| Item |
Contact(s) |
| Eligibility: (PDF) Benefits eligibility is administered by the Health Benefits Division of the County Administrative Office (CAO). |
CAO Health Benefits Division
(661) 868-3182 |
| Costs: (PDF) Most employees hired on or after April 15, 1997 must pay 20% of the cost of their health benefits. |
CAO Health Benefits Division
(661) 868-3182 |
Medical Plans: Group medical coverage is provided to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. There are three plans to choose from:
- POS plan administered by Managed Care Systems
- EPO plan administered by Managed Care Systems
- EPO plan administered by Kaiser Permanente
Coverage includes prescription drug programs through which employees can obtain covered prescriptions at reduced rates from participating pharmacies or at usually more reduced rates by mail order.
|
Managed Care Systems POS
1 (877) 268-4162
Managed Care Systems EPO
1 (888) 587-8810
(661) 716-3450
Kaiser Permanente
1 (800) 533-1833
|
Dental Plans: Group dental coverage is provided to employees and their eligible dependents who are enrolled in the medical plan. The employee may choose from two plans:
- A 'Preferred Provider' (PPO) plan. This plan pays 90% of the costs (after deductibles) for work done by in-network dentists and 70% of the costs for work done by out-of-network dentists.
- An HMO-type plan under which the employee selects one permanent dentist from a pre-approved list and has cost limits
Both plans are administered by Liberty Dental.
|
Liberty Dental
1 (888) 273-3179 |
| Vision Plan: Group vision coverage is provided to employees and their eligible dependents who are enrolled in the medical plan.
|
Vision Service Plan
1 (800) 877-7195 |
| COBRA: A Federal Law, usually called COBRA, requires that most employers sponsoring group health plans offer employees and their families the opportunity for a temporary extension of health coverage (called "continuation coverage") at group rates in certain instances where coverage under the plan would otherwise end. Employees covered by the County's health benefits programs have a right to choose this continuation coverage if they lose health insurance coverage because of a reduction in hours or the termination of employment for reasons other than gross misconduct. |
CAO Health Benefits Division
(661) 868-3182 |
| Employee Assistance Program (EAP): This program provides confidential, professional counseling to employees and dependents experiencing significant personal problems such as family or marital stress, misuse of alcohol or drugs, legal or financial difficulty or emotional disorders. Up to three evaluation sessions are free to health benefits-eligible employees and their dependents. Self-referral is available so the participant may use the service confidentially. |
MHN
1 (800) 730-3859 |
| Employee Wellness Program (EWP): This voluntary program is designed to improve the quality of life by evaluating an employee's present health status and making suggestions for the future. The program includes a Personal Wellness Profile, Health Screenings and Incentives. The program is open to employees who are covered by health benefits. |
Bakersfield Family Medical Center ("BFMC")
(661) 846-4653 |
| Item |
Contact |
| Bus Passes: Monthly passes for GET may be purchased at the following locations: County Administrative Center (Treasurer/Tax Collector), Public Services, and Human Services. |
N/A |
| Cafeterias: Cafeterias are located at Kern Medical Center, the Human Services building, the Lerdo facility, the County Administrative Center at 1115 Truxtun Avenue and the Superior Court building at 1415 Truxtun Avenue. |
N/A |
Credit Union Membership: Membership in Kern Federal Credit Union (KCFU) is offered to employees of Kern County. Services include:
- Payroll deduction program that allows an employee to have an amount of $25 or more sent to an account at KCFU each payday
- ATMs in convenient locations
|
Kern Federal Credit Union
1717 Truxtun Avenue
(661) 327-9461
1 (800) 336-KERN
|
| Direct Deposit: This program allows an employee to electronically deposit their total net pay each payday into a checking account at any financial institution. The funds are available by payday morning. Pay information is available on-line on or before payday with complete earnings and deduction information. All County employees in bargaining units 1 - 6 (SEIU) are required to receive their pay via direct deposit.
|
Departmental Payroll Clerk
(for application) |
| Employee Unions: Most employees are represented by an employee union. Most employees hired on or after
August 19, 1992 must contribute to their respective union for representation by payroll deduction for either dues (union member) or a representational fee
(non-member). Employees hired before that date may also join the union if they wish. The unions offer various benefits, some of which may be paid for by payroll
deduction.
MOUs
|
Contact Information
|
Flexible Benefits (Kern$Flex I): The Kern$Flex I Plans are flexible spending plans that allow employees to use pre-tax money to pay for unreimbursed employee and dependent medical expenses through payroll deduction.
Summary of Available Benefits (PDF)
Program Information
Flexible Spending Account Claim Form (PDF)
|
Chimienti & Assoc
1 (877) 733-1670 x 17
Administrative Solutions, Inc
1 (866) 777-1320 |
| Insurance/Voluntary Benefits
|
County provided life insurance:
CAO Health Benefits Division
(661) 868-3182
Mills & Marling
(661) 324-1772
SEIU
(661) 325-7487
Chimienti & Assoc
1 (877) 733-1670 x 17
|
| Leave of Absence: Under special circumstances, employees who
have worked more than 12 months for the County may be granted a leave of absence without pay for a variety of reasons:
Bereavement, Catastrophic Injury or Illness, Disability, Education/Personal Enrichment, Family Care, Family School Activity, Military, or Personal.
For more information on Leaves of Absence, refer to:
|
Departmental Payroll Clerk |
Paid Time Off
|
Note: Some types of paid time off vary depending on which union a given employee is represented by - for details, see the appropriate MOU. Additional details about paid time off can be found in Chapter 1 of the County Policy Manual. (PDF)
Holidays: Most County employees receive 11 paid holidays a year.
Jury Duty: Employees who are summoned to jury duty will normally be granted leave with pay.
Rest (Coffee) Breaks: Employees may be allowed, at their department head's discretion, a fifteen minute rest or coffee break for every four-hour period worked.
Sick leave/Family Sick Leave:
- Most County employees accrue 8-12 days per year of sick leave.
- Family sick leave is allowed up to the specified number of hours to care for specified family members when necessary.
- Catastrophic Leave is available in specific circumstances.
- Unused sick time may be accumulated up to a maximum of 1152 hours for most employees.
- Most employees who have reached the maximum sick leave accrual and who use less than 10 hours of sick leave in a year may be eligible for a sick leave bonus.
- If an employee takes active (not deferred) retirement or passes away, all or a portion of unused sick time will be paid to the employee or his/her beneficiaries. See the appropriate MOU.
Vacation:
- Most employees earn vacation in the range of 12 to 28 days per year.
- New employees accrue vacation from their first day of employment, however, they may not take paid vacation until completing their probationary period.
|
|
Automatic |
Special Pay/Allowances: Qualifying employees receive special pay/allowances for:
- Longevity
- Professional fees
- Service awards
- Suggestion awards
- Uniforms and Tools
|
Automatic |
| State Unemployment Insurance: Most employees are covered under the State of California Unemployment Code Provisions. |
EDD
(Employment Development Department)
1 (866) 333-4606 |
| United Way: Employees may make contributions to United Way through payroll deduction. |
Departmental Payroll Clerk or
United Way
(661) 834-1820 |
| U.S. Savings Bonds: Savings bonds may be purchased automatically through payroll deduction. The minimum deduction per bi-weekly payroll period is $5.77. |
National Bond & Trust
1 (800) 426-9314 |
