SECTION 4: BENEFITS The Village has established a variety of employee benefit programs designed to assist you and your eligible dependents in meeting the financial burdens that can result from illness or injury and to help you plan for retirement. This portion of the booklet contains a very general description of the benefits for which you may be eligible and is not meant to interpret the terms of the official plan documents. Refer to the Benefits Guide for additional details. Health Insurance If you are regularly scheduled to work an average of 20 or more hours per week, you are eligible to participate in health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision) following any required waiting period, subject to the terms of the group health policy. Part-time regular employees (20-29 hours per week) may enroll in “employee only” coverage if their work schedule is consistent and their bi-weekly pay allows for payroll deduction of their health insurance premiums. You can pay for the benefits listed above with before-tax earnings. This can provide you a substantial tax savings. Enrollment in such plans must be made within 30-days of your initial hire date, within 30 days of a qualifying event or during the annual benefit enrollment process. The Human Resources Department can provide details regarding available coverage and the associated costs. Benefits Continuation (COBRA) The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provides the opportunity for eligible employees and their beneficiaries to continue health insurance coverage under the VOP health plan when a "qualifying event" could result in the loss of eligibility. Qualifying events include resignation, termination of employment, death of an employee, reduction in hours, an extended leave of absence, divorce or legal separation, entitlement to Medicare, or where a dependent child no longer meets eligibility requirements. Please contact Human Resources to learn more about your COBRA rights. Group Life Insurance Regular full-time employees (37.5 hours per week) and regular part-time employees (at least 20 hours per week) who have been employed for a minimum of 30 days are provided an employer-paid basic group term life insurance policy along with an accidental death and dismemberment policy. The face value of the group term life insurance may change from time to time. Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement Plan The VOP participates in the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement plan sponsored by the North Carolina Retirement Systems. Each employee who is expected to work for the Village at least 1,000 hours annually will automatically become a member of the plan and make pre-tax contributions in the amount of 6% of their annual salary to their retirement account. The VOP will also make contributions to the retirement account each pay period. Employees are considered “vested” following five years of employment. Separation from employment prior to five years will result in forfeiting the VOP’s contribution and any interest earned on the account. However, employee contributions remain the property of the employee, and can be refunded upon written request to the Retirement System. Employees who transfer from another municipality who are already members of the Local or State
Village of Pinehurst Employee Handbook – Updated January 2025
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