Benefit Guide (Active Employees)

This page acts as a guide to Belmont Town and School employee benefits for eligible Town and School employees. This page is an important resource for current employees to use as a reference for their benefit information, for new employees looking to enroll, prospective employees interested in applying for a position with the Town, exiting employees or for employees experiencing a qualifying event or seeking to enroll during an open enrollment period. To see an overview summary of employee benefits, please click here. 

Plans:

• Health insurance through Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
• Dental Insurance through Delta Dental
• Vision Insurance through Altus Vision
• Life Insurance through Boston Mutual
• Flex Spending and Dependent Care Pre-tax Accounts through Cafeteria Plan Advisors
• The Good Health Gateway Diabetes Care Rewards Program
• IRS 457 Deferred Compensation (Town Employees Only)

Please scroll down for additional plan information and enrollment forms. To take a short cut to a list of enrollment forms, please click here. 

Eligibility:

• Eligible employees must work at least twenty (20) hours per week.
• New eligible employees must turn in their benefit forms no more than thirty (30) days after their first day of work. For new employees, benefits may commence effective the first day of employment or thirty (30) days after the start date. If the new employee decides to enroll in health insurance immediately, extra deductions will be taken as the Town pays insurance one month ahead.
• Employees who do not take benefits at the time of hire must wait until the next open enrollment or until a qualifying event occurs. Open Enrollment for Town and School employees occurs annually in late April through early May with a coverage effective date of July 1^st. A second Open Enrollment occurs for Belmont Public School employees annually in August with a coverage effective date of September 1^st.
• Dependents are eligible for coverage on the Town's health, dental and vision insurance until they are 26 years old. Their coverage will last until the last day of the month of their 26th birthday. 

Dependent/Spouse Eligibility and Proof:

Eligible spouses, ex-spouses and dependents may be covered under the Town’s health, dental and vision insurance. The Town requires the following supporting documentation for their enrollment:

Spouse: a copy of the marriage certificate.

Ex-Spouse: a copy of the divorce decree mandating that the ex-spouse receive health coverage through the employee. The Town needs the cover sheet(s), health insurance portion, signature page and absolute date of the decree. If either spouse remarries, the ex-spouse can no longer receive coverage through the Town and must enroll in an independent plan or accept COBRA coverage.

Dependents: may be covered until age 26. The Town requires a copy of government-issued birth certificate for each covered dependent. If covering an adopted child or a dependent an employee has legal guardianship over, the Town requires proof of legal adoption/guardianship (i.e. court documents, etc.). If a dependent is over the age of 26 and has a certified handicap, he/she can remain covered if the employee produces medical proof of the dependent’s handicap.

Qualifying Event:

A qualifying life event is an event that triggers a special enrollment period for an individual or family to purchase health insurance outside of the regular annual open enrollment period.  If you experience a qualifying event, you have 30 days to select a plan or switch to a different plan. The coverage will be effective the date of the qualifying life event. Proof of the qualifying life event will be required and must be provided to the Town Human Resources Office. Examples include:

Form Submission Process: 

Please DO NOT EMAIL ENROLLMENT/CHANGE FORMS AS ATTACHMENTS, as they contain sensitive information (D.O.B, SSN, etc.). Forms and supporting documentation can be dropped off at the Town Human Resources Office (Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Avenue, 2^nd Floor) or submitted electronically using the secure link below.

Please Click Here to upload Documents Securely

You will need to enter your name, email and department prior to uploading. Once you have uploaded your documentation that includes your enrollment form and supporting documents (i.e., marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.), please send an email to HR Generalist, Mitch Carolan at mcarolan@belmont-ma.gov with a brief description of your request including which benefits you would like to enroll in and whether you are a Town or School employee.

Exiting Employees Benefit Information 

For Health, Dental and Vision benefits premiums are paid for coverage in the following month. Town employees who are actively enrolled in Health, Dental or Vision benefits will have their coverage last 30 days from their final day of employment with the Town of Belmont. Employees will have the opportunity to enroll in COBRA coverage for a period of up to 36 months after their insurance coverage expires 30 days after the end of their employment.  If COBRA is elected a former employee is responsible for 102% of the premium cost. A COBRA letter will be sent to the former employees residence on file and it is the employee's responsibility to complete a COBRA election form and submit it to the Town Human Resources Office (Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Avenue) within 30 days from their last day of work otherwise their insurance coverage will terminate. 

School Employees

 Additional Health Insurance Options for Exiting Employees:

State exchange/Marketplace options: Depending on your state of residence, you may be eligible to buy an individual policy from a state health care exchange (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island) or the Federal Insurance Marketplace (New Hampshire). 

Questions?

You may contact HR Generalist, Mitch Carolan at 617-993-2744 or email mcarolan@belmont-ma.gov.

Plan Information:

Health Insurance—Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Health insurance rates change on the fiscal year calendar, with new rates implemented in the first June paycheck for a July 1^st coverage effective date. Please know that, Health insurance premiums are paid one-month in advance. For example, premium charges in the month of June are applied to coverage cost in the following month of July.

New Employee Premium “Make-Up”: New employees are eligible to have their insurance coverage begin on their employment start date. Due to premium payments being scheduled on a month ahead basis, new employees likely will need to contribute an additional premium to make up for missed contributions for coverage in the first month of their employment. This will appear on paystubs as “Medical MU” and is calculated based on a pro-rated month premium charge amount.

