Benefits Basics
LCPS offers a comprehensive package of health and wellness benefits to full-time employees. On this page you will find basic information about enrolling in benefits, changing your benefits and what happens to your benefits when you are no longer eligible or leave LCPS. Detailed information on each of the benefits available can be found on their respective webpages.
Eligibility for Benefits
Employees classified by LCPS as Full-Time are eligible for LCPS health and wellness benefits. Newly-eligible LCPS employees should pay close attention to deadlines for enrolling in or opting out of benefits. Visit the Benefits Orientation page for more information about the benefits orientation and enrollment process. LCPS part-time employees are eligible to participate in the voluntary 403(b) and 457 tax-deferred retirement savings plans.
Enrollments and Changes
Eligible employees may enroll, opt-out* or make changes to Medical, Dental, Vision and Flexible Spending Accounts as follows:
Enroll or within first 30 days of full-time, benefits-eligible employment
Enroll or change during Open Enrollment (between October 15 - November 15 every year) for coverage January 1
Enroll or change within 30 days of a Qualifying Event (see Qualifying Events below)
Some of our supplemental benefits have different enrollment windows:
Critical Illness Policy - Enroll/change according to rules above but can decrease or stop at any time.
Accidental Injury Policy - Enroll/change according to rules above but can decrease or stop at any time.
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) - HDHP medical plan participants may enroll, change or stop contributions at any time.
Virginia 529 College Savings - Enroll or stop at any time.
Long Term Care - Genworth - Reduced medical underwriting first 60 days of eligibility (if under age 65). Enroll at any time with medical underwriting and approval. Stop at any time.
Long Term Care - Virginia Retired Teachers Association - Enroll or stop at any time.
Long Term Disability - VRS Plan 1 & 2 members enroll in first 30 days of eligibility or during Open Enrollment. Stop at any time. VRS Hybrid members are automatically enrolled.
Optional Life Insurance - Guaranteed issue amounts in first 31 days of eligibility. Enroll at any time (evidence of insurability will be required after 31st day). Stop at any time.
Lincoln 403(b) Plan - Enroll or change at any time.
VRS 457 Plan - Enroll or change at any time.
*If you do not enroll in any of the LCPS health plans (medical, dental and vision), as an employee or dependent, you can elect the opt-out credit and receive a $9.00 credit per pay.
For more information on these benefits, click on the links above to access plan documents and more. This is only a summary. Where there are differences, plan documents prevail.
Making Benefit Elections and Changes
New Full-Time Employees
New full-time employees and newly benefits-eligible employees will complete their primary benefit elections in Oracle Self Service. Refer to your LCPS Benefits Handbook for instructions on enrolling in benefits not electable through Oracle Self-Service. The Oracle Self Service FAQs answer common questions about enrolling in Oracle Self Service.
Open Enrollment Elections
Annual open enrollment elections are also made in Oracle Self Service.
Current Employees with a Mid-Year Change
Employees with a Qualifying Life Event that would like to make a mid-year change to their benefits should complete the online Qualifying Life Event form. These changes are not made in Oracle. Find more information and requirements in the Qualifying Life Event section below.
The Benefits Online Manual provides instructions for enrolling, changing and viewing benefits in Oracle Self Service. Refer to the Oracle Passwords and Login Procedures Quick Guide if you are having trouble logging in after your Oracle account after your first day of work.
Benefits are effective the first of the month following the completion of your enrollment and submission of all required documents or your full-time start date, whichever is later.
Covering Dependents
When enrolling a dependent (spouse or children), employees are required to supply acceptable documentation verifying each dependent's relationship to the employee. Uploading this documentation is a step in the Oracle Self Service enrollment for new hires and during open enrollment.
Employees may cover their legal spouse and legally dependent children up the age of 26 regardless of student or marital status. Once a child turns 26, coverage will end on the last day of their birthday month. There is no action required of you. You will be notified of the end of coverage by LCPS.
Eligibility Definitions and Required Documentation
Upload dependent supporting documents (to support an enrollment, if not previously provided through Oracle Self Service)
Qualifying Life Events
A qualifying life event is an event that triggers an opportunity to enroll or change health insurance benefits outside of the annual open enrollment period (mid-year change). Qualifying life events are defined by the IRS and plan documents. Examples of qualifying life events include, marriage, birth or adoption of a child, divorce, death, change in a spouse or dependent's employment that affects their eligibility for coverage or loss of other health insurance coverage.
Employees have 30 days from the date of a qualifying life event to submit a request for change along with formal documentation of the event. Additionally, any mid-year healthcare election change must be on account of and correspond to a qualifying life event that affects eligibility under the health plan. Changes between plans (ex. OAP to POS) can only be made during Open Enrollment, not with mid-year changes.
Coverage will be effective the first of the month following the qualifying life event/loss or gain of coverage and submission of the enrollment with all required documentation, except in the case of birth or adoption which will be effective the date of birth or adoption.
To request a change to your benefits due to a Qualifying Life Event, complete the Qualifying Life Event form and upload the required documentation where indicated on the form. Contact Employee Benefits at LCPSHealthWellness@lcps.org if you have any questions.
Termination of Coverage
If you leave LCPS or change to a status that is no longer eligible for benefits (part time, LTLWOP) during the school year, your medical, dental and vision coverage ends on the last day of the month in which you terminate or change your status. You will be offered the option to continue your coverage under COBRA provisions. Please see the COBRA Coverage section below.
If you are a 10-month or 11-month employee and you leave at the end of your contract year, your health insurance coverage may continue for a longer period of time. Generally, 10-month employees completing their contract will have coverage until August 31st and 11-month employees who complete their contract will have coverage until July 31. Contact Employee, Health, Wellness and Benefits if you have questions about your coverage termination date.
Supplemental benefits that end on your last day of employment include:
Flexible Spending Accounts (expenses must be incurred by your last day of employment)
Accidental Injury
Critical Illness
Long Term Disability
Some supplemental benefits are portable or can be converted to an individual policy to include Accidental Injury, Critical Illness and Life Insurance. You should receive conversion paperwork for Accidental Injury and Critical Illness policies in the mail after your coverage ends. To convert your life insurance you must complete and submit a conversion form, found on the VRS website, within 31 days of the end of your employment.
LCPS Termination of Benefits Document
COBRA Coverage
Employees and/or dependents who lose health insurance coverage under the LCPS group health policy may be eligible to continue their coverage through a COBRA policy.
Click here to learn more about COBRA coverage and rates.
If you have any questions about the above information, please Contact Benefits or Contact Wellness Works! or call 571-252-1810.