DeKalb County reviews employee benefits package, projects $133 million health spend and seeks renewal approval

DeKalb County staff on the Employee Relations and Public Safety (IRPS) Committee on Tuesday provided an overview of the county—s employee benefits, saying the county projects a gross spend of $133 million for the plan year and currently maintains an 81/19 employer-employee cost share.

The presentation covered who is eligible for benefits, the types of plans offered, voluntary and tax-advantaged options available to employees and next steps for plan renewal and benchmarking. Staff told the committee they expect to present renewal rates for county approval in early April and hold open enrollment in the first two weeks of May.

Benefits staff said full-time regular employees are eligible for DeKalb—s pension and benefit plans; part-time employees who work at least 20 hours per week are also eligible. Dependents are eligible for coverage up to age 26. The county provides domestic partner coverage, but staff clarified this coverage applies under the term used in the county code ("same gender/gender"), and an affidavit plus shared-address documentation is required…