Understanding Your Benefits

You are eligible for benefits if you are an active, full-time employee scheduled to work 30 hours or more per pay week. You may enroll your legal spouse and dependent children including legally adopted and stepchildren up to age 26 who meet the definition of eligibility as defined for health care benefits.

Based on Board approval, a child who is physically or mentally disabled can be covered over age 26. (Please note: You cannot be covered both as an employee and as a dependent under any Miami-Dade County health insurance plan.)

You may enroll your registered domestic partner. Employees will be taxed on the value of a domestic partner’s coverage paid by Miami-Dade County.

You do not have to re-enroll for your health, dental, vision, supplemental life, or long term disability benefits each year during Open Enrollment. These benefits will automatically continue unless you want to make changes: 

• Health Benefits
  You can choose from the medical plans that are available to you based on your Bargaining Unit's Collective Bargaining Agreement.

• Dental & Vision Benefits
  You can choose from two dental plans through Delta Dental and two vision coverage options offered through Humana.

Miami-Dade County will continue to offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit for January 1 - December 31. To continue to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account, you must re-enroll even if you are currently enrolled in a FSA plan.

Flexible Spending Accounts for Healthcare and Dependent Care
You are able to put aside funds from your paycheck on a "pre-tax" basis to pay for healthcare or dependent care expenses.

You can only make changes to your health benefits during annual Open Enrollment each year or within 45 days of a qualified life event (60 days for the birth of a child). Some examples of a qualified life event include marriage, death and loss of medical coverage due to a reduction in work hours.

Miami-Dade County provides a special enrollment opportunity if you or your eligible dependents either lose Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage because you are no longer eligible, or become eligible for a state premium assistance program under Medicaid or CHIP. For these enrollment opportunities, you will have 60 days from the date of the Medicaid/CHIP eligibility change to request enrollment in a Miami-Dade County health plan.

Miami-Dade County's health coverage exceeds the health reform law's essential coverage and affordability standards. Because our benefit exceeds the federal requirements, the ACA rules leave you ineligible to receive a government subsidy to help you purchase health insurance for yourself in a public exchange marketplace.

• You have the option to decline medical coverage. If you are being covered by another plan which provides medical coverage, you may still enroll for dental and vision benefits
• If you decline medical coverage, you must complete the Insurance Verification Form. If you are not declining medical coverage, you do not need to complete this form

You can also elect to purchase the following supplemental benefits:

• Voluntary Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
  This benefit provides monthly income protection should you become disabled while you are out of work due to a non-job related illness or injury and have exhausted all of your sick leave
• Legal Insurance
  You can elect to purchase legal insurance coverage offered through ARAG
• Flexible Spending Account
  You can fund a Flexible Spending Account for eligible healthcare or dependent expenses not covered by your insurance or any other plan
• Optional Employee Life Insurance
  You can elect to purchase additional employee life insurance in increments of 1 times to 8 times your annual salary. Evidence of Insurability may be required
• Optional Spouse or Domestic Partner Life Insurance
  You can elect to purchase spouse or domestic partner life insurance in the amount of $10,000. Evidence of Insurability is never required
• Optional Child Life Insurance
  You can elect to purchase child life insurance in the amount of $10,000. Evidence of Insurability is never required