VanHoose Education Center
3332 Newburg Road,
Louisville, KY 40218

The Benefits and Leave Center is located on the second floor of the VanHoose Education Center. Visitor parking is available in the front parking lot. Please register as a visitor at the front desk. Appointments are required.

JCPS cares about your health and is dedicated to providing comprehensive, affordable, and competitive health insurance benefits. The Kentucky Employees' Health Plan (KEHP) is a self-insured program with three plan options. Click the links below for more information on the plan options available to full-time JCPS employees.

Full-time employees are eligible for health insurance on the first day of the second month following their hire date.

An eligible employee who chooses to waive health insurance through the KEHP will receive a pre-loaded HRA card with $175 per month—up to $2,100 per year—to pay for qualified medical expenses.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky pays a portion of the monthly premium.

Questions or More Information

Optional dental insurance is a benefit that can be payroll-deducted or pretax. The State has partnered with Anthem to provide this optional benefit. Full-time JCPS employees may choose a Bronze, Silver, or Gold dental insurance plan.

Optional vision insurance is a benefit that can be payroll-deducted or pretax. The State has partnered with Anthem to provide this optional benefit. You may choose a Bronze, Silver, or Gold dental insurance plan.

The Kentucky Employees' Health Plan (KEHP) offers two Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to help employees save money on out-of-pocket expenses.

Both the Healthcare FSA and the Dependent Care FSA allow eligible employees to contribute pretax monies through payroll deduction. During the year, employees have access to this account for reimbursement of certain medical, dental, vision, and Rx expenses or dependent care expenses. By using pretax dollars to pay for these expenses, employees can experience substantial tax savings. 

Note: Employees should be careful when selecting the amount they wish to have payroll-deducted. If an employee has a Healthcare FSA, he or she is permitted to carry over $610 of unused funds from 2024 to 2025; however, anything in excess of $610 will be forfeited.

The Kentucky Employees' Health Plan (KEHP) automatically provides JCPS employees access to the LivingWell Employee Wellness Program.

Take your first step on this path to wellness and rewards by registering online and completing your health assessment. As you make progress toward your health goals, you will be rewarded not only in health and happiness but also in the perks and rewards of your choice.

For more information, contact Castlight customer service at 800-681-6758.

Through the auto/home payroll deduction option, employees are provided convenient access to a comprehensive range of protection that goes beyond traditional offerings.

By selecting to purchase protection for their valuable assets through this program, employees have access to group discounts on their policies and the convenience of payroll deductions. Rates are determined by individual quotes. 

Farmers Insurance

The comprehensive group legal plan is a prepaid legal services plan that provides representation for an employee, his or her spouse, and/or his or her dependents.

Employees who purchase this plan can receive legal advice and fully covered legal services for court appearances, document review and preparation, debt collections defense, real estate matters, and more. The plan is provided to eligible employees through payroll deduction. 

MetLife Legal Plans
1-800-821-6400

JCPS has contracted with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their family members at no cost to the employee. The EAP is a confidential, short-term counseling program offering traditional face-to-face or telephonic counseling services with a licensed therapist.

Behavioral health specialists are here to help you with mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders, or substance use. They take a whole-health approach to your care that includes mind and body. The Resource Center gives you access to qualified staff and licensed clinicians 24/7.

You can have a private video visit from the comfort of home with a licensed counselor for help with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, panic attacks, and family issues.

With Emotional Well-being Resources administered by Learn to Live, you have 24/7 access to digital tools and resources to help you identify and work through thoughts and behavior patterns that affect your emotional well-being. Learn ways to manage stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, and sleep issues.

RethinkCare provides parents and caregivers with the resources and guidance to raise their kids. RethinkCare can help with 24/7/365 support tailored to your family’s unique needs. This program provides specialized support for those raising children with learning, social, or behavioral challenges or developmental disabilities. You can receive confidential, one-on-one virtual consultations with a dedicated Parenting Expert, available to answer your questions, brainstorm solutions and help find additional resources for you and your child. Learn helpful tips, coping skills, and parenting techniques for various challenges that cover all ages and stages of your child’s development. Take on-demand training courses to help you address your child’s behavior, social and emotional growth, attention and focus, academics, and much more. The program has no age restriction, requires no diagnosis, and is completely confidential. Get started anytime.

