March 28, 2024

Health Benefits Premium Holiday

Dear State Employees:

I announced in May that all eligible state employees will pay no health benefits premium for the month of October! For most employees, these premium holidays will occur on October 16 and November 1, and there will be no employee premium contribution deducted from your pay on those dates. For some employees, the premium holiday will occur in the October time frame, depending on your agency’s payroll system.

Participants at all membership levels in the COVA Care, COVA HDHP, COVA HealthAware, Kaiser Permanente HMO and Optima Vantage HMO plans are eligible. Because of the requirement in the Code of Virginia that TRICARE supplement participants pay the full cost of their coverage, the premium holiday will not apply to those members.

If you have any questions, please contact your agency Benefits Administrator.

Happy Premium Holiday!

Sincerely,
Governor Ralph S. Northam