Welcome to this week’s CASE Files, part of our commitment to keep you up-to-date on our work to increase your salary, improve and protect your benefits, and to aggressively represent your interests in every forum where your employment and professional interests are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ UPDATE
Preparing for NDI-Family Care Leave. CASE’s first-of-its-kind paid family leave benefit will become effective on July 1, 2023. Here are two things to know in advance of next summer:
- Be Aware of Timing if Changing Leave Plans. The benefit is only available for members enrolled in Annual Leave, as opposed to Vacation/Sick Leave. You can change your leave program any time you like, so long as you did not enroll in your current leave program within the last 24 months. (CASE MOU Article 9.11) Different rules may apply to different bargaining units – if you ever have any questions about this or other CASE benefits, just give CASE a call.
- Bond Until Birthday #1. NDI-Family Care Leave for bonding with a newly arrived child (through birth, adoption, or foster placement) can be used any time during the child’s first year of life. That means that if, for example, you welcome a new child in March, 2023, you can access NDI-FCL after it becomes effective on July 1, 2023 until the day before the child’s first birthday in March, 2024.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Accident and Critical Illness Open Enrollment DEADLINE EXTENDED. By popular demand, open Enrollment for CASE’s newest group-rate insurance offerings, Accident Insurance and Critical Illness Insurance, will close on October 14. Don’t miss out – sign up today!
CalPERS Open Enrollment Through October 14. From September 19 to October 14, active CalPERS members can also make changes to their health care plans. You can learn about available plans, changes to existing plans, compare coverage, and more at the CalPERS website. The 2023 CoBen Contribution amounts are as follows: Single, $735/mo; 2-Party, $1461/mo; Family, $1888/mo. CalHR’s CoBen calculator has also been updated to reflect these rates to assist you in planning for 2023.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
News Headlines. Recent media reports of interest to Unit 2 legal professionals:
- Analysis shows California EDD fraud really at $32.6 billion and counting – KCRA (Sacramento)
- California objects to drivers group’s addition to trucking association’s AB5 lawsuit – Freight Waves
- State Bar restrained from expanding nonlawyer practice – Bloomberg Law
MOU IMPLEMENTATION
Watching and Waiting. CASE continues to monitor the implementation process for the new CASE MOU and will update you on when you can expect to see the retroactive 2.5% GSI payment as soon as we have a date from CalHR and the State Controller’s Office. Several benefits take effect starting October 1 (the pay period following the MOU’s September ratification), such as increased commute program rates. If CalHR has not transmitted the necessary documentation to departments in time for you to purchase transit passes, you will be eligible to be made whole for the difference between what you pay and the new benefit amount in the MOU. Increased local and specialty bar dues reimbursement rates are effective November 1. Stay tuned for further updates.