This pamphlet has been compiled to answer some of the most frequently asked questions as they relate to the benefits offered by the City. This is not designed to be an all-inclusive guide to the City’s fringe benefits, but merely an aide to point you in a direction and assist you with some basic questions. If you have questions that are not answered by this guide, it is recommended that you inquire in the Auditor’s Office or the respective company, by utilizing the phone listing.

Yes. A Primary Care Physician (PCP) is a requirement with Community Blue. All participating physicians are listed in the Provider Directory.

Yes a referral from your PCP is needed to see a specialist.

In the eight counties of Western NY, all Community Blue physicians are considered in network and are listed in the Provider Directory. To find a participating provider outside of WNY you may call Buffalo at 1-800-444-2012.

The Community Blue panel of providers is considered in-network. If a provider is non-participating with Community Blue, then services are considered out-of-network.

Yes. A Primary Care Physician (PCP) is a requirement with Community Blue. All participating physicians are listed in the Provider Directory.

Yes a referral from your PCP is needed to see a specialist.

In the eight counties of Western NY, all Community Blue physicians are considered in network and are listed in the Provider Directory. To find a participating provider outside of WNY you may call Buffalo at 1-800-444-2012.

The Community Blue panel of providers is considered in-network. If a provider is non-participating with Community Blue, then services are considered out-of-network.

The co-pay amount depends on the Community Blue plan you have chosen and will run from $10.00 to $20.00.

Allergy testing and subsequent treatment is subject to one co-payment per series.

Qutpatient laboratory and pathology tests are covered in full when performed at a participating Quest Laboratory. The Olean General Hospital Patient Service Centers located throughout the Southern Tier, as well as Jones Memorial Hospital, Wellsville also serve as Quest draw sites. For a complete list of participating laboratory sites, see the Provider Directory.

Generic prescriptions are covered with a $1.00 co-payment; Brand name Prescriptions are covered with a $3.00 co-pay at any WellPoint Pharmacy.

Up to 30 visits per member/per year.

No referral is needed to see a specialist.

In the eight counties of Western New York, all Community Blue Physicians are considered in network, and are listed in the Provider Directory. To find out if a provider outside of WNY is a participating PPO provider, you many contact Buffalo at 1-800-444-2012.

The Community Blue panel of providers is considered in-network. Outside of WNY, use of a provider who participates with their own local PPO is considered in-network and services are covered in full without a referral. Show your ID card and make your co-payment. If a provider is non-participating with Community Blue, or their own local PPO, then the services are considered out-of-network.

Payment is based upon 75% of the Tradition Fee Schedule, and you are responsible for 25% of the fee schedule and the $750 deductible. Participating Traditional providers can only bill the member up to the traditional allowance and the amount that is applied to the deductible.

X-rays are covered in full.

Allergy testing and subsequent treatment is subject to one co-payment per series.

Outpatient laboratory and pathology tests are covered in full when performed at a participating Quest Laboratory. The Olean General Hospital Patient Service Centers located throughout the Southern Tier, as well as Jones Memorial Hospital, Wellsville also serve as Quest Draw sites. For a complete listing of participating lab sites consult the Provider Directory.

Generic prescriptions are covered with a $5.00 co-payment; Brand-name prescriptions are covered with a $10.00 co-payment at any Well Point Pharmacy, including CVS and Eckerds.

Up to 30 visits per member/per year are allowed.

Participants do not pay federal, state or social security taxes on contributions to a Medical or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. Contributions are not tax-deferred. Participants do not pay taxes on money taken out of these accounts to pay eligible expenses.

If they contribute over a long period of time, their contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts will reduce their Social Security benefit by a minimal amount.

An employee who elects a Dependent Care FSA needs to attach a Child and Dependent Care Expense form to his/her tax return (form 2441 for a 1040 return; Schedule A for a 1040A return). Box 10 on the employee’s W-2 form should indicate the total annual amount of Dependent Care FSA deductions. The participant should contact a tax preparer for more details. Information about a Medical FSA does not need to be reported for income tax purposes. The total earnings reported on the W-2 form will exclude any pre-tax payroll deductions.

