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GENERAL PUBLIC FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS |
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How can I apply for a job with the City of
Beaufort?
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What types of benefits are offered to
fulltime, regular employees at the City?
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Why does the City drug test candidates for employment?
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What types of physical testing are involved in police and fire pre-employment testing?
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As an applicant for the police department
who has been contacted for an interview, what is the process from interview to new hire? How long does it normally take?
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As
an applicant for the fire department who has been contacted for an interview,
what is the process from interview to new hire? How long does it normally
take?
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As
an applicant for a City administration position who has been contacted for an
interview, what is the process from interview to new hire? How long does it
normally take?
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What
is the City's payroll schedule?
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What
are the operating hours of the different City departments?
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Does the City offer any volunteer opportunities?
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If
I am interested in serving on a board, commission or other City task force or
group, how do I ensure I am considered?
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If
I work for the City of Beaufort, when can I expect to be eligible for
retirement? What if I work as a law enforcement officer or fire fighter?
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How
can I learn more about the City and its employment policies?
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CURRENT EMPLOYEE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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How do
I obtain a health insurance card if I have never received my card or if it is lost or stolen?
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How do
I obtain a dental insurance card if I have never received my card or if it is lost or stolen?
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I would
like to set aside money in a 401(k) or 457 plan. How do I enroll in one or
both plans?
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I need
to add a dependant to my health and dental insurance. How and when can I
do this?
-
I need
to remove a dependant from my health and dental insurance. How and when
can I do this?
-
How do
I change my federal and/or state tax withholding claims?
-
What
are the standard deductions that the City must withhold from my paycheck?
-
When
does my vacation leave accrual appear on my paycheck after I am hired?
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As a
regular, full-time employee, how often am I evaluated?
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I
recently moved to a new address. How do I update my address information
for both City and benefit records?
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How do
I update my beneficiaries for retirement and life insurance? What about my
401(k) and/or 457 beneficiaries?
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When
is Open Enrollment and what types of changes are normally allowed?
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I
believe I am a victim of harassment in the workplace. Who can help me?
-
I have
been injured as a result of a work related activity. What do I need to do?
-
I
received a prescription from my treating physician for a work related injury.
Do I need to check with my supervisor prior to having this filled?
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Does
the City offer a Tuition Reimbursement program?
-
I have
another job outside of my full-time position with the City. Do I need to
notify the City of this outside employment?
-
Where
can I obtain a copy of the City's personnel policies/employee handbook?
-
I am
interested in lasik eye surgery. Does the City's health plan offer any
type of benefit for this procedure?
-
When
am I eligible for a longevity increase? What about a merit award?
-
What
are the vacation leave accrual rates for a regular, full-time employee? A
fire fighter? A police officer?
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What
are the sick leave accrual rates for a regular, full-time employee? Fire
Fighters? Police Officers?
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The
City has job openings posted on its website and job board. As a current
employee, can I apply for a City job opening?
- I
was recently married, how do I change my name and address on my benefit
policies? How do I add coverage for my spouse?
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What is a Health Savings Account?
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What is a qualified medical expense?
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GENERAL PUBLIC FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS |
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1. How can I apply for a job with
the City of Beaufort?
Job openings are listed on our
Employment Opportunities page. The City of
Beaufort only accepts applications for advertised positions. To apply for an open position,
submit an
employment application and all other documents requested in the position
announcement.
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2. What types of
benefits are offered to fulltime, regular employees at the City?
The City of Beaufort offers a competitive
benefits package. To view information about the benefits that are offered
please visit our benefits page.
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3. Why does the City
drug test candidates for employment?
Please view our
substance abuse policy.
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4. What types of
physical testing are involved in police and fire pre-employment testing?
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
The
candidates must be able to ascend and descend a 100' aerial ladder without
stopping while wearing firefighter protective clothing and breathing
apparatus.
After
a 2 minute cool-down period the candidate will then complete the Physical
Ability Test (PAT) which is a successive task test replicating actual fire
ground tasks. Time limit is seven minutes. Candidates will be wearing
firefighter protective clothing.
Prior
to the above, an orientation period is given to the candidates to allow them
to familiarize themselves with the parts of the PAT. If the above are
successfully completed the candidate(s) are then allowed time to clean up
and prepare for the oral interview.
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
At the current time there is no
pre-employment physical test conducted by the Police Department. However,
in the next few months the Police Department plans to implement a physical
abilities test similar to one administered at the South Carolina Criminal
Justice Academy during Basic Training.
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5. As an applicant
for the police department who has been contacted for an interview, what is the
process from interview to new hire? How long does it normally take?
