DEFERRED COMPENSATIONThe County offers eligible employees the ability to save for retirement on a tax-deferred ba-sis through the 401(k) and 457 Plans. It’s never too late to start.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMThe Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides professional and confidential mental health counseling support to you and your family when it is needed. The EAP is available to assist with not only a personal crisis but also marriage or family related problems, alcohol or drug related problems, or troubling challenges at work.

WELLNESS PROGRAMThe Wellness Program can help you lead a healthier and higher quality of life. All Regular County employees and their spouses are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Well-ness Profile and classes on topics such as diabetes, weight loss, stress management, fitness and more.

WORK/LIFEThe Work/Life Program promotes the family friendly services offered to County of Ventura employees.

Benefits DivisionApril-June, 2013

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Synchronizing the Col lect ive Wisdom

i r s t o f a l l , a BIG thank-you to eve ryone who part i c ipated in our r e cent survey . Because so many of you took the t ime to t e l l us what you th ink , we ’ r e happy to r epor t the survey was a succe s s .

Your r e sponses wi l l he lp us be t t e r s e rve you! And, as a lways , i f you have someth ing to say , don ’ t wai t t i l l the next sur -vey . We’d love to hear f rom you anyt ime . P l ease ca l l us at 805/654-2620 , o r e -mai l us at defe r r ed . compensat ion@ven-tura .o rg .

Congratu lat ions to the lucky winner s o f the $5 .00 Starbucks g i f t ca rd ! ! !~Bern ie Gar l e jo - GSA~Chr i s t ina Reyes -Ve larde - Ch i ld Support Se rv i c e s~Bonnie Walker - Ch i ld Support Se rv i c e s~Dana Johnson- CEO/Risk Management~Char l ene Amr ine -Animal Regulat ion

P r epar ing Your Sav ings For Ret i r ementThese quar te r l y workshops a re fo r ind iv idua ls , two to ten years f rom re t i rement , who wou ld l i ke to learn how to de-ve lop a re t i rement income p lan .

To help you plan for and achieve a financially sound retirement, we are partnering with Fidelity in hosting this half-day educational workshop focused on ways to help boost your savings while you are still working and the steps to take today to prepare you for the transition into retire-ment. The over 50 in attendance at the first of these workshops found it to be informative and helpful. The next workshop will be on May 9th. Watch for the email announcement in April to register.

You don’t have to wait for the next workshop to learn more about de-veloping a retirement income plan. You can go online virtually any time at http://e-learning.fidelity.com to access Fidelity’s e-Learning(R) Work-shops.

These workshops provide the education you need to make the most of your retirement savings plan. Plus interactive calculators and quizzes help you learn by applying your personal information and knowledge. They are entirely self-directed, so you can learn at any time and pro-ceed at your own pace. And it’s Web-based, so you can access it from any PC that has an Internet connection.

The workshops cover a variety of subjects to help you: -Learn about the benefits of saving at work -Understand investment concepts, create an investment strategy, and actively manage your strategy -Better manage debt and take control of your personal finances -Plan for multiple goals, including college savings -Decide what to do with workplace savings from former employers -Build a solid income plan and strategies to help you generate life time income -Establish and maintain an estate plan

Take an active role in planning your financial future. Visit the Fidelity e-Learning® catalog today!

Keep in mind that investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctu-ate over time and you may gain or lose money.

Before investing in any mutual fund, please carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses.

For this and other information, contact Fidelity for a free prospectus or, if avail-able, a summary prospectus. Read it carefully before you invest.

