WICOMICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEE’S GUIDE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Direct Deposit Statement Wicomico County Public Schools requires mandatory direct deposit for all employees. If a completed direct deposit form is not submitted to payroll by the end of the second pay period after initial hire, a paycard will be issued to that employee. Adequate notice (15 days) must be given for the original authorization to take effect, to withdraw from the plan, or for a change in bank account, or banking institution. Employees may elect to have their checks deposited in a checking or savings account, or combination thereof. Authorization forms are available at the Northgate Office or at any school office. Employee Assistance Program Statement Provided by BHS, your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides you and your household members with free, confidential, in-the-moment support to help with personal or professional problems that may interfere with work or family responsibilities. All discussions and subsequent services are strictly confidential. No reference to participation in the program will be made a part of the employee's personnel file. When you speak with BHS you can trust that your conversations and information will be kept completely confidential. When you call the EAP, a Care Coordinator (master’s level clinician) will confidentially assess the problem, assist with any emergencies, and connect you to the appropriate resources. This program is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week at no cost to you. 1-800-327-2251, portal.BHSonline.com (username: ESMEC) Employees Credit Union Statement All employees of the Wicomico County Public Schools are eligible to become members of the BEE Federal Credit Union. This credit union is operated by fellow employees and provides savings and loan services. Payroll deduction is available for making loan payments and for adding money to savings. The Board will withhold amounts of $2.50 or more each pay period and will forward this money to the Credit Union on the first working day of the following month. Credit union offices are located at 1414 South Division Street, Salisbury, Maryland, with office hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Contact may be made with the office during the hours they are open by calling 410-548-9351. Tax-Sheltered Annuity Programs 403 (b) Plan A 403(b) Plan, also known as a tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) plan, is a retirement plan for employees of public schools. There are benefits to contributing to a 403(b) Plan. The first benefit is that you do not pay income tax on allowable contributions until you begin making withdrawals from the plan, usually after you retire. The second benefit is that earnings and gains on amounts in your 403(b) account are not taxed until you withdraw them. Once you enroll, contributions are made under a salary reduction agreement which allows your employer to withhold money from your paycheck to be contributed directly into a 403(b) account for your benefit. There are limits on the amount of contributions that can be made to your 403(b) account each year. You can enroll in the 403(b) plan and make changes at any time during the year. Lincoln Financial Group is the sole provider for the WCPS 403(b) Plan. You have the option of choosing your investments from an array of mutual funds. In addition to the core mutual funds, participants will also have the option of investing in YourPath allocation models. These time-based asset allocation models provide participants with a pre-selected, diversified mix of the core mutual funds which are allocated to
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