HEALTH INSURANCE AND BENEFITS FOR SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS ARE OPTIONAL. 

Please click -> Substitute Teachers Summary of New Hire Benefits to watch a short presentation of the benefits offered to you.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ELECTRONIC FORMS HERE 

1. Health Insurance Enrollment Form

2. Non-Payment Acknowledgement

3. Employee Notification Acknowledgement - Required form

Optional Benefits

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

• Employee Assistance Program

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

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.  

The effective date of the insurance coincides with your hire date unless you submit your completed enrollment forms more than 30 days post your hire date.  Then, your effective date is the first of the following month.

The Benefits Office is unable to advise on choosing a health insurance plan.  A summary is listed below and a health insurance comparison chart is available to assist you in your selection.

Traditional Insurance - 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).  

Point of Service (POS) Insurance – 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). 

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

2024 - 25 Health Contributions
Employees shall contribute to health insurance at a rate of 100% of the cost of the premium.  Checks are to be made payable to the Buffalo Board of Education and must be received by the 15th of the month to maintain health insurance. 

Checks are to be mailed to:

CITY OF BUFFALO/BPS
PO BOX 185
ALBANY NY 12201-5695

Plan A - Traditional

Plan B - POS 204

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.

Learn more about your rights to health insurance and benefits, including detailed information on Employee's Responsibility for Health Insurance, Open Enrollment, Summary of Benefits and Coverage, COBRA, HIPAA, the District's Grandfathered Status of the ACA, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, and Exchange Notice.  Retain this Employee Notification for your records.

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.