311702.2.0 | Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917

You told us what you thought about the Plans’ investments and features, Fidelity Investments, and the Deferred Compensation Program staff. The results show that overall participants are satisfied, or very satisfied, in the areas surveyed. However, you also told us ways that you think we can improve and what you would like to see. We will be working internally to make these changes, and will also be sharing your feedback with Fidelity. We’ll also be considering the results and your comments when planning our education and communication programs. One of the repeated requests in the survey responses was to be able to invest in non-Fidelity funds, stocks, bonds, or certificate of deposit (CDs). Good news! You have the option to do just that. Plan participants can choose from three “groups” of investment options: core options, funds available through the mutual fund window, and Fidelity BrokerageLink®. Through the core and mutual fund window you have over 250 Fidelity and non-Fidelity funds available including funds from RidgeWorth, Morgan Stanley, PIMCO, Hartford, Templeton, Spartan, Wells Fargo, Franklin, and Legg Mason. The Fidelity BrokerageLink® option offers the flexibility of a brokerage account with all the benefits and advantages of investing through the 401(k) Shared Savings and Section 457 Plans. Fidelity BrokerageLink® provides the opportunity to select from thousands of additional Fidelity and non-Fidelity mutual funds, stocks, corporate and government bonds, and certificate of deposit (CDs). This option allows participants to have more control over their investments by creating and managing a custom-ized retirement portfolio to match their personal goals and risk tolerance. As with the mutual fund window, the Committee will not monitor funds in Fidelity BrokerageLink® for investment performance, investment risk, management style, investment objectives, or investment expenses. Fi-delity BrokerageLink® is generally appropriate only for participants who have an understanding of diversification and all costs and investment risks involved. Additional fees may apply for transactions. Fidelity BrokerageLink® is not for everyone. But, if you’re looking for more investment choices, this may be an option for you. In order to invest in Fidelity BrokerageLink®, participants will be required to complete a disclosure form and a participant acknowledgement form. For more information on Fidelity BrokerageLink®, contact Fidelity at 800/343-0860.

F

Survey Says…

Confident ia l Assessment Serv icesThe EAP prov ides p ro fess iona l ass is tance to e l ig ib le employees and fami ly members . Cr is is in te rven t ion , assessment , educa t ion , and re fe r ra l serv ices a re ava i lab le on a con f iden t ia l bas is . Cons ider ta lk ing w i th one o f our l i censed s ta f f i f you o r a loved one is exper ienc ing a cha l leng ing persona l p rob lem such as s t ress , g r ie f , mar i ta l d i f f i cu l t y, over -use o f subs tances , o r i f there i s a men-ta l hea l th c r i s i s in your l i fe .

Changing Fami ly StructureAccord ing to the U.S. Census and o ther s tud ies up to 40% o f Amer ican adu l ts aged 18-39 con t inue to l i ve w i th the i r paren ts . A s t rugg l ing economy and th is change in fami ly s t ruc tu re have prompted many to pos tpone re t i rement , add add i t iona l deb t , and add a d i f fe ren t k ind o f s t ress as genera t ions have become more in te rdependent . The EAP prov ides con f iden t ia l ind iv idua l , mar i ta l , and fami ly assessment serv ices to e l ig ib le employees and fami ly members up to age 26 . G ive us a ca l l to see i f we can he lp .

Think “Solut ion Focused”Some be l ieve humans are “hard-w i red” to be cau t ious , easy to cons ider con-cerns expressed by o thers as a poss ib le “ th rea t ” , and qu ick to become de fen-s ive . One easy way to p romote pos i t i ve in te rac t ions i s to s tay so lu t ion- focused when address ing i ssues w i th your co-worker o r d i rec t repor t . One researcher, John Got tman, can p red ic t w i th 96% accuracy how a conversa t ion w i l l end by how i t beg ins . Coach ing o r consu l ta t ion w i th a p ro fess iona l can p rov ide you g rea t t ips regard ing your s ty le o f in te rac t ion and pos i t i ve sugges t ions . Fee l f ree to con tac t an EAP representa t i ve shou ld you have an in te res t in d iscuss-ing th is s t reng th based and pos i t i ve perspec t i ve .

Mediat ion Serv icesDi f f i cu l t ies can occur be tween co-workers when d i f fe rences o f op in ion , m isun-ders tand ings , o r con t ras t ing s ty les resu l t in s t ra ined communica t ion and com-promised workp lace e f fec t i veness . Med ia t ion in the workp lace has con t inued to be an e f fec t i ve a l te rna t i ve fo r many employees . Th is i s a f ree serv ice p rov ided by the EAP. Med ia t ion serv ices ass is t par t i c ipan ts by invo lv ing a neu t ra l th i rd par ty to l i s ten to a l l par t ies and fac i l i ta te so lu t ions . Par t i c ipa t ion i s vo lun ta ry, p roac t i ve , and very e f fec t i ve . For add i t iona l in fo rmat ion i f th is serv ice can be o f ass is tance to you con tac t EAP s ta f f .

For addit ional informat ion or to set an appointment ca l l the EAP (805-654-4327)

EAP Serv ices are avai lable to you and e l ig ib le fami ly members .

~No Cost to You ~Confident ia l ~Profess ional

County of VenturaEmployee Assistance Program

Are youheading for

diabEtes?

