Employee Benefits

All parish/school full-time employees are eligible for health insurance through the Diocese of Crookston group plan. The benefit is provided through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. There are three different deductible levels to choose from; employees can also choose single or family coverage. The cost of this coverage is shared between the employee and the parish/school. A summary of benefits and coverages for each plan is listed below. 

-  Summary of Benefits and Coverages for $500 Plan

-  Summary of Benefits and Coverages for $3500 Plan

-  Summary of Benefits and Coverages for $6350 Plan

Each year there is an Open Enrollment Period where you will be able to change the plan you are on. The Open Enrollment Period is February through March, with any changes taking effect April 1. Effective as of 4/1/25.

Rates as of April 1 , 2025

All parish/school full-time employees are eligible for dental insurance through the Diocese of Crookston group plan. The benefit is provided through Sun Life. Employees can choose single or family coverage. The cost of this coverage is shared between the employee and the parish/school.

Summary of benefits:

• Deductible: $45 per covered person per calendar year, $110 per family unit (doesn’t apply to diagnostic and preventative services).
• Employer contribution rate $21.50. Effective as of 4/1/25. 
• Diagnostic and preventative services=100% coverage for a checkup every 6 months
• Basic services, endodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery=80% coverage
• Major restorative services, prosthetic repairs and adjustments, and prosthetics=50% coverage
• Maximum benefit paid=$2000 per person per year

More detailed information can be food in the benefit booklet below.

 -  Benefit Booklet

Term life insurance/accidental death and dismemberment
All parish/school full-time employees are automatically covered under this plan. The benefit is provided through Sun Life. The cost of this coverage is paid by the parish/school.

The amount of benefit provided is 1.5 times your Basic Annual Earnings, up to a maximum of $50,000. Benefits are reduced at age 65.

Long-term disability
All parish/school full-time employees are automatically covered under this plan. The benefit is provided through Sun Life. The cost of this coverage is paid by the parish/school.

This benefit begins providing a monthly benefit 90 days after the date of disability. The amount of benefit provided is 60% of your Total Monthly Earnings, up to $5000 per month.

Benefit Booklet
More detailed information can be found in the benefit booklet below.

- Benefit Booklet

All parish/school full-time employees automatically participate in the employee pension plan (note: priests are covered under the Priests' Pension Plan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston). The benefit is provided through the Christian Brothers Employee Retirement Plan. The cost of this coverage is provided by the parish/school.

The plan includes the following features:

• Defined benefit plan
• The vesting period is 4 years 9 months
• If you are vested, normal retirement is based on your date of participation
  • You can retire with a reduced benefit as early as age 55.
  • For employees who started prior to July 1, 2012, the Golden Rule of 90 may allow you to retire early if you meet certain requirements.
• Benefit amount is based on years of service and wages earned.
• Multiple forms of benefit are available.

For more information, see the benefit booklet below:

- Benefit Booklet

All parish/school full-time employees are eligible to participate in the Further cafeteria plan. This plan, administered by Further, gives the opportunity to increase  take-home pay by having money withheld from paychecks on a pretax basis to cover certain medical and dependent care expenses. The plan has three components: A, B, and C.

Component A allows employees to pay diocesan health and dental insurance premiums on a pretax basis. Any employee who has money withheld from their paycheck to pay for these benefits does not pay taxes on this money. Component A is automatic; if an employee has premiums withheld from their paycheck, the deductions will be withheld pretax unless the employee opts out.

Components B and C are flexible spending accounts. Component B deals with medical expenses not covered by an insurance plan, such as the deductible, copays, and items not covered by insurance (note: an employee doesn't have to be on the diocesan insurance plan to utilize component B). Component C deals with dependent‑care expenses, such as daycare. Component B has a maximum election of $2700 per plan year, and Component C has a maximum election of $5000 per plan year.  ($2500 if married but filing separate tax returns).

Here’s how it works: the plan year runs from September 1 to August 31. You elect a certain amount of money for component B and/or C for that plan year. The money is withheld from your paycheck throughout the plan year. The money goes into a flexible spending account, basically a special savings account. Then, whenever you have a claim (pay a qualifying medical bill or dependent care expense), you fill out a claim form, send the form to Further, and they send your money back to you (note: if you are covered under the diocesan health insurance plan, Blue Cross will automatically file the claim for you under the crossover feature). You benefit because you don’t pay taxes on the money when it’s withheld from your paycheck. You want to plan carefully though, because any money that is not used by the end of the plan year is lost.

If you participate in a health savings account, do NOT elect to participate in component B of the flexible spending account. The two plans are not compatible. If an employee participates in an HSA and a flexible savings account (FSA), then the FSA must be a limited FSA. Keep this in mind if you are enrolled in an FSA through your spouse.

- Summary of Benefits Medical FSA

- Summary of Benefits Dependent FSA

An employee who elects coverage under the diocesan $3500 or the $6350 deductible health insurance plans has the option of participating in a diocesan-sponsored health savings account (HSA). The health savings account is basically a savings account that allows employees to pay medical expenses not covered by their insurance plan using tax-free dollars. The HSA is similar to the flexible spending account but is superior in many ways.

You can only participate in an HSA if you are covered under the $3500 or $6350 deductible plans. You cannot participate in an HSA if you are covered under our $500 deductible plan. If you have family members who have health insurance elsewhere, the HSA cannot be used to cover their expenses unless they are covered under an HSA-compliant health plan.

The employee can contribute money to the HSA; there are no employer contributions to the HSA. Employees contribute money through pretax payroll deductions. There is a maximum amount that can be contributed into an HSA each year.

The money in the HSA can be used to pay any medical or dental bills not covered by the employee’s insurance. The employee will pay the bill and will then receive reimbursement from the HSA if there is money available in the account. As long as the money in the account is used to pay for eligible expenses, it remains tax-free. The money can be taken out and used for other purposes, but there is a penalty for doing so, and the money also becomes taxable at that point.

The HSA does not have a use-it-or-lose-it rule. At the end of the year, if you have money remaining in the HSA, that money carries over and will be available to pay expenses in future years.

The HSA belongs to the employee, not the diocese. When you leave employment, the HSA goes with you. When you retire, you will still have the HSA to cover medical expenses. The HSA can also be used as an IRA. If you are married, the HSA will transfer to your spouse when the employee dies.

If an employee participates in an HSA and a flexible savings account (FSA), then the FSA must be a limited FSA. Keep this in mind if you are enrolled in an FSA through your spouse.