BUFFALO

1. Health Insurance Survey

2. Health Insurance Enrollment Form PLEASE BE ADVISED - plans can ONLY be changed during open enrollment every November

   New Hire Enrollment: Employees have 30 days from their start date to select benefits. If you do not submit enrollment forms within 30 days, you MUST wait until open enrollment to enroll OR a Life Qualifying Event (LQE

   2 A. Waiver Form  REQUIRED form if you decline to enroll in District Health Insurance

3. Dental Insurance Enrollment Form OR

   3 A. Dental Waiver Form REQUIRED form if you decline to enroll in District Dental Insurance

4. Group Life Insurance Enrollment Form - Required form

5. Employee Notification Acknowledgement - Required form

Failure to return all required forms, completed in their entirety, will result in a processing delay.

Optional Benefits

• Pre-Tax Retirement Savings - 403(b) and/or 457(b) Deferred Compensation

• Health and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

• Commuter Benefit Account

• Employee Assistance Program

Health Insurance Eligibility

There are 2 premium Highmark of WNY plans for you to choose from. You may choose to have single or family coverage. View the eligibility guidelines to determine who can be considered a dependent for family coverage.  

Enhanced Insurance (Traditional) - There is no network to choose from, so this plan provides the flexibility of going to any medical provider.  (It is imperative that I go to Doctor X, no matter what!)

Plan A may work for an employee/dependent(s) who travels extensively, especially internationally, or for someone/dependent who has a unique medical situation for which they need specialized services and/or equipment.  This plan has a $150 single, $300 family deductible (in addition to bi-weekly payroll contribution), which the employee must meet before insurance kicks in.  Please review the services on pages 3 & 4 of the detailed chart above, as those tend to require a 20% co-insurance of the cost of the service/procedure/equipment.  This means the District pays 80% of the bill, and the employee is responsible for 20% of the bill (out of pocket maximum is $500 single and $1000 family).  PLAN A does not cover Adult immunizations

Base Insurance (Point of Service) – Enrollees must choose from doctors enrolled in the network or be required to pay co-insurance for the cost of their service.  (It is not imperative that I go to Doctor X. I can find another highly qualified doctor, in my area, that is enrolled in the Highmark network).

Plan B may work for an employee/dependent(s) who generally remain in the Western New York region for the majority of their time, and are not experiencing unique medical situations that need specialized services and/or equipment.  This is a generic POS plan, and you have the ability to choose the co-pay amount that best fits your needs, and also helps an employee budget for medical costs for the year (x number of doctor’s visits/year x $15 = out of pocket expenses).  

The Benefits Office is unable to advise in choosing a health insurance plan. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires Group Health Plans to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage for each available plan. These comprehensive descriptions are designed to provide standardized information for the purpose of comparison.

To access the summaries for the plans available to you please click here: LOCAL 264 Summary of Benefits and Coverage or contact the Benefits Office via email to request a paper copy.  

You also have access to a health insurance comparison chart and the complete plans are listed below:

Plan A Medical Document and Plan A Prescription Document 

Plan B Medical Document and Plan B Prescription Document 

Please be advised that once a plan is chosen, it cannot be changed until our open enrollment period in November of each year.

To find out if a doctor is in the Highmark of WNY network, visit the WNY Network website.

2024 - 25 Health Insurance bi-weekly deductions effective 7/1/2025

Eligible employees hired on or after 7/1/12 shall contribute to health insurance at the rate of 20% of the cost of the premium for the Base Plan. Employees who opt to enroll in the Enhanced Plan will be responsible for contributing 20% of the Base Plan plus the difference in premium between the Base and Enhanced Plans. All contributions will be taken pre-tax over the course of the payrolls in the fiscal year.

Plan A - Enhanced Plan 

Plan B - Base Plan

Your application will be processed when your appointment is approved by the Board and all completed paperwork and required documentation is received in the Benefits Office.

Dental Insurance is offered through Emblem (formerly known as GHI) at the annual cost of $150.48 which is deducted from the employee's bi-weekly pay pre-tax.  Please access the GHI Emblem Dental Summary for more information. 

Employees that do not want to accept the District's dental insurance will receive an annual amount of $300 ($25 per month of enrollment).  Complete and submit the Dental Waiver Form (listed as 3 A. at the top of this webpage).  This benefit is time sensitive and is not retroactive. You must complete the form to receive the waiver.

If you have a full-time dependent student who is at least 19 years of age, unmarried, and receives at least half of his/her support from the employee/member, and is enrolled full-time in an accredited secondary or preparatory school or college, then you must complete the Student Verification Form.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Dependent Care

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program allows you to save money by setting aside pre-tax dollars for eligible health care or dependent care expenses. You choose your annual contribution amount, which is deducted from your paycheck. Because contributions are made pre-tax, your taxable income—and overall tax liability—is reduced. When you enroll in an FSA, you will receive an Ameriflex Benefits Card—a convenient debit card that allows you to easily pay for eligible expenses such as copays, prescriptions, vision care, dental services, and more. The plan year runs from January 1st through December 31st

Available FSA Options:

Health Care (Medical) FSA
For eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses

Dependent Care (DCA) FSA
For daycare, summer camp, or elder care expenses only

How It Works

• Estimate your eligible expenses for the upcoming year to chose your annual limit

• You must enroll in the FSA within 30 days of hire or during the Open Enrollment period (November 1–30).

• When you enroll at time of hire:

  • Your FSA account will start the 1st day of the following month. Please be advised - For new hires or mid-year enrollments (due to qualifying life events), your total election will be prorated over the remaining pay periods in the calendar year (January 1–December 31).

    Example: If you enroll in October and elect $2,500, your contributions will be spread across the remaining paychecks in October, November, and December.

  • You will receive your Ameriflex debit card to use for eligible purchases, or

  • Submit claims through the online portal -> WELCOME FROM AMERIFLEX

  • Your annual election amount is deducted from your paycheck bi-weekly.

• When you enroll during Open Enrollment:

  • You will receive your Ameriflex debit card to use for eligible purchases during the month of December to use January 1st, or

  • Submit claims through the online portal -> WELCOME FROM AMERIFLEX

  • Your annual election amount is deducted from your paycheck bi-weekly.

Please be advised Flexible Spending Accounts are regulated by the IRS

IRS substantiation guidelines have tightened up. Participants will be receiving more frequent claim substantiation requests to ensure the plan funds are being utilized appropriately. Although an FSA debit card does a good job weeding out most ineligible items/services, there are times when eligible providers provide ineligible services (for example, teeth whitening at a dentist or Botox at a doctor's office). Please note that documentation should be kept for all claims, even if it is not requested, as it will be needed in the event of an IRS audit.

For more information on Tax-Shelter Annuity Accounts and how to enroll, please click below

The District provides an EAP service that provides free & confidential services to our employees and their family members who may be experiencing personal &/or work-related issues. 

For more information regarding our EAP, please click below

In June 2017, the Buffalo Board of Education approved the District Wellness Policy.  The District recognizes that in order to achieve student wellness, well-being and academic success employee wellness must also be stressed, emphasizing the importance of creating a District-wide workplace culture that supports employee health and wellness.