When you call the Behavioral Health Resource Center, you can speak with a substance use disorder expert who will give you focused support and guidance and help assess your needs. This may include treatment for you or a family member who is misusing or overusing opioids, such as morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone, or hydrocodone. Support by phone is available 24/7 to you and your loved ones or caregivers. To get started, just call the support line at 855-873-4931 and ask to speak with a substance use disorder specialist.

Through this program, you can receive treatment for drug and alcohol addiction without leaving your home, family, or job. It includes virtual and in-home visits with an addiction psychologist, a registered nurse, a family systems therapist, and certified recovery advisors. Treatment is designed to promote lasting recovery.

Kentuckians in crisis can connect with suicide prevention, mental health and substance abuse counselors using a nationwide, easy-to-dial phone number – 988. 988 is the three-digit dialing code connecting people to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where compassionate, accessible care and support is available for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress—whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Certified teaching employees of the district and employees whose positions require at least a bachelor's degree are provided pensions through KTRS.

The Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) pays a monthly benefit when you retire based on the type of retirement and the years of credited service. 

Participants do not pay into the Social Security System; those hired after April 1986 will participate in the Medicare program.

Effective July 1, 2002, any person working in a position that requires a certificate or a minimum of a four-year degree will participate in TRS.

Participation is automatic for all certified positions or classified positions requiring a minimum of a bachelor’s degree beginning the first day of employment.

Contribution rates are established by TRS. Employees are currently required to contribute 12.855 percent of their salaries into the system. The Commonwealth of Kentucky, as a non-employer contributing entity, pays matching contributions at a rate of 13.105 percent of salaries for local school district and regional cooperative employees hired before July 1, 2008. It pays 14.105 percent for those hired after that date. For local school district and regional cooperative employees whose salaries are federally funded, the employer contributes 15.355 percent of salaries. 

To obtain a regular enrollment application or an enrollment application for retirees who are returning to work in full-time positions, please contact your JCPS Benefits counselor.

For an enrollment application for retirees who are returning to work as substitutes or in part-time positions, click here.

Employees whose positions do not require a bachelor's degree are covered by CERS Non-Hazardous.

The County Employees Retirement System (CERS) is part of the Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS) and pays a monthly benefit upon retirement based on the type of retirement and years of credited service.

Participants also contribute to the Social Security and Medicare Systems.

Participation begins the first day of employment for all classified employees in a permanent full-time position working an average of 80 hours per month.

The employee contributes on a pretax basis 5 percent of gross earnings. The Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) contributes an amount determined by CERS. For 2006-07, it is 13.19 percent, and for 2007-08, it is 16.17 percent of the eligible employee's gross earnings. 

The employee contributes 6.2 percent to Social Security and 1.45 percent to Medicare on wages after all eligible tax-exempt deductions. The board matches Social Security and Medicare contributions.

Kentucky Deferred Compensation (KDC) gives thousands of public employees a more financially secure future. It's a “one-stop shop” for supplemental retirement planning that offers the following defined contribution savings plans to all JCPS employees:

The voluntary 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity program is universally available to all JCPS employees to provide the opportunity to save for long-term financial goals. Contributions to the 403(b) plan through an approved company can be started, stopped, or changed at any time and are deducted from paychecks pre-tax.

All withdrawals from the plan are subject to IRS guidelines. The JCPS 403(b) plan utilizes a third-party Retirement Manager for compliance assistance for most withdrawals. Employees requesting loans, hardship withdrawals, inter-plan transfers, in-service distributions, and distributions due to separation of service from JCPS must utilize the Retirement Manager self-service website to request a disbursement eligibility certificate for the specific type of withdrawal requested.

Earnings are not taxed until the employee begins receiving the annuity payments from his or her TSA. A variety of approved TSA companies are available for investment selection. Click on a provider below for contact information:

1-866-294-7950

The ClassAct Federal Credit Union is a progressive, educational-oriented financial institution that is owned and operated by its members. It provides competitively priced savings and loan programs. Membership with the credit union allows you an opportunity to make deposits through payroll deduction into your personal savings and checking accounts with the ClassAct Federal Credit Union. The ClassAct Federal Credit Union also participates in payroll direct deposit.

(502) 964-7575
1-800-292-2960

3620 Fern Valley Rd.
Louisville, KY 40219-1917

Part-time and substitute employees are eligible for payroll-deducted benefits from the Credit Union and supplemental retirement plans.