BENEFITS

• annual and sick leave

• ten paid holidays

• performance-based longevity pay increases

• health insurance

• dental insurance

• long term disability insurance and long term care insurance

• life insurance

• MoneyPlu$

• reduced rates on local YMCA membership

• participation in the South Carolina Retirement Systems.

• Workers' Compensation

Annual Leave

*360 hour maximum carry-over per calendar year

Sick leave accrues at a rate of 3.70 hours per pay period (96 hours per year) beginning with the first pay-period of employment.  Fire fighters accrue sick leave at a rate of 4.88 hours per pay period beginning with the first pay-period of employment.  Employees may accrue 800 hours of sick leave.  On December 31 of each year, payment is made  to the employee in the amount of 20% of the cash value of all accrued sick leave in excess of eight hundred hours.

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The City observes the following holidays:

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King Day

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day                

Veterans' Day

Thanksgiving Day

Day after Thanksgiving

Christmas Day

Day before/after Christmas (determined by City Manager)

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Longevity adjustments are generally awarded to eligible employees upon reaching two (2), five (5), ten (10), fifteen (15), twenty (20)and twenty-five (25) years of uninterrupted service provided certain performance standards are met.  Depending on availability of funds, employees who exceed expectations in the performance of their jobs as documented in an annual performance appraisal may be eligible for a lump sum merit award.

View an excerpt from the Employee Handbook on longevity increases.

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Full-time, regular employees have a variety of health insurance plans from which to choose.  Employees may enroll within 31 days from their date-of-hire, within 31 days of a qualifying event or during an open enrollment period.  Employees who choose to participate in the State Health Plan may choose either the standard plan or the savings plan.  Those who choose to enroll in a traditional Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) may choose either CIGNA or Companion.  In addition, certain employees may choose to enroll in a Tricare Supplement.  Please refer to the Insurance Benefits Guide as well as the Comparison of health plan benefits chart for more information about health plan features offered through the SC Employee Insurance Program and related costs.

Visit the South Carolina Employee Insurance Program Website.

View the 2007 Insurance Benefits Guide.

Useful Links

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina

• SHP Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

• SHP Prescription Drug Program

• CIGNA

• BLUECHOICE (formerly known as Companion)

• TRICARE Supplement

To make changes to your health insurance please fill out a Notice of Election form and contact Human Resources.  Please note: changes may only be made during open enrollment, within 31 days of employment or within 31 days of a qualifying event.

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Full-time, regular employees may enroll themselves and their families in the State Dental Plan within 31 days of employment, within 31 days of a qualifying event, or during open enrollment.  The basic dental plan covers 100% of allowable charges for diagnostic and preventive procedures, 80% of allowable charges for basic procedures (such as fillings, simple extractions, etc), 50% of allowable charges for prosthetics and 50% of allowable charges for orthodontia (note: maximum benefit amounts apply).  Please note that the plan's allowable charges only cover a percentage of the prevailing rates for dental coverage in South Carolina; therefore, "100% of allowable charges" or "100% coverage" actually means 100% of a percentage of the market rate with the patient paying the difference.  For a list of allowable charges, please contact Human Resources.  Employees and their dependants may also enroll in Dental Plus, a supplemental dental plan, if they desire a higher level of dental coverage. Employees should refer to their  Insurance Benefits Guide for details regarding dental insurance.  For a list of current rates for dental insurance and dental plus click here (be sure to scroll down to the second page past the health insurance premiums).

To make changes to your dental insurance please fill out a Notice of Election form and contact Human Resources.  Please note: changes may only be made during open enrollment, within 31 days of employment or within 31 days of a qualifying event.

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Active, regular employees working 30 or more hours per week, who are enrolled in a state health plan are automatically covered by the Basic Long Term Disability plan.  The basic long term disability plan has a benefit waiting period of 90 days and pays the employee 62.5% of base salary minus any deductible income (such as Social Security or retirement income) up to a maximum benefit of $800 per month.  Covered employees may also enroll in the Supplemental Long Term Disability plan which pays 65% of the first $12,307.69 of the employee's pre-disability earnings, reduced by deductible income up to a maximum benefit of $8,000 per month.  *Note: After 31 days of employment, a physical examination, medical history statement and blood test may be required in order to enroll in the Supplemental Long Term Disability plan.

Full-time, regular employees may enroll in Long Term Care Insurance within 31 days of employment.  Employees may also enroll their spouse, parents and parents-in-law with approval of medical evidence of good health.  There are three Long Term Care plans from which to choose, a Disability Plan which pays a daily cash benefit and two Service Reimbursement Plans which reimburse the employee after receipts have been submitted.  All three are structured to assist the employee in the event that he/she should have to pay for nursing home or hospice facility care, assisted living facility care, community based services, informal care, alternate care, transitional care, informal caregiver training or respite care.  Employees should refer to their Insurance Benefits Guide for more information regarding specific plan details.

