Do I Qualify as Full-Time with Seasonal Hours?



I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask these questions, but I will.

I work for a school district in New Jersey. I have been hired for 20 hours per week, but there are times additional hours are available. In the summer months, June, July, and August, I have worked 40 hours per week.

With the new laws in affect, I have been told I can not work the 40 hours a week in the summer. They told me I couldn’t work more then 30 hours a week, period.

My wife carries our medical benefits from her employer for our family. Are there exceptions/exemptions in place if another person carries the coverage, and the other would be able to waive the right for benefits to ease the mind of the employer. In my case, the extra hours really help our family. I would loose at least 100 hours per summer and that would hurt. I don’t want to loose the hours.

Are there options in place for an employee like myself?

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I also got cut from 40 to 30 hrs 3 years ago….then made to pay for insurance. Huh?? Ive lost 14000 in wages since then. I only made 14000 a year so between the cut in hours and the monthly insurance payments….its hurt ALOT!!

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can an employer offer two plans and class out the seasonal employees to the lower benefit plan/

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Work 20 hrs for school district in New Jersey and work another 20 hrs with out source in the same job in the same school district. NOW they told me that I can’t work like this anymore, because of the 30 hrs total of work???!!!! I get paid with 2 different checks: one from the district and the other from “out source” company. Can they do that? Can they cut my hours, and hired someone else with “out source”???!!! They want to force me to resign and work full time with the “out source” company!!!!!! Thanks for your help.

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That is crazy, it isn’t total hours worked, it is total hours worked per employer. Maybe there is some loophole i’m not aware of here. Are you saying they want you to full-time with the out-source and not work at the district at all to avoid giving you health insurance? I feel like the goal should be to provide health insurance to our teachers, not to skirt the rules and avoid it?

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I have asked several questions in the search box several different ways. The answers are always muddy. The idea of “look back” is unclear. Can I turn down health care? The answer the employer is required to pay a fee but I don’t have to apply?

I am 69 years old. I have Medicare and Tri Care for Life. I have a summer job that runs from May 1 to October 31. The employer says I must not work over 32 hours a week. This seems unfair. Why can’t I work 40 hours per week?

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Sorry to hear that the answers were confusing. A look-back period is something that an employer uses to determine full-time status of an employee. As an employee you have the choice to either accept or decline employer based coverage, but if it is offered (whether required or not) then you can’t get cost assistance on the Marketplace.

That being said, you don’t need to use the Marketplace since you have Medicare. This means you can talk to your employer and let them know that you will decline the coverage. So they can offer, you decline, and they don’t have to pay for it. Everyone wins. You won’t be getting Marketplace tax credits (thus triggering the fee for your employer) because you can’t get them under the law as a Medicare recipient.

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