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Lavaca County removes 90‑day wait for employee benefits, applies change retroactively
Summary
On Nov. 12 the county amended personnel policy section 8.01 0.01 to remove the 90‑day waiting period for benefits for full‑time employees and officials, making the change effective immediately and exempting employees hired within the prior 90 days; commissioners noted a roughly $4,000 surcharge could apply to alter the insurance contract now.
Lavaca County Commissioners on Nov. 12 approved an amendment to county personnel policy (section 8.01 0.01) to eliminate the 90‑day waiting period before new full‑time employees and elected officials become eligible for county benefits. The change was made effective immediately and the court voted to extend eligibility retroactively to employees hired within the past 90 days.
The court discussed logistics and potential costs. The presiding official said a contract amendment to remove the waiting period could carry a one‑time surcharge of roughly $4,000; county staff and the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) and the county’s insurance representatives had participated in a call on the issue. Alternatives discussed included exempting a single department (for example, law enforcement) or shortening the waiting period to 30 days. Commissioners noted the county participates in a cooperative/self‑insured pool and uses a third‑party administrator and that renewal of the insurance contract occurs each October (documentation in May).
Precinct 2 moved and Precinct 3 seconded the motion to amend the policy and to exempt current employees within the 90‑day window; the motion passed unanimously. Commissioners agreed the policy can be amended again later if unintended consequences arise and directed staff to implement the change for eligible employees.
The court did not specify a dollar cost beyond the approximate surcharge and noted payroll/benefit setup timelines could require several workweeks to complete enrollments.
