PARISH ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE ENEWS

October 12, 2017

Open Enrollment for 2018: October 23 - November 10
 
Medical Plans
We are offering the following medical plans to our employees through The Episcopal Church Medical Trust (Medical Trust):


What You Need to Know About Open Enrollment
During the Medical Trust's Open Enrollment period:
  • Current plan members may change their plan selections for the following year
  • Eligible non-participating employees have the option to join a plan
  • Eligible non-participating dependents may be added to a member's plan and participating dependents may be removed from a member's plan without the need to demonstrate a qualifying event 
Currently Enrolled Employees
Please inform your currently enrolled employees (plan members) that they will receive a letter from the Medical Trust approximately one week before their Open Enrollment period. This letter will provide them with information on when and how to access the Open Enrollment website, and links to important benefits information and plan resources. In your communications, encourage your employees to begin reviewing their options and to research plans early.
 
IMPORTANT REMINDER Members will access the enrollment web page with the same credentials (user name and password) they created to access their benefits information on MyCPG Accounts. It is important for all participating employees to create an account on MyCPG Accounts prior to Open Enrollment, if they have not already done so. For assistance, employees may contact the Client Services Team at (800) 480-9967, Monday to Friday, 8:30AM - 8:00 PM ET (excluding holidays), or email mtcustserv@cpg.org.
 
Non-participating Employees
Existing employees who qualify for health coverage but are not participating in one of the Medical Trust plans are eligible to enroll themselves and/or their dependents during Open Enrollment for the 2018 plan year. As we do not mail materials to these potential members, please send a communication to these employees informing them of this option as well as the plans and rates available to them and all applicable legal notices and Summaries of Benefits and Coverage. The Summaries of Benefits and Coverage are available at www.cpg.org/mtdocs.
 
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to Matt Handi at 203-639-3501, x107.
ECCT's Health Plan Challenge

ECCT employees will soon be asked to select a health plan for their 2018 medical coverage. For many of us, health plan selection is one of the most difficult choices we face for several reasons:
  • None of us really knows what our healthcare providers (doctors, hospitals, labs, drug stores and other therapists/care givers) will charge us for the year to come. Those of us with chronic conditions might be able to estimate what the minimum cost will be for their treatments and medications, but none of us knows how to think about the "what ifs" as we select our health plans. What if we have an accident, what if we are diagnosed with a disease, what if, what if, what if. We simply don't know what provider expenses will be
  • Even if we knew with certainty what our provider charges will be, it is difficult to understand how much of these charges will be covered by the different plan choices available to us. Deductible and copayment amounts and coinsurance percentages differ by plan (and differ for in-network and out-of-network providers). The maximum out-of-pocket expense amounts that we might incur in our "what if" worst case scenarios also vary for the plan options available to us
    image from: wellmark.com
Given the combination of uncertainty and complexity, it is no wonder that most of us revert back to the plans we had last year and turn our attention to other issues.

We in ECCT benefit from a comparably generous health insurance arrangement. Employees (lay and ordained) who work at least 1,500 hours annually (approximately ¾ time) are entitled to health insurance, and our parishes are obligated to cover at least 85% of the premiums for the plans we select. It seems that many parishes cover 100% of plan premiums.

In this very supportive environment in which employers are covering 85 - 100% of plan premiums, it is not surprising that the majority of covered ECCT employees (57%) have selected the health plan option with what appears to have the richest benefits despite the fact that this plan has the highest premiums. This benefit-rich plan is problematic for both parishes and employees for several reasons:
  • It minimizes a cost-benefit trade-off for employees and providers with respect to tests and treatments that are "nice to have," but not essential, and might increase the consumption of healthcare services and lead to even higher premiums in the future.
  • Its ultimate costs to employees can be considerably greater than was originally perceived.
  • It doesn't encourage wellness
  • It creates conflicting incentives for employers and employees
What can ECCT and parishes do to address this situation?

ECCT can
  • Change the health plan options available to employees
  • Reduce the required employer contribution toward premium expenses below 85% to make employees more sensitive to premium costs and plan selection
  • "Do the math" and "show our work" to help employees understand the coverage provided by different plans and make better plan selections
  • Help parishes understand their options in offering health plans to their employees
Parishes can
  • Elect to cover different %s of premium expenses for different health plans, so long as they cover a minimum required % (currently 85%}
  • Offer employees the option of establishing Flexible Spending Accounts ("FSAs") for health care costs
  • Make contributions to Health Savings Accounts ("HSAs") for employees who select the Consumer-Directed Health Plan ("CDHP") offered by CIGNA
The options already available to parishes can be significant enough that, if explained clearly, can cause employees to reconsider their health plan options and make choices that introduce more consumer awareness of healthcare choices and more thoughtful discussions with healthcare providers on the cost-effectiveness of optional services. 

