Human Resource Benefits and Leave Specialist

Human Resource Benefits and Leave Specialist Starting Date: Immediately Overview The Burlington School District believes a diverse and culturally proficient faculty and staff are pivotal to the creation of a strong learning and working environment that supports student achievement and success. BSD administrators lead inclusive school communities with our vision: "Cultivating caring, creative, and courageous people. - Join the journey." The Mission of the Burlington School District is to graduate students who: Engage with the community; Think creatively; Skillfully solve problems; Achieve at their highest academic, intellectual and personal potential. Burlington School District is seeking a passionate and energetic Benefits and Leave Specialist. The Specialist plays a key role in administering the organization’s employee benefit programs and managing leave‑of‑absence processes. They serve as the primary HR liaison, guiding employees through health insurance, retirement plans, and complex leave regulations such as FMLA, ADA, and state programs. Responsibilities Overall Benefits Administration Manage enrollments, changes, and cancellations for newly hired, newly eligible employees and at time of separation. Review benefits eligibility, plan information, costs, and enrollment forms with employees, ensuring timely completion as required by law, plan documents, and district procedures. Manage enrollment or cancellation processes with benefit carriers, ensuring timely notification of coverage changes. Update the payroll system with benefit elections and ensure paperwork is filed in employee files in a timely manner. Enter or collaborate with the payroll team to record benefit deduction amounts in the payroll system, ensuring accurate payroll deductions and reporting. Manage eligibility, annual election, and termination of elections, ensuring complete and accurate documentation for employees receiving benefits. Maintain a list of elections and benefit amounts, prorate benefit amounts as necessary for separations or changes in eligibility, and provide information to payroll for processing and timely payment. Serve as the primary contact with insurance carriers and vendors. Collaborate to develop and distribute communication materials to help inform employees of their benefits. Work with vendors to create and distribute information related to benefit offerings, including required notices. Coordinate employee informational meetings with benefit carriers/vend­ors as necessary. Reconcile monthly enrollments and carrier charges for all plans, follow up on any inconsistencies, and correct errors or discrepancies. Process, balance, create, and maintain purchase orders to pay carrier invoices. Manage cash‑in‑lieu benefit. Manage annual open enrollment process. Employment Separations / COBRA Manage and track COBRA participants through the partnership with Benealliance. Distribute required notices to employees (Medicare Part D, Special Enrollment, Open Enrollment, etc.) as required by law and district practices. Handle healthcare declarations (VT Form HC‑2) and manage collection of the form at hire, enrollment change, and/or annually for all employees. Update the HR system to reflect form responses in a timely manner when changes occur or at time of annual collection. Create or update forms and instructions as necessary. Maintain all Section 125 and Cafeteria Plan Documents and SPDs. Work with carriers to create, update, and maintain plan documents for each plan (cash‑in‑lieu, premium conversion, HRA, FSA, HSA). Maintain the most current version of each Plan Document. Review the Summary Plan Description for accuracy. Maintain the most recent SPD on the website and distribute as required. Create and maintain practices and systems, ensuring compliance with plan documents. Leave of Absence Requests Administer FMLA/VTPFL ensuring compliance with federal and state law, master agreements, and BSD operating practices. Update standard medical leave notices and forms in coordination with the Director of HR. Request, collect, track, and process medical certification; request clarification or recertification as necessary. Request and process fitness‑for‑duty certifications, requesting clarification or recertification as necessary. Determine appropriate paid and unpaid leave use for the duration of an approved leave in compliance with applicable CBA/contract and federal and state law. Serve as the primary liaison with employees, school office assistants, supervisors, and the payroll team regarding employee medical leaves, ensuring timely communication and a high level of customer service. Communicate status of employee medical leaves regularly with supervisors so proper coverage can be obtained. Ensure leave information is shared in a timely and efficient manner with payroll and other HR team members to maintain accurate pay, benefits, and other applicable employment details. Create processes and conduct training as necessary to ensure proper and timely notification and implementation of medical leaves. ADA Accommodations Distribute and collect requests for accommodations and associated required medical certification. Work with supervisors to discuss accommodations being requested, ensuring they are reasonable under ADA and that the employee can still complete essential job functions with noted limitations. Schedule meetings with employee (and supervisor) as necessary to better understand requests. Communicate status of ADA requests to employees in a timely manner. Maintain ADA request files. Workers Compensation Serve as the primary liaison with WC carrier, injured employees, administrative assistants, and supervisors regarding claims. Submit first reports of injury to the WC carrier. Follow up with injured employees as needed. Update the WC carrier of any change in status (e.g., lost time, medical treatment, return to work). Send notices to employees as appropriate. Request supplemental reports as necessary. Request and obtain fitness‑for‑duty and medical certifications from employees to support any need for leave and/or return to work. Maintain OSHA log. Conduct training as necessary to ensure proper and timely implementation of workers‑comp claims. Supervisory Responsibilities Responsible for training and assisting coworkers in areas of knowledge and expertise to ensure a smooth transition of duties and effective backup. Qualifications Education: Minimum 3 years of HR/Benefits/Leave administration experience or a Bachelor’s degree. Certification Preferred: SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM‑CP) or SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM‑SCP). Experience: Minimum 2 years of benefit/leave/Human Resource experience; strong knowledge of benefit‑related compliance and regulatory requirements; experience in a school setting desired but not required. Equal Opportunity Employer Burlington School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Minority candidates are encouraged to apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr