Learn about 2024 benefits before Open Enrollment
Take the time to review your benefit choices before Open Enrollment, Nov. 1-15. The following benefit changes become effective for all employee benefit groups on Jan. 1, 2024:
KingCare PPO and KingCare Select (Regence BlueShield) medical plans:
- The PrudentRx program will be offered by CVS to members who take specialty drugs. If you enroll in PrudentRx, you will pay $0 for eligible specialty medications. If you do not enroll, you will pay 30% coinsurance for specialty medications. PrudentRx representatives will contact all eligible employees to enroll.
- The CVS Cost Saver program will be added Nov. 1, 2023. Cost Saver will automatically provide discount prices on many non-specialty generic retail prescription drugs through GoodRx. No action is required by you – the discount prices will apply when you go to your usual in-network pharmacy.
All medical plans (Regence and Kaiser):
- In addition to regular preventive breast cancer screenings, further diagnostic breast examinations will now be covered at 100%. This may include mammography, ultrasound, and breast MRI.
- Coverage for in-network services and medications for termination of pregnancy will increase to 100%.
Flexible Spending Accounts:
- For Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), the maximum contribution increases to $3,050 and the carryover allowed from this year to next year increases to $610. For more information go to Flexible Spending Accounts.
More information:
- Go to the Open Enrollment web page.
- Look for the Open Enrollment mailer sent to your home address.
- Sign up for an Open Enrollment Learning Session.
- Plan on attending one of the Benefit Fairs.
- Watch the Open Enrollment Overview
- Contact or stop by the Benefits office:
Chinook Building, 2nd Floor
401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
206-684-1556 kc.benefits@kingcounty.gov
Closed on Veterans Day: Nov. 10
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Five questions with Lauren Orichio, Supported Employment Program Manager
1. What is your role at King County and when did you start? I started at King County on Sept. 18 as the Supported Employment Program Manager. The goal of the Supported Employment Program is to create employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities within King County Government. In doing so, we get closer to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve.
2. What is your background in supported employment? I was a special education teacher in Seattle Public Schools before joining PROVAIL, a multi-service agency supporting individuals with developmental disabilities to fulfill their life choices in school, work, and housing. In the first half of my eight-year career there, I worked as a Job Coach to support people with disabilities to find and maintain employment in their communities. I then moved on to managing job coaches before becoming the Director of Employment Services for my final two years with the organization. Supported Employment provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to contribute meaningfully to a team, leading to a greater sense of purpose and inclusion in the world around them.
3. What will you be responsible for in your new role? In collaboration with the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Community and Human Services’ Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Division, I am responsible for the coordination and administration of King County’s Supported Employment Program, which offers a creative and cost-effective approach to meeting business needs and including people with developmental disabilities in the workforce. I provide additional support to managers, human resources, supported employees and employment agencies to increase satisfaction and address areas of concern. I also support departments in identifying new tasks for current supported employees in collaboration with the employment agencies as well as assist in the recruitment and hiring of individuals with developmental disabilities.
4. What is the biggest challenge in the role? The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of all workplaces, including King County. One of the challenges in this new role will be helping Supported Employees to navigate their “new normal,” re-envisioning jobs that have changed with the workforce being largely remote. This will involve the exciting task of helping Supported Employees learn new skills that will further open the door for them to participate in a hybrid work environment.
5. What do you most hope to achieve in the role? In this role, I hope to help reduce the 70% unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities in King County by expanding Supported Employment into all departments in the County government. I also hope to empower County staff with the tools to support coworkers with disabilities through regular training and mentorship.
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Upcoming employee COVID-19 and flu vaccine clinics
King County is hosting two onsite clinics where employees can get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and the flu.
Employees can register for one of the two clinics offering both COVID-19 and flu vaccines scheduled for November. This is the new 2023 monovalent COVID-19 vaccination targeting the XBB 1.5 strain of COVID-19. Learn more and register here.
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Helping King County’s older adults prepare for emergencies
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Every September organizations and local governments across the country observe National Preparedness Month to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. This year, the nationwide theme “Take Control in 1, 2, 3” focuses on preparing older adults for disasters, specifically older adults from communities that are disproportionally impacted by hazardous events.
To learn more about the Department of Community and Human Services‘ (DCHS) work to prepare older adults for emergencies in King County, Taylor Gaston, the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Community Liaison, sat down with Esther Lee, who serves as a Policy and Community Engagement Project/Program Manager with the Older Adults and Healthy Aging (OAHA) Unit within the DCHS Adult Services Division. Read more.
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Annual Giving Drive: Reasons five through seven to give
The Annual Giving Drive is in full swing so we want to share reasons five, six, and seven on why you should participate. October includes a variety of important national and global causes dedicated to raising awareness and support. Among many of them are World Mental Health Day, Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, and Disability Employment Awareness Month. There are several organizations in the Employee Giving Program that are leading in these areas, and we’ve highlighted a few in our most recent blog. We look forward to sharing more about the amazing non-profits throughout the drive and encourage your participation! Read more.
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What is KCInform?
It is critical that King County can reach employees during an emergency with timely information about infrastructure disruptions, facility closures, changes in business operations, and other critical impacts.
That’s why King County launched KCInform, an alert and notification system for communicating with employees in emergencies. Watch this video find out more about KCInform and learn more in this article. King County will conduct a test of KCInform, on Thursday, Oct. 19 between 9 and 10 a.m.
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Twice to the rescue: Water Taxi deckhand helps two people out of Elliott Bay in 24 hours
Crossposted from The Captain’s Blog
When you work on vessels such as the King County Water Taxi, the training you get to assist people in possible distress in the water is training you hope never to use.
Imagine using the training TWICE in 24 hours.
For Water Taxi Deckhand Kelly Phillips, that’s exactly what happened this summer.
