Vets 4 Hire program expands funding
The Vets 4 Hire program, which offers on-the-job learning experiences for veterans, is now approved to offer King County agencies up to a full year of financial support when hiring military veterans into veteran fellowship experiences, doubling the amount previously available. The program, financed by the Veterans, Seniors & Human Service Levy, reimburses King County departments to cover half of the veteran’s wages up to a maximum of $7,812 after six months of the veteran’s experience. If the department wants to extend the veteran’s experience another six months, up to an additional… Read More
Get the most from your King County employee benefits
Open Enrollment for 2022 benefits continues until Friday, Nov. 15. Get the most out of your robust King County employee benefits package by finding out what’s offered in 2022 and by participating in Open Enrollment. Attend a virtual information session: Learn about the 2022 benefit changes and get your questions answered at live information sessions hosted by the Benefits Team. This event is offered on a variety of days and times to accommodate your schedules. Register here: Open Enrollment Education Session or here: Transit Open Enrollment Education session Watch an Open Enrollment… Read More
Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 15
Make the most of your robust King County employee benefits package by making informed decisions for next year during Open Enrollment, Nov. 1 – 15. Here’s how you can learn more: See what’s changing next year. Register for an Open Enrollment information session. Watch the Open Enrollment Overview. Review how to use the PeopleSoft Open Enrollment tool by watching the Completing Open Enrollment with PeopleSoft video or reading the Open Enrollment PeopleSoft Guide. Go to the Open Enrollment page. When you are ready, Go to Open Enrollment to log in from Nov. 1… Read More
Look for Open Enrollment information
Check your home mailbox for important benefits and Open Enrollment information mailed recently to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. Open Enrollment takes place Nov. 1 – 15 and is your opportunity to: Change medical plans—Check plan quality and performance scores and use the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plans page to evaluate your options. Consider whether Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regence) makes sense for your family. These plans will likely save you money, with lower deductibles, copays, and Benefit Access Fees. The Washington Health Alliance’s… Read More
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day to celebrate the rich heritage, culture, contributions, and resilience of Indigenous people in our region and here at King County. Our region benefits tremendously from the generations of Native American people on whose land we currently live. There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington State, and King County is home to a thriving Native American population from Tribal nations across the country. We are on the unceded ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Tulalip, and Suquamish Tribes, and the Duwamish people. The legacy… Read More
Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine booster?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends booster doses of Pfizer vaccine for people who have completed two doses of Pfizer at least six months ago and are: 65 years or older Residents in long-term care facilities 50-64 years old who are at high-risk because of underlying medical conditions The following people may also receive a booster shot of Pfizer vaccine at least six months after receiving two doses of Pfizer vaccine based on their individual benefits and risks: 18-49 years old who are at high-risk because of underlying… Read More
Indigenous Peoples’ Day to be an observed holiday beginning in 2022
Starting in 2022, King County government will observe two new paid holidays, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, subject to available funding resources, bargaining, and potential impacts to existing county services. The King County Council passed two Ordinances last year to establish Juneteenth (June 19) and Indigenous Peoples’ Day as paid holidays for King County employees who are eligible for leave benefits starting in 2022. (These new holiday observances are subject to available funding resources, bargaining, and potential impacts to existing County services.) Based on engagement with Indigenous people who are King County employees and others in… Read More
COVID Leave criteria, forms, and time codes
King County employees who are represented by a union that has signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) or are non-represented can now request up to 80 hours of COVID Leave to use for COVID-19 reasons as listed in the MOA. COVID Leave is a new benefit that applies to all participating unions, as well as non-represented employees with the following exceptions: Puget Sound Police Managers Association (PSPMA) King County Police Officers Guild (KCPOG) District Court Superior Court King County Council Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Eligible employees may use COVID Leave in the following… Read More
Get a flu shot this fall
Dear King County Employee, In the past year, with so many people staying home, social distancing, and masking up, we saw very little influenza (i.e., flu) circulating. Because of this, some experts believe that when influenza does return, the season could be a severe one. Although we can’t predict with certainty when the flu will return or how severe it will be, it’s especially important to be prepared at this time. Flu activity is low now in King County, but it’s important to be protected before it starts to spread in our… Read More
September is National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Dear fellow King County employee, September is National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and it comes at a time when anxiety and pandemic-fueled trauma are on the rise nationally after some recent improvements. At King County we have seen a similar trend in a recent survey of employee well-being and belonging. I know this is a worrying time, with COVID-19 once again surging, new restrictions being put in place, and parents getting ready to send their kids back to school after so many months. We need to continue to pay particular… Read More
Employee News 