Effingham County Schools

Employee Benefits

Open Enrollment is from

Tuesday, October 15 through Friday, November 8

 

Effingham County Schools provides an
extensive benefits portfolio for you and your family. 

 

This website provides an overview of your benefits,
general eligibility information, important insurance
company contact information, and access to
forms and documents.

 

 

Enroll Now!

Non-Medical Enrollment and Benefits Portal

Access clicking "Enroll Now" above, and view your current benefits, make updates for the plan year, and update your life insurance beneficiary.  To complete an election, select the appropriate event and click "Begin Event." 

 

State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) Enrollment (Medical)

You may access https://shbp.georgia.gov/ or call (800) 610-1863 for medical plan information.

 

Important Benefits Information

Additional product and carrier information can be found on the Resources page.  In addition to this website, the Benefits Service Center is another resource for enrollment assistance, benefits questions, and Annual Enrollment Support.  We can help with:

  • Benefits Questions
  • Enrollments  |  Changes in Elections
  • Claims Assistance
  • Review  |  Confirmation of Current Benefit Elections
  • Update of Life Insurance Beneficiary Information

 

Enrollment Guides are located below:

Questions?

Call us at (844) 249-ECSD (3273) or send us an email: help@effinghamschoolsbenefits.com
Hours: Monday - Thursday,  8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is from Tuesday, October 15 through Friday, November 8.  You are required to complete an active election for medical and voluntary benefits, including FSA.  This is a great time to view your personal information, plan options, and life insurance beneficiary information.

2025 Hospital Indemnity

Hospital stays can put a significant strain on any budget, and often, the necessary care cannot be postponed even if it impacts your finances. Hospital Indemnity insurance plans offer daily payments for each day spent in the hospital, along with coverage for other qualified expenses. This gives you financial flexibility to use the funds as you see fit, whether to cover hospital bills or to manage additional costs that arise during your recovery.

2025 Accident

Accidents often lead to a series of expenses. Even with medical insurance, you may still face out-of-pocket costs. If you experience a fracture, dislocation, or another covered accidental injury, Accident Insurance can assist in covering unexpected medical expenses like emergency room bills, deductibles, and co-payments. When an unforeseen injury occurs, Accident Insurance helps alleviate costs that your medical plan may not cover.

2025 Critical Illness

Critical Illness insurance provides financial support for you and your family during recovery from serious medical conditions like cancer, heart attack, or stroke. This benefit helps cover both medical and non-medical expenses, offering valuable protection. Coverage is available for employees and their families.

2025 Dental

Dental insurance helps cover routine dental care and manage costs. You pay a set amount (the deductible) before your insurance begins to contribute. However, preventive services like exams, cleanings, and x-rays are fully covered without a deductible. After meeting the deductible, you share the costs of other services through co-insurance.

2024 Hospital Indemnity

Hospital stays can strain even the healthiest of budgets. And in many cases, you can’t ignore the care you need even if it pushes you financially. Hospital Indemnity insurance plans provide payment for each day spent in the hospital, and for some other qualified expenses as well. That’s money you can use as you choose, whether for hospital bills or those other costs that come up while you’re recovering.

Universal Life

Universal Life products address varying employee needs for permanent life insurance and peace of mind for a lifetime. You have two Universal Life insurance options from which to choose: Universal Life & Universal LifeEvents with Long Term Care. More information is available by clicking below.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Effingham County Schools provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all benefits-eligible employees and family members at no cost to you.  Call Unum's Life Balance Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential assistance to help manage life's challenges!

Retirement & Savings

The Effingham County Schools retirement program is made up of multiple parts: Social Security and either the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) or the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS), and personal retirement plan options.  If you want to learn more about how our retirement plans work, and how to make sure you get the most out of your retirement, click the link below.

Flexible Spending (FSA)

The Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) allow you to set aside pre-tax funds that are available for healthcare and dependent day care expenses.  You may enroll in the Healthcare FSA for medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, and other related expenses and / or the Dependent Care FSA, primarily for dependent day care expenses.  If you are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), you also have the option to enroll in a Limited Purpose Healthcare FSA which can be used for dental or vision expenses only. 

Identity Protection

Identity theft is a growing concern, and recent research estimates that someone has their identity stolen every two seconds, and many people don't even know they are victimized until they're denied credit.  Identity theft victims typically spend an average of 165 hours repairing the damage done by the creation of fraudulent accounts, and an additional 58 hours on existing accounts.  The InfoArmor plan has extensive protection for you and your family at a competitive cost. 

Wellness

ShareCare is the wellness program vendor for the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP), and they provide comprehensive well-being and incentive programs for members.  As you complete wellness activities, you will earn points in your Health Incentive Account to help offset your medical expenses.  High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) members must meet a portion of the deductible before well-being points may be used. 

Disability & Sick Leave

As a Effingham County Schools employee, you have the option to elect short term and/or long term disability coverage.  These plans pay a benefit should you remain disabled and unable to work, and provide you with financial protection in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury. 

2024 Accident

Accidents are usually followed by a series of bills. Even if you have medical insurance, you may still have to cover out-of-pocket costs. If you suffer from a fracture, dislocation, or other covered accidental injury, Accident Insurance can help offset unexpected medical expenses, such as emergency room bills, deductibles, and co-payments.  When an unexpected injury happens, Accident Insurance can help offset costs that are not covered by your medical plan. 

2024 Critical Illness

Critical illness insurance helps you and your family maintain financial security during the recovery period of a serious medical event, such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke.  The benefit provides a monetary benefit to help with the out-of-pocket medical and non-medical expenses of the illness, and coverage is available to both employees and their families. 

Life Insurance and AD&D

Life Insurance can help provide financial protection for your family if you pass away. The money received from a life insurance policy could help your family with both everyday and future expenses, including medical bills, funeral costs, utilities, college tuition, and mortgage payments. Life Insurance provides you with coverage as long as you continue paying your monthly premium.

Your cost will vary depending on your age and amount of coverage you elect. It is important to assess your current and future financial obligations to help you determine the coverage that's right for you. Our Benefits Service Center Specialists can help you make the right decision for you and your family.

Vision

Our vision changes over time, so you may not be aware of your need for vision correction. That’s why an annual eye exam is critical to keeping your view of the world sharp and clear. Vision Insurance helps offset the costs of routine checkups and vision correction wear that may be prescribed. Routine eye exams are a preventive measure for maintaining your overall health and wellness, and your doctor will look for vision problems and signs of serious medical conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, and even cancer.

2024 Dental

Dental Insurance is designed to offer you coverage for common dental care issues and to help you budget for dental services. You pay for a certain amount out-of-pocket for services covered by your plan before your insurance starts paying (known as your deductible). Under this plan, the deductible is waived for preventive services like exams, cleanings, and x-rays. After you meet your deductible, you’re responsible for a percentage of covered expenses, which is called co-insurance.

State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP)

There are two health plan carriers available to employees and their families: Anthem and UnitedHealthcare (UHC).  Each carrier has multiple plan options available, and each plan includes coverage for preventive care, visits to primary care and specialty care providers, coverage for hospital stays, and visits to urgent care & the emergency room.  When thinking about your health benefits, don’t look at just one thing - like your contributions or the deductible - be sure to consider the whole picture!