Employee Assistance Program Services

The vendor is required to provide employee assistance professional association (EAPA) defines as a worksite-based program designed to assist: (1) work organizations in addressing productivity issues, and (2) "employee clients" in identifying and resolving personal concerns, including health, marital, family, financial, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect job performance.
a. Assessments:
1. Crisis or emergency:
• Evaluate an employee, spouse and domestic partner, dependent, or household member in crisis to determine the appropriate intervention or treatment.
• These assessments will be conducted regardless of whether the client has exhausted their EAP benefits for the contract year.
2. Threat of violence potential:
• Screen an employee for potential violence.
• Immediately notify the county human resource director, or designee, if an employee is deemed a potential hazard to themselves or others.
• Confidentiality is emphasized, but exceptions may be made in case of a threat.
3. Substance abuse:
• Assess the type and severity of substance abuse and recommend the appropriate level of treatment.
• These assessments may include questionnaires and brief screening tools.
4. Referral:
• Provide appropriate referrals for services not covered under the EAP or not provided by the contractor, such as psychiatric and medical services, psychological testing, substance abuse treatment, long-term psychotherapy, inpatient treatment, legal, financial, or other non-psychological counseling.
• Referrals will prioritize providers covered by the employee’s or dependent’s insurance, supplemented by community resources as needed.
• The contractor is not responsible for any charges incurred from such referrals.
5. Return to workplace:
• Provide a return-to-work consultation to ensure a smooth transition to work for those who have been absent due to medical, substance abuse, or other conditions and situations requiring time away from the workplace.
b. Counseling:
1. Short-term:
• Provide in-depth diagnostic counseling for minor problems to help employees resolve or manage presenting issues.
• EAP counselors must be appropriately licensed/credentialed and available in sufficient numbers and locations to deliver services for urgent and non-urgent matters nationwide, including state and county.
• Services will consist of outpatient counseling provided by master's or doctoral-level professionals.
• EAP services do not cover treatment for serious or chronic psychological disorders, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, or conditions requiring medication.
2. Grief:
• Assist clients coping with grief due to the loss of a loved one, co-worker, or catastrophic event, helping them normalize the event and resume a reasonable level of functioning.
3. Critical incident:
• Provide a one-time, per incident, crisis intervention at the worksite(s) for traumatic events that affect the performance and attitude of the staff
• Contractor must be prepared to respond to crisis intervention requests with as little as one hour’s notice.
• Twenty-four (24) hours of onsite and/or virtual critical incident response are included each contract year.
• Cancelations in twenty-four (24) hours or more of a scheduled onsite event will not be counted as hours used.
c. Services:
1. Crisis line:
• Provide a 24-hour crisis line for emergencies and a toll-free telephone number accessible from the country for access by the county's employees, their dependents, and household members.
• Professional crisis response must be provided through live, immediate telephone counseling 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year.
• A telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) must be available for individuals who are hearing impaired.
2. Case management:
• Provide limited case management for emergencies referred to outside resources for continued assessment and/or treatment.
• Provide referrals to community resources for social service issues, including legal concerns, childcare, eldercare, budgeting, and self-help groups.
• Case management may include facilitating transfers, periodic monitoring of the client’s condition, treatment, and progress, and communication with treating providers and the county.
3. Online access:
• Provide access to a comprehensive online portal for informative knowledge, self-service, live-chat sessions with specialists, and access to training and webinars for personal and workplace skill development.
4. In-person and onsite access:
• Provide access to a network of counselors with locations in county, state for treatment.
5. Employee information sessions:
• Conduct annual employee information sessions to explain EAP services, with session sites and expenses covered by the county.
• Distribute promotional brochures at these sessions to encourage EAP service use. sessions will be held in county.
6. Training sessions:
• Provide EAP training sessions (9 hours per year) in county, to assist managers in utilizing and promoting EAP services.
• Training will cover EAP explanations, the impact of behavioral problems on performance, and substance abuse information.
• This includes supervisor and manager training to identify employees for referral, distribution of brochures and pamphlets, and other educational materials to improve and maintain awareness and utilization.
7. Customized education:
• Offer up to 12 (twelve) customized workshops per year, such as mediation, "brown bag" lunches, educational seminars, or addressing specific work area concerns.
• Additional educational services will be provided for a fee which must be included in your proposal.
8. Promotional materials:
• Provide printed promotional materials to encourage EAP service utilization by county employees, their dependents, and household members on a quarterly basis (e.g., cards, flyers, magnets, stickers, etc.).
9. Statistical reports:
• Provide monthly, quarterly, and annual statistical reports on EAP utilization and other services provided to county employees, dependents, and household members.
• Reports will include client numbers, issues, counseling hours, and client service evaluations, separated into categories for employees and eligible relatives/household members.
• Reports will maintain client confidentiality.
• The contractor will provide specialized non-confidential reports upon request (e.g., nationwide comparison, local government comparison, etc.).
10. Program utilization:
• Provide periodic program consultation with county management regarding the utilization of EAP services.
• Allow human resources department representatives to conduct quality assurance audits of EAP records to determine service utilization rates, assessing overall satisfaction without including confidential client information.  - Contract Period/Term: 5 years
- Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference Date: March 24, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: March 28, 2025