Frequently Asked Questions:

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1 HAMILTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 3074 HICKORY VALLEY ROAD, CHATTANOOGA, TN (423) Frequently Asked Questions: College Student Discount Contracts Direct Deposit Employee Identification Number Employee Online Employee Photos/ID Badges Employee Registrar Online Employee Types Insurance / Benefits Teacher License Information Pay / Experience Verification Personal Leave Retirement / 403(b) Sick Leave Substitutes / Sub-Line Tuition Reimbursement COLLEGE DISCOUNT Q: Who is eligible for the public higher education fee discount? Only children of currently employed, licensed public school teachers and children of state employees are eligible. Forms are available from Human Resources. CONTRACTS Q: Will I receive a contract? Classified employees are employees at will, meaning that either they or the Superintendent of Schools may end their employment at any time for any reason or for no reason. Consequently, classified employees do not receive a contract. Certified employees Please note that Human Resources will no longer issue a hard-copy teacher contract for signature every year. When a teacher is first hired in Hamilton County, the teacher now receives an electronic contract via SearchSoft. For teachers with a regular contract, this contract will automatically renew for the following school year unless the teacher is notified prior to June 15 th that his/her contract will not be renewed or until the teacher receives tenure. When a teacher is granted tenure, he/she will receive a tenured contract that will also automatically renew. Please note that teachers on a temporary, part-time, or interim contract will receive a new contract if hired into another temporary, part-time, or interim position, or if he/she is hired into a regular position. Q: When will my contract be issued? If you are to receive a contract (see above), you will be notified through your address that you have a contract waiting to be signed via SearchSoft. This contract is not issued until you have completed the required paperwork for employment. 1 FAQs

2 DIRECT DEPOSIT Q: When I complete the Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits form within SearchSoft, have I completed all the steps to be paid? No. There is a final step. A voided check or bank verification of Savings Account must be received in payroll before your direct deposit can be processed. Q: Can I split my direct deposit accounts into more than one bank? No. All employees are eligible for one (1) active direct deposit account. Q: Can I choose to receive a paper check instead of direct deposit? No. All payments are processed via direct deposit. HCDE no longer processes paper checks. Q: Can I change my direct deposit anytime? Yes, EXCEPT during two periods of time: 1. The last 3 weeks of the month of December when Payroll will be processing W-2s and performing end of the year functions. 2. The summer months before returning to school. Payroll has to process all expanded pay checks by the end of June each summer. Bank files are scheduled for the deposits and changes cannot be processed. Q: Where do I get the Direct Deposit change form? What steps should I take to change my direct deposit account? Direct Deposit forms can be found in three different locations: 1. For accessing inside the HCDE network (example: from a school or central office computer) under Employee Online or under Business Support/HCDE Business Forms/Payroll. 2. For accessing outside the HCDE network (example: from your home computer) select Inside HCDE Forms 3. School - (Your timekeeper or secretary should have a blank form.) No telephone change request will be honored. Send the original signed form including a voided check or statement issued from your bank showing both the bank transit number and account number to: Attention: Payroll. The Payroll Department must receive the original form via school pony or hand delivered before any change can be processed. All questions should be referred to someone in payroll or your school secretary. Q: What happens if I forget to contact payroll when I change or close my bank account? Payroll requires at least a 2-week notice before any employee changes are made to their bank account. (After the money has been transferred out of HCDE s bank account into the employee s closed account; payroll has to wait until the money has returned before any monies can be re-issued. Sometimes this takes up to 5 days; which means it could take up to 15 days before an employee could receive their pay.) Q: Am I issued an address and how is this communicated to me? Yes, you are issued an account when Human Resources has received and processed your employment paperwork. A letter is sent via interoffice (pony) mail to your school. The letter contains your user name, password and how to access through OWA (web mail). The internet address for web mail is Exceptions: substitute teachers, most maintenance employees, part-time school nutrition, non-faculty coaches, and contract bus drivers are not issued an HCDE address. 2 FAQs

