Benefits Upon Separation

This page provides post employment benefits information to staff that have separated from the County.

Benefits Termination

Important Benefits Termination Dates
BenefitTermination Dates and Important Notes

Core Benefits

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision

Terminates at the end of the month following your last work date

  • Example: Last work day is Jan. 1, benefits end Feb. 28

Contact Auditor-Payroll with any questions. 

Before separating, review your benefits in BenXcel. For login help, see our BenXcel Resources webpage.

Ancillary Benefits

  • Voya Life Insurance
  • Voya Long Term Disability
  • Aflac Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity

Terminates at the end of the month of your last work date

  • Example: Last work day is Jan. 1, benefits terminate Jan. 31

If you would like to continue your Voya Life Insurance or Long Term Disability plans after you separate, you may be allowed to either port or convert plan. To port or convert any plans, you must contact [email protected] within 31 days of your separation.

  • Employee Paid Supplemental Voya Life Insurance - you may port or convert this policy
  • Employer Paid Basic Voya Life Insurance - you may only convert this policy
  • Employee/Employer Paid Voya Long Term Disability - you may only convert these policies
Visit the Voya Life Insurance webpage for more information on porting or converting your life insurance policy. Visit the Voya Long Term Disability webpage for more information on converting your LTD policy.

If you would like to continue one of your Aflac plans after you separate, you may "port" your policy. You must submit your port form within 30 days of your separation.

Tax Savings Account

  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • You have 60 days from your last day worked to submit receipts for qualifying expenses incurred prior to your separation date.
  • After you separate, you cannot use your funds for new expenses. You can only submit for expenses incurred prior to your separation. 
  • Review the Submit a Claim webpage for instructions
    • Claims must be submitted within 60 days of separation
  • For FSA support, contact BCC at (800) 685-6100
  • With your HSA, you get to take this account and the funds with you. You will need to contact BCC at (800) 685-6100 or [email protected] about accessing the funds and/or rolling over into another account. 

COBRA

You can continue coverage for yourself and dependents for a maximum of 18 months through a federal law called COBRA, unless you have comparable group coverage available to you through another employer. The cost of coverage will be the monthly cost of insurance plus 2%.

You will receive a COBRA letter once your employee core benefits (medical, dental, and vision) end. For questions regarding continuing insurance coverage, contact Benefits Coordination Company (BCC) at (800) 685-6100. For additional information on COBRA, see the US Department of Labor COBRA Continuation Coverage website. 

 

Other Post Employment Benefits

Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP)

The Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP) is designed to help employees defray the cost of health care after separation from County service.
There are two different types of PEHP accounts offered by the County and your account type is determined by your bargaining unit. When you retire or separate from County service, you can submit claims for qualified medical expenses to be reimbursed by the funds in your PEHP account. Review the PEHP webpage for more information on the accounts, how to access funds, and the PEHP Claim Form. 

VEBA Plan

Do you have a different VEBA plan? Employees can get cash out per bargaining unit anything over that limit up to a cap they get cash value for.  They need to do the form to gain access to that money.  

Deferred Compensation

When you leave your job with the County, the funds you contribute to your deferred comp account are yours. You may be able to roll your assets into another eligible retirement plan or IRA. You have the option of rolling your leave balances to Deferred Comp, which gives you a tax benefit.

To defer any vacation or sick leave balances to a Nationwide Deferred Comp account, you will need to contact Payroll the month before your retirement date:

Complete the Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plan Accrual Deferral form to elect sick and vacation payout options and contact Payroll for additional information.

Pension Trust

If you are retiring, please contact Pension Trust at (805) 781-5465 to schedule a pre-retirement meeting approximately 4-6 months in advance of your retirement date.

If you are separating from County service but not retiring, Pension Trust will send you a packet via US Mail within one to two weeks following receipt of your last payroll information detailing your available options. This could include a refund of your Employee Contributions and accumulated interest, reciprocity with other CA retirement systems, or deferring your retirement until a later date.

If your contact information changes after separating employment, please contact Pension Trust at (805) 781-5465 or log into the SLOCPT Member Portal to make changes.

File a Form 700 - Leaving Office Statement

Please contact your department NetFile (Form 700) Coordinator to initiate the process for your Leaving Office Statement.

Public officials (designated board and commission members, employees, and consultants) must file Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) and disclose their interests on or before the statutory deadline, when leaving office or employment. 

FAQs

No, you cannot opt out of the PEHP. PEHP is required and was an agreement by employee unions. Review your respective County MOU.

No, the County is not eligible to offer Cal COBRA with our plans. 

Once your COBRA ends, you may be eligible for a COBRA Qualifying Event. Review the Department of Labor's COBRA Continuation webpage.

The County COBRA is for 18 months. For more information on COBRA continuation, visit the Department of Labor's COBRA continuation webpage.