Chapter 16A- Personnel Policy Manual

BENEFITS AND ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for Benefits

Employees regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week on a continuous basis are eligible for Hillcrest Educational Foundation’s comprehensive benefit plans. This includes full-time employees and on-call staff who consistently average at least 30 hours per week. Staff working an average of at least 20 hours per week may be eligible for benefits such as dental and vision insurance.

Benefit Enrollment Periods

  • New Hires are eligible to enroll in health insurance and other benefit plans after a 30-day waiting period, unless otherwise specified by their employment classification.
  • Open Enrollment occurs annually, providing eligible employees an opportunity to make changes to their benefits.
  • Employees may also enroll or modify benefits outside of open enrollment in the event of a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, birth, loss of other coverage).

Employer-Paid Benefits

Hillcrest Educational Foundation covers the full cost of the following benefits for eligible employees:

  • Group Life Insurance
  • Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

Hillcrest Educational Foundation offers health insurance plans with partial employer contributions toward premiums for eligible employees.

Dental and Vision Insurance are available to staff working 20 hours or more per week, at the employee’s cost.

Eligibility for these plans is determined by regularly scheduled or averaged hours worked.

403(b) Retirement Plan

Hillcrest Educational Foundation provides a 403(b) retirement savings plan to help employees prepare for the future.

  • All employees may begin contributing to the plan immediately upon hire.
  • The plan includes an automatic enrollment at 1.5%, though employees may adjust their contribution or opt out at any time.
  • The employer may make discretionary contributions to eligible employees’ plans.

Voluntary Benefits

A variety of voluntary benefits are available, which employees may choose based on their needs and preferences. These include:

  • Supplemental Life & AD&D Insurance
  • Accident Insurance
  • Critical Illness
  • Other elective coverage

COBRA

Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), eligible employees may continue their health, dental, and vision coverage if it would otherwise end due to a qualifying event (e.g., separation of employment). COBRA administration is handled by a third-party vendor.

More Information

Employees are encouraged to review the Benefit Guide available from Human Resources on the Drive. For questions or to schedule a consultation, please contact the HR Department directly.

Continuation of Employee Benefits During Leaves of Absence

Purpose

Establish clear guidelines for continuation of employee benefits during all types of leave, including both protected and unprotected leave, to ensure consistent treatment and compliance with applicable laws.

Scope

This policy applies to all benefit-eligible employees of Hillcrest Educational Foundation who are on an approved leave of absence.

Continuation of Benefits During Protected Leave

Protected leave includes, but is not limited to:

  • Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MA PFML)
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  • Massachusetts Parental Leave (MPL)
  • Leave under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Military leave under USERRA

Group Health Coverage

Hillcrest Educational Foundation will continue group health coverage at the same premium rates and coverage levels as if the employee were actively working.

  • Hillcrest Educational Foundation will continue paying its share of the premiums
  • Employee is responsible for their regular share of premiums
  • Premiums will be deducted from any paid leave, or billed to the employee if leave is unpaid

Other Benefits

  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)and Health Savings Accounts (HSA): Participation continues
  • Retirement Contributions: Employer contributions will pause during any periods of unpaid leave, resuming upon return.
  • Voluntary Benefits: Coverage continues, but any missed premium payments may result in lapse.

Continuation of Benefits During Unprotected Leave

Unprotected leave includes, but is not limited to:

  • Unpaid personal leaves of absence
  • Unpaid time off exceeding protected limits
  • Leaves for reasons not covered under

Group Health Coverage

Employees may continue group health coverage through the following:

  • Employer discretion: Hillcrest Educational Foundation may allow continuation of benefits for a limited time not to exceed 90 days of unpaid time
  • Hillcrest Educational Foundation will continue paying its share of the premiums
  • Employee is responsible for their regular share of premiums

If continuation is not permitted or is discontinued:

  • Employees will receive COBRA notification to elect continuation of coverage at their own expense

Other Benefits

  • FSA/HSA contributions and retirement contributions are paused when the employee is going unpaid
  • Voluntary Benefits: Coverage continues, but any missed premium payments may result in lapse

Return from Unprotected Leave

Upon return from leave, the employee must:

  • Satisfy a 30-day waiting period
  • Reconfirm benefit elections if coverage lapsed
  • Complete re-enrollment forms if applicable
  • Contact Human Resources within 30 days of return to address any changes

Non-Payment of Premiums

If the employee fails to pay their portion of premiums by the designated due date:

  • Hillcrest Educational Foundation may terminate coverage after reasonable notice
  • Coverage will be reinstated upon return only if permitted by the plan

General Conditions Regarding Continuation of Benefits During Leave of Absence

Human Resources department will provide written information to each employee on leave outlining premium costs and payment options.

Responsibility

It is the employees responsibility to:

  • Communicate their leave plans with Human Resources in a timely manner
  • Make timely premium payments
  • Notify Human Resources of any benefit changes during leave

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

HEC provides workers’ compensation insurance for all employees. WC covers employees who have sustained an injury in the course of their employment.

