The SEBA Healthcare Trust is the mechanism that allows us to leave the County of San Bernardino medical, dental and vision plans and create our own custom benefits plans for SEBA members ONLY. It allows us to better control costs for active members while maintaining decision making control over the healthcare offered to SEBA members and our families. Furthermore, we can provide customized healthcare plans now AND into retirement.

The Healthcare Trust has been 12 years in the making. It was something SEBA members always wanted, and we continued to fight the fight to gain control of our own healthcare. It was a hard-fought battle and FINALLY a win at the bargaining table in 2024. This new Healthcare Trust will allow us to tailor our benefits and ensure SEBA will have total control over all insurance plans offered. We now get to provide a higher level of service and benefits for SEBA members.

Active, full-time SEBA members, in good standing, in one of the recognized bargaining units: Safety Unit, Safety Management and Supervisory Unit, Specialized Peace Officer Unit, Specialized Peace Officer Supervisory Unit, or Specialized Fire Unit, along with SEBA Exempt members who enroll in the initial open enrollment period. Please refer to the Plan Document for more detailed eligibility details.

The SEBA Healthcare Trust currently sponsors medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. It is a Trust run by SEBA members, for SEBA members. The goal is to provide the best-in-class plans for active members and more affordable plans in retirement.

We were able to negotiate rates to keep the plans at the same cost as what you are currently paying with the county, but the SEBA Healthcare Plan includes the added value of subsidized retiree medical coverage. See rate sheet attached.

Click here to read the retiree monthly rates.

The Trustees of the SEBA Healthcare Trust along with our consultant, Union First, have been actively at work for the past 12 months scouring the insurance market to determine the best plans for our members right now. Considering cost, benefits, and keeping disruptions to a minimum, the plans available for our first plan year will be:

Anthem Blue Cross for Medical, Dental, and Vision
Kaiser Permanente for Medical
New York Life for Life Insurance

The specific plans chosen from these carriers were designed to mirror the current plans you are on through the County as closely as possible.

The newly appointed Trustees of the SEBA Healthcare Benefit Trust who will be advised by our long-time healthcare consultants at Union First.

The Anthem Blue Cross plans are extremely similar but not identical. Your plan options and benefits (copays, deductibles, Rx copay tiers) will be the same as what you currently have now. The payroll deductions will be the same. However, the Blue Shield plans will now be offered through Anthem Blue Cross so there could be some changes to covered providers and the prescription drug formulary. We do not anticipate very much disruption (providers not covered), but it is not a guarantee that your current doctor(s) will be covered by Anthem. (If they are not, we will work to get them covered.)

Yes, as long as you continue your SEBA membership in retirement. One of the most exciting aspects of our Healthcare Trust is the ability to offer our members the same SEBA platinum level benefit plans into retirement. The cost sheet for retirement plans will be provided at the time of retirement. The amount of the Retiree Grant will also be calculated at the time of retirement.

IMPORTANT: Future retirement benefits are ONLY available to those that join the SEBA Healthcare Trust during our one-time open enrollment. Anyone choosing to stay on the county plan will be excluded from retirement benefits for life.

This is a special program ONLY available to SEBA members who sign up during our one-time open enrollment. As long as the retiree meets the eligibility guidelines laid out in the SEBA plan document, SEBA will provide a monthly dollar amount, or “grant,” to be applied towards SEBA medical, dental, and/or vision plans. For each month of service worked, beginning with July 13, 2024 an Active Service Unit (ASU) will be awarded. The total ASU amount is multiplied by the Unit Multiplier (currently $1.51) at the time of retirement. Eligible members, who enroll in the trust, will receive Active Service Credits (ASU) at the rate of 110% for the time they were active SEBA members prior to July 13, 2024.

Please go to www.SEBABenefits.com. Use the following registration code to access sign in:

SEBATRUST (registration code is case sensitive and the website is only open during open enrollment)

This is a ONE-TIME open enrollment for current, active SEBA members. November will be your only opportunity to join the SEBA Healthcare Trust. Any member who does not join now will NOT be given another opportunity to join the Trust and will forfeit SEBA Benefits and Retiree Benefits permanently.

The sign-up process should be simple, as we will have all your existing plan information from County healthcare loaded into our system. If you plan to add a spouse or dependent, you will need certain required documents to verify eligibility. For example, when adding a spouse, you will be asked to upload a Marriage Certificate. For a list of required documents by dependent type, please refer to your 2025 SEBA Benefits Guide. (mailed to each member)

November 1, 2024 – November 15, 2024 @  www.SEBABenefits.com

February 8, 2025 at 12am PST

February 7, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

For active members, we will run your SEBA Benefit deductions through your county paycheck just like it is done today. Your first deduction for SEBA benefits will be PP04/2025 (last pay period of SBC is PP03). Retirees will be home-billed for their benefits.

Yes, with an option to opt out of pre-tax status but this is not advisable.

IRS Qualified Dependents are eligible to be enrolled on your plan (no parents, girlfriends, ex-wives, cousins, etc.). See your 2025 SEBA Benefit Guide for more details.

Yes, but only if you provide proof that your domestic partnership has been registered with the State of California.

Newly eligible dependents can be added mid-year at the time of your Qualified Life Event (marriage, birth, adoption, etc.). Please review the 2025 SEBA Benefit Guide for details.

You must enroll in a SEBA medical plan if you want future access to retiree benefits. The Bronze plan for a single member is a no-cost option that will allow you to participate in the trust even though you have healthcare benefits from a different source. Dental, vision, and life are available, but optional.

Yes. Since this will be a new group plan, both Anthem and Kaiser members will get new ID cards.

Any money applied to your Blue Shield plan for Deductibles and/or Out-of-Pocket Maximums as of 1-1-2025 will be applied to your new Anthem Blue Cross plans. Going forward, your Deductibles and Out-of-Pocket Maximums will run on a calendar year.

For Kaiser plans, yes. For the Anthem Blue Cross plans, while we cannot guarantee that every doctor accepting Blue Shield will also accept Anthem Blue Cross, we expect most of them to. Approximately 96% of the providers who accept Blue Shield also accept Blue Cross. You cand find out by checking Anthem’s online Provider Finder (details in the SEBA Benefit Guide) or by calling your current provider.

That information will be transferred from Blue Shield to Anthem Blue Cross’s claim system.

Anyone currently under care will be put under a “Transition of Care” program to ensure seamless transfer from one insurance plan to another.

Yes, there is Optional Life Insurance with New York Life. You will be able to see all available plans and rates as well as enroll/make changes during Open Enrollment November 1st – 15th 2024.

SIMON is your Online Benefits Portal which will allow you to manage your enrollment process and manage your benefits. Users will be able to quickly and easily access enroll in their benefits from one place, online, anytime. Below is a general video demonstration showcasing what to expect during the Open Enrollment Process. You can also download a SIMON Portal User Guide by clicking here.

Vimly Benefit Solutions (Vimly) is the benefits technology and third-party administration company overseeing SIMON.

You can use the following ways to get more information:

2025 SEBA Benefit Guide (to be mailed to all active members)

SEBA Healthcare Trust Plan Document (available upon request)

www.SEBA.com

www.SEBABenefits.com

Union First, (949) 804-9274

SEBA Benefits Office, (909) 825-4920 (phone number will be active Oct. 14, 2024)