HENNEPIN COUNTY
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SUMMARY 2013
HENNEPIN COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
As a Hennepin County employee, you will be eligible for the following benefits if you are a permanent or probationary
employee in a regular (non-temporary) appointment with standard hours of 20 hour or more per week. Some
temporary positions provide benefits including limited duration appointments that exceed 6 months and have a
standard hours of 20 or more hour per week; grant, trainee and unclassified positions that are defined to include
benefits. Some benefits for part-time employees are pro-rated based on the number of hours worked; these benefits
are identified by an asterisk.
This handout provides a general summary of benefits offered by Hennepin County. Applicants who want more
detailed information are encouraged to contact the Human Resources Department’s Benefits Division via email
(hr.benefits@co.hennepin.mn.us), phone (612-348-3530) or visit the Benefits Division web page at
www.hennepin.us/employeebenefits.
HEALTH COVERAGE
The County has one health plan for benefit-earning
employees: PreferredOne. Employees may elect
single, single + spouse, single + child(ren), or family
coverage (employee, spouse, + child[ren]). Hennepin
County pays most of the premium for single coverage
and contributes a significant portion of the premium
for family coverage. Health coverage is effective on
the first of the month following one full calendar month
of employment.
after 18 years—23 days/year. Unused vacation hours
carry over to the next year.
SICK LEAVE*
(UNION EMPLOYEES ONLY)
A full-time employee accrues 10 days of sick leave
during the first year of employment. After the first
year, the rate of accrual is 12 days/year.
PAID TIME OFF (PTO)*
(non-UNION EMPLOYEES ONLY)
LIFE INSURANCE
The County provides each benefit-earning employee
$20,000 group term life insurance coverage (plus
$20,000 for accidental death). Through payroll
deduction, eligible employees may also purchase
inexpensive additional term life insurance up to
$500,000 ($100,000 issued without evidence of
insurability when newly-hired and coverage is
elected); additional life also includes dependent life
insurance, if desired. Life insurance is effective on
the first of the month following one full calendar month
of employment provided the employee is on active
payroll status on this day.
DENTAL COVERAGE
Hennepin County offers employees voluntary dental
coverage provided by HealthPartners dental plan.
Enrollment is voluntary and entirely employee-paid on
a monthly basis.
HOLIDAYS*
Benefit-earning employees receive 10 paid holidays
and one leave day with pay each year.
VACATION*
(UNION EMPLOYEES ONLY)
A full-time employee accrues 10 days of vacation
during the first year of employment. After the first
year, he/she accrues at the rate of 12 days/year, and
then as follows: after 5 years—15 days/year, after 8
years—18 days/year, after 12 years—20 days/year,
PTO consists of one, combined leave balance to be
used for both medical and personal (non-medical)
reasons. A full-time employee accrues 20 PTO days/
year during the first 5 years of employment and up to
a maximum of 31 PTO days/year after 18 years of
employment. Unused PTO hours carry over to the
next year.
STABILITY PAY*
When an employee has completed five years of fulltime equivalent County service as of December 1st in
any given year, he/she receives stability pay – a lump
sum bonus paid each December. The amount
received depends upon salary and years of County
service. Amounts range from a maximum of $400
after 5 years of service to a maximum of $1,200 after
18 years of service.
HEALTHWORKS
Hennepin HealthWorks provides employees, their
dependents, and retirees with wellness programs and
services to help them maintain or improve their
health.
TRADE TIME FOR FITNESS
Employees who have an accumulated sick leave/PTO
balance may trade these hours to cover the cost of
fitness-related expenses up to $2000/per year for
themselves and dependents. Examples of expenses:
health club memberships, exercise equipment, weight
loss and smoking cessation programs.
Visit our website at www.hennepin.us/employeebenefits
TUITION REIMBURSEMENT *
Employees who have successfully completed
probation are reimbursed 75% of tuition for job-related
eligible courses, seminars, and workshops dependent
upon Department discretion and availability of funds.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS
(non-law enforcement employees)
Employees are required by MN State law to become
members of a statewide pension system, the Public
Employees Retirement Association (PERA). It
coordinates with Social Security coverage which
means that, upon retirement, both PERA and Social
Security benefits are paid in full without offset. The
County and employees share PERA contributions
(respectively, 7.25% and 6.25% of total gross salary).
