BABIES ARE SO MUCH FUN!

Congratulations!! I want to remind you that according to the State of Delaware Eligibility and Enrollment Rules, you have 30 days to elect to add your newborn to your benefits. You are encouraged to review the entire eligibility and enrollment rules at https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/vision/documents/vision-plan-comparison-employee-fy24.pdf In regards to newborns, please see the following:

4.03 Coverage for child/ren born to regular office or employee or eligible pensioner or legal spouse who is covered under the State Plan will begin on the date of birth provided a request to enroll the child is made within 30 days of the date of birth and provided the necessary paperwork is received within 30 days of the request to enroll.

Please take a minute to Plan Rates - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vf2sOyaJteQGqmf7zmiyKADX-6MSIQEa/view?usp=sharing

The following documents are required to complete the enrollment process.

1. Birth Record (Footprint Document) - due immediately. Please submit this form along with your completed Employee Enrollment Change Form

2. SSN information - please provide a copy of the card or call with the number as soon as possible. If the SSN is not provided within 8 weeks, you will receive an IRS Error Notification. Please do not email SSN information. The most secure method to send this information is via phone call, fax or US Mail.

3. Birth Certificate - submit a copy of the birth certificate to the Benefits Rep and the Leave Coordinator within six weeks.

Please take note, you can email all completed forms to my attention or mail completed form to Colonial School District Attn: Benefits Coordinator 318 East Basin Road New Castle DE 19702.

The Dependent Coordination for must be completed upon initial enrollment of the child within a healthcare plan. Since this is the first time you are enrolling your newborn onto your healthcare plan, you must complete a Dependent Coordination form. Everyone must complete this form upon the birth of a child, however, a subsequent form may be requeted at a later date. If your dependent is solely covered under your insurance, pleae mark no to the first question then sign the form (no other infomraiton is needed). Please select the applicable form:

1. Highmark Dependent Coordination Form https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/cob/documents/highmark-cob-form.pdf
2. Aetna Dependent Coordination Form https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/cob/documents/aetna-dependent-cob.pdf
   

Your newborn will change your family in many ways. One aspect you may want to consider is within your tax exemptions. Please take some time and discuss with your tax consultant regarding any modifications that should be considered for the upcoming tax year. There are two forms to consider in reference to taxes:

Important note regarding Flexible Spending Account – In order to maintain Health Care FSA, you must make arrangements PRIOR to going on unpaid leave how to pay coverage after you return to work.. Also note, dependent care expenses are not eligible for reimbursement during the period of PAID or Unpaid Leave. See complete rules at https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/fsa/plan-booklet.shtml

Here is a link to the Leave of Absence Form: https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/fsa/documents/leave-of-absence-form.pdf?ver=0310

Here is a link to the FSA Enrollment Change Form: https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/fsa/documents/election-change-form.pdf?ver=0310

This is a good time of year to double check to ensure that your beneficiaries are updated on all applicable benefits. Take note of the following benefits:

District Life Insurance – Prudential is the administrator of the District’s life insurance plan. Employees can check for this coverage via the most recent paycheck. The deduction code for the District's life insurance is DISTLIFEBT. http://schooldistrictbenefits.com/colonial/forms/Prudential%20Colonial%20School%20Bene%20Designation.pdf

Pension Plan – The State of Delaware Pension Office is the administrator of the pension plan. Enrollment is automatic for all employees hired into a pension-creditable position. The code for this deduction is REGPENCd or REGNEWHIRE. Here is the link to update beneficiaries for this plan https://open.omb.delaware.gov/forms/2021-Forms/Refunds/BEN-1-form-2021-R1.pdf

Voya - Voya is the administrator for The State of Delaware Deferred Compensation Plans. Employees can enroll in this plan at any time once upon completion of three full months of employment with the State of Delaware. The code for this deduction is TSA01 or DC 457(b). You can update your beneficiaries via https://delaware.beready2retire.com/

State Life Insurance – Securian Life is the administrator of the State of Delaware’s Life Insurance program. Benefit eligible active employees may apply for enrollment and/or make coverage changes at any time after the exhaustion of the initial eligibility period. Employees can verify enrollment in this plan by checking their pay stub for the STLIFE deduction code. Here’s the link to update your beneficiaries https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/life/documents/beneficiary-designation-form.pdf

Please check for the various deduction codes via Employee Self Service - https://employeeselfservice.omb.delaware.gov/

Employees who are on an approved leave of absence covered by Paid Parental Leave and/or FMLA should keep in mind that there is an expectation that the employee will return to work after the leave of absence. Paid Parental leave and/or FMLA programs offer wonderful benefits such as job protection, benefits continuation, and paid leave. Please be advised that PPL and FMLA are not to be taken prior to resignation, retirement, etc.

Employees who fail to return to work after utilizing PPL and/or FMLA are required to reimburse the Colonial School District and the State of Delaware for any health and non-health benefits premiums that were paid during the leave of absence. This amount can range from $3,500.00 to $8,000.00.

Employees can send information in the following ways:

1. Mail information to the address listed below
2. Fax information at 302 323 2748
3. Scan information to the email address below
4. Take a picture of completed forms and text completed forms to 302 400 7560

Employees are strongly encouraged to mail or fax ssn and birth certificates (please do not send items through unsecured emails).

HOW TO VIEW AND ACCESS YOUR PAYSTATEMENT AND PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION

All staff – (Part-Time, Full-Time, Casual/Seasonal, EPER & Student Workers) have access to Employee Self Service (ESS). This is where you will view your paycheck, access your personal information to update your contact information; home address, telephone and view your benefits. Access to ESS is through my.delaware.gov. ALL State of Delaware employees (Colonial School District staff) are required to setup their my.delaware.gov accounts. If you have not yet taken action to do this, please take a moment. There’s a video link below that will walk you through the step by step instructions on how to setup the account. This is a great tool for anyone who needs support with the process my.delaware.gov.

Link to Creating Your My.Delaware.Gov Account: https://youtu.be/4-Qm-b9edho

Link to My.Delaware.Gov: State of Delaware - Sign In

IMPORTANT TIPS:

• There is a 24-72 hour delay from when you complete the steps to setup and activate the account to when you will see the ESS tile appear within your my.delaware.gov account. If you are planning to attend and of the First Payday Workshops on Sept 9th, you MUST have taken action to setup and activate your account no later than Tuesday, Sept 6th
• If after the 24-72 hour wait timeframe you do not see the Employee Self Service tile/box, then message Shelley Vincent (michelle.vincent@colonial.k12.de.us) with the home email address you entered when registering for the account.
• You can also contact Dept of Technology (DTI) direclty at 1-866-751-7833 to request tech support. Please note Colonial School District Technology team is not responsible for my.delaware.gov – this is run through DTI.
• If you setup your account during the previous school year, OR you transferred to Colonial School District from another State of Delaware School District, Charter or Merit agency, then you will use the same information/account previously setup

The Colonial School District shall not discriminate in its employment practices or its educational programs and activities of students on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, domicile, marital status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.