COLUMBIA COUNTY
HUMAN RESOURCES and PAYROLL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AFLAC OPEN ENROLLMENT
2023 Columbia County AFLAC.pdf5.10.23 COVID TESTING INSURANCE CHANGES
The Biden administration recently announced plans to end the public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that certain rules put in place during the pandemic will soon come to an end. This includes the regulation waiving cost-share (copays, coinsurance, and deductibles) for COVID-19 tests.
Please note the following, beginning May 12, 2023:
-Health care providers will begin collecting cost-share (co-pay) for COVID-19 tests performed in a provider practice or at a pharmacy.
-CDPHP members will pay the retail price for at-home COVID-19 tests as these are considered an over-the-counter product. (*Note- these are reimbursable under flexible spending accounts (FSAs).
-CDPHP will continue to cover COVID-19 vaccines when administered by an in-network provider or pharmacy at no out-of-pocket cost. Cost-share will apply for vaccines administered by out-of-network providers.
NYS ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF STATEWIDE WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT HOTLINE
Earlier this year Governor Hochul signed into law that a toll-free confidential hotline will be created for complaints of workplace sexual harassment. In addition to reporting incidents to your Department Head and/or Human Resources employees may use the confidential hotline established by NYS. As of today, the toll-free confidential hotline is in operation and details are provided in the attachment.
We will revise the language in the County's Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Poilcy to be in accordance with the new laws, and all County employees will be trained on the udpates during our next training cycle of 2022.
Workplace Sexual Harassment Hotline Notification.pdfDo you know about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program?
To qualify for PSLF, you must:
be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization (federal service includes U.S. military service);
work full-time for that agency or organization;
have Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan);
repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan*; and
To ensure you’re on the right track, you should submit a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) & Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF) Certification & Application (PSLF Form) annually or when you change employers. They will use the information you provide on the form to let you know if you are making qualifying PSLF payments. This will help you determine if you’re on the right track as early as possible.
*This provision will be waived through October 31, 2022 as part of the limited PSLF waiver. Learn more.
For complete information on this program and to apply, go to https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service#qualifying-employment