Coronavirus Information for City Employees
The following are resources and answers to frequently asked questions related to the coronavirus for employees who work for the City of Boulder.
Updated: May 27, 2021The City of Boulder is currently following Colorado's statewide guidelines.
Citywide Guidelines (internal documents marked with *):
- *Recovery Phase II Guidelines (last updated: Sep 11, 2020): information related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage for staff and community members, in-person meetings and gatherings, symptom monitoring protocols, staff who are in vulnerable populations, travel, and vendor / contractor relations.
Appendices:- *Personal Technology Usage (last updated: July 23, 2020)
- *IT Asset Repairs, Returns, and Replacements (last updated: July 17, 2020)
- *Guidelines for Staff Exposure in the Workplace (last updated: Nov 25, 2020)
- *Digital Contract Routing Process (last updated: April 9, 2020)
- *Guidelines for Online Meetings & Engagement Platforms
- *Guidelines for City Procurement & Recovery Cost Tracking
Please see our Timesheet Instructions & FAQ 
.
Health Insurance Enrollment & Benefits Changes
City of Boulder Benefits
- Employees may be eligible to change their enrollment options within 31 days of a qualified life event. Please review our 2020 City of Boulder Benefits Guide for details.
- If you experience a life event, complete and sign the Benefits Life Event Change Form and/or Domestic Partner Affidavit Form and send it to [email protected] .
City of Boulder Voluntary Changes
- Employees may make changes to the following at any time without a special life event: Health Savings Account (HSA), Retirement Savings, Life Insurance (including beneficiary changes), Disability Insurance.
- To make changes, complete and sign the Voluntary Benefits Enrollment Change Form and send it to [email protected] .
Connect for Health Colorado
- Those who experience a qualified life event including job loss or loss of income may qualify for a 60-day Special Enrollment period to sign up for a new health insurance plan or change their existing plan.
- For more information, visit Connect for Health Colorado .
- The next opportunity to buy health insurance without a qualified life event is during the Open Enrollment period beginning November 1, 2020.
Health Care
Cigna COVID-19 Resources & Coverage- If you are enrolled in a city medical plan, please contact Cigna directly for COVID-19 related questions.
- Cigna’s COVID-19 Resource Center
- Cigna’s COVID-19 FAQs
- At-home specimen collection kits that are FDA-approved will be covered by Cigna when medically necessary based on a provider’s guidance or symptoms. Visit COVID-19 Testing for more information.
- Your Primary Care Provider: Call your primary care provider for a phone consultation.
- Cigna Virtual Care (telehealth option): Online access at myCigna.com or by calling the following providers:
- Amwell: Medical virtual care only, call 855-6679722.
- MDLIVE: Medical and behavioral/mental health virtual care, call 888-726-3171.
- Dispatch Health (In-home option): Visit Dispatchhealth.com/covid-19 or call 720-647-5329.
- Refills: Cigna has not implemented overrides for refill-too-soon notices on 30-day prescriptions if patients try to refill or renew with more than 35% of the medication remaining. If, or when, the situation changes, Cigna will update the policy.
- Home Delivery: Visit myCigna.com or call 800-835-3784 for more information about prescription home delivery.
- Contact the financial institution where your HSA is located.
Dependent Care
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- A significant change in cost or coverage is considered a qualifying event for dependent care FSAs. This means participants can stop or reduce their contributions to a Dependent Care FSA if their expenses go down, and they can also increase if expenses go up, provided the change direction matches.
- To make changes, please complete the Benefits Life Event Change Form and email it to [email protected] .
Dental Care
Delta Dental Resources & Coverage Care Options- Routine Dental Care: Contact your dental care provider.
- Emergency Dental Care: Contact your dental care provider for a phone consultation.
Vision Care
- Contact the VSP customer care center at 800-877-7195 with questions or if you need to find a provider in your area.
Mental Health Services
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)- Receive six free confidential counseling sessions per issue, per year at no cost to you.
- Visit MagellanAscend.com or call 800-523-5668.
- Magellan’s COVID-19 Resource Center
- Cigna is providing resources free of charge to support resiliency during times of high stress and anxiety. These are available to all City of Boulder employees and community members, regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in a Cigna medical plan.
- Call the 24-hour toll-free help line at 866-912-1687 to connect directly with qualified clinicians who can provide support and guidance.