3 EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER Q: How do I get my ID / employee number? You may call Human Resources to obtain this information ( ). Also, ID numbers are printed on your ID badge and on your online check stub in Employee Online. EMPLOYEE ONLINE Q: What is Employee Online and how do I login? Employee Online is a web-based system designed to provide employees with improved access to their records. Employee Online can only be accessed either by using our school system computers or from your home computer. From your location computer, click the icon for HCDE Employee Online from the Desktop or you can type in the following internet address into the Internet Explorer address bar: To access from your home computer, type the following into the Internet Explorer address bar: eo.hcde.org. Q: How will I use Employee Online? Employees are able to update address, change tax withholding, view and print check stubs, view dependent information, licenses, pay information, deductions, benefits, and more. Q: How do I get my password for Employee Online? Your ID is your 6-digit Employee ID. Your password is initially set to the last four digits of your social security number and must be changed when logging in for the first time. If you forget your ID or password, there is a link on the Employee Online Login page that reads "Forgot ID or Password?" Click and follow online instructions. EMPLOYEE PHOTOS / ID BADGES Q: How do I obtain an ID badge? ID badges are made by the Human Resources department when required paperwork has been completed. Contact your HR Generalist for more information. Your first badge is made at no cost to you. Upon termination, badges must be turned in to your supervisor. Substitute teachers are not issued an ID badge from Human Resources. The school provides a badge for substitute teachers. Assigned substitutes do receive an ID badge. Q: If I lose my badge, can I get a replacement badge? If you have lost or damaged your ID badge, a new one can be obtained through Human Resources. There is a replacement fee of $10 (cash only, please.) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REGISTRATION Q: How do I register for professional development sessions? For accessing inside or outside the HCDE network, access Employee Online at eo.hcde.org. Log into Employee Online and click on the Professional Development tab. Click on Browse Course and in the Course Title box, type in the name of the PD you would like to attend, and then click Search. Details will appear at the bottom, and then select Register. For additional assistance navigating the PD portal: on the homepage, click on Instructions for Professional Development or contact Ann Marshall (423) for any questions. EMPLOYEE TYPES Q: What is the difference between Classified and Certified positions? Classified employees are those employees, regardless of education, training, experience, or licensure, who hold positions for which the Tennessee Department of Education does not require teacher certification. Certified employees are employees who hold a position for which the Tennessee Department of Education requires teacher certification/licensure. 3 FAQs

4 Q: Explain the different types of employees. If you are a full time employee, you could be classified as any of the following: FTB: Full Time with Benefits---Employee works 100% of the time, earns leave and is eligible for insurance. TEMB: Temporary with Benefits---Employee in a temporary/one-year position. Employee earns sick leave and personal leave, and is eligible for insurance benefits. Position must be re-advertised. TMLO: Temporary with Leave Only---Employee in a temporary/one-year position hired on or after April 1 st. Employee earns sick leave and personal leave, but is not eligible for insurance benefits due to waiting period. Position must be re-advertised. INLO: Interim with Leave Only---Employee working for a certificated employee who is on leave of absence. Interim position for at least six weeks, but less than one semester. Employee earns sick leave and personal leave only, no insurance. (Note: If LOA is extended to one semester, employee becomes eligible for insurance benefits, with 60-day waiting period waived.) INTB: Interim with Benefits---Employee working for a certificated employee who is on leave of absence. Interim position that begins as a minimum of a one-semester assignment. Employee earns sick leave, personal leave and insurance benefits. RTF: Retired Full Time---Retired HCDE employee who is working 100% of the time, on a full-year schedule/contract and TCRS Limited Re-employment status. Employee earns no sick leave or personal leave. Receives insurance benefits through retirement. If you are a part time employee, you could be classified as any of the following: PTB: Part-Time with Benefits---Employee working at least 80% of a full schedule (average of 4 days per week). Employee earns sick leave, personal leave and is eligible for insurance benefits. PTLO: Part-Time Leave Only---Employee working less than 80% of a full schedule. Employee earns pro-rated sick leave and personal leave, but is not eligible for insurance benefits. PTNB: Part-Time No Benefits---Part time employee who does not earn sick leave or personal leave, and is not eligible for insurance benefits. RTP: Retired Part-Time---Retired HCDE employee who has returned to work part time (less than 30 hours per week), under TCRS Temporary Re-employment status. Leave/Benefits same as RTF. You can see what type employee you are by logging into Employee Online and click the Employee Info link under Human Resources. INSURANCE / BENEFITS Q: Who receives insurance benefits? Full-time classified and certified employees receive insurance benefits. Part-time (except those working 80% or more) employees do not receive insurance benefits. Q: When are my medical insurance benefits effective? Benefits are effective the 1st of the month following 60 days from date of hire. Q: Who can explain the benefits to me? Please review the information provided on SearchSoft where you will enroll for your benefits. Benefits information may also be accessed from by clicking on Human Resources and then Benefits. Please call the Benefits Department at (423) with questions. Q: What if I have to go to the doctor or fill a prescription before I receive insurance cards? You pay for the visit or the prescription and file a claim for reimbursement. Claim forms are posted on the HCDE Benefits website or you may call the Benefits Department at (423) FAQs

