FAQs for school administrators

The following frequently asked questions (FAQs) help you understand the SEBB Program and how it affects your school district, educational service district, or charter school.

What happens when an employee reaches 630 hours but decides not to bid or take shifts for the rest of the year? Do districts still provide benefits?: Yes. Districts will provide benefits to any employee who works or is anticipated to work 630 hours within the school year.

What if an employee doesn’t select health plans and is automatically enrolled in plans that aren’t available in their area?: If employees do not choose medical, dental, and vision plans, they will be automatically enrolled in UMP Achieve 1 (medical), Uniform Dental Plan (dental) and MetLife (vision). These plans are available in all Washington counties.

What is considered “offering” a benefit that would conflict with the SEBB Program’s authority?: SEBB organizations cannot endorse or make available any benefits that compete with those authorized as part of the SEBB Program. This includes but is not limited to, inviting a vendor to attend a benefits fair to endorse products that compete with any form of a benefit under the SEBB Program’s authority—even if the vendor’s product would be fully paid by the employee. It also includes providing vendors with employee contact information for marketing purposes or facilitating payroll deductions.

What is dual enrollment across the SEBB and PEBB Programs, and why isn't it allowed?: View the answer to this question and other related information in the Dual Enrollment FAQ.

What is dual enrollment within the SEBB Program, and why isn’t it allowed?: Dual enrollment is when a school employee is eligible to enroll in the SEBB Program and is also eligible as the spouse, state-registered domestic partner, or dependent of another eligible school employee. Dual enrollment is not allowed for medical, dental, or vision coverage. The single-enrollment policy helps maintain the affordability of the SEBB Program’s health plans.

What is the difference between the insurance plan year and the school year?: The insurance plan year for the SEBB Program is a calendar year, January 1 through December 31. Plans run from the beginning to the end of the insurance year.

The school year, as defined in RCW 28A.150.203(11), is September 1 through August 31. Employee benefits eligibility and coverage period are based on the school year.

What is the state law history on SEBB organizations’ authority to offer optional benefits?: When the Legislature created the SEBB Program in 2017, a SEBB organization’s authority to offer any benefits to their employees was removed in its entirety beginning January 1, 2020. This meant that SEBB organizations had no authority to offer any benefits to their employees once the SEBB Program launched. However, during the 2018 session, the Legislature revised the law to allow school districts (but not educational service districts or charter schools) to offer benefits that do not conflict with the SEB Board’s authority to offer benefits.

What plans will new employees be enrolled in if they don’t choose any?

If new employees who are eligible for SEBB benefits do not either enroll in or waive SEBB Program medical coverage within SEBB timelines, they will be automatically enrolled in the benefits below. They will also be charged a $25-per-month tobacco use premium surcharge. This surcharge can be stopped if the employee attests that they do not use tobacco. Attestation can be done either in Benefits 24/7 or on a paper enrollment form.

Medical: UMP Achieve 1
Dental: Uniform Dental Plan (no premium)
Vision: MetLife vision (no premium)
Basic life: MetLife (no premium)
Basic accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D): MetLife (no premium)
Basic long-term disability (LTD): The Standard (no premium)

What should employees do if they have questions?: The SEBB Program is directing employees to contact their payroll or benefits office.

What’s included in the funding rate SEBB organizations pay to HCA?

For every SEBB benefits-eligible employee, the employer will pay the funding rate, which includes the following:

Employer share of medical premium contribution
100 percent dental premium
100 percent vision premium
100 percent basic life premium
100 percent accidental death and dismemberment premium
100 percent basic long-term disability premium
K-12 remittance (for retirees)
Administration