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Full-time, regular employees who are enrolled in a state health insurance program are automatically provided Basic Life Insurance free of charge (employee only).  This program provides $3,000 life insurance coverage to all eligible employees under age 70 and $1,500 to eligible employees age 70 or older.  Employees may also choose to enroll in the Optional Life Insurance Program which allows them to choose their level of coverage, up to three times the employee’s basic annual earnings without medical evidence of good health or up to $500,000 with medical evidence of good health.  Another life insurance option available to City of Beaufort employees is the Dependant Life Insurance Program.  This program allows employees to cover  dependant children for $10,000 each and a spouse in $10,000 increments up to 50% of the employee’s Optional Life coverage or $100,000, whichever is less. Coverage of a spouse that exceeds $20,000 requires medical evidence of good health.  *Note: If coverage is not elected within 31 days of enrollment, medical evidence of good health may be required. 

To make changes to your life insurance please fill out a Notice of Election form and contact Human Resources.  Please note: changes may only be made during open enrollment or within 31 days of a qualifying event.

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Regular, full-time employees who have been employed with the City of Beaufort for one year of continuous service by January 1 following an annual enrollment period are eligible to participate in MoneyPlu$, a flexible spending account program.  This program provides employees with the opportunity to save by setting aside pretax money in a Medical Spending Account that can be used for health and dental insurance deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, and procedures that are not covered by insurance such as laser eye surgery.  Beginning January 1, 2005 employees may also choose to participate in the EZ REIMBURSE® MasterCard® program when they enroll in a Medical Spending Account.

Dependant Care Spending Accounts are separate tax savings plans that can be used to pay for childcare for children under 13 years who reside in the employees home or care for adults/children who are mentally or physically incapable of self-care who spend at least 8 hours a day in the employee’s household.  Employees are eligible to enroll for Dependent Care Spending Accounts within 31 days of hire, 31 days of a qualifying event, or during an annual enrollment period.  For Medical and Dependent Care participants, you must re-enroll each annual enrollment period in order to continue this benefit.

Employees who are enrolled in the State Health Plan Savings Plan are eligible to enroll in an Health Savings Account (HSA), which is a tax-sheltered investment account used to pay qualified medical expenses.  For more information about HSA's, please visit:

Eligible Medical and Dental Expenses: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf

Detailed Information Regarding HSA's: http://www.irs.gov/irb/2004-02_IRB/ar09.html

Employees should refer to their Insurance Benefits Guide for more details regarding the MoneyPlu$ program. 

Employees may access information about their MoneyPlu$ flexible spending accounts by visiting the Fringe Benefits Management Company website.

Regular, full-time employees may participate in a 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan or a 457 Deferred Compensation Plan which provide the employee with a method of saving and investing pretax income. 

401(k) Investment Information

457 Investment Information

401(k)/457 Enrollment Form

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Discounted rates are available for membership at the local YMCA for regular, full-time employees.

The current monthly rates for City of Beaufort Employees who wish to participate are:

For more information regarding the programs and services offered by the Beaufort County YMCA you may call (843) 522 - 9622 or visit their website by clicking on the link above.

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Regular full-time and regular part-time employees are required to participate in the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS).  This system is designed to assist employees in preparing for their retirement years.  Employees contribute a tax-deferred 6% of gross pay and the City of Beaufort contributes an additional 6.85%.  Upon separation from employment, an employee may request a refund of his/her contributions (please see SCRS brochure for important tax information).

Police Officers and Fire Fighters employed by the City of Beaufort who earn at least $2,000 per fiscal year and spend 1,600 hours per fiscal year fulfilling the duties of police officer or fire fighter are required to be enrolled in the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System (PORS).   Employees contribute a tax-deferred 6.5% of gross income and the City contributes an additional 10.7%.  Upon separation from employment, the employee may request a refund of his/her contributions (please see PORS brochure for important tax information).

Both SCRS and PORS provide service and disability retirement options as well as survivor benefits that may include choice of lump sum refund or monthly annuity.

Visit the South Carolina Retirement System online.

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The City of Beaufort has Workers' Compensation coverage which provides medical treatment and replacement of lost wages if an employee is disabled from work due to an injury arising out of and in the course of their employment.  When an employee is injured on-the-job, benefits of the Workers' Compensation System may include payment of medical bills, lost wages and/or awards for permanent disability and scarring. 

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