Profile:  New York City Department of Children’s Services (DCS), New York City, NY

Purpose/Mission Statement:  The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) protects and stimulate safety and welfare of New York City’s children and families by delivering adolescent care, welfare, justice for the youth, and promotion of early childhood development and educational services.

Aim/Vision: To advocate for a better today and tomorrow for all adolescents of New York City.

Pipeline: Adolescent Services | Youth LGBTQ Support | Child Protection Services | Immigration Services | Juvenile Court

New York City Department of Children’s Services (DCF) is a mayoral agency of the City of New York that provides services to the youth and families of New York City.  Providing wide-ranging services support through DCF we are able to offer specialized service under child welfare, juvenile justice, early care/education, youth and lgbtq support and immigration services for all in New York City. This also includes Foster Care in connection with NYC Juvenile Court System and other Local, State and Federal entities. In an effort to achieve and cultivate the various priorities of the agency that make up DCF we to all need to offer a benefit plan/package to all of our workers who aides DCF purpose and aim.

Benefits Program:

The listed information below are insurance plans available to all fulltime employees for the 2016 Benefit Plan Year.  In accordance with the Affordable Care “Obama Care” all employees are required to enroll in health coverage via employee sponsored or individual coverage. For detailed information on insurance providers please call DCF Human Resource Generalist at (212) 333-1906.  Open enrollment begins every November 1^st of each calendar year *Applies to current employees wishing to change/add coverage*

Health Insurance:

As per collective bargaining agreements, the City of New York and the Municipal Unions have cooperated in choosing health plans and designing the benefits for the City’s Health Benefits Program. Individual premiums ranges from $0.00 - $242.88 bi-weekly and for a family premiums ranges $0.00 - $591.69 bi-weekly based on size of family. DC37 Union employees (Vision and Dental is covered by Union).

Below list the Health Plans available to New York City Employees;

Aetna EPO Basic Plan

Aetna EPO Basic Plan w/Prescription Drugs

Cigna HMO Basic Plan

Cigna HMO Basic Plan w/ Prescription Drugs

DC37 Med-Team

Empire BlueCross BlueShield EPO Plan w/ Prescription Drugs

Empire BlueCross BlueShield EPO Plan w/o Prescription Drugs

Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO Plan w/ Prescription Drugs

Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO Plan w/o Prescription Drugs

Empire BlueCross BlueShield Hospital Plan Only (Companion to GHI CBP Medical Coverage)

GHI CBP Basic Plan

GHI CBP Basic Plan w/ Enhanced Schedule and Prescription Drugs (Optional Rider)

GHI HMO Basic Plan

GHI HMO Basic Plan w/ Prescription Drugs

HIP HMO Basic Plan

HIP HMO Basic Plan w/ DME and PDN

HIP POS Basic Plan

HIP POS Basic Plan w/ Prescription Drugs

MetroPlus Gold

Vytra Basic Plan

Vytra Basic Plan w/Prescription Drugs

 

**All coverages for family includes dependents up to age 26. **Hospitalization Coverage under union Citywide agreement.

 

Flexible Spending Accounts Programs:

 

The City of New York Employee Benefits Program provides two programs, The Medical Spending Conversion (MSC) and the Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA), that offers participants the opportunity to use pre-tax funds to increase take-home pay.  These programs are administrated through

 

The Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) program;

 

1.      Medical Spending Conversion - All employees who have payroll deductions for health benefits are automatically enrolled in the MSC Premium Conversion Program.  The Premium Conversion Program allows for premiums of health plan deductions on a pre-tax basis.

2.      Health Benefits Buy-Out Waiver (Employees Only)

The MSC Health Benefits Buy-Out Wavier Program entitles all eligible employees to receive a cash incentive payment for waiving their City health benefits if non-City group health coverage is available to them (e.g., a spouse’s/domestic partner’s plan, coverage from another employer.) Contact the HR Generalist for more information.

 

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA)

 

The Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) Program is designed to help employees pay for necessary out-of-pocket medical, dental, vision, and hearing aid expenses not covered by insurance.  HCFSA is funded through pre-tax payroll deductions, thereby effectively reducing the employee’s taxable income.

 

Dental Insurance (DC37 Members receives free Dental Insurance via Plan)

Dental Insurance is included by employee’s union group.  Contact appropriate Union directly for all coverage information

Vision Insurance (DC37 Members receives free Vision Insurance via Plan)

Vision Insurance is included by employee’s union group.  Contact appropriate Union directly for all coverage information

Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit (DC37 Members Only)

If an active employee dies as a result of an accident, *an additional benefit of  $10,00 (full-time) or $6,000 (part-time) will be paid to the beneficiary (is) as an Accidental Death Benefit.  Death must occur within 90 days from the date of the accident and be a result of injuries sustained in that accident.

Death Benefit

If an active employee covered by the Plan dies, a Death Benefit of $10,000 for a full-timer or $6,000 for a part-timer will be paid to his/her beneficiaries.  The Death Benefits is paid to the person or persons selected by the member on his/her enrollment card or Change of Beneficiaries. 

Retirement

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) is opened to all full time employees. Employees who enroll in the NYCERS Pension program will enroll in pension payroll deductions amounting to 4.85% of his/her bi-weekly gross pay.  Please contact Pension Enrollment Officer at NYCERS directly or contact your HR Generalist for contact information.

Benefit Issue

I would like to address issue of tuition reimbursement or remission within the City of New York.  Currently the City of New York Municipal Government does not offer any tuition reimbursement/remission.  If you are lucky enough to be a part of a union that offers tuition reimbursement for actively being enrolled in a professional or continuing education you are lucky.  In today’s workforce more and more people are finding the need to have a Bachelor’s degree to attain a middle income paying job, but unfortunately 7 in 10 graduating seniors in 2013 or 69% are left with $28,400 in debt and can range in the upwards of $71k. I would like to address the City Government not offering any tuition reimbursement or remission and how it is vital to a recent or past college or graduate degree holder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/active/health-active-fsa-programs.page

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/active/health-active-plan-premiums.page

http://dc37.net/benefits/health/death.html

http://dc37.net/benefits/health/dental.html

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/healthhome.page

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attachments:

• 1506710941-Course Project Instructions.pdf