New Employee Benefits

Welcome to the City of Somerville!

Click here for a video overview of City of Somerville employee benefits

Somerville offers a full range of benefits to new hires and newly benefits eligible employees including:

• Health Insurance
• Combined Disclosures
• Group Life, Voluntary Term Life & Permanent Whole Life Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending
• Short Term Disability Insurance
• Deferred Compensation

Please complete and submit the Benefits Enrollment Checklist and Declination Form with all enrollment forms.

New employee coverage begins on the first day of the month following 60 calendar days from the first date of employment, or two calendar months, whichever comes first. Completed paperwork is required within your first ten business days of employment.

Please review the benefits summaries below for short descriptions of the plans offered. If you are interested in enrolling, please complete all applicable forms found at somervillema.gov/benefits and submit to the Benefits Office within your first ten business days of employment. Copies of marriage and birth certificates are required for all dependent enrollments.

Note: Life and disability insurances are only offered with guaranteed issue within the first 10 business days of employment so be sure to review those closely. 

Health Insurance

Health insurance is offered through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). If you were previously enrolled in a plan through the GIC with your most recent past employer, there will be no gap in your health coverage. Otherwise, the normal waiting period requires an effective date of the first of the month following 60 days of employment. Please review the Benefit Decision Guide and GIC Rate Sheet for plan details. Note: Health Insurance Enrollment is Via Electronic Portal

For health plan enrollment, you will need to provide us with your full name, date of birth and email address at Benefits@somervillema.gov. We will then request an email be sent to you from the Group Insurance Commission, the City’s health insurance administrator. That email will show up in your inbox from myGIC Link and will include a link to the secure portal for health insurance enrollment. If you do not receive the email please do check your junk mail.

Once you receive the email from myGIC Link you must click on the link in the email to go to the Group Insurance Commission’s SECURE portal and complete and submit your enrollment form online. BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR FULL SS#, AND PHONE NUMBER WITHOUT DASHES as well as your DATE OF HIRE. Note that if you are enrolling a spouse you will need to attach a marriage certificate in the portal as well as birth certificates for any children.

Group and Additional Life Insurance

Life insurance benefits are offered by Boston Mutual. You may elect Group Life and Additional Life coverage for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. Rates for Additional Life vary based on age and amount elected. Additional Life as the time of hire offers up to 150,000 guaranteed issue for the employee and 30,000 for the spouse.

Dental Insurance

Dental insurance benefits are offered by Cigna with Low and High Plan options. There are differences in annual coverage maximums and annual deductibles, as well as covered services between the high and low plans.

Vision Insurance

Vision insurance benefits are offered by Vision Service Plan (VSP). The VSP plan covers the cost of annual eye exams, glasses and contacts with copays. Out of network services are also reimbursed at specific rates. [Please note: health insurance plans with the GIC cover one eye exam every 24 months and access to discounts on frames and lenses.

Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending

Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending benefits are offered by Benefit Strategies. Dependent care benefits may start immediately; Health care is subject to the normal waiting period and would be effective as of November 1st. The Dependent Care maximum is $5,000 a year and the Health care maximum is $2,750 a year. Should you elect flex spending you will only be electing the plan through the end of this calendar year. Plan your spending needs carefully and review the Benefit Strategies deadline policy for submitting receipts. There will be open enrollment for flex spending in November of year for the following calendar year.

Short Term Disability

Short Term Disability is offered through Colonial Life. If you are interested in enrollment, please contact Garth Brown directly at 617-293-7108 or via email at garth.brown@coloniallife.com.

Long Term Disabilty

Long Term Disability is offered through Sun Life Financial administered by Mosse & Mosse with 60% of monthly earnings coverage. 

Deferred Compensation

Deferred compensation is offered through Empower, Equitable and Nationwide. If you are interested in enrolling, you will need to contact the applicable vendor directly. Contact information is provided below:

Empower Retirement- Contact: Customer Service Phone: (888) 672-7240

Equitable Contact: Brandon Eigenberg or Timothy Weaton Phone: 781-237-8227 or 781-237-8232 - Email: brandon.eigenberg@equitable.com or timothy.weaton@equitable.com.

Nationwide Retirement Solutions - Contact: Eli Gonzalez Phone: 508-250-9796 Email: gonze21@nationwide.com

Next Steps for Benefits Enrollment
Be sure to submit all enrollment paperwork to the Benefits office at City of Somerville, Personnel Benefits, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 or via email to benefits@somervillema.gov within 10 business days of your start date of employment.

Forms should be submitted to benefits@somervillema.gov . You may password protect your document using your year of birth as the password. Be sure to provide a phone number so we may contact you with any questions.

Payroll Deductions for Premiums
Deductions are prepaid and taken the month prior to your coverage effective date.

Questions 
If you have any questions regarding Benefits, please contact the Benefits Office at 617-625-6600 x 3324, email benefits@somervillema.gov, or visit the Benefits page at www.somervillema.gov/benefits