Author: danddconnection

Heat Illness Prevention Tips

August 24, 2020

Good morning, D&D!

As you know with the fires all over California the air quality has been unhealthy for many of us. Along with the fires the Central Valley has been in a heat wave, please take precaution, stay cool, and hydrated when you can.

An email was sent out to clients in regarding Heat Illness Prevention for employees last week and here are some tips we wanted to share with you all:

  • Plan – Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures
  • Training – Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention
  • Water – Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage workers to do so.
  • Shade – Provide shade when workers request it or when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need to do so. They should not wait until they feel sick to cool down.
  • When the temperature equals or exceeds 95 degrees, employers must provide one 10-minute “preventative cool-down rest period” every 2 hours. During the first 8 hours of a shift, the cool-down periods may be provided at the same time as the rest periods. 
  • If employees work longer than 8 hours, the employer must provide an additional 10-minute cool-down rest period every 2 hours. For example, if the shift extends beyond 8 hours, an additional rest period is required at the end of the 8th hour of work. If the shift extends beyond 10 hours, another is required at the end of the 10th hour.
  • Employers must ensure that employees actually take the cool-down rest periods required under this section.
  • Employers are required to provide additional breaks as soon as the temperature equals or exceeds 95 degrees. For example, even if the temperature does not reach 95 degrees until the last half of an 8-hour shift, the employer must ensure that employees take cool-down rest periods starting at the end of the 8th hour of work.

OPEN ENROLLMENT REMINDER: APRIL 2020

April 2, 2020

As a reminder, all Open Enrollment will begin April 1st and go through April 15th. Please contact Katherine Sierze, Employee Benefits Account Manager for more information.

Here’s what’s been changed for the 2020/2021 year:

Anthem Blue Cross (previously UnitedHealthcare) We have made the decision to move our medical coverage to Anthem Blue Cross effective May 1, 2020 with no cost share increase unless you are covering dependents. While the new Anthem PPO and HSA plan designs are comparable to our current plans you will see some minor benefit changes, so please review the attached Medical Plan Comparison. The full Benefit Summaries and Summary of Benefits and Coverage will be available for your review in Ease. With the change to a new carrier, please keep in mind that your Prescription Prior Authorizations will need to be resubmitted to Anthem Blue Cross for approval. You should plan on speaking to your prescribing physicians before the end of April to let them know you will have new medical coverage beginning May 1, 2020. Anthem will provide you with 2020 deductible credit. So, if you have already met, or made progress towards, your UHC annual deductible and want that to carryover to Anthem Blue Cross, I will need a copy of your last Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to submit to Anthem. Please send those to me via email. 

Kaiser We will continue to offer the Kaiser LOW HMO with no benefit changes. The medical cost share for Employee Only coverage will remain the same and the dependent coverage cost share received a slight increase. 

Ameritas Voluntary Dental  The benefits for Plan 1 will remain the same. Remember, you should only be enrolled on Plan 1 if your dentist does NOT contract with Ameritas. To keep the increase in rates as minimal as possible, Plan 2 now has a $3,000 dental maximum (previously $5,000). Ameritas will continue to offer the FUSION benefit, which allows you reimbursement up to $100 for any covered eye care expense. 

Superior Voluntary Vision – There are no rate or benefit changes. 

MetLife Voluntary Life/AD&D – There are no rate or benefit changes. 

ASi Flexible Spending Arrangement ASi will continue to administer our FSA Medical and Dependent Care plans. We will continue having the convenience of the Benny Cards available to those who enroll. The FSA Medical limit for 2020 has increased to $2,750. The Dependent Care limit for 2020 will remain the same at $5,000.  

All of the benefits listed above will be available in Ease, our benefits enrollment system.  

AFLAC Voluntary Accident and Critical Illness We will continue to have our AFLAC Open Enrollment separate until they are able to integrate with the Ease, our benefits enrollment system. There will be separate correspondence for these benefits soon.   

D&D All Offices: COVID-19 Update

March 23, 2020

A message from Principal Matt DeFendis:

Good morning everyone.

As you know, D&D has implemented a work at home program that is allowing the vast majority of our staff and producers to work remotely. As an essential business in California, D&D remains open for business to assist our clients with their insurance needs. 

Effective at the end of business today, all phones for all offices outside Fresno will be forwarded to Fresno who will in turn forward to your direct dial numbers. Similarly, all mail will be forwarded to Fresno. Should you or a client need to mail anything to us, please send to PO Box 5479, Fresno, CA 93755. Signage will be placed at all offices and will state that due to COVID-19, we are temporarily closed to the public, but remain open for business to assist our clients remotely with their insurance needs. We will ask that they reach out to you by phone , email or our 800 number which is 800-248-8247. The Fresno office, however, will remain open with normal business hours, albeit with a skeleton staff, which will include some of our managers, IT, Accounting, MAID and our receptionist. 

This is a reminder that all people working remotely should send all printing requests to printing@dibu.com. MAID will print and mail out everything that needs to be mailed. The email should include the document and any instruction for printing or mailing. Please do not mail anything  from your home as we want to maintain a record in our system. Faxes will also be forwarded to MAID and attached in EPIC in the normal course. 

I must impress on each of you, that while working remotely at this level is new to our office, maintaining the privacy of our clients is not. To that end, please do not put any Company data or information on any personal device. Lastly, at this time, communication is key. We will continue to provide you with relevant information as quickly as we can. Similarly, communicate with each other and our clients to ensure service in uninterrupted and remains at its highest level. 

Thanks for your cooperation and should you have any questions, please let me know.    

Matthew DeFendis
Principal

D&D’s response to Coronavirus: Town Hall Meeting 3/16/20

March 13, 2020

On behalf of D&D, Matt DeFendis will be attending the Town Hall meeting on March 16, 2020. He will be addressing our response in regards to the COVID-19 and the impact it has on us right now.

If you would like to attend please use this ext. #6890.

If you are outside the office you will need to dial into 559-437-6890 Bridge#1 Password 123456

*Reminder if you’re attending to please mute your phones and please contact Nora if you would like to be included in this call.

Happy Belated Birthday, Matt DeFendis!

March 10, 2020

As we continue celebrating the 60th Anniversary of D&D, we’d also like to acknowledge a very special birthday. 

Happy 60th, Matt DeFendis! We appreciate the continuous support and dedication you bring to the brokerage and value your leadership. Cheers to you! 

March Calendar 2020

February 27, 2020

Please take a look at the updated March 2020 Calendar. Thank you!