5 Q: When will I receive my ID cards? It will depend on when you submit your enrollment form to the Benefits Department. Employees have 30 days to enroll so it's best to enroll and submit the form quickly. The Benefits Department processes applications daily and eligibility is sent to the insurance companies weekly. The ID cards are issued 10 to 15 days from the time your eligibility is received by the insurance company. Q: How long does it take to receive my dental reimbursement check from the time I file the claim? The dental reimbursement payments are made within 20 working days of receiving the completed dental request form with the proof of payment to your dentist. The dental claim form is posted on the website. Q: On my check, where are the deductions? The bottom portion of your pay stub shows the amount the Board pays towards your benefits. Your contributions are shown on the right hand side of the stub under the heading "Taxes and Miscellaneous Deductions." Q: When can I switch plans or make a change to my benefits? You have 30 days from the date of an event to make changes to your benefits. Qualifying events include: marriage, divorce, legal separation, death of a covered dependent, birth/adoption of a child, a spouse's employment status change or insurance coverage change. Benefit changes may also be made during the Open Enrollment period held the month of October. Changes made during the Open Enrollment period are effective January 1st of the following year. To cover a newborn, you must notify the Benefits Department within 30 days of the birth of the child (even if you already cover other children). Call the Benefits Department at (423) Q: If I just got married or I adopted/had a new baby, can I add the new dependent to my benefits now or must I wait until open enrollment? You may add a spouse or newborn/adopted child within 30 days of the marriage or birth/adoption. Please call the Benefits Department at (423) to obtain an enrollment form. Newly acquired dependents that are not added within 30 days cannot be added until the next open enrollment period (October) and their coverage won't be effective until January 1st of the following year. Q: How long can I keep a child covered? Eligible children may be covered to age 26. Q: When I participate in a medical or dependent flexible spending account (FSA) is it based on a calendar year or school year? Flexible Spending Account (FSA) elections are made for the calendar year, not the school year. For example, if you start work in August, the election you make at initial enrollment is for the balance of that calendar year (August - December) so you may need to be conservative in the amount you set aside. You may enroll in an FSA for the following calendar year during the Open Enrollment period held every October. Q: How can I check on my FSA balance? Eligible employees may check balances by going to and creating an account or by calling Benefits Connection's customer service at Q: What happens if I use my FSA debit card to pay for a medical or dental expense and then I am reimbursed by the medical or dental plan for part of the expense? The IRS requires that you pay back into your account amounts for which you are reimbursed by a medical or dental plan. The money you pay back may be used for other non-reimbursed medical/dental expenses. Make the check payable to HCDE and mail the check with an explanation to the Benefits Department, 3074 Hickory Valley Rd., Chattanooga, TN The Benefits Department will notify Benefits Connection to add the money back into your FSA account. 5 FAQs

6 Q: I m an active employee and I ll be turning 65 next month. Am I going to be dropped from the medical plan? Do I have to enroll in Medicare? Same question for a spouse of an active employee that is covered under our plan and turning 65. Employees that turn age 65 and are actively working with HCDE may remain covered under the HCDE medical plan. You don't have to enroll and pay for Medicare Part B or D until you leave employment or retire. Medicare won't consider you a late enrollee as long as you were covered under your employer's medical plan at the time you terminate. The same rule applies for a dependent spouse covered under HCDE's medical plan. Q: I need to change my address because the insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB) are going to the wrong address. Can you change it? The Benefits Department cannot enter an address change. You may change your address by logging on to Employee Online and making the change yourself. The updated address will be sent to the insurance company on the electronic file that is sent weekly to the carrier. LICENSING Q: How do I change my name on my teaching license? Go to this link: Click on the name change tab and it will give you instructions on how to change your name. Q: Where can I find my: License Type / Endorsement Code(s) / Expiration Date Go to this link: You can then click on "search". Enter either by name or license number and click "start search". Click on your name and then you will see all of this information. Q: How do I renew my license? Go to this link: Under How To click on Renew your educator license. You will see a list of license types to select from. Once you select the license you wish to renew, detailed instructions will guide you through the steps for renewal. PAY Q: When will I receive my first check? What is the pay schedule? It depends on the date you report to work for the year. For the majority of new employees (10 month teachers), the first check will be approximately 3 weeks after the start of school. All pay schedules will be posted on the HCDE website. You may contact your HR Generalist or Payroll Technician to obtain this information as well. Q: What will my salary be? Certified employees are paid based on their current degree (as shown on the current teacher license) and completed years of experience, with 15 yrs. being the maximum out of county experience allowed. Certified employees may also apply for military experience credit with a maximum of 5 years experience possible. Check with Human Resources to find out more information regarding military experience. Classified employees should be informed of their salary at time the offer of employment is extended. Q: How is experience determined for certified employees? Years of experience must be verified and approved by HCDE. Only experience from accredited schools (schools approved by recognized accrediting agencies such as the State Departments of Education and/or Southern, Middle states, North Central, New England, Northwest, and Western Associations of Schools and Colleges) is accepted. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that your experience is received by Human Resources and is completed within 60 days of your hire date. Experience verifications received in HR after 60 days will be put into effect beginning the following pay period and will not receive retro pay. HCDE no longer accepts certificated substitute experience for salary credit. 6 FAQs

