Employers should review employee handbooks to ensure that any description of benefits is consistent with changes made to health plans for health care reform.
Many handbooks contain a description of health benefits, or at a minimum describe those classes of employees that are eligible for benefits. Now that large employers will have to offer coverage to full-time employees, employers should review their handbooks to make sure eligibility is described correctly.
Health care reform defines a full-time employee as someone working 30 or more hours per week. Some employers support a different hours worked requirement for full-time status. If an employee handbook describes benefit plan eligibility based on full-time/part-time status, the handbook must properly designate employees working 30 or more hours per week as full-time for health coverage purposes.
The handbook should acknowledge that the discussion is only a summary of benefits, and the terms of the plan documents control.
