Submit WA Cares Fund exemption letters to King County by June 26
The WA Cares Fund is a new long-term care insurance program administered by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). With limited exceptions, workers in Washington are required to contribute to the WA Cares Fund via mandatory payroll deduction beginning July 1, 2023.
The premium has been set at 0.58% of gross wages (58 cents per $100). The initial maximum value of the benefit will be $36,500 (adjusted annually for inflation).
Exemptions to the WA Cares Fund
You may be eligible for a permanent or conditional exemption from the WA Cares Fund. An employee with a permanent exemption from the WA Cares Fund premium is permanently ineligible from receiving benefits and cannot rejoin the program later. An employee with a conditional exemption does not contribute premiums to the program while their conditional exemption is in effect.
If you already submitted your approved exemption letter to King County, you should have received a confirmation email from King County Central Payroll on May 12. No further action is required.
If you have been approved for an exemption and did not receive the email from Payroll, submit your approved exemption letter from the ESD no later than June 26, 2023, to avoid the non-refundable WA Cares mandatory payroll deduction that begins in July.
Send a copy of your exemption letter and your nine-digit PeopleSoft ID# by email to WA.CARES.Exemption.Letters@kingcounty.gov or by U.S. mail to Central Payroll WA CARES, 401 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
Attend a webinar for King County employees May 31
WA Cares is hosting a webinar for King County employees via Zoom on Wednesday, May 31 from 11 a.m. to noon. Learn more about the program and its benefits, and get your questions answered by Washington state employees. Join the Zoom Meeting using Meeting ID: 837 8908 8276 and Passcode: 870976.
More information
King County does not administer any part of the WA Cares Fund beyond collecting premiums via payroll deduction and reporting employee pay and hours to the ESD. For more information about the program, Contact the WA Cares Fund, go to Learn More, or watch webinar recordings on the WA Cares YouTube Channel.
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Mental health resources: Making Life Easier
For personal life challenges, Making Life Easier (MLE) provides free counseling and support services to all King County employees, their dependent family members, and anyone living in an employee’s home. MLE offers referrals to therapists and coverage for eight free sessions per topic per year. Many therapists also contract with the Regence and Kaiser Permanente Health Plans so MLE can make a referral for you to a therapist who is also in your health plan network. In that way, if you need more than eight sessions, your health plan benefits will cover your therapy sessions starting with the ninth visit.
Currently MLE has a 2.5 day turnaround from the time you talk to a Wellspring representative to the time a therapist contacts you. Access the program at kcmakinglifeeasier.com with username King County, or call 1-888-874-7290.
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Mental Health Month: Creating a healthy home environment
This year, Mental Health America has focused Mental Health Month on encouraging us to “Look around, Look within,” sharing suggestions on ways to improve our surroundings in order to improve our mental health, and how to seek help for mental health challenges. Optimizing our space to improve our mental health is something that anyone can benefit from. It is one tool of many that can be used to improve and support your mental well-being.
Go to the Balanced You blog for helpful some tips to shape your home environment, improve sleep quality and create comfort.
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New appointment scheduler assists county veterans
The King County Veterans and Military Affinity Group and King County Veteran’s Program would like to remind all County employees who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces that the Veteran’s Administration (VA) has launched a new appointment scheduler to connect you with VA Benefits Counselors.
The Visitor Engagement Reporting Application (VERA) is a streamlined scheduling process for in-person or online appointments to learn about your benefits and how to navigate the VA’s processes. This is a useful resource for those with questions about benefit eligibility, or in need of assistance filing a disability claim or appeal.
This resource is open to all veterans regardless of residence or income. Please visit the VA Seattle Regional Office website for more information.
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Metro will adjust schedules on Sept. 2 to improve trip reliability
Crossposted from Metro Matters
King County Metro will increase reliability and build resiliency with its fall update to transit schedules. The agency currently is delivering 95% of more than 11,200 daily bus trips while facing challenges with canceled trips. The changes beginning in September will ensure riders can have confidence knowing that Metro will be there no matter where they need to go.
To ensure transit services are in sync with fleet availability and its workforce, Metro will focus upcoming revisions on 20 low-ridership routes, and 92% of boardings will not be directly impacted. These changes will help prevent last-minute cancellations and improve reliability for riders. Metro will help connect riders with other transit options for nearly all the impacted routes. Read more.
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Award-winning communications: DNRP brought home national awards in four categories
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green
King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) is excited to announce that we received awards in four categories from the National Association of Government Communicators, the most prestigious awards in our industry. The Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards were announced during this year’s national conference hosted on April 19 in Portland.
Working Without a Net
We received first place in the Working Without a Net category for a hosting a dual livestream aboard our research vessel, SoundGuardian, as scientists measured the underwater noise of Puget Sound that poses multiple risks to southern resident orcas. Read more.
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King County takes part in Women in Trades Fair
Several King County departments participated in last Friday’s Women in Trades Fair at Seattle Center. Hear from two Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) employees – operators Alyssa Moreno and Kylie Turner – about their experiences in their jobs and working at WTD.
Follow King County on LinkedIn for news about fellow employees, job opportunities, county initiatives, and more.
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Congratulations to the Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards, which honor employees and workgroups at King County who bring a Best-Run Government approach to their work, and have made exceptional contributions in performance, leadership, and innovation.
In a series of videos, several King County leaders, including King County Executive Dow Constantine, announced the recipients of the eight Performance Excellence Awards: five innovation awards – people, cost, service, sustainability, and equity and social justice – and three leadership awards – for people leaders, individual contributors, and the Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence Award for senior leaders.
“The awards honor individuals and teams who demonstrate creativity, innovation, and problem solving in their work,” Executive Constantine said in his introduction to the awards. “They recognize employees who constantly strive for continuous improvement and can point to measurable results. And they celebrate colleagues who model our values and bring a Best-Run Government approach to their work.” See the announcement and watch the videos here.
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Exciting employee discounts available this summer
King County employees can take advantage of many exclusive discounts this summer. These include stays at Great Wolf Lodge, visits to Woodland Park Zoo, home buying classes and information, gym memberships, different mobile phone plans, and more.
To view all available employee discounts, visit www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
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Mental health resources: Employee Assistance Program
For Mental Health Month, Balanced You is highlighting mental health resources to help employees in times of need. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free and confidential county resource that provides county employees with counseling and coaching around work related concerns and problems, including:
- Workplace stress
- Coaching and consulting
- Conflict with co-workers
- Supervisor support
- Opportunities and changes in the workplace
EAP is for employees only. To make an appointment with an EAP counselor, call 206-263-8733, or email HRDEAP@kingcounty.gov. An EAP counselor will respond to you within 24 hours.
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