Employees are required to file an ART form with their supervisor and the WC Administrator within 24 hours of the occurrence of any injury or physical assault sustained on the job (in addition to the appropriate student incident report paperwork). Failure to do so may result in a negative outcome to an employee’s claim and may result in disciplinary action.

Injured employees must report to the nurses’ station for evaluation and, if necessary, referral from the Worker’s Compensation Administrator to an outside medical provider.

Full time staff who have completed their probationary period will be compensated by HEC at the rate of 60% of their hourly rate for normally scheduled work hours that would have occurred in the first five calendar days of lost time, one time per year, due to injuries on the job. Otherwise employees may use benefit time starting with Long Term Illness, then Sick, then Vacation hours, to supplement the above payment, but cannot exceed 40 total hours in a week. HEC will pay a maximum of 5 days for lost time from multiple incidents, in a 12-month period.

The physician who treated the employee for the injury and HEC’s occupational health provider must clear all employees, by providing a fitness for duty note, to return to work, who have been absent from work due to an injury.

When an employee is receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits and is eligible for FMLA, HEC
will hold the position for the duration of FMLA, subject to applicable requirements of that law.

If the employee is eligible for modified duty, HEC will support modified duty up to 45 days per a rolling 12 month period (either single occurrence, or the sum of days from more than one modified duty situation). Modified duty is not guaranteed and will depend on availability of modified duty work. Slight modifications of the 45-day maximum will be considered if supported by medical documentation and does not otherwise pose an undue financial or operational hardship to HEC.

Employees will not be paid for overtime when they are in the Emergency Room or doctor’s appointment if hours exceed their regular shift.

If You are Out on Worker’s Compensation:

If you are receiving workers’ compensation benefits from the insurance company and are no longer receiving a check from HEC, you are responsible for paying your share of your medical insurance premium, if you are also on approved FMLA leave.

Employees receiving workers’ compensation benefits who are not receiving a check from HEC, do not earn sick or vacation time. They will be responsible for medical and dental insurance premiums per the rules of FMLA and COBRA.

If you are not eligible for FMLA or you are unable to return from FMLA, you will be offered health insurance at 100% cost (plus administrative fees) through the COBRA option.

If You are Eligible For and Have Been Offered Modified Duty:
HEC will make every effort to accommodate employees who have sustained an injury while in the scope of their duties for a total of forty-five (45) calendar days per calendar year. (see General Policy, #7).

Any aggravation of pre-existing injuries will also be capped at forty-five (45) calendar days per calendar year. While on light duty, their weekly hours will not exceed forty (40). This 40 hours includes any benefit time the employee may have used that week such as holiday or vacation pay.

Any employee who is working in a restricted capacity will accrue sick and vacation leave at their normal rate and will continue to pay their regular % of insurance premiums(s).

At the discretion of the Worker’s Compensation Administrator and Program Director, overtime may not be available for thirty (30) days from the release of the employee to full duties. While we will make every effort to find modified duty work for staff who are injured, we cannot promise that we can accommodate all modified duty requests.

If you choose not to work modified duty, you must use your LTI, then sick, then vacation hours
– worker’s compensation will not pay your benefits.

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT (Tuition Assistance Program)

All full and part time staff with benefits are eligible to apply for tuition assistance after one year of employment with HEC. Teachers may apply for assistance during their first year of employment. Teachers are limited to 12 credits each year, and all other staff are limited to 3 credits per semester. Educational Support policy, reimbursement procedures, maximum amount of reimbursement, application and sign off forms are available in Human Resources.

Staff are expected to commit to staying at HEC one year beyond the date of completion of the course, or they will be responsible for repaying HEC the amount reimbursed. Staff who resign or move to on-call status before the end of one year will be expected to reimburse HEC for the tuition or have it deducted from their paycheck as agreed upon at the time the application for tuition reimbursement was completed. This expectation does not, however, alter the at-will nature of employment at HEC.

DIRECT DEPOSIT

HEC offers a direct deposit plan for its employees. This plan allows employees to deposit their paychecks directly into the bank account(s), which they designate. Occasionally, due to technical problems or after a Monday holiday, money will not be deposited directly into your bank accounts until Wednesday (remember that HEC’s payday is Tuesday). HEC offers direct deposit as a service to you and will not be held responsible for penalties as a result of a late deposit into your account.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)
HEC provides employees with free, confidential, personal counseling through an Employee
Assistance Program. Employees are introduced to this plan at New Staff Orientation, and EAP representatives visit each campus and can meet with staff on, or off, campus if necessary. Participation in this program is voluntary and confidential.

CREDIT UNION
All employees of HEC are eligible to participate in the Greylock Credit Union in Pittsfield, MA. Information may be obtained by calling (413) 443-5114.

WELLNESS PROGRAM

Wellness is a critical component of our overall commitment to employee health and well-being. With this in mind we have developed and implemented a comprehensive wellness program focusing on a variety of wellness initiatives. These initiatives may include health risk assessments, wellness expos, and a variety of employee-sponsored clubs such as biking, hiking, kayaking, yoga and more.

Our mission is to increase the knowledge, activity level, and commitment to foster a culture of personal health and well being in the Hillcrest Community.