One of the most common sentences we repeat about state and local government management is that practices vary. This is true both for big issues in human resources – for example, whether governments have paid time off for parental and family leave and how much is covered – but also for smaller decisions that rarely make it into public view. 

A discussion that was playing out recently on the Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA) forum focuses on when health benefits kick in for a new employee.

The conversation was sparked by a forum member. “I am curious what everyone’s health insurance waiting period is,” she wrote on October 31, adding that her own 28,000 population Midwest city has a 60-day waiting period and the city is thinking of making a change.

While a handful of other forum members have responded that new employees must wait 60 days before qualifying for health insurance coverage, a number of others reported that they provide health coverage much sooner – for example, on the first day of the month that follows the first day of employment. 

Still others provide health insurance on employment day one – a useful tool in a still highly competitive hiring environment. “We changed our policy a few years ago,” wrote one western middle-sized county HR official. “We found this is a good recruiting tool and makes for happier new employees.”

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