Job Benefits

Medical

LA DOTD employees may choose from five (5) health plans offered by the Office of Group Benefits. Plan descriptions may be accessed on the Office of Group Benefits website at:  https://info.groupbenefits.org/.

Eligibility: All full-time LA DOTD employees are eligible for the benefits offered by the Office of Group Benefits. Spouses are also eligible for coverage. Dependents of employees must meet the eligibility requirements put in place by OGB.

New-Hire Waiting Period: For newly-hired employees, the effective date of benefits is dependent on the official date of hire. If employment began on the 1st of the month, benefits will be effective the 1st of the next month. If employment began on any day other than the 1st, benefits will be effective the 1st of the second month thereafter. If an employee decides not to enroll during this time, the option of enrolling at a later date is still available.

Life

Life insurance is offered through the Office of Group Benefits by Prudential Life Insurance Company. Employees may choose to enroll in either Basic or Basic Plus Supplemental coverage. Basic coverage gives the employee $5,000 coverage. Basic Plus Supplemental is available for one and one-half times annual earnings with a maximum of $50,000. Dependent Term Life insurance is also available for eligible dependents.

Retirement

LASERS
Membership in LA State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS) is mandatory for all state employees whose employing agency is a LASERS participant, except those exempted by state law. This retirement plan is a qualified defined benefit pension and retirement plan. Please contact the Human Resources Retirement Specialist, (225) 379-1229, with questions or visit the LASERS website for more information.

Deferred Compensation
The deferred compensation plan allows employees to invest money on a pre-tax and post-tax basis. Participants may incur taxes as monies are withdrawn. For more information, visit the Deferred Compensation website.

Supplemental Benefits

Employees have the option to elect coverage in various supplemental policies for Dental, Vision, Cancer, Accident, Life, Hospital, etc. These policies can be obtained from each vendor individually with premiums paid through payroll deduction. For more information on vendors and products available, Click Here.

Flexible Spending Accounts
There are three types of Flexible Spending Accounts: General-Purpose (Healthcare), Limited-Purpose (Dental and Vision), and Dependent Care. The General-Purpose FSA can be used on eligible medical expenses while the Limited-Purpose FSA covers eligible dental and vision expenses only. Dependent Care covers eligible expenses such as daycare or after-school fees. The amounts contributed to these accounts are deducted pre-tax and enrollment must be done within the first 30 days of employment, annually during the Annual Enrollment period, or within 30 days of certain Office of Group Benefits Plan-Recognized Qualified Life Events.

Leave Time

Annual Leave
Employees begin accruing annual leave upon employment, but can only take it with prior approval of their supervisor. Annual leave accrual is based on length of service and ranges from 12 days during the first year of service to 24 days after 15 years of service. Unused annual leave can be carried forward to succeeding calendar years.

Sick Leave
Sick Leave is accrued similar to annual leave. Sick leave may be utilized by an employee who has a sufficient balance for an absence from duty because of an illness or injury which prevents the employee from performing his/her usual duties or for medical, dental, or optical consultation or treatment.

Military Leave
Members of a Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States and members of National Guard Units who are called to duty for military purposes shall be granted 15 days of military leave per calendar year without loss of pay or annual leave.  Additionally, members of the National Guard who are called to Title 32 active duty in response to a declared emergency by the Governor shall be granted 22 days of military leave per calendar year without loss of pay or annual leave.​

Civil Leave
Employees are given time off without loss of pay or annual leave when called to perform jury duty or when subpoenaed to appear as a witness in court. Additionally, Civil/Special Leave can be granted for inability to report for duty due to an act of God.

Funeral Leave
Employees may be granted up to two days of paid leave to attend the funeral of an eligible relative.

Holidays

Most employees receive paid days off for statutory holidays, as well as any additional holidays proclaimed by the governor. Statutory holidays include:

• New Year's Day
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
• Mardi Gras Day
• Good Friday
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Inauguration Day (every four years - Baton Rouge only)
• General Election Day (every two years)
• Veterans' Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Additional Benefits

Workers' Compensation
In the event an employee is injured on the job, Workers Compensation may provide financial and medical aid which continues as long as the employee is disabled.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
An eligible employee is entitled up to 12 work weeks of leave per fixed 12-month period for qualifying family and medical situations; "any qualifying exigency" arising out of the fact that the spouse, son, daughter or parent of the employee is on active military duty or has been notified of an impending call or order to active military duty in support of a contingency operation; or military caregiver leave. Leave used is drawn from earned annual/sick/compensatory leave or leave without pay.

Parental Leave
Employees are given time off without loss of pay or annual leave for a qualifying purpose related to an employee’s child born or placed with the employee for adoption or foster care. 

Educational Leave / Tuition Reimbursement
A permanent employee with 1 year of LA DOTD service may request educational leave and tuition reimbursement for job-related junior, senior or graduate level course work.

Employee Assistance Program
The Employee Assistance Program offers a broad array of tools and services to help with problems that might affect your personal or work life. Just a few examples of these include: Marriage & Family, Stress, Legal Problems, Debt, Childcare, Elder Care, Grief, Pet Problems, Education Planning, Scholarships, Depression, Taxes, Wills, Smoking Cessation, Wellness, Adoption, Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Divorce. In addition, your EAP offers hundreds of personal and professional development opportunities, from training to one-on-one telephonic coaching in the following areas: Certified Financial Coaching, Balancing Life at Work & Home, Resilience, Effective Communication, Home Purchasing, Student Debt, Yoga & Relaxation for Beginners, Workplace Conflict, Retirement, and Succeeding as a Supervisor.

Career Growth Opportunities
LA DOTD employees have opportunities to advance in their careers through a wide variety of professional, technical, and administrative positions that become available at the LA DOTD. In addition, employees have the opportunity to develop and learn new skills by participating in job-shadowing and special project assignments through the agency's Continuity Assurance Program.

Training & Development Program
LA DOTD promotes an environment of continuous learning and encourages its employees to utilize the training resources available to enhance their skills. Employees are offered various professional development opportunities in a blended learning environment that includes instructor-led training, distance learning, web-based training, virtual training, and social media.

Employee Recognition Program
We value and reward our employees' commitment to excellence and their length of service through a variety of honorary awards.

Flexible Scheduling
The LA DOTD standard workweek is Monday through Friday. However, some positions allow flexibility in work schedules to enhance work/life balance and support an employee's personal needs. Alternative work schedules are subject to Appointing Authority approval and should not interfere with agency operations.

Vendor Discounts
LA DOTD employees may receive a variety of vendor discounts. ​ For more information on vendors and products available, click here.

START Saving Program
The Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Program, commonly referred to as the “START Saving Program,” is an innovative college savings plan designed to help families contend with the growing costs of educating their children after high school. The program is administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance as a “Qualified Tuition Plan” under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. As an incentive to save, the State of Louisiana will annually match a percentage of the deposits made to an account during the calendar year, depending upon the category into which the account has been classified and the federal adjusted gross income reported by the Account Owner for the previous year. For more information, click here.​​​​​​​​​​