Participants will have a grace period after the end of the Plan Year (usually 60 days) to file claims for eligible expenses that have been incurred during the Plan Year.

The participant will be reimbursed up to the full amount of his/her annual Medical FSA election (less amounts already reimbursed), even if the money has not yet been deposited into his/her account.

Yes. Dependents are generally defined as those individuals claimed on the participant’s personal tax return.

No. The IRS does not allow an insurance premium of any kind to be reimbursed through a Flexible Spending Account.

Yes, at the rate of 10 cents per mile. Tolls and parking fees may also be reimbursed (with a receipt).

No. Only expenses that have been incurred before a dependent child reaches age 13 are eligible for reimbursement. For example, if a child’s birthday is October 1, a participant can use his/her Dependent Care Account for day care expenses up to and including September 30.

If an elderly parent lives with a participant and relies on that person for at least 50% of their support, then the Dependent Care FSA can be used for day care expenses. However, the care must be day care so that the participant can work not custodial nursing care. Also, if the participant is married, the care must be necessary because the spouse also works or is a full time student.

Day care expenses are eligible whether provided by an individual or by an established day care center. If the provider is a day care center which regular provides care for more than 6 people, the center must comply with state and local laws and regulations.

The claim will be paid up to the amount available in the account. The participant will be reimbursed for the rest of the claim once the money is deposited in the account.

Yes, for children under age 13.

Yes, as long as the relative is not the participant’s child under 19 years of age and is not someone who can be claimed on the participant’s (or spouses) federal tax return as a dependent.

An election, once made, is irrevocable for that Plan Year. New elections are made prior to the beginning of each subsequent Plan Year. However, certain situations, known as changes in family status, can arise during the Plan Year, which allow the participant to change an election. These situations include:

1.Termination of employment. 2. Commencement of employment. 3. Change in employment status of spouse or dependent. 4. Change in employee’s legal marital status. 5. Change in number of tax dependents (birth, adoption, placement for adoption, death). 6. Change in work schedule of employee, spouse or dependent. 7. Change in residence or worksite of employee, spouse or dependent. 8. Dependent satisfies or ceases to satisfy dependent eligibility requirements.

There is no minimum claim amount; however, your plan may place a minimum on the amount for which reimbursements may be issued (usually $15). If a claim is submitted for less than the minimum, it will be held until subsequent claims total more than the minimum. During the grace period after the end of each Plan Year, reimbursements will be issued even if they are less than the minimum amount.

A statement from the provider and/or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance carrier which shows the name of the provider, type of service provided, the name of the person receiving the service, the date the service was provided and the out-of-pocket expense for the service. Canceled checks are not acceptable as sufficient supporting documentation.

Yes. As long as the service has been provided a participant does not need to pay for it before being reimbursed through the Flexible Spending Account.

No. A participant can only be reimbursed for a medical or dependent care service after that service has been provided.

No. Money directed to one type of account can be used only for expenses relating to that account. This is true even if the money in one account has all been used and the other account has a balance.

Participants will forfeit any money remaining in the accounts after the end of the grace period following the end of the Plan Year.

Claims and supporting documentation are reviewed by Benefit Resource Inc. Eligibility of expenses is dictated by the IRS; those guidelines are used by Benefit Resource Inc. when reviewing claims. The services of an attorney are utilized if an additional opinion is needed or research is required to clarify the eligibility of a claim.

There are five conditions under which you can receive a payout:

Separation from service.

Severe Financial Hardship

Attainment of age 70 ½

If you have a Plan Account balance of less than $5,000 AND

Have not contributed to the Plan in the last two years AND

have never used this provision before.

Death.

Separation from service occurs because of your voluntary termination from employment, involuntary termination, or death. A leave of absence or suspension from employment is not a separation from service.

Federal regulations define a severe financial hardship as an unforeseeable financial emergency resulting from illness, accident or property loss to you or your dependents resulting from circumstances beyond your control. Payments can only be made to the extent that your hardship expenses are not covered by insurance or funds are not available from other sources.

