Different types of employee assistance programs

In contrast, the benefits in the second, third and fourth categories are types of health coverage but are excepted only if certain conditions are met. The second category of excepted benefits is limited excepted benefits, which may include limited-scope vision or dental benefits, and benefits for long-term care, nursing home care, home health care, or community-based care. For each of these three categories, to qualify as excepted benefits, the coverage must be provided under a separate policy, certificate or contract of insurance.

EAPs can fall within the fourth category of excepted benefits: benefits supplemental to group health plan coverage. EAPs that meet these four criteria are exempt from meeting requirements such as annual dollar limits, the ACA penalty on employers for failing to offer minimum essential coverage, as well as mental health parity requirements.

Self-insured plans may not be deemed to be insurance companies or engaged in the business of insurance for purposes of state insurance regulation. Most states do not regulate EAPs. Knox-Keene requires EAPs that, for example, allow more than three counseling sessions within a six-month period, to comply with various California insurance regulations, such as obtaining an insurance license.

The Department of Labor has opined that with regard to other benefit designs, such as incentivizing employees to select certain plan options, ERISA preempts Knox-Keene. If California desires to regulate such employee benefit plans as part of its comprehensive health care service legislation, then California must ask Congress to make appropriate changes in ERISA. Barnes, F. The DOL stated that the holding in Barnes applies regardless of whether a plan is self-insured or fully insured.

Travelers Ins. Perhaps EAP vendors who offer unlimited counseling services for a flat fee could qualify as an insurer if they are taking on risk. We want to help you continue your journey to recovery. Anyone can suffer from addiction. That includes employees. Continue reading below for more insight on what to do if you are an employee, or you have an employee, that suffers from addiction.

For instance, an employee suffering from a traumatic event may reach out to their manager to inquire about employee counseling services. These services are protected, meaning that you are allowed time away from work to participate in offered resources.

Furthermore, suppose you are uncomfortable speaking with your direct supervisor or employer. In that case, you also apply the open-door policy to the Human Resources Department, who can also provide EAP education.

In the same regard, an employee that suffers from substance abuse or addiction may participate in EAPs that include counseling services, recovery treatment referrals, and protect you from work absence penalties. Employee Assistance Programs are entirely voluntary, so you can speak to your manager on your terms when you are ready. There are six different types of Employee Assistance Programs. Internal, external, blended, management-sponsored, member assistance, and peer-based programs are available on different levels depending on the style that your employer has enrolled in.

Whichever form of Employee Assistance Program is offered at your place of employment, taking advantage of these opportunities will help obtain a progressive work-life balance and maintain employment through a difficult time in your life.

EAP program for substance abuse or EAP for addiction is a respectable option to express that you have a problem and are proactively seeking treatment for it. A successful work-life balance is something all employees strive for.

Obtaining this balance is more challenging for addicts, as addiction rewires the brain to prioritize substance abuse over all else. Programs for addiction recovery are available, but you might be nervous to ask about them. Fear of judgment or loss of employment is among the top worries of addicts in the workplace.

In this situation, many employed addicts choose to hide their problems and attempt to cope outside of work. Understandably, this is only effective if the person suffering from substance abuse disorder follows through and seeks treatment. Conversely, voluntarily participating in available EAPs for substance abuse disorder or EAPs for addiction communicates your need for treatment to your management respectfully and discreetly to protect your job in the event of work absences.

All of the EAP counselors inside this organization are licensed, highly-trained, and must complete a minimum of five years of field experience before accepting clients. These EAPs are available to the State of Georgia employees and are, by law, offered at no cost to the employee. In addition to becoming protected for work absences to attend treatment, engaging in Employee Assistance Programs for addiction allows your manager a chance to understand your struggles better and demonstrate compassion and understanding.

A supportive leader in management can make or break your work experience, showing the difference between a boss and a leader. It was challenging to bring sensitive matters to management without fear of retaliation or ridicule in the past. Thankfully, we live in an age of newfound understanding that allows for leadership roles to express sensitivity, compassion, and respond appropriately to discrete requests.

EAPs for substance abuse or EAPs for addiction provides several avenues for physical health, well-being, emotional, mental health, addiction resources, referrals, and counseling.

Learn what EAP plans are available to your company. Inform your employees of the plan you chose and its guidelines. Before creating a full employee assistance plan, decide the overall goals your company holds regarding providing this service to your employees.

You can create a list of what your employees may need to improve their performance. It may be beneficial to encourage employee feedback and ask them what resources they may need to be more successful or productive.

To make this more comfortable for employees, you can suggest the HR team conduct an anonymous survey to determine the needs of each employee. The survey can also request employee preferences regarding what counseling services they could benefit from.

Take these suggestions and factor them into your list of goals. Before you research the best programs for your employees, learn which EAP plans your company qualifies for. As you do this, note the demographics of your employees and the services they may have requested.

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing the services within various EAP plans:. Marital and family counseling: If many of your employees are married or have children, you can provide them with an EAP plan that includes marital and family support.

No matter how many times we clarify that personal and professional lives are different, the repercussions of both do collide at some point or the other. The incidents of both affect attitudes and productivity equally. This requires a system that can somehow navigate personal stress and challenges in a way that it does not affect the professional environment and also helps the employee navigate through life as a whole.

EAP offers a plethora of employee benefits. From wellness programs to make sure employees reap company benefits, to taking care of employee mental health and much more, an EAP is an important and essential corporate program.

In this article, we will be covering what is an Employee Assistance Program EAP , what are its benefits, how does it work, how can it be initiated, and much more. An EAP meaning simply states that it is a program that helps an employee navigate through life and resolve personal and professional issues.

The best part about an EAP is that this does not entail any cost to the employee. Further employee benefits include confidentiality and direct or indirect addressal of issues that may be bothering them and hampering their work life.

EAP is also an effective way of combating employee mental health issues. The key aspect of any EAP counseling is observation. It is the observation of a caring manager that catches the stress of a subordinate and brings it to the notice of the organization so that the latter can be a part of an Employee Assistance Program.

They may also be related to his finances, discord at home, or simply some other issues which he or she may not be otherwise comfortable discussing. However, it is to be noted that the EAP is an intermittent solution and not a permanent one. If the problem is a serious one, an employee can be asked to connect with better and more professional authorities. For instance, while EAP can deal with advice on matters of mental stress, it is not equipped to provide full-fledged mental health counselling, unless the organization brings in professional mental health counselors.

There is a difference between being a good listener and advisor, and being a professional therapist. The two should not be confused.

Further, an important part of the EAP program is communication. The employee benefits should be stressed upon at specific intervals and they should know that this service is available to them at no extra cost. EAP support should come in addition to the grievance services provided by the HR department.

Another factor that should be stressed upon is confidentiality. Is the employee suffering from the passing away of a near and dear one? That loved one may either be a co-worker or a family person, or even a friend. Also, a loss may not necessarily mean death. Whatever may be the situation, EAP should help the employee handle the grief.