Benefits At-A-Glance

Archdiocese parishes, schools, cemeteries, and the Pastoral Center are required to participate in the benefits listed below. Employees of other Catholic entities should check with their local benefits/payroll administrator to confirm whether their employer participates in these benefits.

For information regarding employees who work in multiple locations (MLEs), please see the Multiple Location Employees Letter.

Generally, benefits changes can only be made during the open enrollment period. However, there are exceptions. For instance, new employees may enroll in benefits upon being hired, and certain qualifying events allow current employees to make benefits changes outside of the open enrollment period. Review the following topics for more information:

New Hire Eligibility – Medical and Dental Plans 
Employees are eligible to enroll in the RCAB Medical and Dental Plans if they are scheduled to work at least 1,000 hours per year and 20 hours/week for employees working 12 months per year or 24 hours/week for employees working 10 months per year. Eligibility for Medical and Dental coverage begins on the first calendar day of the month following the date of hire. If the date of hire is the first of the month, eligibility for the Medical and Dental Plans begins on that date. A small number of separately-incorporated employers participating in the RCAB Medical and Dental Plans have longer waiting periods prior to eligibility.

Employees must make enrollment elections within 30 days of the date of hire. If an enrollment decision is not made within 30 days of the date of hire, Medical and Dental plan coverage will be waived. The employee may only make changes to enrollment at the next Open Enrollment period, which occurs each year in May/June, prior to the start of the following Plan Year on July 1, or if a Life Event occurs.

Employees may be required to contribute towards Medical and Dental plan coverage through payroll deduction set by their employers. These deductions will be made on a pre-tax basis unless the employees specifically elect otherwise. Deduction amounts may vary from location to location.

Change in Status to Benefit – Eligible Hours – Medical and Dental Plans
Employees are eligible to enroll in the RCAB Medical and Dental Plans if they are scheduled to work at least 1,000 hours per year and20 hours/week for employees working 12 months per year or 24 hours/week for employees working 10 months per year. Eligibility for Medical and Dental coverage begins on the first calendar day of the month following the date an employee increases hours to a benefit-eligible level. If the effective date of benefit eligibility is the first of the month, eligibility for the Medical and Dental Plans begins on that date. A small number of separately-incorporated employers participating in the RCAB Medical and Dental Plans have longer waiting periods prior to eligibility.

Employees must make enrollment elections within 30 days of the date of benefit eligibility. If an enrollment decision is not made within 30 days of the date of benefit eligibility to enroll in the Medical or Dental plans, the employee may only make changes to enrollment at the next Open Enrollment period, which occurs each year in May/June, prior to the start of the following Plan Year on July 1, or if a Life Event occurs.

Employees may be required to contribute towards Medical and Dental plan coverage through payroll deduction set by their employers. These deductions will be made on a pre-tax basis unless the employees specifically elect otherwise. Deduction amounts may vary from location to location.

Qualifying Life Events – Medical and Dental Plans
Employees working at least 1,000 hours per year may enroll, disenroll, or change their enrollment, or the enrollment status of eligible dependents, within 30 days of the occurrence of a Life Event even if there has been no change in benefit eligibility and even if Open Enrollment is not in process. Enrollments will be effective the first of the month following the life event date except for in the event of a birth or adoption of a child, in which case coverage is effective on the date of birth or adoption. Coverage terminations are effective the last day of the month in which the Life Event occurs. Documentation of the Life Event is required prior to approval of an enrollment change. A list of typical Life Events and required documentation is below:

Employees must make enrollment elections within 30 days of the Life Event date. If an enrollment decision is not made within 30 days of this date, the employee may only make changes to enrollment at the next Open Enrollment period, which occurs each year in May/June, prior to the start of the following Plan Year on July 1.

Automatic Enrollment in Additional Benefits

Group Term Life Insurance
Employees are automatically enrolled in the Life Insurance benefit on the first day of the calendar month following completion of one year of eligible service during which the employee worked at least 1,000 hours with one or more participating employers. The Life Insurance program provides a benefit of two times an employee’s base annual earnings; coverage reduces to 80% of this amount for participants ages 65-70 and 60% of this amount for participants over age 70. There is no cost to employees for this benefit.    

Long-Term Disability Insurance
Employees are automatically enrolled in the Long-Term Disability Insurance benefit on the first day of the calendar month following completion of one year of eligible service during which the employee worked at least 1,000 hours with one or more participating employers. The LTD program provides a monthly benefit of 60% of an employee’s base monthly earnings, to a maximum of $10,000 per month, after an elimination period of 180 days during which an employee becomes disabled and unable to work. This benefit is offered at no cost to employees.

Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
Employees are automatically enrolled in the TAP program, which is the RCAB’s private unemployment insurance program, on the first day of the calendar month following completion of one year of eligible service during which the employee worked at least 1,000 hours with one or more participating employers. For employees involuntarily separated from employment, TAP provides a benefit of up to 50% of base weekly wages to a maximum adjusted annually to reflect the Massachusetts unemployment weekly benefit maximum. Benefits are payable bi-weekly for a maximum duration of 30 calendar weeks. The TAP program is provided at no cost to employees.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
All lay employees and priests who are paid through the RCAB’s payroll system are eligible to contribute to the 401(k) Plan starting with their first paycheck. Lay employees coded as Benefit-Eligible in the payroll system (i.e., scheduled to work at least 20 hours/week (24 hours/week for 10-month employees) and 1,000 hours/year) are automatically enrolled in the 401(k) Plan with a 4% pre-tax deduction on the first available pay date on or after 45 days from date of hire at a new location. In addition, an employer matching contribution begins for these employees with the employee’s first paycheck on or after the first of the month following one year of benefit-eligible service, your employer will match 100% of the first 3% of eligible wages contributed, plus 50% of the next 2% of eligible wages contributed.  Employees who are automatically enrolled are also automatically set up to have their 4% deductions escalated to 5% on the one-year anniversary of their first automatic enrollment deduction. Employees scheduled for and working less than 1,000 hours/year are not eligible for employer matching contributions. All contributions are immediately and 100% vested.

Catholic Family/Medical Leave (CFML)
Employees are automatically enrolled in the Baseline CFML benefit if they are scheduled to work at least 1,000 hours per year and 20 hours/week for employees working 12 months per year or 24 hours/week for employees working 10 months per year.  Employees can also elect to enroll in the Full CFML benefit if working benefit eligible hours within 30 days of date of hire, rehire or date of change in status to benefit eligible or during the annual Open Enrollment period. 
 
The Catholic Family and Medical Leave Program (CFML) provides eligible employees with up to 10 weeks of CFML benefits following a 2-week waiting period, at up to 80% of pay, for approved family and/or medical leave (in the aggregate) in a benefit year.
 
The CFML program offers two levels of benefits:  Baseline CFML (40% of an employee’s pay, funded by employer only) and Full CFML (additional 40% of employee’s pay, for a total of up to 80%, funded by voluntary employee payroll deductions of 0.57% of wages). If employees prefer not to contribute to the CFML program, they will only be eligible for the Baseline benefit (funded solely by their employer) after completing one year of CFML-eligible service.  
 
Please see the CFML Flyer and CFML FAQs for more information. If you have any questions, please contact the Benefits Department at [email protected] or call (617) 746-5640.