Full-time benefits include:
- Enrollment in the Teachers and State Employees’ Retirement System of the State of North Carolina
- Enrollment in the State Health Plan for the individual employee (employees may pay for dependent coverage)
- Accrual of annual leave is as follows:
| Years of State Service | Days Earned Per Month |
| Less than 5 years | 1.1666 |
| 5 but less than 10 yrs | 1.4166 |
| 10 but less than 15 yrs | 1.6666 |
| 15 but less than 20 yrs | 1.9166 |
| 20 years or more | 2.1666 |
- Sick leave is accrued at the rate of one day per month. Licensed employees who are considered instructional personnel also earn personal leave and extended sick leave. Full time employees earn sick leave at the rate of one day per month. Sick leave can be used towards creditable service time after an employee has become vested (5 years of contributing service). 20 sick leave days = 1 month of service. 21 sick leave days = 2 months of service.
- Employees of Buncombe County Schools are eligible for the standard State of North Carolina Longevity Plan. The rates are shown below:
| Years of State Service | Longevity Pay Rate
(% of annual rate of pay) |
| 10 but less than 15 | 1.50 percent |
| 15 but less than 20 | 2.25 percent |
| 20 but less than 25 | 3.25 percent |
| 25 or more | 4.50 percent
|
Permanent part-time employees (at least 20 hours per week) accrue leave, may purchase health insurance, and are eligible for the local supplement.
As a new full time employee, you will be offered health insurance, dental, vision, and group term life insurance. Below are videos, information related to all of the different insurances, and enrollment forms to accept or decline the coverage. You will also become a contributing member of the North Carolina Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System which you cannot decline. You will get information about designating your beneficiary(ies) later in this presentation.
If your first day of full time employment is between the 1st through the 14th of the month, your coverage will become effective the first day of the following month. If your first day of full time employment if between the 15th and 31st of the month, your coverage will become effective the first day of the second month. The exception to this rule is that if you are a 10‐month employee and begin work on your first scheduled workday at the beginning of the school year, your coverage begins September 1st.
Employees are covered for 12 months of health insurance but deductions are taken in 10 monthly deductions. If you choose the 80/20 plan and/or add dependents, there will be an additional amount owed for premiums missed or to cover the summer months.
See attached BCS Health Insurance Premium Rates.
When adding dependents to your health insurance plan, you must provide copies of documentation of a dependent’s eligibility WITHIN 30 DAYS. Examples of this documentation include tax returns and/or birth or marriage certificates. You can fax this documentation to 828‐350‐2297 or e‐mail
june.ingle@bcsemail.org.
If you have additional questions regarding the State Health Plan, please visit www.shpnc.org to learn more about your benefits. Changes to your health plan can only be made during annual enrollment which is set by the State Health Plan. If you have changes outside of annual enrollment with a qualifying life event please contact
june.ingle@bcsemail.org within 30 days of the event.
Supplemental Benefits:
As a new full time employee you are offered the following flexible benefits: Group Term Life, Dental, and Vision. If you choose any of the insurances, the effective date will be the first day of the month following your full time employment date.
- Group Term Life Insurance
Buncombe County Schools provides all eligible full time employees with group term life insurance coverage of $7,000 at no cost to the employee. Through the convenience of payroll deduction, you have the opportunity to purchase up to $250,000 of additional life insurance on yourself. You may also purchase up to $50,000 of coverage on your spouse and up to $25,000 on your eligible child(ren). Note: You must elect at least $10,000 optional coverage on yourself in order to get spouse and/or child(ren) coverage. Also, the spouse and child(ren) coverage cannot exceed 100% of your benefit. No person may be covered both as an employee and dependent (spouse or child) and no person may be covered as a dependent of more than one employee. Your coverage will be effective the 1st day of the month following your date of hire.
- Vision Insurance
You may choose from two plans: Exam & Materials Plan (Plan 1), or Materials Only Plan (Plan 2)
- Dental Insurance
You can purchase dental insurance for yourself and dependents. If you do not enroll in the dental coverage when first eligible for benefits and decide to enroll during annual enrollment, you will be considered a “Late Entrant” and fall under different waiting periods.
Click the images below to download complete information:
Additional information about Flexible Benefits: If you have changes outside of Annual Enrollment with a qualifying life event, please contact
anita.proffitt@bcsemail.org or 828-255-5901 within 30 days of the event.
As a full time, permanent employee, you will be eligible to purchase additional insurances during the “Flexible Benefits Annual Enrollment” usually scheduled in January and February each year for coverage that begins May 1 and administered by Pierce Group Benefits. If you want additional information about our Flexible Benefits Plan, go to
http://piercegroupbenefits.com/client/buncombecountyschools.
North Carolina Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System:
You will need to complete your retirement benefits enrollment by logging on to the NC Retirement System to set up an account in ORBIT (Online Retirement Benefits through Integrated Technology) within two weeks after you receive your paycheck at the end of the month. This will allow you to activate your account and designate your beneficiaries online for the death benefit and the return of contributions benefit.
Visit
www.myncretirement.com and click on the “ORBIT” button to register and log on. Please write down your new username and password as you can return to your account to update personal information, view your vesting status and retrieve the yearly retirement benefit statement. Once you have completed the process you will receive an email notification from the retirement system which will include “Welcome Packet” and acknowledgement letter.
If you do not have an email address to receive confirmation, Form 2RC and Form 2DB can be downloaded and printed. You will need to complete both forms, have them notarized and mail to the address at the bottom of the form.
Additional Employee Benefits:
- State Employee's Credit Union - visit www.ncsecu.org or a local branch for information and/or to set up an account.
- Liability Protection - visit www.professionalliabilitync.com for information on professional liability for NC public school employees.
- Supplemental Retirement Plans - once you obtain login credentials, please visit employee website for this information.
Once you have reviewed the above information, please follow the following steps to enroll in benefits:
 | | 1. Download, print, and fill out the forms in the New Employees Benefit Enrollment Packet. 3. Bring your completed packet to the meeting to turn in. PLEASE NOTE: If you can't make the time slot you registered for via SignUp Genius, please log back in and change your seat quantity from 1 to 0. Before or after attending this meeting, you may also make sure the Personnel Department has made a copy of your driver's license, Social Security card and Health Examination Certificate and if applicable, a copy of your teaching credentials, work authorization documents, and/or Title I documents. |
