Bedford County HR reports turnover, new hires and automatic dental-plan change to MetLife

County human-resources staff told commissioners the county recorded two new hires in August (one full-time, one part-time) and 11 separations, most for ordinary turnover rather than disciplinary reasons. HR noted active recruitments for corrections officers, juvenile detention officers and EMS positions, and said additional fire positions have been posted for recruitment.

HR staff described an outreach effort that included mock interviews with fifth-grade students and ongoing open-enrollment communications for medical, dental and vision benefits. The county’s medical carriers under the state contract will continue as Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna; the county’s vision provider (Amed) will remain the vendor cited in staff remarks.

Staff explained the state awarded the 2026 dental contract to MetLife; Delta Dental did not receive the state contract this cycle. HR said employees currently enrolled in Delta Dental will be automatically enrolled in MetLife effective Jan. 1, unless they choose to maintain Delta Dental through direct billing arrangements (which staff warned could cost more). HR said local network access appeared similar between MetLife and Delta Dental for Bedford County residents.

Commissioners discussed the county’s workforce size, citing roughly 350–365 employees countywide, and said recent salary-chart updates and benefit changes have helped stabilize turnover.

The HR report was accepted as part of routine departmental reports and will be filed and shared with staff during open enrollment materials.