Course Syllabus

HR 65, Human Resource Benefits Administration
Section 8814 - Course Syllabus

Course Description

Fundamentals of employee benefit programs and leaves of absence requirements. Content covers interpretation of California and Federal law to correctly administer employee benefits and leaves of absence. Topics emphasize the administration of group benefits including health and survivor insurance, government mandated insurance, defined benefit & defined contribution retirement benefits, as well as family, medical, and pregnancy leaves of absence.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Develop a comprehensive and legally compliant benefits package suitable for today's diverse employment base, in the context of the employer's size, industry and budget.
2. Determine which leaves of absence apply to specific situations, including describing the limitations and requirements.
Students will be able to:
 
1. Describe the major characteristics of various health plan formats.
2. Determine and describe the cost to the employer of an employee benefits package.
3. Select a health plan that best meets an individual employee's needs.
4. Identify the most common leaves of absence available to employees in California and describe their mandated and optional characteristics.

Topics and Scope

***The course follows the topics addressed in the textbook. The following topics will be addressed, but not necessarily in the same order: 
I. Best Practices and Current Trends in Benefits Administration 
    A. Developing an appropriate benefits package
    B. Communicating benefits to employees
 
II. Legal Overview
    A. Federal law
    B. California law
 
III. Costs of Benefits: The Current Dilemma Facing Employers
 
IV. Benefits Plan Administration
    A. Medical plans
          1. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO),  Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Point of Service (POS), Indemnity Plans
         2.  Structural options Flexible Spending Account(FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).
    B. Retirement plan options
         1. Defined contribution plans
         2. Defined benefit plans
         3. Retirement plan structural options 401(k), ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan, etc.)
    C. Health & Survivor Insurance
         1. Dental
         2. Vision
         3. Long Term Disablity (LTD), Short Term Disablity (STD), Life
 
V. Voluntary Time Off
    A. Leaves of absence (LOA)
         1. Vacation
         2. Holidays
         3. Sick time
    B. California mandated laws on leaves of absence
         1. Domestic violence, sexual abuse and other California mandated leaves
         2. Kin care
         3. California Family Rights Act
         4. Pregnancy Disability Leave
    C. Federal mandated laws on leaves of absence
         1. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
         2. Coordination of State and Federal leave provisions
         3. Benefits information implications
 
VI. Attendance Policies
    A. Reasonable accommodations
     B. Employer rights and expectations
 
VII. California Mandated Insurance Programs
     A. State Disability Insurance
    B. Paid Family Leave
    C. Unemployment compensation
    D. Workers Compensation
 
VIII. Federally-Run Insurance Programs
    A. Social Security
    B. Medicare
    C. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administration
    D. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)

Class Meetings

All material and activities will be offered asynchronously, meaning the students can access them anytime.  

Instructor Contact

Laura Pedicini

Email: lpedicini@santarosa.edu

Phone: (209) 968-6060

Office Hours: Zoom and phone calls are available with advanced notice. 

I respond to emails within 24 hour on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends and holidays. 

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook

Employee Benefits,  ISBN 9781260260489, 7th Edition - 2023, Joseph Martocchio

You can locate and order textbooks online via the SRJC Bookstore. Note that if you want to pick your book up in Petaluma, you need to order them from the Petaluma Bookstore website.

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course. 

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: March 6, 2023

Day Class Ends: May 7, 2023

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: March 8, 2023

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: March 17, 2023

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: March 17, 2023

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: May 7, 2023

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: April 23, 2023

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by [date]. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or of instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend the first class (face-to-face courses) or do not log-in to an online class after the second day of the semester will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at midnight, PST on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

Exams

There will be several quizzes. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade [once a week] and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A

90%

90 points or more

B

80%

80 to 89 points

C

70%

70 to 79 points

D

60%

60 to 69 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

 

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

  • Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
  • Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
  • Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
  • Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
  • Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
  • Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
  • Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.