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Commissioners sign off on vision and supplemental changes; payroll timing discussion continues
Summary
Staff recommended several supplemental plan changes — switch vision vendor to Guardian (0% increase), move supplemental accident and hospital indemnity plans to Voya, and offer a LegalShield select-plus option; staff also proposed moving premium collection from 24 to 26 pay periods and will review operational impacts.
Benefits staff proposed a set of changes to voluntary and supplemental benefits and asked for commissioner direction. Staff recommended moving the county—s vision plan from MetLife to Guardian (0% premium increase) because of billing and enrollment issues under MetLife; a commissioner said, “I'm okay with that recommendation.”
Staff also recommended switching supplemental accident and hospital indemnity plans to Voya, citing higher reimbursements to employees and lower employee premiums under the Voya options. The presenter said, "I would like to change the, supplemental to BOYA." Commissioners indicated support for moving supplemental plans to Voya.
Staff proposed offering an employer-paid option for an employee-paid legal plan (two tiers: select and select plus) and said the county would not pay for enrollment; commissioners favored the Select Plus option for broader legal coverage.
Payroll rhythm: staff proposed shifting employee premium deductions from 24 pay periods to 26 pay periods so premiums are spread over two additional paychecks and payroll withholding per check is lower. Payroll staff raised reconciliation concerns and warned that moving to 26 pay periods increases bookkeeping complexity for start/stop dates and new hires. A payroll staffer asked for time to assess reconciliation workloads and said they would consult a nearby jurisdiction that uses 26 pay periods.
Why it matters: changes affect employees' out-of-pocket costs, access to supplemental benefits, and the operations of payroll and benefits reconciliation. Staff said vision and supplemental changes are employee-paid plans (county does not pay the premium) and that switching vendors or plan designs may have consumer-facing effects such as card issuance and provider network alignment.
Next steps: vision vendor change to Guardian and supplemental Voya options were accepted by commissioners; staff to confirm operational details and to report back on the payroll-period change after consultation with payroll staff and peer jurisdictions.
