[Amended 6-9-2009]
Retirement benefits are provided by the Town for all eligible full-time employees and part-time employees working more than 25 hours per week or as otherwise provided for in the Town's plan.
A. 
Eligibility. The retirement program shall cover all appointed nonelected employees of the Town, excluding those of the Board of Education, who have completed a minimum of 20 or more years of service as employees of the Town and who have attained 59 1/2 years of age by the date of their last day of employment with the Town.
B. 
Medical insurance (including hospitalization, medical and dental).
(1) 
Employees, upon retirement, may elect to continue individual coverage as provided for in this manual under a subgroup established by the Town. The Town of Tolland will contribute towards the cost of an eligible retired employee’s coverage for certain designated periods in accordance with Table I. In addition, prior to age 65 and/or Medicare enrollment, if the individual coverage is a Tolland high-deductible health plan (HDHP), the Town will give that retiree annually an amount equal to 75% of the medical plan deductible. The amount will be deposited pretax into each retiree’s Health Savings Account (HSA) and split into two contributions twice a year, one in July and one in January. If a retiree under age 65 opts out of Tolland individual HDHP coverage, then he/she will be given the cash equivalent of the premium and seventy-five-percent deductible contribution in accordance with Table I, provided the alternative coverage is not through the Town of Tolland or Tolland Public Schools.
TABLE I
For Employees Aged 59 1/2 Having Served the Following Years of Service
Years of Service
Percentage of Single Health Insurance Coverage
20
50%
21
55%
22
60%
23
65%
24
70%
25
75%
26
80%
27
85%
28
90%
29
95%
30 or more
100%
(2) 
The Town's contribution toward individual medical insurance costs will be paid for a period not to exceed 5 1/2 years. If the retiree is 59 1/2 or older at the time of retirement, the Town will contribute the appropriate percentage, as outlined in Table I, towards the cost of the retiree's medical insurance benefits under the Town plan, and such plan may be modified from time to time in the Town's sole discretion. After a retiree turns 65 years of age, the Town will contribute the appropriate percentage towards the cost of the retiree's supplemental "Medigap" insurance. See Table II. After the conclusion of the five-and-one-half-year contribution period, the retiree may continue applicable coverage at his/her own expense.
TABLE II
Schedule of Benefits for Retirees Age 59 1/2
Who Meet Years of Service Requirement Set Forth in Table I
Retiree Age
Benefit Type
59 1/2
5 1/2 years single primary coverage
60 1/2
4 1/2 years single primary coverage; 1 year medigap coverage
61 1/2
3 1/2 years single primary coverage; 2 years medigap coverage
62 1/2
2 1/2 years single primary coverage; 3 years medigap coverage
63 1/2
1 1/2 years single primary coverage; 4 years medigap coverage
64 1/2
1/2 year single primary coverage; 5 years medigap coverage
65 1/2+
5 1/2 years medigap coverage
C. 
Life insurance. Group life insurance coverage, upon retirement, will equal 50% of the face amount of the policy in existence during the year prior to retirement. Insurance will be continued to the age of 70 at Town expense.
D. 
The Town shall provide a qualified 401(a) defined contribution plan for all part-time and full-time employees. The Town shall provide an employer contribution in the amount of 6.0% of an employee's base earnings, as defined by the plan document, excluding overtime, in accordance with its plan document. The employee shall contribute 2.5% of his/her base earnings, as defined by the plan document, excluding overtime.
[Amended 6-14-2016]
A. 
Old age and survivor benefits under the Federal Social Security Act are provided to all covered employees. The cost of such benefits is shared jointly by the employee and the Town. Employee deductions will be made in each payroll period in accordance with the law. Benefits shall be as established by federal legislation.
B. 
Part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees who are not eligible to participate in social security, but as allowed by federal law, will have their contribution deposited in the Town's retirement annuity account. This benefit will not be matched by the Town.
A. 
Workers' compensation is provided by the Connecticut Workers' Compensation Act from funds contributed by the employer for disabilities resulting from accidental injury or occupational disease arising out of and in the course of employment.
B. 
Employees who become disabled or suffer loss of earnings through accidental injury arising out of and in the course of their employment or through occupational disease may be entitled to compensation payments. These payments cover medical and surgical expenses, hospitalization and, as prescribed by law, payments for lost time, partial or total disability or death.
C. 
