Benefit Guide

This page acts as a guide to Belmont Town and School employee benefits for eligible Town and School employees. This page is an important resource for current employees to use as a reference for their benefit information, for new employees looking to enroll, prospective employees interested in applying for a position with the Town, exiting employees or for employees experiencing a qualifying event or seeking to enroll during an open enrollment period. See an overview summary of employee benefits.

Plans:

• Health insurance through Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
• Dental Insurance through Delta Dental
• Vision Insurance through Altus Vision
• Life Insurance through Boston Mutual
• Flex Spending and Dependent Care Pre-tax Accounts through Cafeteria Plan Advisors
• The Good Health Gateway Diabetes Care Rewards Program
• IRS 457 Deferred Compensation (Town Employees Only)
• 403b. Retirement Savings (School Employees Only)

See a list of enrollment forms.

Eligibility

• Eligible employees must work at least twenty (20) hours per week.
• New eligible employees must submit all required benefit enrollment forms no later than twenty-one (21) days after their first day of employment. Benefit coverage will become effective either on the employee’s hire date, if employment begins on the first day of the month, or on the first day of the month following the hire date.
• Upon enrollment, the employee’s premium contributions will be calculated for the remaining months of the fiscal year. If this calculation indicates that the employee’s payroll deductions will not fully satisfy the required premium obligation, a “make-up” premium will be applied to the employee’s initial pay period(s) to ensure the full premium obligation is met.
• Dependents are eligible for coverage on the Town's health, dental and vision insurance until they are 26 years old. Their coverage will last until the last day of the month of their 26th birthday.

Dependent / Spouse Eligibility & Proof

Eligible spouses, ex-spouses and dependents may be covered under the Town's health, dental and vision insurance. The Town requires the following supporting documentation for their enrollment:

• Spouse: a copy of the marriage certificate.
• Ex-Spouse: a copy of the divorce decree mandating that the ex-spouse receive health coverage through the employee. The Town needs the cover sheet(s), health insurance portion, signature page and absolute date of the decree. If either spouse remarries, the ex-spouse can no longer receive coverage through the Town and must enroll in an independent plan or accept COBRA coverage.
• Dependents: may be covered until age 26. The Town requires a copy of a government-issued birth certificate for each covered dependent. If covering an adopted child or a dependent an employee has legal guardianship over, the Town requires proof of legal adoption/guardianship (i.e. court documents, etc.). If a dependent is over the age of 26 and has a certified handicap, he/she can remain covered if the employee produces medical proof of the dependent's handicap.

Qualifying Event

A qualifying life event is an event that triggers a special enrollment period for an individual or family to purchase health insurance outside of the regular annual open enrollment period. If you experience a qualifying event, you have 30 days to select a plan or switch to a different plan. The coverage will be effective the date of the qualifying life event. Proof of the qualifying life event will be required and must be provided to the Town Human Resources Office. Examples include: