For benefit eligibility purposes, employees are classified as full-time or variable-hour. If you are a full-time manager, director, sous chef, executive chef, pastry chef, Echo Gelato, or corporate employee scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week, you are eligible for benefits on your date of hire. If deemed eligible for coverage, variable hour employees will be eligible to enroll in benefits the first of the month following the 12-month measurement period.

The hours for variable-hour employees vary greatly. To determine eligibility for benefits, employee files are audited over a 12-month period. This starts on the date of hire to determine if the employee averages at least 30 hours each work week. Employees who do not meet the 30 hour per week eligibility requirement at the end of the initial measurement period are re-evaluated during the next measurement period.

Medical, dental, vision, and voluntary benefits coverages end on the last day of the month that your eligibility for benefits ends. If you are a manager enrolled in the life and disability benefits, your coverage will end on the day you are no longer eligible for these benefits.

Many of the plans allow you to cover your eligible dependents, which include:

• Your legal spouse.
• Your children to age 26, regardless of student, marital, or tax-dependent status (including a stepchild, legally-adopted
  child, a child placed with you for adoption, or a child for whom you are the legal guardian).
• Your dependent children of any age who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.