The Benefits Committee, Planning and Budget Office and Human Resources Management Department along with our Benefits Consultant, Frost, have been working diligently to maintain the current premium costs while providing a comprehensive benefits plan for County employees, retirees, and their covered dependents. The Benefits Committee met several times with Frost to review several plan options. The Committee agreed to continue with the direction of promoting health care consumerism and education of the participants while ensuring the plans remained competitive with our peers and the marketplace.
For FY19, it has been recommended that there will be NO rate increases and no substantial plan design changes, other than adding two previously excluded procedures as covered benefits effective October 1, 2018. In addition, the recommendation is to add a fourth plan option to the choices you have to choose from. The new plan would be a high deductible health plan (HDHP) paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA). For information about the new plan and the HSA account, please attend an education session as well as review the Frequently Asked Questions regarding this type of account.
The Employee Public Hearing for Benefits and Compensation is scheduled for Thursday, May 31st at 4:30 pm in the Commissioners Court Room located at 700 Lavaca St. Please review the proposed health plan changes and recommended rates as outlined below. If you would like to submit a comment, please complete the survey by May 25th!
All comments will be provided to Commissioners Court prior to the meeting, if you have questions please contact Benefits Administrator or attend the May 31st Public Hearing at 4:30pm in the Commissioners Courtroom at 700 Lavaca. (The meeting is projected to continue after 6 pm to accommodate those getting out of work at 5 pm.)
Prior to the Employee Hearing, there are education sessions scheduled at various locations throughout the County. Benefits staff and a UHC representative will explain the proposed changes and answer any questions. Click here for the schedule and plan to attend the one closest to you.
Proposed FY19 Benefit Plan Changes Outline: Effective 10-1-2018
RECOMMENDED RATE CHANGE:
Rates: There is no proposed rate change for FY19. The rates will remain the same. The PDF of the rates includes proposed rates for the new HDHP plan.
Compensation
Travis County considers it a high priority to recruit, motivate, and retain employees capable of providing exemplary service for the residents of Travis County by using a total compensation system that is fair flexible, and market competitive.
The Commissioners Court has directed that resources be prioritized within the FY 2019 Preliminary Budget for workforce development.
This includes initial consideration of funding for
- a general increase for classified employees
- implementation of HRMD’s ongoing benchmark study
- a step increase for POPS employees
- adjustments if needed for a scale modification for POPS employees and
- any other initiatives prioritized by the Commissioner’s Court.
Specific allocations and amounts will be determined after receiving input from salary surveys, market conditions, availability of funds, employee input, and Commissioners Court priorities.
Employee compensation recommendations are made in partnership with HRMD and the Compensation Committee and are presented to the Travis County Commissioners Court during the June – July 2018 timeframe.
