Employees have 31 days from date of hire, date of increase in hours/bargaining unit change, or loss of other coverage to enroll in the District's health benefits. Employees must contact the Ward Services Benefits Service Center at 800-673-6472 to enroll in benefits. They are open Monday - Friday 5:30 AM - 2:00 PM.  Paper enrollment forms will only be accepted for Cobra and Spouse as Primary.

Contact information for all providers can be found under "Useful Links"

Changes can be made within 31 days of a Qualifying event (i.e. Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Loss of Coverage, etc.) or during Open Enrollment. Please be advised you are REQUIRED to notify the District if you divorce or legally separate from your spouse as they are no longer an eligible dependent on SVUSD's plan.

Eligible dependents include:

• a legally married spouse or same sex domestic partner
• a registered domestic partner
• a birth child, step child, foster child, or adopted child
• a child placed under your court appointment guardianship
• a child placed under your medical plan as a result of a Medical Support Order

Please note: children are only eligible if under the age of 26 UNLESS a declaration of disabled dependent has been approved. Appropriate verification of dependent status must be submitted at time of enrollment. Examples of valid documentation include: county issued marriage certificate, county issued birth certificate, federal tax return, etc.

Child dependents will be covered through the end of the month in which they turn 26. At that time the Benefits Department will automatically drop them off benefits and adjust payroll contributions, if necessary. Overage dependents will then have the opportunity to continue coverage via COBRA. Please visit the COBRA tab on the left for more information.

If an enrolled dependent becomes ineligible, you must notify the Benefits Department immediately. Failure to do so may result in retroactive termination, denial of claims, and required reimbursement of claims paid for the dependent.

No, dependents must have the same benefit election as the employee. However, dependents can have a different Primary Care Physician or Medical Group than the employee.

Updated name and address information will need to be provided in writing, along with verification of name change. Please contact Human Resources for more information.

2024 Benefit Deduction Rates are listed below. Please be advised these deductions are taken tenthly (September-June), with no deduction for July and August.

SVEA & SVMTA:

• Coverage for these employees includes District paid Health Reimbursement Account, Delta Dental, VSP Vision, and Basic Life Insurance.

CSEA Full Time:

• Coverage for these employees includes District paid Health Reimbursement Account, Delta Dental, VSP Vision, and Basic Life Insurance.

CSEA 6 Hours per Day:

• Coverage for these employees includes District paid Health Reimbursement Account.

CSEA 5-5.9 Hours per Day:

• Coverage for these employees includes District paid Health Reimbursement Account.

CSEA 4-4.9 Hours per Day:

• Coverage for these employees includes District paid Health Reimbursement Account.

You may elect to have your benefits premiums taken on a pre or post tax basis. Taking the deductions pre-tax will reduce your taxable income and could reduce the amount you contribute to Social Security, your pension, or other agencies which are based on taxable income. If you elect pre-tax deductions, you and your dependents are locked in to SVUSD benefits for the year, unless a qualifying event occurs. If you elect to have premiums taken out post tax, you may drop yourself and/or your dependents from coverage at any time.

Yes. Please click on the "Voluntary Benefits" or "Flexible Spending Accounts" tabs on the left for more information about these products.

Employees who terminate during June, July, or August will be covered through August 31. Employees terminating during any other month will have coverage through the last day of the month in which they terminate.  If enrolled in the FSA or HRA, that last day to incur eligible claims is the date of employment termination.

Yes. Pease click on the "Retiree Info" tab on the left for more information.

Yes, your domestic partner must enroll in Medicare when they turn 65.  If the domestic partner does not enroll when they turn 65, they will be subject to penalties when they do go to enroll in Medicare in the future.  Please note that some rules with Medicare are different for domestic partners as compared to a same or opposite sex spouse so it is recommended that you check with Medicare.

If a same sex couple is married, they are treated as spouses.  So a spouse of an active employee who is turning 65 can defer their Medicare enrollment.

Yes, your domestic partner is eligible to continue as a dependent on your retiree health insurance, but your domestic partner should have already enrolled in Medicare when they turned 65.  If they did not enroll when they turned 65, it is recommended they contact Medicare immediately to see about enrolling to avoid incurring additional penalties.