For the th i rd year in a row, U.S. News andWor ld Repor t asked a pane l o f hea l th ex -per ts to eva lua te 29 popu la r d ie ts

To be top- ra ted , a d ie t had to be easy tofo l low, nu t r i t i ous , sa fe , and e f fec t i ve fo r we igh t loss and to lower the r i sk o f d ia -be tes and hear t d isease . Top honors fo r bes t overa l l d ie t went to the DASH Eat ing P lan . The DASH d ie t a lso ranked #1 as bes t d ie t fo r hea l thy ea t ing and t ied w i th The B igges t Loser d ie t as the bes t d ie t to bo th p revent and manage d iabe tes . DASH (D ie ta ry Ap-proaches to S top Hyper tens ion) was ac tua l l y deve loped by the Nat iona l Ins t i tu tes o f Hea l th (N IH) fo r peop le w i thh igh b lood pressure .

In g round-break ing research the NIH showed tha t fo l low ing the DASH d ie tresu l ts in a s ign i f i can t reduc t ion in b lood p ressure , in some cases comparab leto the e f fec ts o f b lood p ressure med ic ine .

Learn more about the DASH d ie t a t “What You Need to Know About High Blood Pressure”on May 9th , a t the Gov’ t Center f rom 12-1p.m. A t tendees w i l l a lso learn o ther na tu ra l approaches to lower ing b lood pressure . Don ’ t m iss i t - -REGISTER TODAY!

F ive simple tests-your blood triglycerides, HDL and sugar level along with your waist circumference and blood pressure—are clues to your

risk of developing prediabetes or diabetes. R E G I S T E R F O R T H E W E L L N E S S P R O F I L E TO G E T T H E S E T E S T S !

If you already have prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes—especially to your heart and eyes—may al-ready be starting.

There is good news, though. Two large studies have found that healthy lifestyle changes—eating better, exer-cising, and losing weight—can prevent diabetes. Life habit changes are even more effective than medicine in preventing diabetes.

The Wellness Program’s got you covered! Attend the diabetes series to find out everything you need to know to prevent diabetes – or manage diabetes if you are already diagnosed. REGISTER FOR “LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES” TODAY! 4 Tuesdays 4/9, 4/16, 4/23 and 4/30 at the Gov’t Center from 12-1p.m.

Promoting Good Health & Helping Manage Health Care Costs

Very Berry Smoothie

A light yet satisfying way to start the day

Ingredients1 large banana, peeled

1 cup nonfat p la in greek yogurt1 cup 100% orange ju ice2 – 3 cups unsweetened

f rozen berr ies

Prediabetes is likelyto become full-blowndiabetes in 10 years--

or less...

P r o m o t i n g G o o d H e a l t h a n d H e l p i n g M a n a g e H e a l t h C a r e C o s t s

For more information visit us @ http:/ /ceo.countyofventura.org/benefits/wellness.

Stuck on the couch?Are you in a “no-exerc ise” ru t? Get a pedometer ! Cheaper than a gym membersh ip , ready whenever you a re—a pedom-e ter cou ld be jus t the mot iva t ion you need to ge t mov ing . C l ip on a pedometer and f ind ou t how many s teps you take every day. For the b igges t e f fec t on your f i tness leve l , wear a pedometer AND se t a goa l fo r 10 ,000 s teps a day ! A summary o f 26 d i f fe ren t s tud ies showed tha t pedometer users wa lked a t leas t 2 ,000 more s teps each day than nonusers . Tha t ’s a mi le more o f wa lk ing , so i t ’s no surpr ise tha t us ing a pedometer he lped users decrease the i r b lood p ressure and we igh t wh i le inc reas ing the i r phys ica l ac t i v i t y.

En te r to w in a pedometer when you jo in in the “FUN WALK” a t the Gov’ t Center on June 11th , f rom 12-1p.m.

And wh i le your ge t t ing in those ex t ra s teps , you migh t as we l l ge t a jump s ta r t on an e f fec t i ve , s imp le and rea l i s t i c approach to permanent we igh t loss tha t can leave you th inner and hea l th i -e r by a t tend ing “Sl im Down For Summer” at the Gov’ t Center May 7-June 11 f rom 12-1 p .m.

For more recipes and a FREE COOKBOOK attend the Slim Down For Summer ser ies!

