Employee Benefits

Full-time employees are eligible to cover themselves and eligible family members for health care insurance. Timely enrollment is required for coverage, which becomes effective the first of the month following the date of hire. This benefit requires employee contributions.

Employees may select one of our three (3) plans as follows:

• Medical Mutual of Ohio – SuperMed Plus PPO
• Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield – Blue Access PPO
• MetroHealth CLE-Care – MetroHealth only (exclusive provider) 

The Prescription Drug Plan is provided through CVS Caremark for subscribers to the Medical Mutual SuperMed Plus and Anthem Blue Access PPO.  It is combined automatically with each Medical Mutual and Anthem Blue Access PPO enrollment. The MetroHealth CLE-Care plan comes with its own Pharmacy benefit included with the coverage.

Full-time employees are eligible to cover themselves and eligible family members for dental care insurance. Timely enrollment is required for coverage, which becomes effective the first of the month following the date of hire. This benefit requires employee contributions.

Employees have a choice between two dental plans provided by Delta Dental:

• Delta Dental PPO – In-Network or Out-of-Network coverage up to $2,000 per covered person year.
• Delta Dental HMO/EPO – In-Network coverage only, but no assigned dental office; no maximum coverage per year, but a pre-set charge schedule lists the costs members pay for per covered treatment.  
• Both dental plans include two no-cost cleanings and exams per year. 

Full-time employees are eligible to cover themselves and eligible family members for vision care insurance. Timely enrollment is required for coverage, which becomes effective the first of the month following the date of hire. The EyeMed plan provides one eye exam every 12 months for the employee and each eligible family member, and a variety of choices for the purchase of eyeglasses or contact lenses through in-network providers.

This benefit requires employee contributions, except for AFSCME Local 100 positions, whose coverage is restricted to the AFSCME Eye Care Plan. All others who enroll are covered by the EyeMed Vision Care Advantage Network. The AFSCME Eye Care Plan may have a different schedule for eye exams and glasses.

Please note: Employee contributions to the medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision care premiums are at very competitive rates and are payroll-deducted twice per month on a pre-tax basis. Click here for current regular full-time employee health plan details and costs.

Regular full-time employees of the City of Cleveland are eligible for $25,000 in group life insurance coverage at no cost to the employee. These employees may purchase additional group term life insurance up to $300,000 through the Optional Life Insurance Plan, subject to the underwriter approval for amounts over $50,000 or requested after your initial enrollment period. The current Basic Life Insurance and Optional Life Insurance coverage includes accidental death & dismemberment benefits and value-added programs. Group life insurance enrollments become effective after a 90-day waiting period.

In addition, regular full-time employees may purchase $10,000 in Spouse Life Insurance for the legal spouse. For eligible dependent children, the employee may purchase Child Life Insurance which provides $1,000 in life insurance for a child that is less than six (6) months and $5,000 in life insurance for a child that is less than 23 years old or 25 years old if a full time student.

Regular full-time annual and hourly rate City employees who have completed thirty (30) days of continuous employment shall be entitled to twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave during the twelve (12) month period following the birth or adoption of a child at one hundred percent (100%) of their regular base rate of pay.  Parental leave is defined as a leave of absence following the birth of a newborn or the placement of a newly adopted child.   Hourly rate craft employees paid on the basis of building trades prevailing wages are not eligible.  The eligibility of City employees in a union-represented bargaining unit is subject to the terms of the City’s collective bargaining agreements and the requirements of Revised Code Chapter 4117. 

In addition to the twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave, every eligible employee shall be entitled to up to twenty (20) hours of intermittent paid leave in a twelve (12) month period at one hundred percent (100%) of their regular base pay to attend pre-natal medical and related appointments up to the birth of a child(ren). The employee’s balance of other accrued paid leave that the City provided to the employee shall not be reduced by the taking of the foregoing leave.

In addition to the twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave, every eligible employee who pursues a legally-sanctioned adoption shall be entitled to up to twenty (20) hours of intermittent paid leave in a twelve (12) month period at 100% of their base rate of pay to attend required meetings or interviews to obtain approval for an adoption of a child(ren). The employee’s balance of other accrued paid leave that the City provided to the employee shall not be reduced by the taking of the foregoing leave.

