Prescription Drugs – CAREMARK

Short-term:  $10 copay for generic prescriptions, $20 copay for preferred, $45 copay for non-preferred

Long Term:         Mail order program: same copays except for 90-day supply.

DENTAL INSURANCE                                                                                                  

Eligible: 1st of the Month after hire

The City of Portsmouth shall enroll all members in Delta Dental. The City shall pay 100% of the premium for single, two- person or family plan as may be required. Coverage for dental procedures differs based on the procedures. Please refer to the schedule below for coverage under Delta Dental.

Coverage A-Diagnostic and Preventative - Payable at 100 % - no deductible

1. Cleanings (routine and/or periodontal) four times a calendar year

2. Bitewing x-rays once in a calendar year

3. Full mouth panoramic x-rays once in a three year period

4. X-rays of individual teeth as necessary

5. Evaluations twice in a calendar year

6. Oral Cancer Screening once a year no age limit

7. Fluoride treatment twice in a calendar year up to age 18

8. Sealant application to permanent molars, once per tooth in any period of three consecutive years, for children to age 18

9. Space maintainers to age 15

Coverage B-Restorative - Payable to 60 % - no deductible

1. Fillings-includes Resin (white), on all teeth

2. Extractions

3. Root canal therapy

4. Repair of removable dentures

5. Periodontics including periodontal maintenance 4 times year

6. Treatment of Gum Disease

• ​​​Bridges
• Partials
• Dentures
• Crowns
• Rebase and reline dentures
• Implants
• Onlays

SECTION 125

The City of Portsmouth allows you the option of taking your medical deductions on a pre-tax basis. This means we will take your medical deductions prior to taking federal, state (if applicable) and Medicare taxes.

See example:John Anderson contributes $150 per month ($1800 per year) towards the cost of his family’s health insurance. If he elects to have that contribution deducted from his gross wages per-tax, he would save the following Federal and Medicare taxes:

Federal:                 $1800 x 15%     =        $270.00

Medicare:             $1800 x 1.45%   =        $ 26.10

                   TOTAL SAVINGS       =       $296.10

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) will allow employees to set aside dollars over the course of the fiscal year on a pre-tax basis to pay for medical and/or dependent care expenses. Deductions will be taken before Federal, State (if applicable) and Medicare taxes. Click here to review the FSA Overview.

Medial Reimbursement Accounts

Can be used to pay for:

• • • Medical insurance Deductibles or coinsurance
    • Uninsured Dental Expenses (including orthodontia)
    • Vision Care Expenses including exams, glasses or contact lenses and solution, and Lasik surgery
    • Hearing Aids and batteries
    • Support or corrective devises (such as orthopedic shoes)
    • And much more!

Employees may set aside up to $2,700 per year with a minimum of $5 per pay period and a maximum of $112.50 per pay period.

Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts

Can be used to pay for:

NEW HAMPSHIRE RETIREMENT SYSTEM

All members must contribute 11.8% of their gross taxable earnings from their employer through automatic payroll deductions beginning their first day of employment. The City contributes to NHRS on behalf of their employees based on a percentage of covered payroll, the rate is determined by NHRS.

NHRS is a defined benefit plan. Retirement pensions are based on a predetermined formula measured by salary credit and service credit.

• • • Average final compensation (AFC) – The average of a member’s 5 highest-paid years of creditable service.
    • Creditable service – Service credit earned as a contributing member of NHRS and prior service.
    • Earnable compensation – Gross taxable earnings paid by an employer to a member from which NHRS contributions must be withheld.

Employees must have 10 or more years of creditable service to be vested. If you are an active member at age 52.5 or older with at least 25 years of Group II creditable service you are eligible to retire.

LONG TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE

Effective: 1st of the month after 6 months

The City provides disability income insurance for members of the Association that have been employed 6 months equal to 66- 2/3 of basic monthly earnings not to exceed the maximum monthly benefit of $10,000. Said insurance shall be effective after the 61st day of disability. Said insurance shall continue as long as the member remains disabled or until age sixty-five and shall be coordinated with social security. Click here to view the Long Term Disability Life Insurance Certificate.

LIFE INSURANCE

Effective: 1st of the month after 6 months

The City provides a group life insurance policy for members of the Association that have been employed 6 months in the amount of one times your salary, in accordance with the conditions set forth in the insurance policy. Click here to view the Basic Term Life Insurance Certificate.

EARNED TIME                                                                                                                 Effective: One Year from date of hire

It is the intent of this policy to explain the provisions and conditions of the Earned Time Program. The program has been created to provide, as equitably as possible, paid time off, to be used at the employee’s discretion, while protecting an allotment of time for disability, hospitalization or injury.

Earned time is a combination of vacation and personal absence days. A separate account per year is accumulated for disability time (seven days per year).

Earned Time is an alternative approach to the traditional manner of converting absences for vacation, sick leave, interim disability, maternity leave, by combing all these plans into one program. Instead of dividing benefits into a specific number of days for each benefit, Earned Time puts these days together into a single benefit. The exact amount of Earned Time accrued each year will depend on the years of service with the Portsmouth Fire Department.

Employees will begin accruing earned time based on the following schedule:

1. Administrative Leave
2. Unpaid leaves of absence
3. After absence due to personal illness/injury for more than three consecutive working days an employee may use his/her Disability Bank, if available.
4. Emergency Leave
5. Military Leave
6. Worker’s Compensation
7. Disciplinary Suspension

Applicable request forms will be completed, signed by the Shift Officer and approved by the Fire Chief prior to the use of earned time.