Applicants that are
contacted for an interview will be given a date and time to meet with the hiring
board. If selected by the hiring board, the applicant must then complete a
polygraph
exam and psychological screening, as well as the city’s drug testing and a
physical exam. This process can take anywhere from two-three weeks
depending on the applicants schedule and geographic location.
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6. As an applicant
for the fire department who has been contacted for an interview, what is the
process from interview to new hire? How long does it normally take?
The interview
will consist of both a Physical Ability Test (PAT) and a hiring board. If
you have been selected for an interview, you should plan to dress
accordingly for each of the two parts of the interview process; you will be
provided with an area to clean up and change clothing after the physical
portion of the test.
Those candidates that fail the Physical Ability Test are excused. The
hiring board usually gives its recommendation to the Fire Chief the same day
unless a consensus cannot be reached. Then expect a day or two. Once all
are in agreement, the chief will contact the top candidate(s) for his
interview.
The
process listed below is for those candidates that are selected for
employment after interviewing with the Fire Chief and it usually takes
approximately two weeks.
A
local background check is then done by the Police Department.
Pre-employment
urinalysis, a pre-employment physical and an exam conducted by a doctor of
internal medicine are then required.
The SLED background for
firefighter registration (state law) takes two to four weeks. This may be done after the first day of work but continued
employment is contingent upon favorable results.
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7. As an applicant
for a City administration position who has been contacted for an interview, what
is the process from interview to new hire? How long does it normally take?
If you are selected by your interviewer to
be considered for the open position, you will need to pass a pre-employment
urinalysis and a background check that may include criminal and driver record
checks as well as a reference check and academic verification. Some
positions may also require a typing test. The process from interview
selection to new hire may take two weeks or more depending on individual
circumstances.
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8. What is the City's
payroll schedule?
View the City's
payroll schedule online.
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9. What are the
operating hours of the different City departments?
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9:00 am – 5:00
pm
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City Manager’s
Office |
8:00 am – 5:00
pm
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Department of
Planning and Development Services
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8:00 am – 5:00
pm
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8:00 am – 5:00
pm
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Public Works
Department (Admin Staff)
Streets Division
Sanitation
Maintenance/Traffic Control
Parks Division |
7:30 am – 4:30
pm
7:30 am – 4:00
pm
7:30 am – 4:00
pm
7:30 am – 4:00
pm
7:30 am – 4:00
pm
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Court and Legal
Department |
8:00 am – 5:00
pm
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Fire Department
Admin/Staff |
8:00 am – 5:00
pm
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Police
Department
Admin/Staff
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8:00 am – 5:00
pm
7:30 am – 4:30
pm |
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10. Does the City offer any volunteer opportunities?
Volunteer
opportunities are available at the Beaufort Police Department performing
clerical functions and also with the Voice Program (a program in which
volunteers call elderly shut-ins). For more information please call Major
Clancy at 322-7902.
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11. If I am interested in
serving on a board, commission or other City task force or group, how do I
ensure I am considered?
If there is a vacancy on a board,
commission or other City task force or group and you are interested in filling
that vacancy, please contact the City Clerk at (843) 525-7045 to obtain an
application. Once your application has been completed and returned to the
City Clerk it will be submitted to the City Council during an Executive Session.
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12. If
I work for the City of Beaufort, when can I expect to be eligible for
retirement? What if I work as a law enforcement officer or fire fighter?
Full-time regular employees become eligible
for Normal Retirement (without reduced annuity) at age 65; or after 28 years of
service credit, five years of which must be earned service. Full-time,
regular employees become eligible for Early Retirement (with reduced annuity) at
age 60 with at least five years of earned service (your annuity is permanently
reduced 5 percent for each year of age less than 65) or at age 55 or older with
25 years of service credit, five years of which must be earned service (your
annuity is permanently reduced 4 percent for each year of service credit less
than 28).
Law enforcement officers and fire
fighters are eligible to retire after 25 years of service credit, five years
of which must be earned service; or at age 55 or older with at least five years
of earned service.
For more information please visit the
South Carolina Retirement Systems website.
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13. How can I learn
more about the City and its employment policies?
You can learn more about the City of
Beaufort's employment policies by reading our
Employee Handbook and our
Employment Opportunities
page. For general information about the City of Beaufort please visit the
City of Beaufort home page.
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CURRENT EMPLOYEE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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1. How do I obtain a
health insurance card if I have never received my card or if it is lost or stolen?
Call Blue Cross/Blue Shield at
1-800-868-2520. You may also print and complete the
Request for
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Card and mail it to:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South
Carolina
PO Box 100605
Columbia, SC 29260
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2. How do I obtain a
dental insurance card if I have never received my card or if it is lost or stolen?
Contact human resources at 843-525-6016 or
via email and a new card will
be forwarded to you.