7 Q: If I complete an advanced degree, how do I ensure that my salary correctly reflects my new degree? HCDE will honor any advanced degree for which the educator submits a transcript showing degree conferred with a conferral date on or before August 31 of the current school year. Submission of this information to HR on or before November 1 will automatically qualify the individual for retro pay to their start date. Approval of any submissions for retro pay after this date will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The individual must verify submission and receipt of their information with the SDOE prior to December 1. Any advanced degree information submitted after December 1, regardless of conferral date, will be honored going forward as of the next full pay cycle. For an advanced degree conferred after August 31 of any given school year, the individual s amended salary rating with no retro pay will begin during the first full pay cycle following receipt of the degree conferred transcript in the HR office. Q: I ve heard that the state is changing the teacher pay scale. How will this impact me? Since HCDE is still under a Memorandum of Agreement through the school year, our current pay scale including steps for experience and increases for advanced degree attainment will remain in effect through Q: If we attend a paid Professional Development event during the summer, when do we get paid? For new hires, it will be paid as soon as possible at the first of the school year. However, if your principal requests that you attend training prior to the first day of school, your principal needs to contact HR before you attend professional development. For existing employees, it is paid as it is turned in and will be a direct deposit check. Q: Will I get paid all summer? When do summer payments cease? Teachers and full-time classified employees are paid 26 checks which means you will be paid all summer. Timecard employees are paid as they work. Q: Is my first pay check on direct deposit? Yes, all paychecks will be received through direct deposit. There are no longer any paper checks distributed. (This is dependent on Payroll having received your form with the correct information completed.) Note see direct deposit topic for more detailed information. Q: Are my summer checks on direct deposit? Yes. Note see direct deposit topic for more detailed information. PERSONAL LEAVE Q: How many personal days do I get and what happens if I do not use them all during the year? Full-time regular employees earn 3 personal days. Unused personal days are handled in the following manner: Certified employees If 3 days remain, one day is paid at $75 and two days roll to sick leave. If 2 days remain, 1 day is paid at $75 and 1 day rolls to sick leave. If 1 day remains, the employee is paid $75 for this day. Classified employees All unused personal days will convert to sick leave if not used and reported to payroll prior to the first payroll in June. RETIREMENT Q: Can I transfer my retirement funds from other systems outside of Tennessee s Retirement Systems (TCRS)? Once vested with TCRS, you can apply to purchase out of state retirement credit for up to the number of years of TCRS membership. For more information contact TCRS at (800) or through the Internet at 7 FAQs

8 Q: Does HCDE have a 403(b) program I can participate in? HCDE does have a 403(b) plan for all employees. Click on the following link for detailed information: SICK LEAVE Q: How many sick leave days do I get? Full-time regular employees earn sick leave at a rate of 1 day for each month of contractual employment. Unused sick leave carries over year-to-year and there is no limit to the number of days you may accumulate. At the time of retirement, unused sick leave days count towards service credit and are paid at a rate of $20-$30 per day. Q: Can I transfer sick leave days from other school districts? Certified employees may transfer accumulated sick leave from another Tennessee school system or approved state agency provided the system or agency in which the accumulated leave was held, supplies HCDE with notarized verification. You may also transfer sick leave to another Tennessee school system or approved state agency should you leave HCDE. Please note that classified employees may not transfer sick leave days from other school districts nor do we accept sick leave day s from another school district. However, we do restore unused sick leave days if a classified employee is rehired in a position that is eligible for sick leave. SUBSTITUTE/SUB-LINE Q: How do I reach the sub line? There are two ways to access the Sub System: 1. Through the Internet - type in SEMS.HCDE.ORG in your internet explorer address bar OR 2. By phone (423) You will need your User ID (which is your Employee ID) and your PASSWORD (this will be the last 4 digits of your social security number). If you experience difficulty entering an absence, please call (423) or (423) TUITION REIMBURSEMENT Q: Does HCDE have an employee tuition reimbursement program? There are no tuition reimbursement programs available. 8 FAQs