Human Resources Alert:
Current Employee Benefits
The Benefits Division strives to promote education and greater understanding of the benefits offered to Fairfax County Government employees. Employees should review the current 2024 Active Employee Benefits Guide for a general overview of the plans offered.
Medical Plans
Fairfax County Government offers 3 medical plans provided by Cigna as well as Kaiser Permanente. For a list of premiums and side-by-side comparison, please review the At-A-Glance.
Vision Care Program
All of our medical plans are bundled with enrollment in the EyeMed Vision Care Program. Vision coverage cannot be elected as a stand-alone plan, and the premium is bundled with your medical premium.
Dental Coverage
Employees have the option to elect dental coverage through Delta Dental of Virginia. While we only offer one dental plan, there are two networks available under the plan. Participants will have access to see providers in both the national PPO and Premier networks.
Life Insurance
Fairfax County Government provides basic life insurance equal to one times the employee's annual salary at no cost to the employee. This coverage can be supplemented with enrollment in Optional Life insurance up to four times the employee's annual salary. The cost of this coverage is paid by the employee. Rates can be calculated using the formula provided in the Life Insurance Highlights.
All plan members must elect a beneficiary to ensure the money is distributed in accordance with the member's wishes. Adding a beneficiary is one of the fastest and easiest things you can do for your loved ones. Without a named beneficiary, your assets could pass through the probate process which can lead to delays in payment, unintended distributions of the funds and tax implications for your loved ones. To update your beneficiary for life insurance coverage, visit the Ready Enroll online beneficiary portal. Updating your beneficiary information through the online portal allows for easy access to your records from anywhere at any time.
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Long Term Disability
The county offers eligible employees the option to enroll in a Long Term Disability insurance plan. This plan can assist you financially in the event that you are unable to work for an extended period of time due to injury or illness. The benefit for an approved qualified disability is income replacement of 60% of your monthly salary, up to $5,000, in the event that you are out of work for more than 60 days. Long term disability benefits are tax free as you pay for this coverage with after-tax dollars. You can find the formula to calculate the cost of this coverage in the Long Term Disability highlights.
A Health Savings Account, or HSA, is a tax-advantaged, healthcare and retirement savings account. Accrued funds in an HSA earn interest, can be invested, and roll-over from year-to-year helping account holders to build a nest egg for the future.
Employees enrolled in the county-sponsored Cigna MyChoice CDHP Plan are eligible to contribute to a Health Savings Account and will also receive a lump sum contribution from the county.
Fairfax County Government offers employees the opportunity to participate in three types of Flexible Spending Accounts, or FSAs. With an FSA, participants set a portion of their pay aside on a tax-advantaged basis to pay for eligible health and dependent care expenses. Funds contributed by employees can be used to pay for things they likely already have to pay for but allows them to reduce their taxes and increase their take-home pay.
This plan was designed to complement the Defined Benefit Plan and to help employees realize a financially secure and rewarding retirement. The 457 Plan managed by T. Rowe Price offers the opportunity to save a portion of wages on a pre- or post-tax (ROTH) basis. Plan design features include a wide range of investment options with differing levels of risk and return, financial planning services, and self-directed brokerage arrangements.
For tax year 2023, the maximum annual contribution limit is 80% of your gross wages or $22,500, whichever is less. Participants age 50 and older are eligible to defer an additional amount above the normal contribution limit. In 2023, catch-up contributions for those 50 years and older will be $7,500, allowing for an annual total contribution of $30,000.
At some time, many of us have serious problems in our lives, such as family or relationship difficulties, problems with substance abuse, legal or financial worries or difficulties with stress on the job. These issues are challenging for anyone to deal with and generally are not solved by being ignored. The chance of coping successfully with a serious problem improves when the problem is tackled head-on, with the support of professionals.
Unresolved issues can affect us at home and work. Help is available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a free, confidential counseling service available to all county employees and members of their immediate households.
All active employees, no matter their status, and household members are eligible to access services offered by the EAP. These benefits are effective on your hire date and no additional enrollment or election is needed. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (877) 622-4327 or log on to www.myCigna.com. Use the employer ID is fairfaxcounty.
Common qualifying events include:
If you experience a qualifying event, it is the employee's responsibility to notify the Benefits Division in the Department of Human Resources directly. Notification must be made within 30-calendar days of the event. Mid-year qualifying event changes cannot be made in FOCUS or by your Agency. Employees have 30-calendar days to make notification of the event and an additional 30-calendar days (60-calendar days from the qualifying event date) to provide all required documentation. Failure to submit documentation within the timeframe will result in no verification of a qualifying event or dependent eligibility.
All mid-year enrollment/election changes take effect the first of the month following the qualifying event except for health plan enrollment of a dependent child as the result of a birth/adoption/permanent placement for adoption. This change will take effect on the date of the birth/adoption/placement. Financial benefit elections, plan changes, and all other benefit elections as a result of a birth/adoption/placement for adoption will take effect on the first of the month following the qualifying event.
If you have experienced a qualifying event, please notify the Benefits Division at DHRBenefitsDivision@fairfaxcounty.gov or (703) 324-3311.