Q: Does Granbury ISD offer health insurance?
A: Yes, Granbury ISD offers health insurance through TRS ActiveCare. There is also a prescription service that works with TRS ActiveCare called CVS Caremark.
Q: Do I have to use a CVS pharmacy to get a prescription filled?
A: No. You may use any pharmacy you wish that takes the coverage. You are not limited to using a CVS pharmacy. CVS Caremark is the company that works with BCBS provide a prescription service to employees and their dependents enrolled in TRS ActiveCare health coverage.
Q: If I enroll in the TRS ActiveCare health insurance, will I receive an insurance card?
A: Yes. If you enroll in the TRS ActiveCare health insurance, you should receive two different cards. You will receive a card from BCBS/TRS for your health coverage and a Caremark Prescription Card from Caremark/TRS.
Q: What if I or one of my health insurance covered dependents, are sick, but we don’t want to go to the doctor. Is there another alternative to receive some care?
A: Yes, as an employee, if you have health coverage with the District under the TRS ActiveCare plans, there is another alternative to receive medical care for minor illnesses without going to a doctor. Teladoc, (1-855-835-2362), is a 24/7/365 service that you pre-register for that is connected with your Aetna health insurance coverage. There are certified doctors and nurses on call at the Teladoc facility to help you with minor illnesses such as sinus infections, colds, flu, viruses, UTIs, etc. There is a $40.00 co-pay for employees and dependents on the TRS ActiveCare 1HD coverage. The co-pay is waived on the TRS ActiveCare Select plan and Health 2 plan for employees and dependents covered under these plans.
Q: Does Granbury ISD offer any other insurance?
A: Yes. Granbury ISD offers Superior Vision Insurance coverage. Granbury ISD offers Accident, Disability, Term Life, and Health Savings Accounts for the high deductible health plans through American Fidelity Assurance Company. Granbury ISD offers Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity through AFLAC. Granbury ISD offers Cancer coverage through Humana. Granbury ISD offers Term Life through BCBS. Granbury ISD offers permanent life insurance through Texas Life. First Financial Administrators, our third party administrator, manages Flexible Spending Accounts for medical reimbursement, for Granbury ISD. Granbury ISD owns its own Dental Reimbursement Plan that covers up to $1,000.00 per employee/dependent, per year, covered by the plan at a percentage per service visit. All the products listed above are offered by our third party administrator, First Financial Administrators. They can be found at www.granburyisd.org under Employees, with much beneficial information on their offered products.
Q: When is our insurance in effect?
A: All insurance coverage, health and voluntary, begins September 1 and ends August 31 of any given year.
Q: If I have other coverage and decline the TRS ActiveCare and then I lose my coverage, can I enroll in the TRS ActiveCare once the open enrollment period has passed?
A: Yes, you can enroll in the TRS ActiveCare during the plan year after open enrollment ends, if you have a qualifying event. The qualifying events are Marriage, Divorce, Birth, Death, or involuntarily Loosing Other Health Coverage.
Q: Can I change insurance plans during a plan year?
A: No, you cannot change insurance plans during a plan year. This is against TRS rules.
Q: When would premiums start being taken from my check?
A: With all the health and voluntary coverage, Granbury ISD “pays-as-we-go”. This means that if you have coverage beginning September 1, you will pay for that coverage split between your two September checks. ie: September premiums pay for September coverage, October premiums pay for October coverage, etc.
Q: Does Granbury ISD help pay for any of my insurance?
A: Yes. Granbury ISD contributes $303 and the State of Texas contributes $75, for a total benefit of $378 a month towards your health insurance coverage, if you enroll in the TRS ActiveCare health insurance coverage offered by the District and you are a full time employee. Part time employees receive a total of $282 towards their TRS ActiveCare health insurance coverage. You do not receive this benefit if you are not enrolled in the TRS ActiveCare health coverage offered by the District.
Q: What kind of retirement does Granbury ISD offer to employees?
A: A full-time or part-time regular employee that is in a position that pays into the Texas Retirement System will have a retirement account with TRS. The employee pays an amount of 7.7% out of each check towards their own retirement account.
Q: Does Granbury ISD offer any retirement plans that I can pay into for myself other than the Texas Teacher Retirement System?
A: Yes. Granbury ISD can payroll deduct 403(b) contributions that the employee sets up with an agent or broker, that are approved TRS vendors. Most all the major annuity companies are on the TRS vendor list. First Financial Administrators has developed a 457(b) retirement account that has been built for educators to be comparable to a 401(k) in the corporate world. This retirement account must go through payroll deduction.
Q: As a school district employee, do I pay Social Security?
A: The large population of school district employees does not pay Social Security. For this group of employees, TRS takes the place of Social Security. However, we have four groups of employees that pay into Social Security and TRS. These employees are Maintenance employees, Cafeteria Managers, Custodians, and Transportation Support (Mechanics).
