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… Read More

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.

The second and final application period for the 2023 Coalition Labor Agreement Professional Development Scholarship is now open. This period will remain open May 8 – June 4, 2023, to pay for training that will begin anytime between July 1 – Dec. 31, 2023. Awardees for this second period will be notified via email no later than July 21, 2023. For more information and to see dates for the 2024 program year, go to the Professional Development Scholarship website, watch the Employee Information Session video or email ScholarshipFund@kingcounty.gov. The scholarship is part of the County’s commitment to Investing… Read More

Research shows that people with a primary care provider (PCP) enjoy better health outcomes. People who have a relationship with a primary care provider as their usual source of care are more likely to receive high-value care, have better access to care, and report a higher satisfaction with their health care. A PCP who you see regularly is likely to find problems sooner and can be a trusted resource who follows you over time. Seeing your PCP regularly can also help save money and avoid more costly care, such as an emergency… Read More

The first application period for the Coalition Labor Agreement Professional Development Scholarship is ending Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. Please ensure all outstanding applications are submitted no later than midnight on that date. To apply: Please familiarize yourself with the eligibility and application requirements by first visiting the scholarship website. Click here to apply. Important: Please answer all supplemental questions and provide all requested information on the application to avoid it being flagged as incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be moved forward in the process. Awardees for the first period will be notified via email between March… Read More

Balanced You partners with Mindfulness Northwest to offer free mindfulness classes and workshops to King County employees. Register for an upcoming class below or view the full schedule here.

Join WeightWatchers through King County for as low as $9.75 per month on select plans — 50% off the retail price! Become a WeightWatchers member by Feb. 28 and get a free WW Bluetooth® body weight scale that auto-syncs your weight in the WW app. Learn more at WW.com/KingCounty. Then get your scale at WW.com/freescale.

For many of us, filing your taxes can cause anxiety. Using your financial wellness benefit, My Secure Advantage (MSA), there are several ways to take the stress out of this tax season: Consult an MSA tax specialist – Have tax-related questions? Talk with an MSA Money Coach to get answers and talk through your options. Call 1-888-724-2326 to schedule an appointment. King County employees get 90 days of free money coaching every year. Assisted tax prep – Taxes can be confusing and time-consuming, so why not have a tax professional handle your tax prep for… Read More

King County recently replaced the employee donated leave programs with two similar programs that better comply with IRS tax requirements: The Employee-to-Employee Medical Leave Donation Program allows you to donate your accrued leave directly to another employee. The Emergency Medical Leave Fund makes permanent the emergency leave fund started during the pandemic and allows you to donate accrued leave and request donations from a central fund. Read more.