Employee Benefits
Benefits/Payroll Forms
Privacy Notice: Information requested on these forms is necessary to enroll in the benefit selected; to ensure compliance with federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws; to meet reporting requirements for state and federal laws; for retirement and insurance purposes; and/or for statistical reports. To the extent permitted by law, this information will be kept confidential by the County and its benefit providers.
Perks at Work
We are excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Perks at Work, a free employee discounts platform through our voluntary benefits third-party administrator, Pierce Insurance.
All benefit-eligible employees now have everyday access to employee pricing on favorite brands in over 26 categories to help you save money on your vacation, gyms and childcare, electronics, home appliances, movie tickets and more. As the largest global employee discount provider, Perks at Work has negotiated with thousands of merchants for corporate rates on your behalf.
Employee Home Purchase Assistance Program (EHPAP)
EHPAP provides up to $25,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance, in the form of an interest-free forgivable loan, for the purchase of a home within Henrico County. To have the full loan amount forgiven, employees must: maintain full-time employment with the County and occupy the home as their primary residence for a period of five years from the purchase date. If these conditions are not met, the employee will be obligated to repay any remaining unforgiven loan balance.
Employee Status Change
What is a qualifying event or status change?
A qualifying event or status change is a change in an employee’s personal or professional life that may impact their eligibility for benefits. When experiencing such an event, employees have 60 days from the date of the event to submit a change form to the HCPS Benefits Office. If more than 60 days have passed, employees must wait until the next Open Enrollment period or experience another qualifying event to make a change. Any changes made must be consistent with the qualifying event experienced.
See the chart below for some of the most common qualifying events or status changes and the types of changes that are permitted:
Qualifying Events and Status Changes Chart
There are many other life events that may allow you to make a benefits change. This chart is simply a list of the most common. For more information on these and other qualifying events and status changes, see the Status Change Form. Please call the HCPS Benefits Office at 804-652-3624 or email the benefits team if you have questions.
How to Make a Benefit Change
Complete the Status Change Form and a new enrollment form for each benefit you wish to change (e.g., health, dental and FSA). Send these original forms, along with a copy of the supporting documentation to the HCPS Benefits Office within 60 days after the event. Please consider how the timing of your paperwork submittal will impact the date your change becomes effective, as stated on the Status Change Form. Call the Benefits Office at 804-652-3624 with questions.
Click here for enrollment/change forms
Update your information: With many qualifying events, you may want to change your personal information, which you can update through Employee Direct Access. You may also want to update your VRS beneficiary information by completing a new VRS-2 form.
COBRA Coverage
When You Leave
When you leave employment it is important to understand when benefits end and how you can continue them. Health and dental benefits cease at the end of the month in which you separate from employment. If you are eligible for COBRA — Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act — coverage, you will receive information and an election form by mail to the address on file with Henrico County Public Schools. This brochure provides important details about your benefits after you leave HCPS.
How COBRA Works
Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, you may purchase (at your expense) extended coverage for health care, dental and flexible spending accounts for you and/or your qualified beneficiaries if you lose coverage under a group plan due to termination of employment or a reduction of work hours. This coverage is available for up to 18 months, except if a beneficiary is disabled according to Social Security guidelines, in which case the coverage for that beneficiary may be extended to 29 months. If any family member enrolled in the plan loses coverage due to one of the following events, he/she may purchase continued coverage at his/her own expense, without proof of insurability, under the group plan for up to 36 months: Death of employee, entitlement of the employee to Medicare benefits; divorce; or a dependent child reaches the maximum age of coverage or loses dependent status.
The right to continue purchasing group coverage may terminate before 18 or 36 months (whichever applies) if:
You fail to pay the required premium on time.
The plan terminates.
The person continuing coverage becomes a covered employee under another group health plan which does not have a preexisting condition clause.
In the case of a spouse beneficiary, the spouse remarries and is covered under another group health plan which does not have a preexisting condition clause.
If you become divorced or your dependent child reaches the maximum age for coverage, or loses dependent status, you must notify the Health Benefits Office within 60 days of the qualifying event. Please see the General Notice for important details. In other qualifying circumstances, you will be notified that continuation coverage is available and you must then make an election. If you do not receive notice of your opportunity to elect continuation coverage, immediately contact the Health Benefits Office for an election form. You must decide whether or not you want to purchase continued coverage within 60 days from the later of: the date coverage ends, or the date you are notified of your eligibility. Failure to meet the plan’s requirements makes you ineligible.
You may be entitled to purchase an individual conversion policy when you are no longer covered under the employer’s group plan. If you elect coverage under COBRA, the effective date is the day after coverage stops under the regular group plan.
Other Important Details
If COBRA coverage is elected, it will begin as soon as your group coverage ends. COBRA premiums are paid on a monthly basis and are due at the first of the month. Payments should be mailed to the attention of the Health Benefits Office at HCPS, P.O. Box 23120, Henrico, VA 23223. Checks or money orders should be made payable to “HCPS.” If you wish to no longer continue with COBRA coverage, contact the Health Benefits Office. COBRA coverage will automatically terminate if payment is not received in our office in a timely manner.
Affordable Care Act
Resources:
Health Insurance Marketplace Cover Letter
For more information about the ACA, including the full text of the law, visit Health Care
If you have questions about how Henrico County’s ACA compliance will affect you, please email HCPS Benefits or by phone at 804-652-3624.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Retirement Information
Contact Information
HCPS Benefits Department
HCPSBenefits@henrico.k12.va.us
804-652-3624