When you permanently leave work from your government employer, you must, within 120 days after your separation from service, decide either to begin to receive payment or defer the commencement of payment to a fixed future date. If you choose to defer the payments, your Plan Account will continue to accumulate tax-deferred interest or investment earnings until benefits are paid to you. Your election of the date when your distribution is to begin may be changed once, as long as your distribution has not yet begun and you choose to delay distribution until a later date. If you fail to make your election by the required time, you will receive a lump sum distribution.

Yes. Change deduction forms are available in the Auditor’s Office. You may also call the HELPLINE at 1-800-422-8463 and a HELPLINE Counselor can send you the necessary form.

No. Your pension contributions, if any, will be calculated on the basis of your gross compensation (before Plan deferrals).

No. Your final average salary won’t be affected by your contributions to the Deferred Compensation Plan.

Member statements are distributed to employers during the summer. They should be distributed to you shortlythereafter. If you don’t receive a statement by the end of August, check with your employer.

Your last member statement will give your account balance as of March 31. You can also call the Loan Information Line at (518) 473-1355 from a touch tone phone any business day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm for your current balance. You can borrow up to 75% of your contribution balance.

Tier 1 and 2 members may request a loan every three (3) months. Tier 3 and 4 members are eligible for a loan once a year. It usually takes about two weeks to receive your loan. Loan applications are available in the Auditor’s Office.

If you are not vested, you will be eligible for a return of your contributions after you have been separated from service for 15 days. Contact the Retirement System and request a Withdrawal Application. Withdrawal of your contributions will terminate your membership in the System.

When you are within 18 months of your anticipated date of retirement, complete and submit a Request for Estimate (Form RS6030).

A transfer is possible if both your memberships are still active, but you are no longer receiving service credit in the other system. Contact the other retirement system for the proper forms to be sent to this System.

If you have previously been a member of the Retirement System, service may be re-credited if you have rendered a minimum of five years of credited service after last joining the Retirement System. For a Tier 3 Member, credit for previous or withdrawn service requires member contributions. The exceptions to this are service between July 27,1976 and December 31, 1976 and prior service. For Tier 4 members all allowable previous or withdrawn service requires member contributions.

The Employee Assistance Program is available to all full time City of Olean Employees. Below are the most frequently asked question about this benefit.

With the exception of child abuse and cases in which a person is a clear and present danger to self or others, the Employee Assistance Program is completely confidential.

Any immediate family member or full-time resident of the employee’s household may use the EAP.

Typically, the EAP will provide up to three (3) cost-free counseling sessions for each unrelated family problem per year. The EAP will work with you and your health insurance carrier to provide continuing coverage beyond the initial sessions provided directly by the EAP.

Arrangements can be made for you to see a local counselor, or you may desire to access counseling outside of the local area.

Personal or job stress, marital and relationship problems, substance abuse and child related problems are very common.

The Employee Assistance Program can provide budget counseling, credit card debt resolution services, debt consolidation and guidance with secured debt (Mortgage, car payments) and tax related problems.

The Employee Assistance Program provides one cost-free legal consultation with an attorney for any non labor-related issue or problem.

Your initial phone call is answered by professional counselors with at least a master’s degree in a counseling specialty. Counselors in the field to whom referrals are made are all state licensed and certified.

The EAP provides only statistical data each month in terms of how many individuals have accessed services, but no names or identifiers are used. You must sign a formal release of information in order for the EAP to share any information about your case with any third party.

You may contact the EAP 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (800) 252-4555. The best time to call in order to schedule an appointment is between 8:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M., Monday through Friday.

The City of Olean offers Payroll Direct Deposit to virtually any financial institution, credit union, or investment company, for employees. Forms are available in the Auditor’s Office. All banks offer numerous services for their Direct Deposit customers. Listed below are a few banks and the services they offer. Complete services with your bank can be obtained by contacting them directly.

First Tier: Payroll Plus is a program for those who Direct Deposit their paycheck into a First Tier service-charge-free checking account. Other benefits include: no minimum balance requirements on your checking, your first order of checks free, a .25% discount on an installment loan when credit’s approved, no-fee standard travelers checks, free ATM transactions at 40 ATM’s affiliated with First Tier Bank and 24-hour access to your account with the First Express phone service or NetExpress Teller Internet service. In addition, First Tier also offers other investment planning services including Trusts. A package of financial products can be designed just for you by talking with one of our customer service representatives.

