Policies and Procedures

• Billing Procedures
• Leave Without Pay Procedures
• Verification of Salary Procedures
• Changes in Secretarial Coverage
• Enrollment Instructions

Billing Procedures

Health Care: The health care provider will invoice the Extension County Council for the cost of health benefits for covered employees. Invoices indicate covered individuals and the types of coverage. Verify that coverage is correct.

County Councils should pay the health care provider invoices/remittances upon receipt. Employee contributions may need to be withheld from paychecks in the month prior to coverage to provide funds timely. Employee deductions must be made from net income after taxes. If a council wishes to pay the employee's share, it will not be considered a taxable benefit and thus will not be included in employee gross pay.

Each council is responsible for notifying the health care provider and the MU Extension Plan Administrator, Tamra Robbins, robbinst@missouri.edu, MU Extension - County Secretary Benefits, 209A Whitten Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211,
Phone: 573-882-7755; Fax: 573-882-2595  with any changes, terminations or employment of new secretaries to stop or change coverage.

Retirement Plan: No bills or invoices are created by the Plan Administrator for the retirement plan. Each county is responsible for remitting funds each month along with the retirement remittance form indicating the breakdown of contributions (see Forms link).

Funds are due by the 20th of each month in order to be deposited with National Retirement Solutions in the same month. Additionally, secretary contributions of $25 or more must be received by the 20th of each month to receive the additional 2% Extension contribution (no retro-active adjustments will be made).  Funds received after the 20th will be deposited in the next contribution cycle. Depending on payroll schedules, it may be necessary to withhold an employee's contributions in the month prior.

All funds must be remitted to:

County Secretary Benefits - Plan Administrator
MU Extension
209 Whitten Hall
Columbia, MO 65211

Leave Without Pay Procedures (LWOP)

Notify the MU Extension Plan Administrator as soon as possible of a leave without pay situation.

Retirement: Extension will temporarily discontinue paying the monthly contribution into the 401a plan while the employee is on a leave without pay.  The county secretary's supervisor should notify the Plan Administrator when the county secretary begins and ends an unpaid leave so that contributions end and begin in accordance with the unpaid leave.

Health Care: The health care program requires that the employee continue to pay the premium even if on an unpaid leave of absence (LOA) to keep health care coverage in force. As long as the secretary/county pays the employee/county costs, Extension will pay the subsidy. If the county secretary and/or county do not continue to pay their portion of the health premium, the Extension subsidy will start again when the secretary is working at least .75 FTE, or a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Example: Jillian, a county secretary, goes on leave without pay on June 15. Extension pays the health care subsidy for June. If Jillian does not return to work until August 15, Extension will not pay the subsidy for July, but will pay the subsidy for August.

Yearly Salary Verification

Each spring MU Extension updates county secretary salary figures used to estimate Extension contributions to the 401a retirement plan. Secretary Verification Forms are due March 15. If verifications are not received by March 15, the previous year's rate will continue to be used until the information is received and processed. Late verifications take effect the month following receipt. Changes in salary occurring at other times of the year take effect at the next verification period following the change. There is only one opportunity per year to verify salary figures.

Changes in Secretary Coverage

Notify the MU Extension Plan Administrator in the event of the following:

• A new secretary is hired.
• A secretary leaves employment.
• A secretary's hours increase to more than 30 hours per week, (.75 FTE) or decrease to less than 30 hours per week, thus changing their eligibility for MU Extension-sponsored benefits.
• A secretary goes on a leave of absence without pay.

Plan Enrollment

1. Contact MU Extension Plan Administrator to initiate new employee benefit enrollment process.
2. Review retirement and health plan descriptions.

Health Care

1. Contact a health care provider regarding employer-provided health care plans.  Each County Extension Council will enroll with a health provider as the employer.
   1. Effective January 1, 2011, Extension Councils may contract with non-MCHCP Health Care Providers and receive the Extension subsidy. 
      1. Prior to January 1, 2011, only County Councils with participation agreements with MCHCP received the Extension subsidy for enrolled, benefit-eligible secretaries.

Retirement

1. Contact the MU Extension Plan Administrator for an information packet about Nationwide Retirement Solutions (NRS) plans.
2. The following forms should be completed and sent to the Plan Administrator at 209A Whitten, Columbia, MO  65211:

• Participation Agreement. The agreement must be completed before plan contributions can begin.
• New Secretary Verification Form.