Click here to see a case study on how parish options can be used.
Learn about the proposed Budget of Convention  
 
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Register now to attend an info session.  An overview of the budget process and proposed budget of convention will be presented by Louis Fuertes, Canon for Mission Operations & Finance, with either Bishop Laura or Ian present to facilitate discussion and answer questions.  These meetings are for Episcopalians in Connecticut wishing to discuss our common fiscal life, and raise questions, general and specific, before we come to Convention and vote on the budget.  This is the time and place to have your concerns addressed.
 
A light dinner will be served. In order for us to plan appropriately, please register through the Eventbrite link below. Sessions are offered in each Region, however, you can attend the one that's most convenient for you. (Note: Southeast Region (in Essex) and South Central Region (in New Haven) sessions were held last week.)
 
October 16 - (Southwest Region) 6 - 8 p.m. St Paul's, Norwalk. Register.
October 25 - (Northwest Region) 6 - 8 p.m. Trinity, Torrington: Register.
November 1 - (North Central Region) 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Trinity, Hartford: Register.
November 8 - (Northeast Region) 6 - 8 p.m. St Mark's, Storrs: Register.
HR Matters: 
The Hiring Process
by Kayla Tubolino,  Human Resources & Title IV manager 

The hiring process for parishes can be a daunting task with legal implications if not done correctly. There are four steps to this process that I hope to clarify through sharing an example, below:  Screening; Interviewing; Assessing; and Selecting & Offering.

The example: ECCT posted a job for a full-time administrative assistant in the summer of 2016 and received over 400 applications in just two weeks.

Screening

Although individual parishes may not get that response rate to their postings, they'll still need to identify criteria to screen the resumes coming in. With too many tasks and very few hours in the day they may not be able to interview every candidate who applies, nor should they feel obligated to interview a candidate if the person doesn't possess the minimum qualifications.
The documents (resumes, CVs, applications) that candidates provide when applying to a position can tell a story to the reviewer. The reviewer should watch out for the following warning signs or red flags:
  • Visibly messy document.
  • Is the person overqualified or underqualified?
  • Is there an attempt to hide employment gaps?
  • Is there consistent "job hopping"?
It's important to note that a resume is not a legally binding document and many candidates embellish their resume in order to use the document as a promotional tool. Formal applications, signed by the applicant to verify information is correct, can be used as a legal document. ECCT does not currently have an application form template created, and will explore options for creating one in the future.

Interviewing & Assessing

In the example, above, ECCT used a 15-20 minute prescreen interview to help narrow down the pool of applicants remaining after the document screening. Parishes may not have the volume of applicants and might not have to take in this step. Following the prescreen 
interview, ECCT selected a smaller number of candidates to come in for an in-depth interview. The interviews were designed to last about an hour and included senior leadership. As a best practice, all interviews should be structured. This means that the interview follows a guide that includes preset questions. This is an extremely useful tool that can help the interviewer avoid questions that may be deemed discriminatory.

The types of questions asked can really help the interviewer get a picture of whether the prospective candidate will be a good fit. One type of these, called behavioral interview questions, ask candidates to discuss a previous experience in which he or she demonstrated a particular competency. It's important to assess if the candidate gives a complete answer: describing the situation, the actions taken, and the result or outcome. Please click here for more interview best practices.

Select and Offer

Once a candidate is identified then a contingent job offer can be made. All employees who work for ECCT need a basic background check. (We use, and ask parishes to use, Secure Search Faith basic preset search.) By doing a background check you can avoid a negligent hire and avoid unnecessary risk. Each parish should have an account set up with Secure Search in order to expedite the search. Secure Search turnaround is usually under 72 hours and the cost for the Diocesan search is $14, although additional charges may apply for international searches.
Hopefully the background check comes back without any red flags. All individuals whose background checks come back with red flags must be notified by the organization that requested the search. A parish can still hire a candidate who received a red flag on a background check if the leadership deems it appropriate. If the parish would like to turn down a candidate based on information found in the background check, Connecticut has specific requirements that then need to be followed. We recommend that parishes consult an employment attorney in those instances.

The parish is now ready to extend an official offer to the candidate. Please see the February Parish Admin & Finance eNews on Employment Offer Letters located here. Stay tuned to the next edition of the Parish Admin & Finance eNews for a complete list of documents needed in the hiring process.
Industry Appraisals for 2018

Industrial Appraisals has started work on performing appraisals of all parish real estate and valuable contents. IA has started work in Tolland, Middlesex, and Windham Counties and will continue to work through 2018 to ensure all parishes have been appraised. 

Please contact Matt Handi at 203-639-3501, x107 with any questions.
Free four-drawer filing cabinets

There are three available four-drawer filing cabinets at The Commons. They will make a great addition to any office or home! 


