Benefits & Salary Information
Benefits
New Mexico Public School Insurance Authority (NMPSIA) website: health, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability plans and options
HealthEquity FSA Brochure. Please use the QR code on this brochure to enroll in the FSA program.
Health Equity Dependent CareFlexible SpendingAccount
RRPS Benefits
Rio Rancho Public Schools is a member of NMPSIA, the New MexicoPublic Schools Insurance Authority. NMPSIA currently administers benefits for 88 public school districts, with the exception of APS, as well as 98 charter schools. As a member of NMPSIA, RRPS is able to offer a wide range of insurance benefits to full time, contracted employees, per RRPS Board Policy 734. New hires have 31 days from their date of hire to obtain benefits. Details regarding eligibility, dependent coverage, insurance coverage and carriers can be found on the NMPSIA website, under the Employees tab, at www.nmpsia.com.
Some important links to note on the NMPSIA site include:
Eligibility Requirements
Benefits are available to fulltime, contracted employees. Employees considered less than 1.0 FTE are not eligible for benefits per RRPS Board Policy 734. Unmarried/married dependent children under age 26* and employee spouse can be covered. New employees have 31 days from the date of hire to select coverage. Qualifying events open the door to make changes in insurance coverage. Qualifying events include: marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, involuntary loss of coverage if spouse was carrying benefits, job promotion with salary increase.
*Medical, dental, vision and child life coverage for dependent children can continue through age 26 as of 08/01/2012.
Provided by RRPS free of charge:
Basic Life Insurance $50,000 (The Standard)
Shared by the employee and RRPS:
Health Insurance (Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Presbyterian or Cigna)
Dental Insurance (United Concordia or Delta Dental)
Vision Insurance (Davis Vision)
Long Term Disability (The Standard)
Cost paid 100% by employee:
Additional Life Insurance (The Standard)
Spouse Life Insurance (The Standard)
Child Life Insurance (The Standard)
Also available:
Health Equity Dependent CareFlexible SpendingAccount
403(b) or 457(b) Retirement Account (TSA Consulting Group)
Aflac
Globe Life
Common Benefits Questions
Who is eligible for benefits?
Per school board policy 734, ”full-time employees” (1.0 FTE) includes certified school instructors, certified administrators, and other regular certified or classified employees. All full-time employees of the Board of Education are eligible for all benefits required by statute or regulation and such other benefits as are allowed under any insurance program approved for participation by the Board of Education. Employees who are not full-time regular employees are eligible for only such benefits as are required to be provided by law or regulation to part-time employees.
Full-time regular employees who are on Board-approved leave of absence may retain eligibility for all insurance coverage benefits provided such employee contributes the total premium owed, including the employers’ contribution, during such leave.
What benefits are available?
Medical, dental, vision, long term disability, additional voluntary life, CVS Caremark (automatic with medical coverage), travel assistance and Life Services Toolkit beginning July 1 2016. You may also enroll in FSA, DCA, Aflac, US Legal, and Globe Life. Note: vision coverage requires a 2 year enrollment.
Are my spouse and dependents eligible for benefits?
Yes, with appropriate supportive documentation such as publicly filed marriage certificate, birth certificate from bureau of vital statistics, legal guardianship document, placement order and foster home license, etc.
Are any benefits provided at no cost to me?
Yes, basic life coverage of $50,000.00 is provided to all contract employees. Coverage goes into effect the first day of the month following your hire date provided you are actively at work on the day your basic life coverage is scheduled to go into effect.
Rio Rancho Public Schools also provides an Employee Assistance Program to all employees.
Can I enroll at any time?
You have 31 days from your date of hire to apply for all other lines of coverage (other than basic life). You are considered to have applied when you complete, sign and turn in your benefits application to RRPS benefits office.
The exception to this rule is if you request a change within 31 days of a Qualifying Event. The Plan Administrator has determined that the following are Qualifying Events, enabling you to change your coverage as appropriate.
Change in legal marital status (marriage, divorce, annulment or death of spouse).
Birth or adoption of child or placement of a foster child.
Commencement of or return from Leave of Absence.
New eligibility for coverage under another employer’s plan for yourself, spouse or dependent.
Involuntary loss of coverage under your own or a spouse’s plan.
Loss of prior coverage under a Medicaid or SCHIP plan.
New eligibility for coverage under a Medicaid or SCHIP plan.
Become eligible for Medicare (you or your spouse).
Judgment or court order to provide coverage for a dependent.
When will my benefits go into effect?
In most cases, NMPSIA coverage will go into effect the first day of the month following the date you apply provided you are actively at work on your effective date of coverage (and your premium is withheld and/or adjusted from your payroll check).
Can I enroll retroactively?
No, NMPSIA does not accept retroactive enrollment and coverage can never go into effect retroactively.
What is the cost of coverage?
The cost is shared by the employee and employer based on salary. Employee cost share is 20% up to 40% dependent on salary.
What happens if I don’t enroll within 31 days?
NMPSIA offers open enrollment each fall for medical, dental and vision. Once you apply, the change becomes effective on January 1. There is no open enrollment for long term disability and additional life. If you declined LTD and/or additional life coverage during your 31 day window from your date of hire, you may apply through evidence of insurability process with The Standard.
You may be eligible to enroll for coverage outside of the open enrollment period due to a qualifying event such as birth, marriage, adoption of a child, promotion to a new classification, divorce, involuntary loss of group or individual coverage through no fault of the person having the coverage. For more information regarding qualifying event and enrollment deadlines contact the benefits office or visit nmpsia.com
How can I contact my insurance provider?
Medical Insurance:
Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Lovelace) – 1-888-966-7742, or www.bcbsnm.com.
Presbyterian –1- 888-275-7737, or www.phs.org.
Cigna - 1-800-244-6224 or Cigna.com
Dental- Delta Dental - 1-877-395-9420 or deltadentalnm.com
Vision , Davis Vision – 1-800-999-5431, or davisvision.com
Prescriptions, CVS Caremark- 1-877-787-0652- or Caremark.com
Life & LTD ,The Standard –1- 888-609-9763, or standard.com
Enrollment Documents:
Sick Leave Bank:
Contact your building union representative for details. You do not have to be a member of the union for this benefit. Sick Leave Bank Enrollment Form
Steps to Retirement:
Create personal account at www.nmerb.org
Find your TIER to determine retirement eligibility date
Review beneficiary designation and update if needed
Request formal benefit estimate from NMERB within one year of retire
Fill out and submit your retirement application to your benefits office at least 60 to 90 days prior to expected retirement date. Attach a copy of your birth certificate, beneficiary birth certificate, or passports and marriage certificate (if needed). Submit your retirement application and supporting documentation to RRPS Human Resources
Human Resources will complete the Employer Certification form, then mail both the retirement application and Employer Certification along with supporting documentation to NMERB
Letter of Retirement must be submitted to your direct supervisor with the following information: Name, home address, work location name, job title, last day of active employment and date of retirement. Direct Supervisor will forward the letter of retirement to Human Resources with a personnel action request (PAR).
NMERB will audit the member’s retirement application. About 30 days prior to retirement date, the member will receive the FINAL RETIREMENT DOCUMENTS:
Post-retirement information and instruction sheet
Final selection of benefit form
Estimate of Retirement benefit
Authorization of Direct Deposit Services
State and Federal Tax Deduction form
Post-Retirement Employment Notice
Upon receipt of all correct final retirement documents, NMERB places member on payroll. Benefit payment dates are the last business day of the month. The first benefit is a paper check mailed to the member; the second benefit and thereafter is directly deposited into the member’s bank account.