Q: I saw on my paycheck that I’m paying into TRS Care. What is this?
A: TRS Care is a .55% amount that each TRS paying employee is required to pay into an account to help supplement TRS insurance for TRS retirees.
Q: As a school district employee, will I pay into Medicare?
A: As a school district employee you will pay into Medicare benefits if you were hired or re-hired at a district after March 31, 1986. Employees who have been in continuous employment with a district as of March 31, 1986 or later will contribute to Medicare. An employee that hired on at a district before March 31, 1986 and has remained with that same district will be exempt from Medicare taxes, provided they are a member of a public retirement system.
Q: Are any of the insurance coverages pre-taxed?
A: Yes. The pre-tax insurance coverages available to you for enrollment are American Fidelity Accident, TRS ActiveCare health, FSA (Flex) medical reimbursement, FSA (Flex) Dependent Care, Superior Vision, Granbury ISD Dental reimbursement plan, Health Saving Account for the high deductible health insurance, and the AFLAC Hospital Indemnity.
The coverage premiums that are deducted after-tax are American Fidelity Disability, American Fidelity Term Life, Texas Life, and AFLAC Critical Illness.
Q: Which dentists in the area take the Granbury ISD Dental Reimbursement Plan?
A: The Granbury ISD Dental coverage is a reimbursement plan, not insurance coverage. You may go to any dental service provider you wish to see. You will take care of your charges with the dental office and then you and the dental office will complete the dental reimbursement form and email, fax, or mail the completed form and a copy of your bill from the dental visit to the address/number on the form within 90 days of the service to be reimbursed. If you file the claim after the 90 days the service was performed, the claim will not be honored and you will not be reimbursed for the service. The plan covers each person enrolled with up to $1,000.00 for dental reimbursement coverage.
Q: Which eye doctors in the area take the Superior Vision insurance?
A: There are several in-network eye care doctors/facilities in the area that accept the Superior Select Southwest vision insurance. There are also providers in the Weatherford and Fort Worth areas. To find a provider or see if your doctor accepts the Superior Select Southwest vision insurance, you can go to https://www.superiorvision.com/member/locate_provider. Or you can contact the provider of your choice.
Q: If I enroll in the UNUM Disability coverage, and have to use it, do I have to file it myself?
A: If you file on the Disability coverage, you will be expected to complete the Employee Information Sheet and Statement, and your health provider will be expected to complete the Physician’s Information Sheet and Statement. These two forms need to be returned to the Benefits Office in the Human Resources Department to be processed. Once they are returned, the Benefits Specialist will complete the Employer Information Sheet and Statement, gather a copy of your work calendar and job description, and then file the Disability claim on your behalf. If an employee who has the Disability coverage files a claim, and wants the monies from the claim to be direct deposited into their bank account, a VOIDED personal check must accompany the Disability paperwork that is returned to the Benefits Specialist.
Q: Is there anywhere I can go to check on my insurance claims and keep track of my EOB (Evidence of Benefits)?
A: Yes. You can go to www.bcbstx.com and register on “Navigator”. This site lets you keep up with your claims, EOBs, order health cards, print off temporary health cards, and etc. You can also register at www.caremark.com to order prescriptions, track refills and all prescribed medication, order prescription cards, print off temporary prescription cards, and etc.
Q: What is a FSA/Flex Spending Account?
A: Flexible Spending Accounts are tax-favored accounts that allow participants to set aside money pretax for eligible Medical care costs. FSAs allow an employee the opportunity to put some of their salary aside before taxes to pay for many common out-of-pocket medical expenses. You can pay for these expenses by filing a paper claim through First Financial Administrators, or you will be issued a debit card for the account that looks much like a bank debit card or a charge card. If you do not use all the monies you set aside in this account, you can “roll” up to $500.00 forward into the next plan year’s Flex Account. All monies earmarked for this account will be up-fronted for use when the account begins and paid for throughout the employee’s yearly paychecks for the plan year. There is also a mobile app for this coverage.
Q: What is Dependent Care coverage?
A: A Dependent Care FSA allows an employee to pay for daycare expenses for a qualified dependent/child with pre-tax dollars while you are working. Eligible dependents must be claimed as an exemption on your tax return. With this account, you only have the monies in the account that are deducted from each paycheck. These monies are not up-fronted for the plan year.
Q: What is a Health Savings Account?
A: A Health Savings Account is a “bank account” that pre-taxed money is put into by the employee who is enrolled in a high deductible health insurance plan. The account can be used to pay for doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, eye exams, dental work, and any other medical costs that might be incurred. With this account, you only have the monies in the account that are deducted from each paycheck. These monies are not up-fronted for the plan year.
