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Committee amends Policy 19 to limit COBRA burden after work injuries and broaden dental eligibility
Summary
Winnebago County approved amendments to Policy 19 to charge certain employees moving to COBRA only the employee rate when workers' compensation keeps salary whole, and removed a Parkview-specific dental eligibility carve-out so dental coverage is available at 50% FTE countywide.
The Personnel & Finance Committee approved changes to Policy 19 (employee health benefits) that, in staff's view, correct an inequity experienced by an employee who exhausted FMLA while on a compensable work injury.
Staff described a case in which workers' compensation kept the employee's pay whole but the employee moved to COBRA and would have been charged the full COBRA premium. The proposed amendment allows the county, in certain workers' compensation or ADA-related situations, to charge only the employee portion rather than the full COBRA rate. "This would allow us to only charge them the employee rate," staff said during the presentation.
The policy revision also eliminates Parkview's prior 60%‑FTE dental eligibility threshold and aligns dental eligibility countywide at 50% FTE, which staff said could make dental coverage available to about eight additional Parkview employees.
Supervisors also identified a redundant 30-day marriage-enrollment sentence tied to qualifying life events; the committee voted to strike the two sentences in the health and dental sections, adopted the overall changes and approved the amended Policy 19 by voice vote (5–0).
Next steps: Staff will update the policy language and fiscal notes; county budget impact is expected to be modest given existing budget assumptions and position vacancies.