Earned Time begins accruing on the 15th of the month after the date of hire. Employees may use their earned time as soon as it earned once they have completed their probationary period.

Accumulated Earned Time may be used for personal illness or accident, immediate family illness or accident, or compelling personal reasons.

All Earned Time payments are computed at the employee’s current base rate.

Employees are responsible for the Earned Time balance reflected on their pay stubs.  Any errors should be reported immediately.

At separation, any unused earned time days will be cashed out at full value.

Unused Earned Time Carryover

Employees are allowed to accumulate up to a maximum of 60 earned time days as of January 1st of any calendar year. Any days over the 60 day limit but no more than 10 in a year may be cashed out by an employee hired after January 1, 1996 at ninety percent (90.0%) or deposited to the Disability Bank.

Disability Bank

Days will accumulate at the rate of seven (7) days per year (or .583 per month).

The Disability Bank hours are to be used for extended illness, injury, disability related to pregnancy, or hospitalization only. Usage of the Disability Bank commences with the 4th consecutive day of absence from work due to illness or injury. A physician’s report must accompany the request to use the Disability Bank Days. Periodic updates from the employee’s physician may be required. In the event that an employee is hospitalized or has surgery (this includes day surgery procedures) for something other than a work-related problem, the Disability Bank may be used starting with the first day of hospitalization. Any disability related to pregnancy will be treated like any other medical condition.

An exception to the policy that requires the usage of three (3) Earned Time days before being permitted to access the Disability Bank when the disability is certified by a physician to be the same as for the original use or from the same cause as the original Disability Bank usage.

Return to Work: Following a period of absence due to illness/injury, medical documentation supporting the employee’s ability to perform the essential functions of the job is required prior to returning to work.

The use of the Disability Bank for extended illness or injury requires medical documentation and may indicate the need for use of the Family Medical Leave Act and the need to contact the Human Resource Department concerning long-term disability.

Upon death of an employee while in the employment of the City, the City shall pay to his/her spouse or next of kin an amount equal to 100% of the value of his/her accumulated sick leave. Firefighters hired after January 1, 1996 shall receive no pay out at all for accumulated sick leave either for retirement or termination.

HOLIDAYS

All employees covered by the Local #1313 Agreement shall be compensated at a rate of pay established by the annual base salary divided by 260.

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Washington’s Birthday

½ day on Good Friday

Memorial Day

Independence Day Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veteran’s Day

Thanksgiving Day

Day after Thanksgiving

Christmas Day

½ Day the day preceding Christmas day when Christmas comes between Tuesday through Friday.

All permanent full-time employees shall be entitled to Emergency leave up to three (3) calendar days, if needed, with pay for death in the family. If needed, an additional two (2) days may be granted by the Chief or his designee, at his/her discretion for the immediate family. Immediate family shall be defined as follows: Spouse, child, (including adopted children and step children), parent (including parent by adoption), brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, grandchild and only the following in-laws—the grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, brother or sister of the employee’s current spouse.

MILITARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Any member who is ordered for active military service as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, or who is engaged in activities in the Reserve Forces of the United States of America, or State National Guard, shall be granted a leave of absence to perform such military duties with the City paying the difference in salary between the employee’s base pay and his military base pay for said duty and without loss of leave time. Such leave shall be considered Military Leave and shall not exceed fourteen (14) working days in a calendar year.

LONGEVITY

In the December following five (5) years of continuous service, an employee shall become entitled to a longevity bonus.

WORKER’S COMPENSATION INSURANCE

In case of accidental personal injury to any employee arising out of any accident in the course of his/her employment, the City shall adjust the employee’s pay so that he/she nets the same amount as if he/she had actually worked. This shall be accomplished by either paying the difference to the employee, or if the workers’ compensation benefit is more than the net pay, the City shall deduct the amount of the difference made until the employee is able to return to work. In no event shall such payments by the City exceed 52 weeks.

CLOTHING ALLOWANCE

The City agrees to credit each firefighter with a clothing allowance of $600.00 per year to be paid by July 15 of each year. In addition to the clothing allowance, each employee shall receive protective clothing for firefighting duties which require special clothing at the expense of the City.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Free Parking at work location
• Free membership to the Portsmouth Public Library
• BJ’s Warehouse Membership Discount
• Training Programs
• Health/Wellness
  • Free Flu Shots for employee and spouse
  • Free Health Screenings
  • 50% Discount to Portsmouth Recreational Facilities for Employee
  • Discount to Seacoast Family YMCA
  • Discounts to other local gym facilities
  • Free Hepatitis B vaccinations
• Discounts to FUN
  • Discount tickets to Ski Areas
  • Discount tickets to Summer Fun
  • Discount Regal Cinema Movie Tickets
  • Tickets at Work (discounts to Broadway shows, show in Las Vegas etc.)
• Payroll Deductions
  • Direct Deposit-Any Financial Institution
  • 457 Deferred Compensation (Great-West, ICMA, PFPOPE)
  • Roth IRA (ICMA. Great-West, PFPOPE)
  • AFLAC
  • Colonial Supplemental Insurances
  • Liberty Mutual Home and Auto Insurance
  • LegalShield