Opinion ID: 752417
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Benefits Information

Text: 3 Beverly Enterprises--Connecticut, Inc., d/b/a Greenwood Health Center (Greenwood), is one of many health care facilities operated by Beverly Enterprises, Inc. (Beverly Enterprises). Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services, Inc., is an affiliate of Beverly Enterprises. Greenwood is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and employs approximately 250 employees. It is undisputed that the employees at Greenwood were entitled to a variety of employee benefits, the majority of which were outlined in the Greenwood Health Center Personnel Manual (Personnel Manual), which was published in August of 1989. Benefits listed and generally described in the Personnel Manual included: health, life, and dental insurance; a stock-purchase plan; a savings-retirement plan; a discount for relatives of employees admitted to a facility owned by Beverly Enterprises; a tuition reimbursement plan; sick time; holidays; vacation; jury duty compensation; marriage leave; bereavement leave; and paternity leave. Employees were permitted to exchange their holiday, vacation, and insurance benefits for a 10 percent wage increase. Greenwood's administrator, Pamela Miller, did not distribute copies of the Personnel Manual to employees. She did distribute copies to the department heads, who then made them available to the employees for review. 1 4 In addition to the benefits identified in the Personnel Manual, Greenwood employees were entitled to regional benefits, which were established by the regional corporate office of Beverly Enterprises. Included among these benefits was a more generous tuition reimbursement plan. Rather than the $750.00 annual tuition reimbursement described in the Personnel Manual, the regional benefits plan allowed up to $1,200.00 in annual tuition reimbursement. Miller admitted that she failed to update the Personnel Manual to include information relating to the regional tuition reimbursement plan. Although Greenwood employees generally were aware of the existence of a tuition reimbursement program, and while some had taken advantage of this benefit, it appears that the additional amount available under the regional benefit was not widely known. 5 Employees also were entitled to various benefits set forth in the Benefits Administration Policy and Procedures Manual (Corporate Manual), which was prepared in 1992 and sent to facility administrators. Some of the benefits listed in the Corporate Manual were duplicative of those listed in the Personnel Manual, such as the health insurance and stock-option plans. However, the Corporate Manual also provided a description of other benefits, such as the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), which provided reimbursement for 20 percent of the cost of care for dependent children and disabled family members, and a 401(k) savings plan that replaced the savings-retirement plan described in the Personnel Manual. The Corporate Manual also contained a page entitled Benefits at a Glance, which listed and described, among other things, the DCAP, 401(k) plan and the stock-option plan. 6 According to several employees, the Personnel Manual was generally available for review at nurses' stations. Greenwood also received approximately 100 copies of a bi-weekly newsletter, entitled Beverly Cares, which occasionally discussed available benefits and encouraged employees to call their facility administrator or human resources representative for additional information. For example, the October 1993 Beverly Cares newsletter informed employees that it was time to choose and enroll in benefit plans, including the DCAP and 401(k) plans, and provided a phone number that employees could call with questions. Copies of the newsletter were placed in the reception area for any interested employee or visitor to take. Finally, Beverly circulated notices for posting in the Greenwood facility regarding enrollment in benefit plans, and also informed employees of benefits through the issuance of flyers, brochures, and memoranda. 7 Under Miller's administration, Greenwood employees complained that management personnel did not provide uniform information about the benefits available to them. There were also allegations that information was concealed from employees, and that some employees were provided with misinformation.