“It was really surprising! I’ve worked on boats for 14 years, and I’ve never seen anyone fall off the docks like that.” Read more.
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King County Sheriff’s Office welcomes new deputies
King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) recently welcomed the newest members to the team after completion of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA). To become a Sheriff’s deputy, you must complete 720 hours of BLEA training within six months of hire. The 720-hour BLEA is designed to provide recruit officers with the basic knowledge and skills necessary for safe, proper, and effective law enforcement service.
King County’s Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams attended the graduating ceremony for the BLEA to recognize the newest King County graduates, including one she knows very well – her sister-in-law Sarah Lacy. The newest graduates are:
- Class 866: Deputy Sarah Lacy, Deputy Nicholas Vipperman, Deputy Jake Heninger, Deputy Austin Gutierrez.
- Class 867: Deputy Richard Kuss.
- Lateral Hire: Deputy Rebecca Horrocks.
“Please join us in congratulating our newest hires at KCSO,” said Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. “Best of luck in your next phase of training.”
Congratulations to the latest KCSO graduates and welcome to King County!
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Stay home when you’re sick during cold and flu season
Last fall and winter, you may recall that it seemed like everyone got sick. And not just a little sick—many of us experienced or witnessed our family, co-workers, and friends flattened by illnesses such as the flu, COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) which all spread at the same time. Fortunately, this year, we have vaccines for all three of those major illnesses. We also have the tried-and-true precautions which still work to prevent getting sick.
5 ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness during cold and flu season:
- Get vaccinated. Stay up to date with flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations.
- Wear a mask in crowded spaces. Put on a mask when you’re elbow-to-elbow with others.
- Wash your hands often. Use hand sanitizer if you can’t wash.
- Keep good air flow indoors. Open windows and use fans when a number of people are in a room.
- Stay home when you’re sick. Please follow your agency’s sick leave request and approval protocols and stay home. We value your work here, but it won’t help anyone if you spread your illness to your co-workers.
Stay home if you’re sick. Test if you can.
- COVID-19 and the flu virus will both likely be spreading this fall and winter. Anyone who has symptoms of the flu or COVID-19 should avoid contact with others and, if you can, test for COVID-19 immediately. If you have COVID-19, treatment is available from healthcare providers, but you need to start taking the medications right away. You can get 4 free tests by mail from CovidTests.gov
- If you have the flu, it’s important to stay home until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. If you have symptoms of COVID or test positive, please refer to page 2 of the Temporary COVID-19 Personnel Policy for King County’s policy regarding which employees must be out of the workplace and for how long when sick with COVID symptoms.
Updated vaccines for 2023-2024
This year, there are more ways than ever to protect your health. Vaccinations are the most effective tools to safeguard against severe illness, and for the first time, vaccines are available for the three major illnesses:
- A flu shot offers protection for everyone 6 months and older. The county makes it free for employees and anyone covered by your benefits to get a flu shot at one of our onsite clinics, or at your doctor’s office or local pharmacy. Get it at a worksite clinicor from your health care provider or local pharmacy.
- An updated COVID-19 vaccine protects against the newer variants that are spreading now. This vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Check Vaccines.gov for appointments and kingcounty.gov/vaccine for more information.
- Adults age 60 and older and anyone who is pregnant should talk to their doctor or pharmacist to find out if they need an RSV vaccine.
If you have questions about sick leave, please talk to your supervisor or HR Manager (employee access only). Thank you for helping to stop spread illness. Stay healthy!
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My proposed one-year supplemental budget
Dear fellow King County employee,
Today I transmitted to the County Council the mid-biennial budget proposal, which revises the County’s 2023-2024 budget that was adopted last fall. This is the first step in a two-month public process, leading to Council adoption in November of a final County budget.
As I shared back in April, the county’s general fund is facing a significant shortfall due to the state’s arbitrary and outdated one percent limit on property tax collections – the largest source of revenue for the general fund. This cap, combined with rising inflation and increased costs, has pushed the general fund to the breaking point.
I said at the time that the only way to keep cuts as small as possible is to start as soon as possible, and that’s what we are doing with this budget. We are continuing to invest in many areas that are important to our residents and in advancing our priorities, guided by our values and True North. But we are also taking a number of actions to address the shortfall, including eliminating around 60 vacant general fund positions, and making other reductions to save a total of $12.6 million. As we’ve crafted this proposal, we’ve sought every efficiency, tool, and resource, but looking ahead to next year we don’t have any tricks left up our sleeve for the general fund.
To be clear, the non-general fund portions of the County’s budget are healthy, allowing us to keep King County moving forward with actions including investing funds from our settlement with opioid distributors; utilizing $109 million from the voter-approved Conservation Futures levy and Parks levy to acquire more than 3,200 acres of land; providing $1.7 million for a new Park Ranger program to create a positive public safety presence in parks and provide culturally relevant education and support for visitors; and maintaining our commitment to criminal legal system diversion programs by shifting $1.5 million from the adult Community Diversion Program to the juvenile Restorative Community Pathways program to better meet the demand for diversion services.
I want to reiterate that there are no immediate layoffs in this budget proposal. Once the final budget is adopted, the reductions and cuts to vacant positions will be phased in starting in 2024, allowing programs to gradually be reduced. But without action by the state legislature to allow revenues to match inflation and population growth, more drastic cuts will be needed in 2025, and critical services delivered by the general fund will be in jeopardy. That’s why I am continuing to advocate – along with Councilmembers and other county leaders and employees – for a change to the arbitrary, legislatively-imposed one percent cap, so we can keep delivering the results the people of King County have entrusted us to.
Thank you for everything you do for our county and the people who live and work here. Let’s continue to support one another, lead with our values, and keep building a welcoming community where every person has the opportunity to thrive.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive
Employee News 