Any injury or illness sustained while in the line of duty must be reported to the employee's manager/supervisor immediately. Persons sustaining injury are to receive necessary medical attention, depending on the nature of the injury, at the nearest medical facility (or if not of a critical nature, the medical facility of the injured person's choice). Injuries occurring on Town property are to be reported in writing to the Director of Administrative Services, including:
(1) 
A brief description of the injury and how and where it occurred.
(2) 
Name and address of physician or hospital who or which treated the injury.
(3) 
Witnesses' names, addresses and telephone numbers.
(4) 
Name, address, and telephone number of injured person.
(5) 
Date and approximate time of incident.
(6) 
Reports should be submitted within 24 hours of the incident.
D. 
Work-related injuries occurring off Town property require the same detailed reporting to assure full completion of workers' compensation insurance forms. Failure to report injuries according to the above guidelines can result in corrective action and may adversely affect the workers' compensation claim.
A. 
Full-time and part-time employees are eligible to subscribe to the Town’s hospitalization, medical, dental and group life insurance plans upon appointment. Enrollment in the above plans shall be open to all eligible employees and their families. Life insurance protection will be paid 100% by the Town. Effective July 1, 2009, eligible personnel policy employees will be part of a high-deductible health plan. The Town will contribute 75% annually towards each employee’s medical plan deductible. This amount will be deposited pretax into each employee’s Health Savings Account split into two contributions, one in July and the other in January. If, in the future, the premium rates for this high-deductible health plan equal those of a traditional POS health plan, then the Town will have the right to switch back to a traditional POS health plan. If an employee turns 65 and/or Medicare-eligible and is still employed by the Town, then he/she is not necessarily required to enroll in Medicare. Medicare will not penalize benefit eligibility while actively at work. Once the employee leaves service with the Town he/she can enroll in Medicare during the eight-month period that begins the month the employment ends. (See the "Medicare and You 2009" publication at www.medicare.gov.) Under the Health Savings Account Law, an HSA participant who enrolls in Medicare is no longer eligible to contribute funds to his/her HSA bank account, and no one else may contribute to the HSA account on the participant's behalf. However, the person may use the existing funds in the HSA to cover qualified expenses. If an employee has dual medical coverage or is enrolled in Medicare, then the Town will give the employee a taxable amount equal to 75% of the employee’s medical plan deductible. Effective July 1, 2012, employees shall participate in premium cost sharing for hospitalization, medical and dental coverages, in accordance with the table below.
[Amended 6-28-2011; 6-26-2012; 6-11-2013; 6-14-2016]
Effective Date
Percentage of Premium Cost Sharing
July 1, 2016
18.5% of health insurance premium
Summary plan descriptions (SPD), which describe the existing benefits, conditions, restrictions and exclusions of the current plans, are available from the Office of the Town Manager. If there are any conflicts between this provision of the Personnel Policy and the SPD governing these plans, the SPD will control.
B. 
The Town reserves the right to change carriers and to eliminate, modify or alter the present program, including a change in the amount of employee contribution towards the cost of health insurance, in its sole discretion. The Town shall have the right to offer employees wellness program(s), and to the extent that employees and their eligible dependents (if applicable) voluntarily join the wellness program(s) offered by the Town and meet each of the eligibility requirements, the Town shall have the right to offer participating employees financial and/or other incentives for their successful participation in the program(s) offered by the Town, as such programs may change from time to time. Effective July 1, 2013, the incentive for joining and meeting the requirements of the Town Wellness Program will be a reduction of 2% in health insurance premiums for the employee and an extra 1% for the employee's spouse.
[Amended 6-11-2013]
C. 
Long-term disability insurance will be provided to all supervisory/department head positions; the cost of this insurance will be borne by the Town. In most cases, coverage will be for 66% of salary after a one-hundred-eighty-day waiting period. Medical eligibility for coverage will be at the sole discretion of the Town's insurer.
At the Town's determination, employees may be required to wear uniforms, protective gear or other types of special clothing; however, the Town will provide the uniform, protective gear, special clothing or a clothing allowance for those employees whose work requires that special clothing be worn. The Town reserves the right to determine what uniforms are to be worn, who will wear uniforms, what protective gear is required and how such gear will be worn or used.
If an employee, in the performance of his or her duties, must travel, the employee will be reimbursed for transportation, meals, lodging and incidental expenses if such travel is authorized in advance by the department head and approved by the Town Manager. The rate of reimbursement shall be determined by the Town Council upon recommendation of the Town Manager. Employees shall submit their compensation claims to the finance office monthly.