Full vesting occurs after 5 years for employees hired
after June 30, 2010. If an employee terminates
before vesting occurs, his/her own contributions may
be refunded, upon request, plus nominal interest.
Normal retirement age is 65 with at least 3 years of
service with various early retirement options available.
(In accordance with MN State and Federal law, there
is no mandatory retirement age for County
employees.)
DEFERRED COMPENSATION
Employees may participate in a voluntary IRS Section
457b tax-deferral program with the County by setting
aside and investing a part of their pre-tax salary (up to
a specific limit) and postponing paying income taxes
on this salary and investment earnings until after
retirement. Three plans are available. Employees
can participate in any or all of the plans.
FLEXIBLE SPENDINGS ACCOUNTS
These voluntary programs are available on a pre-tax
basis. Employees payroll deduct pre-tax dollars for
Health Care Expense Account (HCEA), Dependent
Care Assistance Program (DCAP), and/or Adoption
Assistance Program (AAP) dollars. The Automatic
Pre-Tax Premium Program is used to pay for the
employee’s share of health, dental, and life insurance
premiums on a pre-tax basis, unless the benefit is
declined by the employee. HCEA dollars are used to
reimburse health, dental, or vision-related expenses
not covered by insurance. DCAP dollars are used to
reimburse the employee for work-related dependent
care expenses. AAP dollars are used for adoptionrelated expenses. Funds “spent” through these
programs are excluded from State and Federal
income taxes and FICA (Social Security) tax, thereby
generating increased take-home pay for the
employee.
SHORT TERM DISABILITY (STD)
STD is an income replacement plan available to
employees who become disabled for a short period of
time. It is designed to supplement other leave benefits
after they have been exhausted or you elect to
preserve up to 80 hours of paid leave time (i.e., sick
leave, PTO, vacation pay, comp time, etc.).
Employees scheduled to work full-time or part-time
(standard hours of 30+ per week) in a permanent,
limited duration, or grant funded position are eligible
for STD coverage. Premiums are paid by enrolled
employees trading sick leave/PTO hours each pay
period. Five coverage options are available. The
premium is determined by your standard hours and
the option you are enrolled in.
LONG TERM DISABILITY (LTD)
The County offers employees an optional LTD
program which pays 60% of salary (to a maximum
benefit of $8,500/month) to age 67 if disability began
prior to age 62 (reducing benefit schedule if disability
occurs after age 62) for accident and sickness after a
90 calendar day waiting period. Premiums are paid
by enrolled employees trading sick leave/PTO hours
each pay period. The premium is determined by your
standard hours and the option you are enrolled in.
This results in a no out-of-pocket cost to the
employee. All eligible employees are enrolled unless
they waive coverage.
TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE
REIMBURSEMENT
County programs allow employees to pay their workrelated transportation expenses with pre-tax salary.
PRE-TAX METROPASS: This card provides unlimited
rides on all metro-area buses and light rail. After the
County's 40% subsidy, the employee’s pre-tax cost is
$45.60 per month.
PRE-TAX GO-TO CARDS: The County subsidizes
the cost of GO-TO cards by approximately 40%; the
employee’s remaining cost is payroll-deducted pretax.
PRE-TAX PARKING: Up to $240/month in pre-tax
dollars can be used each month by employees to pay
for eligible parking expenses incurred as part of
commuting to work, at or near the workplace.
PRE-TAX VAN POOL EXPENSES: Up to $125/month
in pre-tax dollars can be set aside to reimburse
eligible van pool expenses.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
A short-term counseling and referral service is
available to employees and their dependents that
have family, financial, legal, and other concerns. This
service is free and confidential.
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS
The voluntary benefits program allows employees and
their families to compare and purchase a wide range
of popular insurance products such as auto/home
owners information and financial services on-line or
by phone.
*For part-time employees who work at least 40 hours in a two-week
pay period, this benefit is pro-rated based on the number of hours
worked. For example, if a full-time employee accrues 12 vacation
days per year, an employee who works exactly half-time accrues 6
vacation days per year. Certain benefit provisions may differ slightly
for those employees covered by union contracts. Benefits for
individuals hired in grant-funded positions depend on the provisions
of the grant.
Visit our website at www.hennepin.us/employeebenefits