11.1 Employee Insurance Coverage Stipend: The District agrees to arrange with insurance companies to provide for protection against various types of exposure. All bargaining unit members are required to participate in the plans provided in relationship to the amount of their insurance stipend. Individuals who qualify for a pro-rata share of the stipend may secure more insurance than their stipend covers by authorizing a salary deduction to cover the added premium cost.

11.1.1 The District will provide its contribution to the insurance stipend, as specified in Article 11.2.

11.1.2 The stipend provided in Sections 11.2.1, 11.2.2 and 11.2.3 shall be increased during the life of this contract, if necessary, to equal the rates in the least expensive HMO (Section 11.4.1) and dental insurance (Section 11.4.2), life insurance (Section 11.4.3), and income protection (Section 11.4.4).

11.2 The District shall provide an insurance stipend for contract bargaining unit members, based on their regular annual assignment.

11.2.1 Medical Coverage for Employee Only: The District shall provide full-time bargaining members with medical coverage for employee only, a benefits stipend for medical, dental, life insurance and long-term disability insurance, up to $4,979.16 per year, calculated based on their assignment status and paid on a monthly basis.

11.2.1.1 12-month assignment $4,979.16 annually

11.2.1.2 11-month assignment $4,564.23 annually

11.2.1.3 10-month assignment $4,149.30 annually

11.2.1.4 9-month assignment $3,734.37 annually

11.2.2 Medical Coverage for Employee Plus One Dependent: The District shall provide full time bargaining unit members with employee plus one dependent medical coverage, a benefits stipend for medical, dental, life insurance and long-term disability insurance, up to $9,013.32 per year, calculated on their assignment status and paid on a monthly basis as follows:

11.2.2.1 12-month assignment $9,013.32 annually

11.2.2.2 11-month assignment $8,262.21 annually

11.2.2.3 10-month assignment $7,511.10 annually

11.2.2.4 9-month assignment $6,759.99 annually

11.2.3 Medical Coverage for Employee Plus Two Dependents: The District shall provide full time bargaining unit members with employee plus two dependents medical coverage, a benefits stipend for medical, dental, life insurance and long-term disability insurance, up to $12,348.96 per year, calculated on their regular assignment status and paid on a monthly basis as follows:

11.2.3.1 12-month assignment $12,348.96 annually

11.2.3.2 11-month assignment $11,319.88 annually

11.2.3.3 10-month assignment $10,290.80 annually

11.2.3.4 9-month assignment $ 9,261.72 annually

11.3 Eligibility for Part-Time Employees: Employees who are regularly assigned to work 1,040 hours per year, or more, shall receive health benefits with a contribution from the District on a pro rata basis. For example, 50%, 66- 2/3%, 75%, etc., in relation to forty (40) hours of work per week assignment, twelve (12) months per year. Employees whose regular assignment is less than 1,040 hours per year shall not be eligible to participate in the District health insurance stipend. Employees who work less than 1,040 hours per year and who are receiving the District’s health insurance stipend immediately prior to ratification of this Agreement may continue to do so on the same basis.

11.4 Insurance Programs

11.4.1 Medical insurance: Hospital, surgical, and prescription drug coverage is mandatory for bargaining unit members. Unit members shall select from the following:

a) Blue Cross Prudent Buyer Standard Plan
b) Blue Cross Prudent Buyer Catastrophic Plan
c) HMO Plans; HealthNet and California Care

11.4.2 Dental coverage: Participation in the Delta Dental Plan #8, with $2,000.00 maximum benefit, is mandatory for employees and optional for their dependents.

11.4.3 Life insurance coverage: Participation in the approved plan is mandatory for employees.

11.4.4 Income Protection: Mandatory for employee only. If approved by UNUM, will provide District paid income protection benefits to employees who are regularly assigned to work 780 hours per year or more in the same manner as employees who are regularly assigned to work 1,040 hours per year.

11.5 IRS 125: The District offers unit members a three-level IRS 125 plan, which includes a flexible spending account. The administrator for the plan will be mutually agreed upon by the District and SEIU. Any subsequent changes of administrator will be mutually agreed upon by the District and SEIU. Within one (1) year of the effective date of this Agreement, the parties will meet and confer over the possibility of providing flexible spending account debit cards.

11.5.1 Unit members hired on or before October 1, 1996: If a bargaining unit member has stipend monies left after covering required insurance premiums, that money will be included in their gross monthly salary in accordance with section 125 of the Internal Revenue Service code. That money may then be placed in a Tax Sheltered Annuity plan (TSA) with an approved TSA plan provider. It shall be the responsibility of the employee to select the company and to make necessary contracts and arrangements. Payments will only begin on a monthly basis after submission of necessary documentation to the personnel office. TSA allocations are not retroactive.

11.5.2 Unit members hired after October 1, 1996: These unit members shall utilize whatever portion of the stipend is necessary to purchase required coverage in insurance programs provided in section 11.4 and, at the option of the unit member, to purchase optional dependent coverage in those insurance programs. The unit members shall not be entitled to receive as compensation any unused portion of the stipend.

11.6 Medical/hospital/surgical/prescription drug coverage – Retiree

11.6.1 Medical/hospital/surgical/prescription drug coverage for classified retiree and principal domestic partner will be provided for the retiree until he/she reaches age 65 or until retiree is covered by Medicare, whichever comes first. Participation is required in Medicare when eligibility exists. Coverage shall consist of the same range of choices provided to current bargaining unit members. The District shall provide the cost of the medical plan the employee was enrolled in at the time of retirement. If the retiree elects to enroll in a more expensive plan, the retiree will pay any additional costs. A comparable health care plan will be provided to retirees living out of state. In addition, retirees may purchase, at their own expense, dental coverage under the group insurance policy.

11.6.2 To qualify for this benefit the employee shall have been a regular full time employee of the College for a period of at least ten (10) years immediately prior to the date of retirement, and have reached the age of fifty (50) years. Retirement is defined as that regular program provided covered employees by the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) of the State of California.

11.7 A joint ad hoc committee representing bargaining unit members and administration shall continue to meet to study Health and Welfare Benefits Cost containment and to recommend ways to insure that the needs of both employees and the District are well served.

11.8 Public Employment Retirement System: The District contracts for the PERS “Pick-Up” Program as provided in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 414 (h) (2).

11.9 Automobile Mileage Reimbursement: The District agrees to reimburse employees for authorized use of their private automobiles at the current per-mile rate set by the IRS.

11.10 Staff Development: A committee of unit members will continue to work with the Human Resources Department to administer standards and procedures for a staff development program. In order to participate in this program, an employee must request and receive appropriate authorization from the employee's immediate supervisor and the staff development committee. The activity must be applicable to the employee's duties or to the District's needs. Approval for this program will not be made for activities for which the employee will receive Professional Growth credit.

11.10.1 This program will be funded up to $7,000 each fiscal year.

11.10.2 Supervisors shall not require employees to request funds provided by Section 11.10.1 above.

11.11 Eligible classified retirees are entitled to the following privileges:

11.11.1 Free staff parking

11.11.2 Admission to designated college-sponsored athletic events, concerts or plays at the same admission fee charged to current employees

To be eligible for the foregoing privileges, a classified employee must meet the requirements of section 11.6.2.