Fleet: Fleet WorkPlace Banking Checking Account has no minimum balance requirement and monthly fees and per check fees are waived for the first year for Direct Deposit customers. Also offered are the following: Free Fleet WorkPlace Banking Savings Account, Fleet Total Access Card, reduced rates on installment loans with automatic deduction from your checking account, 24-hour credit approval and discounted closing costs on home purchase or refinancing loan, free mortgage pre-approvals, no fee first order of 50 standard checks, no-annual fee credit card, and 50% off rental of all safe deposit boxes.

M & T Bank: A full service bank located inside Tops Market at 2401 West State Street offers first year service charge free and first order of checks free with Direct Deposit. It also offers expanded hours during the weekdays and Saturday. There are also many other services that are unique to M&T. Please see the local branch for details.

Employees may purchase Savings Bonds through payroll deduction. Forms are available in the Auditor’s Office to participate in this program.

Consider this…you have excellent insurance coverage but there are deductibles co-pays and numerous non-medical expenses that accompany a long-term illness, like travel expenses, lodging to specialized treatment centers and child care. The importance of additional coverage becomes apparent.

First, you get the premium reduction of a group rate. Then you can have the deduction pre-taxed, a savings of about 25% or more, because the City of Olean has established a section 125 program.

No. Your current coverage will not change or pay any less benefit because of AFLAC’s supplemental coverage. Each policy must pay all benefits as described in all policies and AFLAC pays the money directly to you. There is no coordination of benefits.

AFLAC offers: short-term Disability, Cancer Insurance, Accident Protection and Hospital Indemnity Insurance.

What happens to your paycheck when your sick leave runs out? We can custom design coverage to pick up where your sick leave ends.

The cost for cancer treatment can be staggering. One of two men and one of three women are at risk of cancer in a lifetime. Our cancer plan is the best in the business bar none.

You may be covered for accidents at work, but statistically, most accidents occur elsewhere. Over coverage is for 24 hours a day on or off the job and it is available for single or family coverage.

Remember those deductibles and co-pays, this plan helps offset them and the out-of pocket expenses.

Taking into consideration the benefits offered versus the cost after the group rates and the pre-tax savings, these plans are very modest in price. AFLAC has over 40 million policies in force.

When your employer notifies AFLAC you are no longer employed, you have the advantage of taking the policy with you. You have ownership of the policy and AFLAC will bill you monthly at your home at the same premium rate (minus the pre-tax advantage). Coverage is guaranteed renewable no matter how many claims you may have had.

Discounts on Frames, Lenses, Tints, Transition Lenses, Photo Chromatic Lenses, Anti-Reflective Coatings, Ultra Violet Coatings, Progressive No Line Lenses, Other Lens Options, 2^nd Pairs and Contact Lenses.

Non Routine Examination: Labor Health PPO: Examinations without refraction for diagnosis & treatment of problematic symptoms of the eye(s) covered with payment of standard co-pay amount shown on insurance card. Community Blue: Examinations without refraction for diagnosis & treatment of problematic symptoms of the eye(s) covered with referral from PCP(Primary Care Physician) and payment of the co-pay amount specified on insurance card.

Routine Eye Examination & Refraction once every calendar year with a $10.00 co-payment.

Prescription Lenses one pair of standard single vision, bifocal or trifocal every calendar year. All lens upgrades are subject to additional fees.

Discounts on Frames, Tints, Transition Lenses, Photo Chromatic Lenses, Anti-Reflective Coatings, Ultra Violet Coatings, Progressive No Line Lenses, Other Lens Options, 2^nd Pairs and Contact Lenses.

Non Routine Examinations without refraction for diagnosis & treatment of problematic symptoms of the eye(s), covered with referral from PCP (Primary Care Physician) and payment of specialist co-pay amount on the insurance card.

Additional Information can be acquired by calling your local Blue Cross Blue Shield office at 376-6000.

Various membership packages are offered at the YMCA. Programs Offered include fitness classes of all types, swim lessons for all ages, and personal training to name a few. More information can be obtained by calling the YMCA at 373-2400.

The Red Cross offers various programs that are covered by the City’s hospitalization including Community First Aid and Safety.