Employee Handbook

• Employee Handbook 2010 PDF

FMLA Poster

• Your Rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993

Health Insurance

 

The SDP offers health insurance through Independence Blue Cross. Coverage varies according to union affiliation, so employees should contact the Benefits Office and their respective bargaining units’ Health and Welfare Office with health insurance coverage inquiries.  SPAP, CASA, and Non-Represented employees receive dental, vision, and prescription coverage from the SDP and should contact the Benefits Office with inquiries.

Children of employees generally lose their dependent status eligibility at age 19 unless they are full-time students or disabled.  Contact bargaining units for dependent status eligibility.

Open Enrollment Period

 

Once a year, the SDP Benefits Office offers an open enrollment period for those employees who wish to change aspects of their health insurance. Addition or removal of a spouse or dependent and switching insurance plans (if employee is eligible for such a switch) are options during open enrollment. Addition of a spouse or dependent requires official documentation (i.e. marriage certificate or birth certificate). Without these, the staff cannot process the change. Originals will be photocopied and returned to the employee.

Note: Employees can add or remove a dependent at any time during the year as long as the documentation of the life event (marriage, birth, death) arrives within 30 days of the event.  After that time, the employee must wait for open enrollment. 

Call the Benefits Office for inquiries concerning eligibility to switch insurance plans. 

Change of Address Procedure

 

Employees are required to maintain a current address on file with the School District of Philadelphia's Office of Human Resources. Address changes must be submitted to the Payroll office via an "Employee Change of Residential Address" and accompanied by a copy of the employee's School District photo ID, or other governmentally issued photo ID. It may be mailed or fax directly to the Payroll Department at (215) 400-4491.

 

Change of Name Procedure

 

Employees who would like to change their name or date of birth should contact Retirement Office at 215-400-4680 to receive more instructions.

 

Dependent Eligibility

This summary is intended to serve as a guide for employees of the School District of Philadelphia's (SDP) eligibility policies and is not binding on SDP.  Questions regarding acceptable documentation for eligible individuals not covered by the summary will be evaluated by SDP's Office of Employee Benefits on a case-by-case basis.

Be advised that no person may be covered by more than one medical plan paid for by the SDP.  Only benefits-eligible SDP employees may cover other eligible individuals.  The following is the definition of an "eligible dependent:"

• Employee's spouse, domestic partner (of the same gender) or common law spouse (partner of the opposite gender as defined by Pennsylvania state law and entered into prior to January 1, 2002);
• Employee's child up to age 26 (including natural children, adopted children, stepchildren or children for whom the employee is the legal guardian);

NOTE:  Federal CHIP regulations state that a child may not be eligible for health benefits coverage under a state health benefits plan on the basis of a family member's employment with a public agency, even if the family declines to accept the coverage. A public agency is defined as a state, county, city or other type of municipal agency, including a public school district, transportation district, irrigation district, or any other type of public entity.

REMINDER: You have 30 days to notify SDP of a qualifying life event such as marriage, birth, adoption or loss of other coverage, if you wish to ADD a dependent to your coverage. Otherwise, you must wait for the annual open enrollment in May, with coverage becoming effective in July.

If your dependent's eligibility changes, you must give notice of that qualifying event to the Benefits Department within 60 days after the qualifying event occurs.  Events that change eligibility include but are not limited to the following:

Your spouse or domestic partner will lose coverage under your plan when any of the following qualifying events occurs:

• Your spouse dies;
• You become divorced or legally separated from your spouse;
• You end your domestic partnership.

Your dependent children will lose coverage under your Plan when any of the following qualifying events occurs:

• You become divorced or legally separated from a step child's parent;
• There is a loss of legal guardianship.

Dependents who lose SDP-paid coverage may be eligible to purchase coverage under COBRA.

It is every employee's responsibility to adhere to these procedures. Please note that failure to do so could result in an employee being billed by the SDP for the full cost of coverage provided by to an ineligible dependent.