COLUMBIA COUNTY
HUMAN RESOURCES and PAYROLL
Columbia County Human Resources and Payroll
401 State Street
Hudson, NY 12534
Phone: 518-828-4086
Fax: 518-828-1991
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Columbia County Offers
Hep B Vaccine (4.2025)
Dear Valued Employee,
As defined in the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can be transmitted through the exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material. If you are in a position that could be occupationally exposed to HBV, getting the HBV vaccination series may help you in gaining immunity to HBV if you are exposed.
What does this mean for me?
The County is offering the vaccine series for any interested employees. Every employee must make the decision if they choose to get the HBV vaccination, as it is not mandatory for any employee to get it. Every employee must complete the Hepatitis B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form designating if they would like to receive the vaccine, or not, and send it to the Human Resources/Payroll Department.
How can I learn more about the HBV vaccine?
Attached is the Vaccine Information Statement from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention for the Hepatitis B Vaccine. In addition, you can visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov, or consult with your doctor.
I want to be vaccinated against HBV, what do I do?
Fill out the Hepatitis B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form and check I ACCEPT the Hepatitis B Vaccine Inoculation, and send it to the Human Resources/Payroll Department. Next, contact your doctor or healthcare provider to set up an appointment to schedule the series of the vaccination, and to determine which vaccine is right for you. Although there are not traditionally co-pays for the HBV vaccination series, if you are billed for a co-pay by your doctor, you can be reimbursed by the County. To obtain a reimbursement for your co-pay, send a copy of your co-pay receipt along with a completed HIPAA Information Release Form for Healthcare Expense Reimbursement to the Human Resources/Payroll Department.
What if I don't want to receive the vaccine?
No problem! It is not mandatory for any employee to receive the vaccine. All you have to do is fill out the Hepatitis B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form and check that I DECLINE the Hepatitis B Vaccine inoculation, and send it to the Human Resources/Payroll Department.
What if I decide later that I want to get the vaccine against HBV?
Again, no problem! Just contact the Human Resources/Payroll Department for a new Hepatitis B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form and check I ACCEPT the Hepatitis B Vaccine Inoculation, and send it to the Human Resources/Payroll Department. Next, contact your physician or healthcare provider to schedule the series of the vaccine.
What if I am already vaccinated against HBV?
Good for you! You do not need to prove to us that you are already vaccinated. Just check that I DECLINE the Hepatitis B Vaccine inoculation on the Hepatitis B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form, and send it to the Human Resources/Payroll Department.
Hepatitis B Vaccine:
What You Need to Know
CDC HEP B Vaccine Information Statement.pdfHEP B Vaccine Acceptance/Declination Form
HEP B EMPLOYEE FORM.pdf
HealthEquity has become aware of criminal efforts to lure members to fake websites impersonating HealthEquity. The fraudsters aim to capture unsuspecting members’ login credentials and use them to access accounts on the real HealthEquity website (www.healthequity.com). We believe that only one of Columbia County’s employees fell victim to this scam.
HealthEquity systems have not been compromised. We are actively monitoring for and securing impacted accounts and are working with relevant authorities to remove fraudulent websites from the internet.
We are reaching out to any impacted individuals to assist them in securing their accounts, and will be providing proactive education to help account holders stay vigilant and avoid scams. If one of your employees believes their account has been compromised, please instruct them to take the following steps:
1. Contact HealthEquity Member Services at 866.346.5800
2. Reference the fraudulent fake website/domain.
3. Provide their name.
4. Review their recent transaction history with the Member Services representative.
5. Reset their username and password with Member Services assistance.
6. Remain diligent when monitoring their account activity to ensure all transactions and changes (e.g., to current bank account and contact information) are accurate.
To help mitigate the risk of fraud, individuals should always avoid clicking on suspicious links within emails and search engines, and should only log into their account through the HealthEquity website or mobile app.
2024 CDPHP MAIL ORDER PHARMACY CHANGE
CDPHP has chosen to not use Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy for their mail order prescription pharmacy in 2024. You may continue to use the local Walmart in-store pharmacies. Their new pharmacy for mail order will be Optum Home Delivery.
-Now is a great time to review the "Rx For Less" to see if you can fill your prescription, for as low as a penny a pill, at a local pharmacy. You can get up to a 90 day supply locally for any of the medications on the list. The list is attached to this email. CVS pharmacies do not participate in this program.
-If you are using Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy, please call the pharmacy phone number on the back of your CDPHP ID card, 1-888-292-6330, to have your prescriptions set up with Optum Home Delivery. Have a list of the prescriptions you would like filled using mail order, the name of the doctor who prescribed them, the doctor's location and have your spouse handy if they have prescriptions to transfer as well. Optum will be reaching out to your doctors for new prescriptions. Optum will email you to let you know they requested the prescriptions, email you again when the doctor has sent your prescription to them and then email you when they send it out to you.
Optum Home Delivery has AUTOMATIC DELIVERY!!!
After everything is set up and you receive your first fill with Optum Home Delivery, call the pharmacy number on the back of your CDPHP ID card, 1-888-292-6330, and set up automatic delivery.
If you have any questions please email me or reach out to our office (518) 828-4086.
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.pdfColumbia County Participates in the NYS HELP Program starting June 26, 2023
On June 26, 2023, Columbia County's resolution request to participate in the Hiring Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Program was approved by NYS Civil Service. This 12 month program will allow departments to hire qualified candidates without taking a Civil Service exam in approved titles.
Titles must meet the following criteria:
Criteria 1: Titles are deemed to be critical, direct care, health and safety titles. Employees serving in these titles provide services or care directly to clients, consumers, patients, or the public.
Criteria 2: A severe shortage of candidates exists, evidenced by an inability to attract sufficient qualified candidates to fill vacancies despite extensive and exhaustive recruitment efforts.
Criteria 3: Titles are filled via open-competitive examination only.
The ultimate goal is to attract qualified candidates and speed up the hiring process for those approved titles.
Columbia County will be requesting to add additional titles to the HELP Program in the coming months as all requests must be made by December 31, 2023.
For a complete list of titles, go to https://www.columbiacountyny.com/cs-news--announcements.html
All questions should be directed to the Columbia County Civil Service office 518-828-6622
Do 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