have a qualifying medical condition, this insurance provides a partial replacement of your income. Key Features: Weekly disability benefits of $15 to $1,154 Income coverage of up to 66 2/3% of your salary Worldwide coverage Waiver of premium if you become disabled During this open enrollment period, you may enroll at the Employee Service Center at Judiciary Square, the 4th floor of the Reeves Center, or at one of the Benefits Fairs. Enrollment in the Short-Term Disability Insurance Program will take place through December 11, 2006.   Deductions for short-term disability insurance are done on an after-tax basis.  This assures that any payments you receive from the program are not taxed. Rates for short-term disability insurance are based on your age and monthly wages. Standard Insurance Company is the short-term disability insurance provider.  Deductions for both disability programs are done on an after-tax basis. This assures that any payments you receive from the program are not taxed. Long-Term Disability Insurance Program All benefits-eligible employees may enroll in the Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance Program. Long-term disability insurance provides income replacement that may be used in conjunction with your annual or sick leave. This program has a 180-day elimination period. Income is replaced at 66 2/3% of your pre-disability earnings, reduced by deductible income. If you become disabled before age 62, LTD benefits may continue during disability until you reach age 65. If you become disabled at age 62 or older, the benefit duration is determined by your age when disability begins as indicated in the Standard Insurance Long-Term Disability table. Monthly LTD benefit of $100 to $7,500 180-day elimination period Worldwide coverage Waiver of premium while disabled Rates for long-term disability insurance are also based on your age and monthly wages. Standard Insurance Company is the long-term disability insurance provider. Deductions for both disability programs are done on an after-tax basis. This assures that any payments you receive from the program are not taxed. Commuter Benefits Program All benefits-eligible employees may enroll in the Commuter Benefits Program. With the ADP Commuter Benefits program, paying for your commute can be more cost-effective and convenient than ever before. In fact, by using an ADP Commuter Benefits Account, your commute can be taxfree!  How? Because Commuter Benefits Accounts provide tax-exempt funds you can use to pay for the eligible transit and parking services you need every day. And, funding your account couldn’t be easier… it’s all handled through a simple paycheck deduction. For more information, visit: ADP Commuter Benefits Indemnity Plans All benefits-eligible employees may enroll in the AFLAC Indemnity Plans.  The plans pay benefits for covered health events. There are five plans available to employees: Cancer Insurance Hospital Confinement Personal Sickness Personal Accident Specified Health Event For more information, visit: AFLAC Indemnity Plans Annual Leave and Sick Leave Eligible employees accrue annual leave and sick leave each pay period. Regular full-time employees accrue annual leave each pay period on the following schedule: Years of Employment Annual Leave 0 - 3 13 days (4 hours per pay period) 4 - 15 20 days (6 hours per pay period) 15+ 26 days (8 hours per pay period) All regular full-time employees accrue 13 days of sick leave annually (4 hours per pay period) regardless of years of employment. Part-time employees who work at least 40 hours per pay period earn annual leave and sick leave at a proportional rate. Executive Service employees receive 26 days of universal leave per calendar year, to be used for any purpose (prorated depending on start date). Upon termination, an employee will receive cash value for 100% of the remaining accrued vacation days up to 240 hours. Holidays District of Columbia Government employees receive 11 paid holidays: New Year's Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Washington's Birthday Memorial Day Independence Day District of Columbia Emancipation Day  Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Annual Leave Bank The Annual Leave Bank program is a fund of accumulated annual leave donated by employees for the use of other leave bank members. This program prevents or limits the loss of income by employees who are faced with medical emergencies and who do not have sufficient paid leave to cover their period of absence. In order to become a member and receive leave from the leave bank, an employee must donate a minimum of four hours of annual leave each year.   Family and Medical Leave Act The DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA) was made effective on October 3, 1990, and is applicable to employees whose actual work location is in the District of Columbia as of April 1, 1991. To be eligible, employees must have worked for the District for one year with no break in service and have worked at least 1,000 hours (DCFMLA) or 1,250 hours (FMLA) during the 12-month period immediately preceding the request for leave. DCFMLA Statutory Medical Leave The DCFMLA allows for up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave in any 24-month period for employees who are physically unable to work because of a serious medical condition (including maternity). Medical documentation is required and an expected date of return must be provided. DCFMLA Statutory Family Leave of Absence The DCFMLA allows up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave in any 24-month period for specified reasons, as prescribed by the DCFMLA. The employee must provide documentation explaining the nature of the leave. Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Employees first hired by the District of Columbia government before October 1, 1987 are subject to the provisions of the CSRS, which is administered by the US Office of Personnel Management. Under each plan, you may choose to retire when you reach: Optional Retirement Voluntary Early Retirement Age 55 and 30 years of service 50 and 20 years of service Age 60 and 20 years of service Any age and 25 years of service Age 62 and 5 years of service 62 and 5 years of service The pension of an employee who chooses Voluntary Early Retirement will be reduced by 2 percent for each year under age 55. Retirement Computation Form* 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan All District government employees are eligible to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program, an optional savings program that allows employees to tax-defer income and invest for the future. The portion of salary an employee contributes reduces the amount of taxable income in each paycheck. The Internal Revenue Service determines the annual maximum amount that can be deferred. For 2005 the amount is $14,000, and for 2006 the amount is $15,000. In 2007 and beyond, the maximum will be indexed annually for cost of living increases in $500 amounts. You may also be eligible for increased annual contributions: during the three years prior to the year you attain Normal Retirement Age under a special 457 catch-up provision; or when you reach age 50 or older by the end of the calendar year. For additional information on the special 457(b) catch-up provision or the increased contribution limits for workers who attain age 50, please refer to the brochure "How Much Can I Contribute?"*. Under DCPLUS, you are permitted to designate a person(s) who will receive payment of benefits in the event of your death. To ensure that death benefits under the plans are paid to the individual(s) of your choice, you should periodically review your plan beneficiary designation and determine whether any changes are appropriate. This is especially true if you have a life change event (e.g. marriage, birth of a child, divorce or death). It is important to note that with respect to the beneficiary(ies) you have designated - If you have a change in status, your designation is not automatically updated. For example, if your spouse is your beneficiary, that designation is not void as a result of your divorce. Your ex-spouse would remain your plan beneficiary until you make a change to your designation. The beneficiary you designate under DCPLUS is separate from any designation you may have made under the District’s pension plan or other programs in which you participate. If you do not designate a beneficiary under DCPLUS, in the event of your death, benefits will be paid to your estate. You have two convenient ways to update your beneficiary elections. You may either complete the Beneficiary Designation Form and return it to the address provided at the top of the form. Or, you may update your beneficiary elections by logging in to your account and selecting the "Beneficiary Information" link located under the "My Account" menu option, Click Here for a preview. The 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan is available through ING Financial Advisors and is open to all employees who can contribute the minimum of $20 per pay period. Employees can choose from a wide variety of fixed or variable investment options. For more information, please call (800) 584-6001 or visit  ING Financial Advisors. Employee Assistance Program All employees may use the Employee Assistance program, which provides confidential counseling and referral services for emotional, professional or financial problems. This confidential counseling program is staffed by non-government agency professionals through COPE, Inc. For more information, call (202) 628-5240 or (800) 841-7406. Direct Deposit Employees may elect to have their paychecks automatically deposited into their personal bank accounts. For more information visit the DCHR Direct Deposit site. Savings Bond Program Any full or part-time salaried employee may purchase US Savings Bonds through payroll deduction. See Treasury Direct for more information. * This document is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). A PDF reader is required for viewing. 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