EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PROGRAMS

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE
Employees who need to take time off due to the death of an immediate family member should notify the District Manager or Assistant District Manager immediately. ______ defines "immediate family" as the employee's spouse, parent, child, grandparents, mother/father-in-law, or sibling.

Up to four (4) days of paid bereavement leave may be provided to full-time employees.

Bereavement leave will normally be granted unless there are unusual business needs or staffing requirements. Employees may request the use of any available paid leave for additional time off as necessary. Supervisor approval of such requests is required.

HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
All full-time employees, his/her spouse, and unmarried dependent children are eligible for group Health Insurance. Employees will receive information outlining the available plan following completion of the enrollment form. This health benefit includes dental and vision coverage through ____________. (insurance carrier)

Hospitalization Insurance will terminate on the employee's last day of active work, unless the employee is on an approved Leave of Absence. Employees, or their dependents, may convert to a standard policy available from the District's health insurance carrier within thirty (30) days of their termination date or other deadline stated by the insurance carrier.

HOLIDAYS
_____ will grant holiday time off to all full-time employees on the holidays listed below:
· New Year's Day (January 1)
· Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January)
· President's Day (third Monday in February)
· Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
· Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
· Independence Day (July 4)
· Labor Day (first Monday in September)
· Columbus Day (second Monday in October)
· Veterans' Day (November 11)
· Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday and Friday in November)
· Christmas (December 25)

_____ will grant paid holiday time off to all full-time employees immediately upon assignment to an eligible employment classification. A recognized holiday that falls on a Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday.

A recognized holiday that falls on a Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.

JURY DUTY LEAVE
_____ encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by serving jury duty when required. Full-time employees may request up to two weeks of paid jury duty leave over any one-year period.

Jury duty will be calculated on the employee's base pay rate times the number of hours the employee would otherwise have worked on the day of absence.

If employees are required to serve jury duty beyond the period of paid jury duty leave, they may use any available paid time off (for example, vacation benefits) or may request an unpaid jury duty leave of absence.

Employees must show the jury duty summons to their supervisor as soon as possible so that the supervisor may make arrangements to accommodate their absence. Of course, employees are expected to report for work whenever the court schedule permits.

Arrangements must be made with the Office Manager to reimburse the District for all money earned for daily fees through serving on a jury. The employee shall retain any allowance received for travel.

Either _____ or the employee may request an excuse from jury duty if, in ____'s judgment, the employee's absence would create serious operational difficulties.

_____ will continue to provide health insurance benefits for the full term of the jury duty absence. Vacation, sick leave and holiday benefits will continue to accrue during unpaid jury duty leave.

LIFE INSURANCE
All fulltime employees are eligible for life insurance and short and long term disability insurance. At the time of enrollment, each employee will receive a booklet describing the policy and explaining the benefits in more detail.

Insurance under the plan will terminate thirty (30) days after the employee's last day of work. During this period, the employee may convert the insurance to an individual policy issued by the insurance carrier at the standard rate or premium for his/her then attained age and class of risk.

MILITARY LEAVE
Full-time employees who are members of reserve components of the Armed Forced shall be granted leave, not to exceed fifteen working days in any calendar year, in which they are engaged in field training authorized by the Armed Forces of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Employees completing this assignment shall receive compensation for this service. Time off will not be charged against any vacation or sick leave time that the employee may have accrued.

Written notice must be given to the District Manager, as soon as possible prior to the leave, so that staffing requirements can be maintained. Request for leave beyond the fifteen working days is to be reviewed with the Administrator. If granted, the leave beyond the fifteen-day allowance will be leave without pay.

In the event of a call to active service, _____ will comply with applicable state and federal laws regarding military leave and reinstatement rights.

PENSION PROGRAM
All fulltime employees are automatically enrolled in the district's pension program. The district contributes four percent (4%) of the employee's yearly salary to this program. An employee is 100% vested in this program after three years service with __________. The pension program may require a qualifying period. Printed status reports are distributed to employees in late February/early March of each calendar year. District employees are encouraged to attend the yearly meeting with the financial advisor and to contribute to the discussion regarding the investment and percentage mix of investments regarding the district fund. Upon termination of employment, an individual will have the following options during the February/March reporting period:
· Roll the funds over into their own accounts (IRA, etc.)
· Request cash disbursement of funds
· Leave funds with _____ pension carrier

For additional information regarding the pension program, contact the assistant manager. The assistant manager oversees the Pension Plan, and details are on file in this office.

PERSONAL LEAVE
Where appropriate, _____ may provide leaves of absence without pay to full-time employees who wish to take time off from work duties to fulfill personal obligations.

Eligible employees may request personal leave only after having completed one hundred eighty (180) calendar days of service. As soon as eligible employees become aware of the need for a personal leave of absence, they should request a leave from the district manager.

Personal leave may be granted for a period of up to thirty (30) calendar days every one-year. If this initial period of absence proves insufficient, consideration will be given to a written request for a single extension of no more than 15 calendar days. With the supervisor's approval, an employee may take any available sick leave or vacation leave as part of the approval period of leave.

