Joining the Vision Plan

Regular vision care is an important part of maintaining good health. The City of Chicago provides a Vision Plan to help address your vision care needs.

Who Is Eligible

You must be an active full-time City employee with one year of continuous service and you must be enrolled in a City medical plan to be eligible for vision coverage.

If you enroll for medical coverage at the time you are hired, your vision coverage will be effective one year after your medical coverage began.

If you enroll for medical coverage during an Open Enrollment Period or as a result of an eligible change in family status, you must still complete one year of continuous service before your vision coverage begins. Coverage will be effective the first day of the month following the anniversary of your continuous service date.

If you have completed one year of continuous service and you enroll for medical coverage during an Open Enrollment Period or as a result of an eligible family status change, your vision coverage will be effective at the time your medical coverage begins.

You are not eligible to participate in this plan if you are:

a seasonal employee scheduled to work less than 180 days in a calendar year;

a seasonal employee who has not completed 365 days of service;

hired for a temporary program;

an emergency appointment employee;

paid by voucher;

a Library Page;

a part-time employee regularly scheduled to work less than 84 hours a month; or

an employee earning less than the Grade 1, Step 1 salary in Schedule B of the Salary Resolution issued by the Department of Personnel.

Your Eligible Dependents

If your spouse is covered by your Medical Care Plan, he or she is eligible to participate in the Vision Plan. Your dependents are eligible to participate in the Vision Plan if they are enrolled as your dependents under the Medical Care Plan and they are:

your domestic partner (see How To Enroll For Medical Coverage section, page ME-7)

your unmarried children under age 19, or

your unmarried children between the ages of 19 and 22,
if they are full-time students enrolled in an accredited college, community college or university.

your unmarried children of any age, who are certified as physically or mentally disabled and are incapable of self-support. You may continue their coverage as long as you remain an eligible employee and provide proof of incapacitation each year.

The term "children" includes:

natural children;

stepchildren;

children placed in your home for adoption;

legally adopted children, and;

children in your custody under legal guardianship;

No Dual Coverage

You must be covered under the Vision Plan as either an employee or a spouse; you may not be covered as both.

When Coverage Begins

Coverage For You

If you are a full-time City employee with one year of continuous service, your vision coverage will be effective one year after your medical coverage began unless there is a break in service.

Coverage For Your Dependents

If you are a new employee, your eligible spouse's and dependent's vision coverage begins at the same time your coverage begins. If you enroll your eligible spouse or dependents in a Medical Care Plan after your initial enrollment, their coverage begins when you have properly completed the enrollment process.

Enrolling In A Plan

You may not have vision coverage if you are not enrolled in a City of Chicago medical plan.

Plan Cost

If you are an active employee enrolled in a medical plan offered by the City, you pay no additional cost for vision coverage.

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