Compensation

Benefits

Healthcare Options

The District of Columbia Public Schools offers its employees a choice of Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. Under the HMO arrangement employees must select primary care physician and obtain referrals for specialty care. The PPO plan allows their employees the freedom to select a physician that participates in the network or employees may obtain care from an out-of-network physician. Employees may select health insurance coverage from the following options:

• Aetna – HMO
• Kaiser Permanente – HMO
• MDIPA/MAMSI- HMO
• Cigna Healthcare – PPO

Each plan offers both dental and vision care coverage. Contact the Benefit Division of the Human Resources Department to receive specific information on the plan provision.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employees enjoy the advantages of enrolling in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). An FSA is an easy-to-use program that allows you to deduct pretax dollars from your paycheck. There are two types of FSA’s – healthcare and dependent care. The money in your account is used to pay for eligible expenses you incur for health care expenses (for yourself and your dependents) and/or dependent care (e.g., day care for your children) during a calendar year (from January 1 through December 31).

You may use the Health Care FSA for medical expenses incurred by you and any dependents you claim on your federal tax return. You can set aside up to $3,000 of pre-tax dollars for eligible expenses like insurance deductibles, co-payments, glasses and contact lenses, orthodontia, and other health-care related expenses not covered by your insurance plan. The IRS recently announced that over-the-counter (OTC) drugs—such as antacids, allergy medicines, pain relievers and cold medicines—are now eligible as reimbursable expenses. Dietary supplements and other items that promote general health, such as vitamins, are not eligible.

Eligible expenses include:

• Medical, dental, and vision expenses not reimbursed by any plan, such as co-payments and deductibles
• Vision care and expenses such as exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses
• Hearing exams, care, and hearing aids
• Birth control pills
• Over-the-counter medications ( e.g. antacids, allergy medicines, pain relievers, and cold medicines)

The Dependent Care FSA helps to offset the cost of care for your children and/or elderly parents while you are at work. You can set aside up to $5,000 if you are a single parent or if you are married and filing taxes jointly, or $2,500 per person if you are married and filing separately. If you are married, your spouse must be working, searching for a job, at school or enrolled as a full-time student for at least five months of the calendar year, or mentally and/or physically unable to provide care for a dependent for your day care expenses to qualify for reimbursement.

Eligible dependent care includes:

• Day care centers (adult and/or child facilities)  that meet local regulations, provide care for more than six non-residents, and receive fees for such services.
• Babysitters or companions, including your relatives whom you do not claim as exemptions on your federal income tax return.

Before you enroll in the FSA, you should review your records from last year to determine expenses you paid for out of your own pocket so you may estimate the amount you wish to allocate. Be sure to estimate your expected out-of-pocket expenses carefully – if you do not "use" all the money in your account, you will "lose" it at the end of the year. (You generally have 90 days at the end of the year to submit any expenses for the previous year.)

Life Insurance

Full time and part time employees who are in a benefit eligible position are automatically enrolled in Basic Life Insurance. The face value of this policy is equal to your annual plus an additional $2000. The DCPS plan also provides employees with the option of enrolling supplemental life insurance programs.

• Plan Option A allows employees to purchase $10,000 of life insurance.
• Plan Option B gives employees the choice of 1x salary thru 5x salary in life insurance.
• Plan Option C extends life insurance coverage to an eligible spouse and/or dependent children.

Short Term Disability

Short Term Disability Income Protection plan is designed to supplement your existing insurance coverage by replacing up to 66 2/3 percent of your salary if you become disabled. Benefits from this plan are paid on a monthly basis, up to the maximum of  $5,000 per month. Benefit periods range from 3 to 24 months.

This individually-owned plan is portable. This means that if you change jobs or retire, you can take this plan with you. Your premiums will not increase as you get older, and your coverage is guaranteed renewable up to age 70 as long as premiums are paid when due or within the grace period.

Tax Sheltered Annuities

This optional program allows you to make pre-tax contributions to a tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) account through a payroll deductions in order to save additional money for retirement.

Some of the plan features include:

• IRS set limits for maximum contributions.
• Freedom to select and contact a DCPS approved TSA vendor.
• Ability to enroll at any time.

For a list of approved TSA providers, contact the Benefits Division of the Human Resources Department.