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3. I would like to
set aside money in a 401(k) or 457 plan. How do I enroll in one or both
plans?
Eligible employees may enroll at any time.
To enroll, you will need to fill out an
enrollment form. For more information please visit the
South Carolina
Deferred Compensation website.
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4. I need to add a
dependant to my health and dental insurance. How and when can I do this?
You can add a dependant to your health
and/or dental insurance within 31 days of employment, during open enrollment or
within 31 days of a qualifying event. Some examples of qualifying events
are marriage, birth/adoption/placement, divorce/legal separation,
etc. To add
a dependant you must fill out a
Notice of Election form
and contact human resources for the best time to
bring the new form into the office.
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5. I need to remove a
dependant from my health and dental insurance. How and when can I do this?
You can remove a dependant from your health
and/or dental insurance within 31 days of a
qualifying event or during open enrollment. Some examples of qualifying
events are marriage, birth/adoption/placement, divorce/legal separation,
etc. To remove a dependant you
must fill out a
Notice of
Election form and contact Human Resources for the
best time to bring the new form into the office.
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6. How do I change my
federal and/or state tax withholding claims?
If you would like to change your federal
and/or state tax withholding claims you will need to fill out a new W-4 form and forward it to Human
Resources. For more information about tax withholding you may visit the
Internal Revenue Service's
Frequently Asked Questions regarding form W-4 and/or the
IRS
Withholding Calculator.
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7. What are the
standard deductions that the City must withhold from my paycheck?
Medicare (OASDI)
Social Security (FICA)
Federal Withholding Tax (FWT)
State Withholding Tax (SWT)
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8. When does my
vacation leave accrual appear on my paycheck after I am hired?
The pay period following your six (6) month
employment date. The accrual is split over two pay dates.
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9. As a regular,
full-time employee, how often am I evaluated?
Performance evaluations may be conducted at
any time as deemed necessary by the employee's chain-of-command. As a
probationary employee, you may be evaluated at three and five month intervals.
Annual evaluations are conducted for
all regular, full-time employees during the month of February for the twelve
(12) previous months.
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10. I recently moved
to a new address. How do I update my address information for both City and
benefit records?
In order to change your address you will
need to fill out a
Personnel Action Request and
a Universal Name Address Change Form indicating that you are changing your address. Once you have completed these forms
you should forward them to the Human Resources office for processing.
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11. How do I update
my beneficiaries for retirement and life insurance? What about my 401(k)
and/or 457 beneficiaries?
You may change your beneficiaries at any
time.
Once you have completed the
necessary form(s) please forward them to the Human Resources Office.
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12. When is Open
Enrollment and what types of changes are normally allowed?
The Open Enrollment period is a time during
which eligible employees, retirees, survivors and COBRA subscribers can make
changes to their health, dental, optional life, and MoneyPlu$ benefits.
During an open enrollment period, retirees can also change to and from the
Medicare Supplemental program. Allowable changes include adding or
dropping coverage as well as changing the amount or type of coverage. Open
Enrollment is held every other October (in years ending with odd numbers). The next Open Enrollment will be
October 1 - 31, 2005.
Annual Enrollment occurs October
1-31 in years ending with even numbers and is a period during which eligible employees can change health
plan carriers as well as enroll (or re-enroll) in MoneyPlu$ features.
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13. I believe I am a
victim of harassment in the workplace. Who can help me?
If you feel that the
City's Anti-Harassment Policy has been
violated by anyone with whom you have come in contact on the job, regardless of
whether it is by a fellow worker, a supervisor, or a member of the general
public, you should report the incident(s). There are several ways that you can
do this:
(a)
By reporting to your
supervisor or to a higher level in your “chain of command.”
Complaints against the
City Manager should be made to the
Human Resources Manager.
(b)
Report to the Human Resources
Manager
(c) Completing a
Harassment
Incident Report.
Supervisors and managers who receive
complaints of or become aware of harassment should notify Human Resources.
CLICK
THIS LINK TO VIEW THE CITY OF BEAUFORT'S ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY.
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14. I have been
injured as a result of a work related activity. What do I need to do?
If you are injured as a result of a
work-related activity you should:
1. Report the injury, no matter how
slight, to your supervisor.
2. Have your supervisor complete the appropriate
Workmen's Compensation Form and
the First Report of Injury Form.
Unsafe conditions should be reported
promptly to the supervisor.
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15. I received a
prescription from my treating physician for a work related injury. Do I
need to check with my supervisor prior to having this filled?
Employees using prescription drugs,
according to a physician’s instructions, or using over-the-counter drugs for
medicinal purposes, MUST, in the event such drugs could impair their
physical, mental, emotional, or other abilities or faculties, notify their
supervisor immediately upon entering the work area. Failure to do so may be
considered a violation of this policy and may result in disciplinary action up
to and including termination of employment.