Full-time employees who are eligible for health care benefits are also eligible to participate in the Flexible Spending Account program. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are valuable tax-advantaged plans. Through FSAs, an employee may set aside money pre-tax from his or her paycheck to pay for eligible out-of-pocket expenses, saving money on federal and state taxes. There are two (2) types of FSA plans under this program:

• Healthcare FSA – use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision care expenses not covered by the insurance, such as co-pays, deductibles, and medications.
• Dependent Care FSA – use pre-tax dollars to be reimbursed for eligible for child day care or elder day care expenses.

Restrictions apply if your spouse participates in Health Savings Account (HSA).

Employees may opt to participate in voluntary benefits, which are individual policies offered at a group rate negotiated by the City of Cleveland. The employee owns these policies and can keep them even when City of Cleveland employment ends. The premiums for voluntary benefits are 100% employee-paid and are deducted from the employee’s paychecks after tax on a biweekly basis.

• Disability Income Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Universal Life Insurance
• MetLife Legal Plans
• MetLife Identity Protection Plan
• MetLife Pet Insurance (payment by payroll deduction not available) 

Each City employee will become a member of one of two of the State of Ohio retirement plans for public employees, depending on the position. The majority of City of Cleveland employees participate with the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). Department of Public Safety uniformed police officers and fire fighters participate with the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund (OP&F). Each employee becomes vested in his or her pension plan after completing five (5) years of credited service.

Currently OPERS members contribute 10% of their earned salary to OPERS, and the City of Cleveland contributes 14% based on the employee’s earned salary. The City’s contribution becomes available after the employee becomes 100% vested and has left employment with the City. For more information, visit the OPERS website at www.opers.org.

Currently Department of Public Safety OP&F members contribute 12.25% of their earned salary to OP&F, and the City of Cleveland contributes 19.5% based on the employee’s earned salary. The City’s contribution becomes available after the employee becomes 100% vested and has left employment with the City. 

City of Cleveland employees do not contribute to Social Security for retirement or disability income.

The Ohio Deferred Compensation Program offers employees the option of participating voluntarily in a tax-deferred supplemental retirement plan. The goal is to save for retirement while deferring taxes on your earnings. If an employee elects to participate in the deferred compensation program, he or she decides on the amount to be contributed biweekly, which can be increased or decreased at any time. That amount will be deducted from the employee’s paychecks on a pre-tax basis and deposited to the account the employee has established with Ohio Deferred Compensation. City of Cleveland employees now have the additional option to participate in an ODC Roth 457 account, which deducts contributions from paychecks on an after-tax basis. For more information, visit the ODC website at www.ohio457.org.

City of Cleveland employees are paid every other week on Wednesday. Elected officials are paid twice per month on the 15th and last date of the month.

Regular full-time employees are eligible for 12 paid holidays per year: 10 observed holidays and 2 paid personal holidays. The City of Cleveland observes the following paid holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• President's Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

After completing ninety (90) days of the probationary period, regular full-time employees also receive two (2) Personal Holidays per calendar year.

Regular full-time employees are eligible to earn sick time at the rate of 10 hours per month. Sick time is to be used in accordance with the attendance policies, related employment policies, and collective bargaining.

Regular full-time employees are granted vacation leave with pay, pursuant to their longevity/tenure with the City of Cleveland.

Longevity is an annual payment based on an employee’s continuous service with the City of Cleveland.   Full-time regular employees are eligible after 5 years of continuous service. Collective bargaining employees may refer to their collective bargaining agreement.

Employees and their dependents have access to a wide array of services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on a voluntary basis, at no cost. The EAP provides counseling and other resources to help deal with life adjustment; emotional or mental health; diet/nutrition, fitness; marital, family, financial, and legal issues. All services are confidential between the individual and the EAP.

Provides an incentive for City of Cleveland employees, who have worked for governmental employers in the State of Ohio, and allows for the transfer of sick time for qualified employees.  Service credit will be accepted at a rate equal to the amount that would have been earned if the employment had been with the City of Cleveland, unless there is a cap.

The City, through partnership with RTA, makes it possible for all employees to purchase RTA passes via payroll deduction. This is an optional program for all City of Cleveland employees.

This benefit provides that City employees have the option to pay for available parking at the City’s Facilities on a pre-tax basis via payroll deduction. Parking at Muni Lot is free to all employees who work in the Downtown Cleveland area.

This information is presented as an abbreviated summary for illustrative purposes only. The actual City of Cleveland policies, contracts, certificates, and documents provide details that will prevail in the event of any discrepancy or omission. All benefits are subject to revision or discontinuation, with notice as may be required by statute and/or collective bargaining agreements.

• Medical Mutual
• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield