The following is a general guide to the benefits ESPO Corporation provides. The contents of this Summary of Benefits are not intended to form a binding contract and the contents herein are subject to change without notice. In an ongoing effort to help ensure the interest and safety of our clients and of ESPO Engineering, background reviews are required as a condition of employment. A background consent form is included in your new hire package.
Should there be any questions regarding any of this material, please contact the Human Resources Manager for further explanation.
630-789-2525 ext. 242.
ESPO Corporation is an equal opportunity employer.
Group Medical/Life Insurance
ESPO Corporation has a Major Medical/Life Insurance Plan available for employees and dependents through Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This includes a $30,000.00 term life insurance policy. (See descriptions of both the PPO and the HMO in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield booklet.) There is an initial ninety (90) day waiting period. Any employee (and their applicable dependents) wishing to sign up for the health insurance should turn in the health insurance application during the first sixty (60) days of employment. If there is a delay in the processing of this paperwork, there is the potential that there will be additional paperwork to complete and/or additional waiting periods to comply with before the insurance will become effective. Coverage will begin on the first day of the month following the ninety (90) day waiting period.
Any ESPO employee wishing to sign up for one of the health insurance plans should immediately call the Human Resources Manager by leaving a message at 630-789-2525 ext. 242. This voice mail is active twenty-four hours a day. The Human Resources Manager will assist in the application process. Remember, the individual’s prompt return of these forms will be crucial in order to receive the health insurance benefits.
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Section 125 P.O.P. (Premium Only Plan)
ESPO Engineering also offers to its employees the opportunity to take advantage of certain provisions permitted of Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code. A few years ago, Congress revised the U.S. tax code. Section 125 of the code allows employers to offer benefit choices. ESPO Engineering chose this plan to let its employees take advantage of Section 125. The Premium Only Plan (P.O.P.) allows you to make your employee premium contribution(s) to our group insurance plan on a pre-tax basis. This means your premium payments will be deducted from your gross income before income and Social Security taxes are calculated.
There are disadvantages to paying for coverage this way. Since less money is contributed to Social Security, the employee may receive smaller retirement or disability benefits. Each employee should investigate their individual circumstances when making this decision. However, many experts think the tax advantages far outweigh the minor impact on Social Security benefits.
All ESPO employees wishing to sign up for the program should fill out the enrollment sheet. Once the P.O.P. is chosen, though, the decision will remain for the next plan year - unless the family status changes. This may include birth, adoption, divorce, marriage, death, or termination of a spouse’s employment. The following year, the P.O.P. can either be dropped or renewed.
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Dental Insurance
ESPO Corporation offers a dental plan provided by First Commonwealth. Under First Commonwealth’s program, each employee (and eligible dependents) selects a dental location from a list of nearly 1,000 affiliated dentists. Each dentist delivers care in their private practice office. Those employees who do not wish to participate at their time of hire will not be eligible for this benefit until open enrollment next year.
First Commonwealth coverage offers the following services: no charge for preventative and diagnostic services, significant coverage and savings on all other general and specialty dental services, no deductible, no claim forms, no annual maximum limitations on coverage, low rates, and personalized dental care from a selection of nearly 1,000 private practice dentists located throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Further information concerning the dental insurance, including the dental application, is available upon request by contacting the Human Resources Manager.
Dental questions can be answered by calling either the Human Resources Manager at ESPO Corporation or the First Commonwealth’s Member Services Department directly at 312-644-1810.
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Holiday Pay
ESPO Employees receive the following paid holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
There is a sixty (60) day waiting period before any ESPO employee is eligible for holiday pay. Employees must work the days prior to and following the holiday, unless the client is closed.
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Vacation
One (1) week paid vacation after one year of consecutive uninterrupted service; two (2) weeks paid vacation after two years consecutive uninterrupted service. An employee may choose either to take the time off or work and receive his/her vacation pay plus salary.
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401(k) Plan
Any employee who is age twenty-one (21) or older and has completed one (1) year of service is eligible to participate. That person would be eligible based on a six year vesting schedule. Monies put into the plan are discretionary based on company profitability for that year.
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Termination of Benefits
Employee benefits will cease immediately on the date of termination of employment with ESPO Corporation subject to employees’ continuing rights under COBRA. (See below) Employees’ seniority will remain in full force for 30 days in the event there is a layoff. This does not include employees who have refused a reasonable offer for rehire or employees who accept employment elsewhere.
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Paid Weekly
Employees receive weekly checks payable at the ESPO Engineering headquarters office (855 Midway Drive, Willowbrook, IL 60527). Additionally, checks may be mailed to an employee’s home at their request, or deposited directly into their personal checking account, via our Direct Deposit service.
And employee must sign up for Direct Deposit upon hire, or upon the next enrollment year. Contact the Human Resources Manager to inquire about Direct Deposit by leaving a message at 630-789-2525 ext. 242.
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Cobra
Any ESPO employee may choose to remain covered by the health insurance policy for up to 18 months following their separation of service. This period may be extended for up to 36 months in certain instances. The cost of continued coverage must be paid by the former employee. This amount will equal the amount then being charged by the insurance carrier for single and/or family coverage, whichever is applicable.
If an employee chooses this extended coverage, the spouse and other dependents will have the option of continuing their benefits as well. This extended coverage will automatically end if any of the situations listed below occurs: ESPO Corporation stops providing group health benefits, the premium for this coverage is not paid by the first of each month, the employee or an eligible dependent becomes a covered employee under another employer’s group health plan or becomes entitled to Medicare, or in the situation of a divorce - the former spouse remarries and becomes covered under a new spouse’s group health plan.
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