If you would like one,  please contact Matt Handi at 203-639-3501, x107. 
5 Episcopal Church Foundation Stewardship Tools
The Episcopal Church Foundation offered five helpful tools to help congregations and worshiping communities in annual giving campaign efforts. 

  • All Saints' Mad-Lib Pledge Card: a fun play off of the traditional road-trip game of Mad Libs. Invite parishioners to fill out a template with adjectives, nouns, and a dollar amount for pledged giving.  
  • Pledge Card Prayer: This prayer can be used or adapted to pray over the congregation's pledge cards. Written by Bishop Greg Rickel of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. 
  • Scripture to encourage givingWhat else does scripture say about giving?  Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest these bible passages as you prepare yourself - and others - to give.
  • Narrative Budget Template: Tell the story of how the budget of the congregation is used; to what ministry, property, and other areas does the budget go?  
2018 Treasurers Newsletter

The 2018 Treasurers Newsletter was published last week. It can be found and downloaded here. Included: Clergy compensation, Insurance, Lay Pension, Church Records, Supply Clergy, Tax and other IRS information, and other management operations. 
Ongoing Parish/worshiping community surveys

Thank you to everyone who has completed their "summer project" from ECCT - the parish/worshiping community surveys. (And a reminder and advance thank you to those still working on them!)

ECCT published a special eNewsletter (link here to read) and mailed out print information packets about the survey over the summer. You can also read more here.

We believe the information will help by documenting the ministries that are active at ECCT parishes, and identifying parish leaders. This will help you and all of us participate more fully and more collaboratively in God's mission.  We encourage other parishes to join this list so they, too, can gain access to the information from participating parishes!

If you have any questions about completing the survey, please email or call our Operations Manager, Matt Handi, at 203-639-3501, ext. 107, or  mhandi@episcopalct.org.

Thank you to the following:

St. Luke's Parish Darien St. David's  Gales Ferry
Trinity  Brooklyn St. James's  West Hartford
Christ & Holy Trinity Westport Christ Church Ansonia
St. Paul's  Southington St. Peter's  South Windsor
St. Michael's  Naugatuck St. James'  Danbury
Grace  Windsor Christ Church Greenwich
St. Luke's  South Glastonbury Christ Church Bethany
Emmanuel  Killingworth Grace  Yantic
St. James'  Glastonbury St. Andrew's  Madison
St. John's  Waterbury St. Mark's  Mystic
Christ Church Redding St. Paul's  Fairfield
St. John's  Essex St. John's  West Hartford
St. Paul & St. James New Haven Grace Episcopal Church Broad Brook
St. John's  North Haven St. Paul's on the Green Norwalk
Christ Church Sharon St. Paul's   Brookfield
Church of the Good Shepherd Orange St. Peter's  Monroe
St. Stephen's  Ridgefield St. Peter's   Hebron
St. Stephen's  East Haddam Trinity  Collinsville
St. Mary's  Manchester Church of the Epiphany Southbury
St. John's  East Windsor Trinity   Portland
Holy Trinity  Enfield St James' New London
St. James'  Farmington All Saints  Wolcott
St. James'  Poquetanuck Christ Church Easton
Bishops' 2017 visitation schedule 

October 15 - Ahrens, Christ & the Epiphany, East Haven;  Douglas, Christ Church, Redding
October 22 - Ahrens, St. Timothy's, Fairfield;  Douglas, St. Paul's on the Green, Norwalk
October 29 - Ahrens, St. Paul's, Fairfield;  Douglas, Trinity, Torrington

November 5 - Douglas - 275th Anniversary, St. John's, Stamford
November 12 - Ahrens, Grace, Hartford;  Douglas, St. Mary's, Manchester
November 19 - Douglas, 125th Anniversary, St. Paul's, Southington

December 3 - Ahrens, Trinity, Lime Rock;  Douglas, Grace, Newington
December 10 - Ahrens, St. Andrew's, Marble Dale;  Douglas, St. John's, Vernon
December 17 - Ahrens, St. Michael's, Litchfield;  Douglas, St. Saviour's, Old Greenwich
Parish admins invited to join a listserve

Want to chat with colleagues about ACS vs PowerChurch? Offer tips on more successful mail merges? Get suggestions on names for a new campaign? Alison Hollo, Senior Administrator for the Office of the Episcopate, invites parish administrators to forward her their names and email addresses to be added to an ECCT listserve for parish admins. 

As a member of Bishops' Executive Secretaries Together (B+E+S+T), Alison has participated in their listserve and wants to make the same opportunity available for parish admins in ECCT. 
Links
 
2018 Treasurers' Newsletter can be found here.
2017 Treasurers' Newsletter can be found here

Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs linked on this page (English and Spanish)
The next issue of the Parish Admin & Finance eNewsletter will be published mid-December. 

EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT
PARTICIPATING IN GOD'S MISSION


290 Pratt Street ı Box 52 ı Meriden, CT 06450 ı 203-639-3501