City and County of San Francisco Employee Layoff Reference Guide

Employees who separate from employment with the City and County of San Francisco may be eligible for health benefits under a number of different programs including Holdover status, COBRA, or Retiree health benefits. 

During this transition, members who need counseling to support their emotional well-being may reach out to the Employee Assistance Program.

End of Active Employee Health Benefits Following Separation

Health benefits with SFHSS terminate at the end of the pay period for which premiums have been paid. For example: If your date of separation from employment is May 15, 2026, your health benefits end on May 23, 2026. The 2026 SF Payday & Holiday Calendar can be used as a reference for pay period start and end dates.

Health Benefit Options After Active Employee Coverage Ends

Separated employees (and their dependents) enrolled in health benefits at the time of their employment with the City and County of San Francisco may be eligible for Holdover rights that allow continuation of health benefits with SFHSS by paying their premiums to SFHSS directly or COBRA continuation of health benefits. Separated employees who are eligible for retiree health benefits, meaning employees who are eligible to collect their retirement benefits through San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) or the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), may also enroll with SFHSS for their retiree health benefits.

Continuing Benefits as a Holdover Employee

Permanent or Probationary Employees who are separated from City service due to a reduction in force may be placed on a Permanent Holdover Roster and may be eligible to continue receiving their health, dental, and vision benefits (including for their covered eligible dependents) for up to five (5) years, if they meet the following requirements:

1. Employees must certify that they do not currently have healthcare coverage from another source, and
2. Employees must complete and submit a Certification of Eligibility Form to the San Francisco Health Service System (SFHSS) upon request.
3. Employees must pay the same healthcare (medical, dental, and vision) premiums as were deducted from their paycheck prior to layoff. Payments must be made directly to SFHSS. To learn more about making direct payment for your premiums visit https://sfhss.org/how-make-payment. Rates are subject to change each plan year.

By continuing to pay health care premiums or accepting health care coverage through an SFHSS-sponsored plan, you are certifying that you are not enrolled in any other health care plan. This includes, but is not limited to, coverage through a parent, spouse or domestic partner, another employer, or a plan obtained through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Maintaining dual coverage is not permitted, and enrollment in an additional plan may result in corrective action, including termination of SFHSS coverage or retroactive premium or claims adjustments.

Enrollment in COBRA Coverage

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives separated employees and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue their health benefits provided by SFHSS for a limited period under certain circumstances, such as voluntary or involuntary job loss. Qualified individuals will be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102% of the cost for their original plan election with SFHSS. The cost includes the original employee premium, plus the employer contribution, and a 2% administrative fee. The rates for COBRA benefits enrollment can be found at: https://sfhss.org/benefits/cobra. COBRA rates change annually.

Upon separation, the employee will receive, via US mail, their COBRA enrollment information and application packet directly from SFHSS’ COBRA administrator, P&A Group. It can take two to three weeks from the date that the separation was entered into the system, to receive the information from P&A Group. The timeline will be affected by when the termination is entered, the processing time, and the mailing time. P&A Group’s online portal can be accessed through https://padmin.com to retrieve a digital copy of the COBRA enrollment information and application packet.

Enrollment and payment for COBRA benefits are done directly through P&A Group. To contact P&A Group, call (800) 688-2611 or visit https://padmin.com.

Enrollment Steps for Retiree Health Benefits

If you are eligible to retire from San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) or the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), you can enroll in retiree health benefits with SFHSS. To enroll in health benefits as a retiree, you must submit to SFHSS your full retiree enrollment packet within 30-days of your retirement date—the date you retired with your retirement system. The documents below will be required for enrollment:

• SFHSS Enrollment Application, and
• Retirement System Documentation from SFERS
       o Retirement Interview Checklist (pages 1 and 2), and
       o Application for Voluntary Retirement (Sides A and B)

OR

• Retirement System Documentation from CalPERS
       o Acknowledgement Letter from CalPERS including the CalPERS ID (myCalPERS 0924)

If you are enrolling a dependent as a retiree, additional verification documents may be requested.

Separated employees who were not enrolled in health benefits with SFHSS at the time of separation will not be eligible for COBRA or holdover health benefits rights.

Covered California is the marketplace that makes it possible for individuals and families to get free or low-cost health insurance through Medi-Cal, or to get help paying for private health insurance. Covered California can help individuals choose a private insurance plan that meets their health needs and budget.

To review options under Covered CA, call (800) 300-1506 (TTY: (888) 889-4500) or visit www.CoveredCA.com.