- Webinar: Building Resilience in the World of COVID-19
- 30-day free program from Mindful: Find Calm and Nourish Resilience : This self-paced online program features today's leading mindfulness teachers, helping you support the habits that foster ease and well-being.
Paid Sick Leave
A new sick leave policy takes effect for 2021. As part of the Healthy Families Workplace Act , the State of Colorado adopted temporary emergency rules to declare a “public health emergency” related to COVID-19. This requires all employees receive up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 related reasons effective January 1, 2021. These paid sick leave hours are distinct from the federal paid sick leave 80 hours. In addition to COVID-19 related reasons, this sick leave can be used for the following reasons:
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The employee has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; needs a medical diagnosis, care or treatment related to such illness, injury, or condition; or needs to obtain preventative medical care;
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The employee needs to care for a family member who has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; needs a medical diagnosis, care or treatment related to such illness, injury, or condition; or needs to obtain preventative medical care;
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The employee or family member has been the victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or harassment and needs to be absent from work for purposes related to such crime; or
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A public official has ordered the closure of the school or place of care of the employee's child or of the employee's place of business due to a public health emergency, necessitating the employee's absence from work.
Pension
- PERA’s COVID-19 Resource Center
- PERA’s Leaving Employment Resource Page
- ICMA-RC's COVID-19 Resource Center
Voluntary Retirement Plans
PERA Retirement Plans
- The CARES Act allows 401(k)/457 plan participants to take expanded loan amounts or take COVID-19 related distributions without a tax penalty.
- Retirees are not required to take the minimum distribution in 2020.
- PERA’s COVID-19 Resource Center
- PERA’s Upcoming Webinars
ICMA-RC Retirement Plans
- Sign up for an individual appointment to discuss your retirement plan.
We encourage you to explore options provided by the City:
- Parks and Rec Summer Camps: To help during the busy summer months, we’re reserving a limited number of spots at Parks and Rec Summer Camps . We hope to offer camps spots beginning the week of July 6 for the children of city staff, ages 5-11. We’re also offering two weeks free of charge! To express interest, complete this form and a Parks and Rec staff member will be in touch.
- FlexWork: We encourage employees and supervisors to develop flexible work arrangements or schedules based on business needs and customer service requirements. For more information, take a look at the city’s FlexWork Guidelines and discuss with your supervisor to determine what additional flexibility is available to you.
- Time Off and Leave of Absence: If you need to take time off you may use other paid leave (with approval from your supervisor and based on your leave accruals) for vacation leave, floating holidays or sick leave. In some circumstances, leave of absence may be considered when FlexWork is not feasible or time off as noted is not requested or has been exhausted. Please connect with your supervisor (and HR Business Partner if needed) to discuss a leave of absence.
What city facilities are currently open/closed?
- Most city administrative facilities are closed through at least Aug. 31, 2020.
When are additional city facilities reopening?
The city is following a four-phased approach for reopening facilities and services. Reopenings and current closures take into account operational capability, and resource allocation as well as community need.
Opening and closures may shift based on:
- Public health guidance
- Resource allocation limitations
- Ability to maintain social distancing standards
View the map for additional details about each of the city's buildings, facilities, parking areas and restrooms.
- All travel for official city business outside the State of Colorado is suspended through December 31, 2020.
- Employees are encouraged to heed CDC travel precautions if conducting personal travel.
What technologies are available to assist with working remotely?
Standard employees can visit the City Telework Technology * page on IT Headquarters for information about the following tools and capabilities:
- Microsoft Office 365 : Provides access to Outlook email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more from any computer through Office.com.
- Account Management : Sign up for Self-Service Password Reset *.
- Microsoft Teams : Allows you to stay in touch with coworkers through instant messaging chats, calls, video conferences and creating your own team collaboration spaces. Download the Teams app on your mobile phone. Check out our Teams quick start guides *.
- Documents and File Storage : Log in to Office.com to get instant access to OneDrive files and SharePoint sites. Allows you to work on documents directly from the web as well as access shared team documents.
- Remote Network Access : Access the City of Boulder network while you are away with Always on VPN, and RDS.
- WebEx : Visit WebEx *.
How can I get answers if I need telework support?
- Contact the IT Service Desk from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, excluding holidays.
- Please call 303-441-3086 or email [email protected] .
- The service desk will be prioritizing requests related to keeping our city operating.
What should I do about my desk phone?
- Please consider updating your phone greeting * to provide callers with the most accurate information about how to work with you.
- Check out our guide to remotely accessing your voicemail *.