If you are prescribed
medication due to a work-related incident, you will need to notify your
immediate supervisor and have him/her complete the following form:
Prescription Authorization Form for WC Covered Medication.
In addition, prior to taking the authorization form and prescription to the
pharmacy, please review the list of participating pharmacies:
Participating Pharmacies for WC Covered Medication.
Please have your supervisor forward a copy of the prescription authorization
form to Human Resources.
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16. Does the City
offer a Tuition Reimbursement program?
Yes, the City of Beaufort offers a Tuition
Reimbursement program. Please see the
Tuition Reimbursement section
of the Employee Handbook.
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17. I have another
job outside of my full-time position with the City. Do I need to notify
the City of this outside employment?
Yes. The City of Beaufort's
Dual-Employment Policy is as follows:
A No full-time
employee in the City service shall accept outside employment, whether part-time,
temporary or permanent, without prior written approval from the respective
Department Head and City Manager. The request and approval must be in writing
and included in the employee’s personnel folder. Each change in dual employment
shall require separate approval. Approval shall not be granted when, in the
City’s sole opinion, such dual employment conflicts or interferes with, is
likely to conflict or interfere with, or gives the appearance of a conflict with
the employee’s service to the City.
B Employees shall
not engage in any private business or activity while on duty.
You may request
approval for outside employment by completing the
Request for Approval for Outside Employment form and submitting it to your
department head.
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18. Where can I
obtain a copy of the City's personnel policies/employee handbook?
You may obtain a copy of the Employee
Handbook by visiting the Human Resources office or you can view the Employee
Handbook in Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking
here.
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19. I am interested
in lasik eye surgery. Does the City's health plan offer any type of
benefit for this procedure?
Yes. The LASIK services you can
receive at discounted prices include: Vision exam, pre-operative care,
corrective surgery and post-operative care for one year. You can receive
all of these services for $895 per eye in South Carolina (prices are subject to
change and vary by state). In addition to LASIK services, you may also
purchase contact lenses at discounted rates. For more information visit
the South Carolina Blues
information page for Lasik Surgery or call Tru-Vision at 1-877-571-2020 to
find a convenient location and schedule an appointment.
MoneyPlu$ Medical Spending Account
participants may use funds from their Medical Spending Account to pay for LASIK
services.
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20. When am I
eligible for a longevity increase? What about a merit award?
Read an excerpt from the Employee Handbook
concerning longevity increases.
Read an excerpt from the Employee Handbook
concerning
merit awards.
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21. What are the
vacation leave accrual rates for regular, full-time employees? Fire
Fighters? Police Officers?
Visit the City's Benefits page.
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22. What are the
sick leave accrual rates for regular, full-time employees? Fire Fighters?
Police Officers?
Visit the City's Benefits page.
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23. The City has job
openings posted on its website and job board. As a current employee, can I
apply for a City job opening?
Yes, current employees may apply for both
internal and external posted job openings. Current employees must submit
the same application materials as external applicants, including an application
and any additional documentation requested.
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24. I
was recently married, how do I change my name and address on my benefit
policies? How do I add coverage for my spouse/new dependants?
You may change your address
by completing the
Universal Name Address Change Form, and the
Personnel Action Request and submitting them to Human Resources.
Deferred Compensation participants will also need to complete the
401(k) Change of
Address Form and/or the 457
Change of Address Form.
You may change your name
by completing the
Universal Name Address Change Form,
the
Personnel Action Request
and the South Carolina Retirement System Enrollment Form. You must submit
these forms to Human Resources along with a copy of your marriage certificate.
Marriage is a qualifying
event and as such, employees may make certain changes to their coverage levels
within 31 days of the date of marriage. You may change coverage
levels and add beneficiaries by completing the
Notice of
Election Form,
SC Retirement System Beneficiary Form, and the
Deferred Compensation Enrollment Form. Once completed and signed,
these forms should be submitted to Human Resources for processing.
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25.
What is a Health Savings Account?
A Health Savings
Account is a tax-sheltered investment account used to pay qualified medical
expenses. Health Savings Accounts are portable, allow you to carry money
forward from year to year, and offer tax-free distributions if used for
qualified medical expenses. Contributions can only be made to a Health Savings
Account when the employee is participating in a High Deductible Health Plan (for
example: the SHP Savings Plan), is not covered by any other plan, and is not
enrolled in Medicare.
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26.
What are qualified medical expenses?
The Internal Revenue
Service sets the guidelines for qualified medical expenses. For
information regarding what expenses are considered to be eligible medical and dental
costs please
visit the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p553.pdf.
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