COUNTYWIDE : Benefits Discussed for Workers at War
The County Board of Supervisors will decide today whether to extend health benefits for county employees serving in the Persian Gulf War and to establish an emergency fund to help their families through economic difficulties.
Fifteen Ventura County employees have been called to active duty and 49 additional employees are in the military reserves and could be called if the war continues for an extended period.
The county provides full employee benefits, including health insurance, to county employees for the first 30 days of their military duty.
However, the benefits are substantially less than certain county plans, according to a staff report. Fourteen of the 15 reservists are paying about $300 a month to maintain their former benefits, the report stated.
The board will vote to extend benefits for up to 154 days.
An emergency fund would be used to assist reservists’ families who are living on military pay, which is from $537 to $2,689 less per month than reservists’ county salaries, according to the report.
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