The State will establish one "combined" employer contribution (known as a "Benefit Allowance") amount for your health, dental, and vision benefits. The benefit allowance is automatically established in the SCO payroll system, therefore, no enrollment form is required. Based on the health, dental, and vision plans you choose, the full premium cost is deducted from the benefit allowance. Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in the State's vision plan. The vision benefit is mandatory under CoBen, and you may not cancel your State-sponsored vision coverage.

State employees eligible for the CoBen Benefit Allowance must meet the eligibility criteria listed below:

1. Designated Bargaining Unit 2, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, and 19, managerial, supervisory, exempt, confidential, and all other permanent employees excluded from collective bargaining.
2. Limited-Term (LT) or Temporary Authorization (TAU) employees appointed six months or more (for appointments in item 1).
3. Seasonal Lifeguards (Unit 7) and Seasonal Firefighters (Unit 8).
4. All eligible employees must work half-time or more.

The amount of your benefit allowance will depend on the number of dependents that you choose to cover. If you are enrolled in both a State-sponsored health and dental plan, than the health benefit enrollment party code will determine the amount of the benefit allowance.

The Benefit Allowance amounts are listed below. Keep in mind that these amounts are subject to change through the Collective Bargaining process.

The CoBen allowances for BU 7 employees are as follows:

Unit 7*	2007	2008
Employee only	$381	$416
Employee plus 1 dependent	$748	$713
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$978	$1,061

The CoBen allowances for BU 7 employees who become first eligible for health benefit enrollment on or after July 1, 2006 are as follows:

Unit 7*	50% Vesting 2008	75% Vesting 2008
Employee only	$416	$416
Employee plus 1 dependent	$628	$721
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$767	$914

The CoBen allowances for BUs 16, 17, 18, and 19 employees are as follows:

Units 16, 17, 18, 19*	2007	2008
Employee only	$381	$416
Employee plus 1 dependent	$748	$713
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$978	$1,061

The CoBen allowances for BUs 16, 17, 18, and 19 employees who first became eligible for health benefit enrollment on or after January 1, 2007 are as follows:

Units 16, 17, 18, 19*	50% Vesting 2008	75% Vesting 2008
Employee only	$416	$416
Employee plus 1 dependent	$628	$721
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$767	$914

The following bargaining unit has an expired contract. As of the date of this publication, the following rates will be effective January 1, 2008. However, the collective bargaining process is fluid and changes may be agreed to which alter these amounts. DPA will notify you if there are subsequent changes to these rates.

The CoBen allowances for BU 2 employees who first became eligible for health benefit enrollment before July 1, 2006 are as follows:

Unit 2*	2007	2008
Employee only	$365	$365
Employee plus 1 dependent	$696	$696
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$906	$906

The CoBen allowances for BU 2 employees who first became eligible for health benefit enrollment on or after July 1, 2006 are as follows:

Unit 2*	50% Vesting 2008	75% Vesting 2008
Employee only	$365	$365
Employee plus 1 dependent	$544	$620
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$663	$784

Allowance amounts for represented employees may be subject to change based on any changes in Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) and are also subject to union ratification and legislative approval. For the most current information, review your MOU or the DPA web site at www.dpa.ca.gov.

*Dependent Vesting Criteria
New employees who have never had State health benefit coverage may be subject to dependent health vesting. Employees in bargaining units that have contracted for dependent vesting are provided with 50% of the employer dependent contribution the first 12 months, and 75% of the employer dependent contribution for months 13 through 24. After 24 months, these employees will receive the full employer dependent contribution applicable to their bargaining unit.

The following CoBen Unit does not have dependent vesting:

Unit 8	2007	2008
Employee only	$402	$439
Employee plus 1 dependent	$769	$836
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$1,000	$1,084

The CoBen allowance for Excluded employees is determined by DPA. Effective January 1, 2008, the CoBen allowances for all excluded employees are as follows:

Excluded Employee CoBen Allowance	2007	2008
Employee only	$404	$441
Employee plus 1 dependent	$780	$847
Employee plus 2 or more dependents	$1,013	$1,097

The Coben allowance for Excluded employees is determined by the Department of Personnel Administration.

Keep in mind that no enrollment form is required and the benefit allowance is automatically established. The effective date is on a prospective basis and based on when you move into or out of an employee designation that is eligible for Consolidated Benefits.

If the total cost of the plans you choose is less than your CoBen allowance, then you will receive the difference as taxable cash (excess cash) in your paycheck. The excess cash amount will be subject to state, federal, and social security taxes.

If the total cost of the plans you choose is more than your benefit allowance, then you pay the difference (out-of-pocket) with pre-tax dollars automatically deducted from your paycheck. The out-of-pocket amount will not be subject to state, federal, and social security taxes.

If you elect to receive cash in lieu of your State-sponsored health plan but enroll in a State-sponsored dental plan, then your dental benefit enrollment party code will be used to determine the amount of the benefit allowance. In this situation, you will receive cash in lieu of health, and your dental and vision premiums will be fully paid. You will not have an out-of-pocket dental and vision premium cost.

However, if the total cost of your dental and vision premium is less than your benefit allowance, than you will not receive the difference (excess cash) in your paycheck. In order to receive excess cash, you must be enrolled in health, dental, and vision. If you are not enrolled in all three benefits, then you will not be eligible to receive excess cash.

No. Your benefit allowance will automatically stop at the time of retirement or separation, if your benefits are canceled for non-eligibility, or there is a change in your eligibility for Consolidated Benefits. At retirement, your health and dental deduction (if any) will be shown as the State share and retiree share of the applicable premiums.

If you need more information, check with your Personnel Office to obtain a copy of the CoBen Handbook.

You may also use the CoBen Calculator which will help you determine how much will be deducted from your paycheck, or added to it, based on which health and dental plans you choose. State vision coverage is mandatory under CoBen; therefore, the vision amount is automatically added into the calculation.

The CoBen Handbook also includes a worksheet that you may fill out to help calculate your benefit costs. However, the CoBen Calculator has the advantage of being easier to use and allowing you to try different scenarios. You simply click on your health and dental plan choices, and number of dependents that will be covered. The calculator automatically computes the total cost of the benefits and subtracts the CoBen allowance. The result shows whether you will have a monthly benefit deduction or receive extra cash, and the amount of the deduction or cash. There are two separate calculators, one for excluded employees and another for bargaining unit employees in CoBen.

The CoBen Calculator is located under Consolidated Benefits, then scroll down to the link for the calculators.