Please Click Here for FY25 Health Insurance Rates

Please Click Here for Health Enrollment/Change Form

Plan Options:

1. Plan Name: Harvard Pilgrim Choice Net HMO (in-network coverage only)
   • HMO Schedule of Benefits 
2. Plan Name: Harvard Pilgrim Choice Net PPO (out -of-network coverage)
   • PPO Schedule of Benefits 

Additional Health insurance plan information for both HMO and PPO options:

• 5 Facts to know about your Choice Net Plan
• Prescription Drug Coverage Brochure
• Provider Tiers
• Hospital Tiers

Dental Insurance—Delta Dental

Dental insurance rates change on the fiscal year calendar every 3 years, with new rates implemented in the first June paycheck for a July 1^st coverage effective date. Please know that, Dental insurance premiums are paid one-month in advance. For example, premium charges in the month of June are applied to coverage cost in the following month of July. The Town does not contribute towards the premium cost of the plan (Dental Insurance is 100% employee funded), but employees receive a group discount on the premiums, which are deducted on a pre-tax basis.

New Employee Premium “Make-Up”: New employees are eligible to have their insurance coverage begin on their employment start date. Due to premium payments being scheduled on a month ahead basis, new employees likely will need to contribute an additional premium to make up for missed contributions for coverage in the first month of their employment. This will appear on paystubs as “Dental MU” and is calculated based on a pro-rated month premium charge amount.

Please Click Here for FY25 Dental Insurance Rates

Please Click Here for Dental Enrollment/Change Form

Plan Options:

1. Plan Name: Delta Dental Premier Voluntary Basic Plan (Table Plan—flat rate coverage No deductible--$1,500 calendar year max per-person)
   • Delta Dental Premier Voluntary Basic Schedule of Benefits 
2. Plan Name: Delta Dental PPO Plus Premier Voluntary Enhanced Plan (percentage-based/cost share plan after deductible--$1,500 calendar year max per-person)
   • Delta Dental PPO Plus Premier Voluntary Enhanced Plan Schedule of Benefits 

Additional Dental insurance plan information:

• Dental Plan Comparison

Vision Insurance—Altus Vison

The Town does not contribute towards the premium cost of the plan (Dental Insurance is 100% employee funded), but employees receive a group discount on the premiums, which are deducted on a pre-tax basis.

New Employee Premium “Make-Up”: New employees are eligible to have their insurance coverage begin on their employment start date. Due to premium payments being scheduled on a month ahead basis, new employees likely will need to contribute an additional premium to make up for missed contributions for coverage in the first month of their employment. This will appear on paystubs as “Dental MU” and is calculated based on a pro-rated month premium charge amount.

Please Click Here for FY25 Vision Insurance Rates

Please Click Here for Vision Enrollment/Change Form

Vision insurance plan information:

• Summary of Benefits
• Altus Vision Flyer

Life Insurance—Boston Mutual

The Town offers active employees Life Insurance through Boston Mutual.  Employees must enroll in the Basic Life Insurance plan to enroll in voluntary or optional plans.  The Basic Life Insurance plan is as $2,000.00 policy, the Town pays 50% of the Basic Life Insurance plan. The cost for basic life insurance is $3.07 a month for the employee. Employees pay 100% of optional or voluntary coverage.  Life Insurance does not hold enrollment annually so it is important to make the decision to enroll within 30 days upon hire.

Please Click Here for Life Insurance Change Form

Additional Life insurance plan information:

• Basic Life Insurance Policy Information
• Voluntary Life Insurance Policy Information
• Optional Life Insurance Policy Information
• Beneficiary Change Form

Flexible Spending (FSA) and Dependent Care Pre-Tax Accounts—Cafeteria Plan Advisors

The Town offers Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Dependent Care Accounts (DCA) through a contracted third-party provider, Cafeteria Plan Advisors. The plan is a calendar year plan with open enrollment annually in November for the next calendar year. There is a carry-over amount that changes each calendar year, but it is important to “know what you expect to spend” over the course of the calendar year to avoid losing any funds at the end of the calendar year.

Please Click Here for Flexible Spending/Dependent Care Enrollment Form

Flexible Spending and Dependent Care information:

• Eligible FSA Expenses
• Childcare Reimbursement Form 

IRS 457 Deferred Compensation (Town Employees Only)--SMART Plan & Mission Square Retirement

Town of Belmont employees are eligible to contribute to two deferred compensation plans offered through SMART Plan and MissionSquare Retirement (formerly ICMA-RC). Employees can enroll and make changes to their contributions at any time, an open enrollment period is not required. School employees interested in contributing to additional retirement plans should contact the school payroll office. Employees seeking to change their contribution amount should visit the SMART Plan's employee portal, and sign-on with their account information to make changes. If you would like to speak to a representative from either plan their contact information is below:

SMART Plan Representative: Sean Doucette

Email: Sean.Doucette@empower-retirement.com  

Phone: 978-806-7205

MissionSquare Retirement: Michael Savage

Email: MSavage@icmarc.org 

Additional IRS 457 information:

• SMART Plan Website 
• SMART PLAN Enrollment Form 
• Mission Square Retirement Plan Website 
• Mission Square Online Enrollment Brochure
• Mission Square Plan Information 
• Mission Square Contribution Change Form 

Abacus Diabetes Managment Program 

For employees, their spouses and dependents who have health insurance with the Town of Belmont through Harvard Pilgrim that have been diagnosed with diabetes, The Good Health Gateway Diabetes Care Rewards Program is a way that diabetes care can be managed that can result in $0 copay on all covered diabetes medications and supplies.  For more information you can call 800-643-8028 or visit GoodHealthGateway.com. A brief video introducing the program can be found by clicking here.