Washington § 41.05.745 - School employees' benefits board — Employee-paid, voluntary benefits — Optional benefits.

(1) In addition to the benefits offering authority under this chapter, the school employees' benefits board may study and, subject to the availability of funding, offer the following employee-paid, voluntary benefits:

(a) Emergency transportation;

(b) Identity protection;

(c) Legal aid;

(d) Long-term care insurance;

(e) Noncommercial personal automobile insurance;

(f) Personal homeowner's or renter's insurance;

(g) Pet insurance;

(h) Specified disease or illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital confinement fixed payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance offered as an independent, noncoordinated benefit regulated by the office of the insurance commissioner;

(i) Travel insurance; and

(j) Voluntary employees' beneficiary association accounts.

(2) The health care authority, in consultation with the school employees' benefits board, shall review the optional benefits reported by school districts as required in RCW 28A.400.280 and determine if the optional benefits are in competition with benefits currently offered under either the authority's or the board's authorities. If a school district benefit offering is determined to be in competition with the benefits offered under either the authority's or the board's authorities, the health care authority must inform the school district of the benefits conflict and work with the school district, and the applicable carrier, to either modify and remove competing components of the district-based benefit or end the district-based offering. If a carrier is in the process of modifying benefits, including seeking any required regulatory approval, a school district may continue to offer the original benefit.

(3) Specified disease or illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital confinement fixed payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance offered pursuant to this section as an independent, noncoordinated benefit is not a health plan as defined in RCW 48.43.005.