1.02.15c – (LAA/LUS) YSA, Med. Insurance, Health Benefits Direct Bill, Unpaid SK/IOD, Benefits’ Payments During Leaves, IOD, Salary Continuance

 

APFA Health Department Update
[email protected]

January 2, 2015

---

 

LAA and LUS
Medical Insurance and ‘Your Spending Account’ (YSA) cards – [email protected]
The new 2015 insurance cards and flexible spending cards will be mailed to each participating employees’ address on file by January 1, 2015. If you haven’t received your card, please verify that your address on file is correct by checking the Benefits Service Center on Jetnet. When you are seeking medical treatment, it is always a good idea to confirm that the providers and hospitals you select are in-network if at all possible in order to avoid paying out of network fees.
 
If you signed up for a flexible spending account for 2015 or have remaining funds from 2014, you will receive a YSA debit card.  Your card can be used for 2015 funds beginning January 2nd, but the remaining funds from 2014 will not be available until January 15th. You will not be able to access remaining funds in your account from 2014 until January 15th due to the transition from Wageworks to YSA. For more information please contact the Benefits Service Center at 1-888-860-6178.
 
LAA and LUS
Health Benefits Direct Bill Info
Flight Attendants on Unpaid Sick or IOD for more than 30 days should have received an invoice for health benefits for January.  If you have not yet received an invoice, login to the Benefits Service Center via my.aa.com or contact HR services at 1-888-860-6178.  If you were on Unpaid Sick or IOD for 30 days or less and you received an invoice, that was issued in error and you may disregard the bill.
 
LAA 
Unpaid Sick/IOD 
If you are on an Unpaid Sick/IOD Leave of Absence as of December 31, 2014, you are still included in the “pay as you go” agreement and may continue to defer your medical, dental, and/or vision payments until you return to work. You must continue to pay your optional coverages or it will be terminated. Once you return to work, the entire unpaid premiums incurred for medical, dental and/or vision will be deducted from your paychecks until you have repaid the premiums.
 
LAA 
Benefits’ Payments During Leaves of Absence
Beginning January 1, 2015, Flight Attendants will be required to pay for all benefits during any leave of absence.  If your leave is less than 30 days in duration, the amount due will be taken from your paychecks when you return to work.  If your leave is more than 30 days, payment must be made on time to continue coverage.
 
This information can be found in Jetnet > Pay & Benefits > Leaves of Absence.
 
LAA 
Injury On Duty (current through January 31, 2015)
Article 26 4.D

• Salary continuance only applies to turbulence-related injuries – Article 26.E.
• Flight Attendants are not required to use accrued sick time for work-related injuries, but may, at their option, elect to supplement their Workers’ Compensation benefits with accrued sick time.
• Injured Flight Attendants who have been removed from duty will be given a one-time opportunity to elect to supplement their Worker’s Compensation pay with sick time.

 
Per the APFA contract, a Flight Attendant must have available sick time to supplement their income and must treat with a PPN physician.
 
Sick time may be used to supplement Worker’s Compensation only up to the contractual sick cap of:

• 80 hours Domestic;
• 85 hours International;
• 85 hours Reserve Flight Attendants in either Division.

Flight Attendants whose Worker’s Compensation benefits exceed the sick cap will only be able to supplement with sick time during the Statutory Waiting Period this is the period of time an injured worker has to be off work before they are considered eligible for worker’s compensation pay.
 
LAA and LUS
Salary Continuance – JCBA Section 27 (effective February 1, 2015 for LAA / Status Quo for LUS)
In addition to receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits, Flight Attendants on IOD must select a physician from the Preferred Provider Network (PPN) from the state-specific network found in the IOD packet on the APFA Health Department IOD page and in the IOD packet from the company in order to be eligible for salary continuance, except in the following cases:

• Flight Attendant resides in a state where the Company chooses not to participate in a PPN;
• The state does not have a PPN;
• The Flight Attendant’s primary residence is more than 45 miles from the nearest PPN provider.

 

• The amount of salary continuance will be equal to the six-month average of a Flight Attendant’s salary, but in no case shall s/he receive an amount greater than one hundred and ten (110) hours per month.
• Salary continuance will be offset by Workers’ Comp benefits.
• Flight Attendants are eligible to receive salary continuance for up to six months, after which s/he has the option of supplementing her/his Workers’ Compensation with accrued sick time.

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Chair