ELIGIBILITY WORKER I - RECALL

The State of Hawaii offers its employees who are members of the civil service a range of benefits.

A summary of these benefits, which is based on full-time employment, is listed below.

Note: Benefits for NON-CIVIL SERVICE appointments will be provided by the hiring department at the time of interview.

With Civil Service modernization, effective July 1, 2002, employees appointed to temporary positions may also gain membership in the civil service upon satisfactory completion of an initial probation period of at least six months. As a temporary member of the civil service, you will be eligible to apply for promotion and transfer opportunities to permanent as well as other temporary positions. You may also enjoy other rights and benefits afforded to members of the civil service, with the exception of return rights and placement rights associated with a reduction-in-force of a permanent member of the civil service.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The State provides its employees equal employment opportunity without regard to sex, race, ancestry/national origin, religion, color, disability, age, marital status, assignment of income for child support obligations, arrest & court record, National Guard participation, sexual orientation and nursing/breast-feeding. Reasonable accommodation will be made for religious practices and beliefs and for qualified disabled persons.

Promotions & Transfers

For employees with membership in the civil service, the State offers promotion and transfer opportunities throughout the State Executive Branch.

Holidays

You may be eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.

Vacation

Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year. For Bargaining Unit 11, employees earn 14 hours per month, while employees assigned to 24-hour work shifts earn 20 hours per month. Note: Refer to the appropriate bargaining unit contract for usage.

Sick Leave

Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year. For Bargaining Unit 11, employees earn 14 hours per month, while employees assigned to 24-hour work shifts earn 20 hours per month. Note: Refer to the appropriate bargaining unit contract for usage. Accumulated (unused) credits may be used toward computing retirement benefits.

Other Leaves

Reasonable time off with pay may be provided for jury or witness duty, a death in the family, some military duty, and donation to the Blood Bank. Leave sharing donations may be granted to eligible employees who have serious personal illnesses or injuries or need to care for a seriously ill or injured family member. Various leaves without pay may also be granted with full re-employment rights.

Health Insurance

The State pays a part of the premiums for each employee’s enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan.

Group Life Insurance

The State provides a free life insurance policy for employees between $7,245 to $36,225 depending on the employee’s age and $2,372 for retirees.

Premium Conversion Plan

Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Eligible employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes by setting aside money from their paychecks to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE-TAX basis.

Retirement Plan

The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees. New employees under the Hybrid Plan must contribute 6% of their monthly gross salary which are tax deferred for federal income tax purposes. Contributions are credited to employees’ accounts and will earn 4.5% interest compounded annually. Generally, employees with at least 5 years of credited service and who have reached 62 years of age or have 30 years of credited service and are 55 years old may retire and receive benefits. Under the Hybrid Plan, a normal benefit is based on an employee’s years of credited service times 2% of the average of the employee’s three highest years of pay.

Re-employment of Retirees

Pursuant to Act 156, Session Laws of Hawaii 2008, effective July 1, 2008 until June 30, 2013, retired State or county government employees are eligible for a position of at least 50% full-time equivalent with the State government after one calendar year of retirement. "One calendar year" means twelve consecutive months from the date of the employee's retirement to the date of the employee's re-employment under this law. Retired State or county government employees rehired under Act 156, SLH 2008 shall be recruited, selected, and employed pursuant to applicable civil service and employment laws to fill labor shortage and difficult-to-fill civil service positions.

Retired State or county government employees who are re-employed pursuant to Act 156, SLH 2008, shall not earn retirement service credit, contribute to the retirement system, or gain additional retirement system benefits as a result of their subsequent employment with the State or county and the retired State or county government employee shall continue to receive the retirant's retirement benefits and health benefits without penalty. A retired State or county government employee who is hired by the State under this law shall join the appropriate bargaining unit if hired in a position covered by collective bargaining.

This law does not preclude a retired State or county government employee from returning to work and relinquishing the person's retirement benefits to earn additional service credits and gain additional retirement benefits for a future retirement date as may be allowed by Chapter 88, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Deferred Compensation

The State offers employees a tax-deferred retirement savings program. This program allows employees to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary, pre-tax payroll deductions. A broad range of investment options are available to select from.

Temporary Disability Insurance

Qualified employees may be eligible to receive partial wage replacement, at no cost to the employee, for a disability caused by a non-work related injury or illness under this program.

Social Security

As an employer, the State also contributes to an employee’s social security account.

Workers’ Compensation

If an employee is injured while on the job, benefits, such as medical expenses and partial wage replacement, may be available through the State's self insured workers' compensation program. If an employee has sufficient sick leave or vacation leave credits, they may be used in combination with the partial wage replacement benefit. This amount may not exceed an employee's monthly base pay (Act 253).

Training & Continuing Education

The State supports developmental activities related to an employee’s work. In many departments there are numerous in-service training opportunities available. Sabbatical leaves with pay are available for qualified employees.

Travel Expenses

The State may pay for certain business related travel expenses including mileage reimbursement for use of a personal car during work, airfare, meals and lodging expenses for trips to neighbor islands or out of state.

Incentive & Service Awards

The State has a program that recognizes employees for their years of service and provides cash awards for their superior accomplishments, suggestions and other contributions that improve State operations.

Union & Collective Bargaining

Employees have the right to join the union for collective bargaining with the State and employee representation. Some employee unions provide discounts, insurance and other opportunities. Employees may also decide not to join a union, however, employees are required to pay union service fees unless the employee’s job is excluded from collective bargaining.

The above information is solely intended as a summary of the benefits available to State of Hawaii employees and is subject to change. Whether or not you are entitled to a particular benefit will depend on your specific appointment and employment status (included, excluded, exempt, non-exempt). Please refer to the appropriate collective bargaining agreement or executive order and all applicable laws, rules, policies, or plan documents for further details. Nothing herein shall be deemed as creating an employment contract, promise of employment, promise of continued employment, or obligation of any kind on the part of the State of Hawaii.

CLICK HERE for more information on the State of Hawaii's Benefits At-A-Glance.