Requests for personal leave will be evaluated based on a number of factors, including anticipated workload requirements and staffing considerations during the proposed period of absence. Subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of the applicable plans, _____ will continue to provide health insurance benefits for the full period of the approved personal leave. Vacation, sick leave, and holiday benefits will continue to accrue during approved personal leave period.

When a personal leave ends, every reasonable effort will be made to return the employee to the same position, if it is available, or to a similar available position for which the employee is qualified. However, _____ cannot guarantee reinstatement in all cases.

If an employee fails to report to work promptly at the expiration of the approved personal leave period, _____will assume the employee has resigned.

SICK LEAVE BENEFITS
_____ provides paid sick leave benefits to all full-time employees for periods of temporary absence due to illnesses or injuries. Full-time employees will accrue sick leave benefits at the rate of eight (8) hours for each month of active service.

Paid sick leave can be used in one-hour increments. Full-time employees may use sick leave benefits for an absence due to their own illness or injury, or that of a family member who resides in the employee's household.

Employees who are unable to report to work due to illness or injury should notify the district manager or assistant district manager before the scheduled start of their workday if possible. The direct supervisor must also be contacted on each additional day of absence.

If an employee is absent for three (3) or more consecutive days due to illness or injury, a physician's statement must be provided verifying the disability and its beginning and expected ending dates. Such verification may be requested as a condition to receiving sick leave benefits.

Before returning to work from a sick leave absence of fourteen (14) calendar days or more, an employee must provide a physician's verification that he or she may safely return to work.

Upon voluntary resignation or retirement, an employee is entitled to receive payment for one-half of his/her accumulated sick leave, up to a maximum of 120 hours.

An employee will be required to have completed the Probationary Period of three (3) months to be eligible for reimbursement of accumulated sick leave.

An employee may take up to sixteen (16) hours accumulated sick leave per year as personal leave. The Supervisor should approve request for personal leave. These personal leave hours cannot be carried over and accumulated as personal leave.

Upon voluntary resignation or retirement, an employee is entitled to receive payment for one-half of his/her accumulated sick leave, up to a maximum of thirty (30) days. An employee will be required to have three (3) months of continuous service to be eligible for reimbursement of accumulated sick leave.

TIME OFF TO VOTE
_____ encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by participating in elections. Generally, employees are able to find time to vote either before or after their regular work schedule. If full-time employees are unable to vote in an election during their nonworking hours, _____ will grant up to four hours of paid time off to vote.

VACATION BENEFITS
Vacation time off with pay is available to eligible full-time employees to provide opportunities for rest, relaxation, and personal pursuits. Employees are eligible to earn and use vacation time as described in this policy:

The amount of paid vacation time employees will receive each year increases with the length of their employment as shown in the following schedule.

VACATION EARNING SCHEDULE

Vacation days cannot exceed five weeks.

The length of eligible service is calculated on the basis of a "benefit year." This is the 12-month period that begins when the employee starts to earn vacation time. An employee's benefit year may be extended for any significant leave of absence except military leave of absence. Military leave has no effect on this calculation. (See individual leave of absence policies for more information).

Once employees complete the introductory (or probation) period, and/or enter the full-time employment classification, they are eligible to begin using vacation time. They can request use of vacation time after it is earned.

Paid vacation time can be used in minimum increments of one-half day. To take vacation, employees should request advance approval from the district manager or the assistant district manager. Requests will be reviewed based on a number of factors, including business needs and staffing requirements.

Vacation time off is paid at the employee's base pay rate at the time of vacation. It does not include overtime or any special forms of compensation such as incentives, commissions, bonuses, or shift differentials.

Employees may carry over a minimum of eighty (80) hours of unused vacation leave beginning with the first pay period of the new year to the end of the last pay period of the year. Any carryover in excess of eighty (80) hours will be with the written permission of the District Manager obtained prior to December 15 of that year.

Upon termination of employment, employees will be paid for unused vacation time that has been earned through the last day of work.

Full-time employees should request time off to vote from their supervisor at least two working days prior to Election Day. Advance notice is required so that the necessary time off can be scheduled at the beginning or end of the work shift; whichever provides the least disruption to the normal work schedule.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE
_____ provides a comprehensive workers' compensation insurance program at no cost to employees. This program covers any injury or illness sustained in the course of employment that requires medical, surgical, or hospital treatment. Subject to applicable legal requirements, workers' compensation insurance provides benefits after a short waiting period or, if the employee is hospitalized, immediately.

Employees who sustain work-related injuries or illnesses should inform their supervisor immediately. No matter how minor an on-the-job injury may appear, it is important that it be reported immediately. This will enable an eligible employee to qualify for coverage as quickly as possible.

Neither _____ nor the insurance carrier will be liable for the payment of workers' compensation benefits for injuries that occur during an employee's voluntary participation in any off-duty recreational, social, or athletic activity sponsored by _____.

An employee should consult the District's panel of approved physicians prior to seeking treatment for a work-related injury. If an employee fails to treat with a physician listed on the panel, the employee may not be eligible for reimbursement of payments to that condition under the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act.

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