(Gov ’ t Center 5 /1 , 5 /23 & 6 /5 ; VCMC 4 /10 ; Kno l l 5 /9 ; Cam F i re 6 /13)

espec ia l l y i f you a re p rov id ing care and suppor t to an e lder ly fami ly member who is i l l o r d isab led . Of ten , the s t ress o f careg iv ing can lead to burnout and damage to bo th your phys ica l and menta l hea l th . I f you a re in th is pos i t ion , i t i s essent ia l tha t you ge t the suppor t you need. Jo in us to rece ive suppor t , resources and l inks to serv ices a t the E lder Care Suppor t Group. Drop in as your schedu le a l lows — no pre- reg is t ra t ion i s requ i red .

Elder Care Support Group Meet ings: Apr i l 24 , May 29 and June 26 f rom 12-1pm at the Gov’ t Center, HOA, Room 241.

W orking full-time can be a balancing act~

Thinking About Buying A Home?

Save money by us ing Coas ta l Hous ing Par tnersh ip f inanc ia l ass is tance p rograms fo r your home

purchase!

“Over 6,000 employees have benefited from our expertise—

why not you, too?”

As an employee o f the County o f Ventura , you a re e l ig ib le to benef i t f rom these

programs.

A t tend a f ree workshop to learn about :• S teps o f the Loan Process

• Qua l i f y ing fo r a Loan• How Much o f a Loan You Can Af fo rd

• How You Can Purchase a Home w i th On ly a 5% Down Payment

WHERE: Government Center, Ventura WHEN: Apr i l 23 , May 21 , and June 18

5 :30-6:30pm

Regis te r ing i s easy ! By phone: 805 .969.1025

By emai l : Ju l ia@coas ta lhous ing .o rg Or ONLINE:

http://www.coastalhousing.org/employees_education.htm

Fami ly Guide to E lder Care: Creat ing Caregiv ing Opt ionsAre you car ing fo r an e lder ly re la t i ve? Are you respons ib le fo r mak ing a r rangements fo r an e lder -l y fami ly member, e i ther loca l l y o r long d is tance? Th is packe t inc ludes much need in fo rmat ion , such as a resource gu ide fo r serv ices in Ventura County, in fo rmat ion on Sen io rs & the Law, a l i s t ing o f e lder care fac i l i t i es in Ventura County and much more !

Chi ld Care /Preschool Discount Program BookletTh is book le t con ta ins a l i s t ing o f over 50 ch i ld care and preschoo l p rograms tha t o f fe r a reg is t ra t ion o r tu i t ion d iscount to County employees . Before & Af ter School Programs in Ventura CountyA comprehens ive l i s t ing o f be fo re and a f te r schoo l p rograms th roughout Ventura County !

Other Resources• Fami ly Chi ld Care• Choosing Qual i ty Chi ld Care• Lactat ion Accommodat ion resources• Guide to ‘At Home’ Chi ld Care• F i rs t 5 New Parent Ki ts

FAMILY CARE & VOLUNTEER

RESOURCE FAIR!

May 23 , 2013 9 :00 a .m. – 1 :00 p.m.

Ventura County Gov’t Center, Main Courtyard

Rece ive in fo rmat ion about ch i ld care , fami ly resources and sen io r serv ices as we l l as vo lun teer oppor tun t ies in

Ventura County !

Don’t Forget!

Resources Available to YOU!

For more information and/or to request your Work/Life resource,

please v is i t the WorkLi fe websi teor contact us a t 805 /477-7234

WorkLi fe@ventura .org

Are you a Grandparent, Aunt or Uncle Raising a Related Child with Full Responsibility?

You are no t a lone ! K ids & Fami l ies Together i s o f fe r ing County Employees a K insh ip Suppor t Group on the 2nd Wednesday o f the month .

Rece ive in fo rmat ion on communi ty resources ,app ly ing fo r guard iansh ip , f inanc ia l suppor t , hous ing , food p rograms, resp i te care , ch i ld care and a f te r -schoo l care .

Learn how to he lp a ch i ld w i th separa t ion f rom a paren t , how to work w i th the b i r th paren t (s ) and how to manage the s t resses on your b i r th ch i ld ren o r par tner.

4/10 , 5 /8 , 6 /12 f rom Noon - 1 :00pmGov’ t Center, HOA, Medi terranean Conf . Rm.

For more in fo on K ids & Fami l ies Together, go to : www.k idsandfami l ies .o rg