Dodge County HR Committee approves aligning health and dental eligibility to 30-hour threshold

The Dodge County Human Resource Committee approved updates to its health and dental insurance policies to align part-time eligibility with a 30-hour full-time threshold effective Jan. 1, 2027.

HR Director Tanya Mindeman said the update to policy 208.1 brings county practice into alignment with the Affordable Care Act’s commonly used 30-hour definition of full-time: "we would like to align that with the, Affordable Care Act, the ACA, where 30 hours is considered full time for purposes of being eligible for health insurance." Mindeman explained the change is intended to simplify administration by replacing individualized proration with a set premium rate for part-time employees classified at 30 hours.

Mindeman said HR sent personal letters to employees who might be affected and reported "no negative feedback." Committee members asked how many employees would be impacted; Mindeman said the number appears small and Clearview part-timers often pick up additional hours that can keep them eligible under the ACA averaging rules.

The committee also approved parallel updates to dental policy 208.2 to treat dental eligibility consistently with the new health rule, even though dental is not mandated under the ACA.

Both motions to approve the health and dental updates were moved and seconded and carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. HR noted the changes give employees time to adjust before the Jan. 1, 2027 effective date and preserve any contractual differences that supersede county policy where applicable.

Next steps: HR will implement the policy language changes, continue employee outreach, and apply the new premium structure during 2027 benefits administration.