Sullivan County human-resources staff told the Human Resources Committee the department is managing several operational initiatives ahead of the budget season, including a scheduled upgrade to the UKG (formerly Kronos) system, rollout of Aflac dental coverage in November, and ongoing safety audits with PERMA.

Staff said the UKG upgrade should help the county manage employee leaves going forward. Defensive driving training that had been planned for an earlier rollout will be implemented Nov. 1, after the committee approved an MOU with PERMA and American Institutional Safety. Staff explained PERMA uses a points system that rewards counties for safety programming; the county reported roughly 1,700 points through the end of the year and that points can roll over.

Open-enrollment dates for the new Aflac dental coverage were announced without times: Nov. 6 (Liberty), Nov. 13 (Sullivan County Jail location), Nov. 19 (DPW Berryville) and Nov. 25 (DPW Maplewood). Staff also reported three payroll certifications since the last meeting and noted testing dates are diminishing because of the HELP program.

From a risk-management perspective, staff said the county attended a dental program review and projected an 8% increase to administrative fees for the dental program, which staff described as a difference of approximately $0.30. Staff said they had sent notices of credible coverage letters and were working on jail and cyber insurance renewals.

The committee received these operational updates as part of routine HR reporting; committee members asked a few clarifying questions and reserved detailed budget questions for the full-board packet and the upcoming budget season.