Employee Benefits
The SDAO Employee Benefits program began in 1985 with two objectives: to provide a benefit program beneficial to both large and small districts, and to take advantage of the potential size protection of group purchasing. Today, both objectives are being met. In the beginning, the SDAO Employee Benefits Program insured 13 districts with approximately 140 employees. Today, the program provides benefits for more than 200 districts, with more than 2,300 employees contributing an annual premium of over $9 million. The size of the participating districts range from 1 to more than 100 employees.
The SDAO health plan, provided by Pacific Source Health Plans offers a variety of medical, vision, and dental plan options that enable districts of any size to take advantage of the excellent rates and coverages of a large group policy. SDAO's health plan portfolio features a wide range of preferred provider organization (PPO) plans or the option of traditional indemnity insurance. For most types of care, members are free to select any licensed health care provider, and may self-refer to a specialist. There are no gatekeepers, and the choice is theirs.
As employee benefits coverages continue to evolve, the SDIS Board of Trustees, the SDAO staff, and the program administrator remain committed to responding to member needs and making the program the most cost-effective and high-quality benefit program available to special districts.
Health Plan:
Preferred Provider Medical Plans: Offers a more cost-effective approach to health care. Plans use a select network of preferred health care providers and facilities to help reduce premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
Traditional Medical Plans - Offers the ability to seek care from any
provider or hospital.
Vision Plan:
Pacific Source is also the provider for SDAO's two vision plans. Vision insurance is one of the few benefit options that cannot be purchased on a stand-alone basis. To have vision coverage, districts also must have medical coverage.
- Basic Plan - Pays fixed amount for all vision services.
- No deductible plan pays 100% of UCR annually.
Contact:
Century Insurance Group LLC
Chet Weichman, SDAO Health Plan Administrator
541-382-4211 Bend
1-800-599-2387 Toll Free
Effective June 1, 2003, SDAO chose Pacific Source to provide dental coverage options. These plans are identical to prior plans, but offer the additional advantage of paying claims on billed charges, not "usual and customary charges."
Dental Plan Features:
- All benefits paid on billed charge, no UCR.
- Basic Plan: Pays 100% for preventive services. $25 deductible before paying 80% for restorative ser- vices and 50% for major services.
- Incentive Plan: 70% coverage with no deductible for preventive and restorative services during first year. Percentage increases 10% each year up to 100% as long as employee visits dentist once a year.
- Low-Cost Plan: $1,000 maximum annual benefit with $50 deductible. Preventive and restorative services paid at 80%; major services at 50%. Orthodontia - Requires 20 employees. $1,500 life- time benefit; percentage paid is 50% to maximum.
- Orthodontia - Requires 20 employees. $1,500 life- time benefit; percentage paid is 50% to maximum.
Century Insurance Group LLC
Chet Weichman, SDAO Health Plan Administrator
541-382-4211 Bend
1-800-599-2387 Toll Free
SDAO's provider for life and disability coverage is Standard Insurance. Several plan options are available for life insurance, and both short and long-term disability coverage.
- Life: $10,000, $20,000, and $50,000 life and accidental death and dismemberment per employee.
- Short-Term Disability: Four plan options; 13 or 26 week benefit period; 60% of weekly wages to a $100 or $200 weekly maximum. Each begins paying on the first day for an accident and the eighth day for an illness.
- Long-Term Disability: Two plan options; 90 or 180 day benefit period; 60% of earnings to a maximum of $5,000 in monthly benefit.
Contact:
Century Insurance Group LLC
Chet Weichman, SDAO Health Plan Administrator
541-382-4211 Bend
1-800-599-2387 Toll Free
As part of our Employee Benefit Program, we offer the Flexible Spending Account Plan (Section 125 Plan) through Manley Services. Section 125 refers to a portion of the Internal Revenue Code that enables employees of special districts to de-duct funds from their earnings on a pre-tax basis to pay for certain allowable expenses. The plan also provides the employer an opportunity to save some payroll-related costs.There are four areas in which employees can take advantage of SDAO's Section 125 Plan:
- Payroll Deducted Premiums: Employees must contribute for either their
own or their dependent's health coverage. This contribution is paid
directly to the insurance carrier, but is now deducted on pre-tax
basis. - Unreimbursed Health Expenses: An employee can pay for eligible health related expenses that are not covered by an insurance or other medical reimbursement plan.
- Dependent Care Expenses: Covered by the same rules applying to the IRS tax credit. Allows employees to pay for eligible expenses with pre-tax income.
- Other Health-Related Premiums: Those premiums which are not normally deducted from the employee's paycheck. If health insurance is paid directly to an insurance carrier this may be eligible to be paid pre-tax.
Contact:
Manley Administrative Services Co.
541-485-7488 Eugene
1-800-422-7038 Toll Free
Length of Service Award Program
The Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) acts as a retirement benefit that fire districts can offer to their volunteers as an incentive to continue service, and to express the district's appreciation for the volunteer's efforts over the years.
With the investment options SDAO has chosen, margins are low-cost and no commissions are paid out of contributions. The result is higher value for volunteers and districts.
SDAO developed the LOSAP Plan and Trust to accommodate various needs expressed by districts.
Contact:
Michael Doherty, SDAO Accounting Manager
503-371-8667 Salem
1-800-285-5461 Toll Free
