§87-1 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:(1) "Board" means the board of trustees as described in section 87-11;
(2) "Carrier" means a voluntary association, corporation, partnership, or organization engaged in providing, paying for, arranging for, or reimbursing the cost of health or long-term care services under group insurance contracts or medical, hospital, or dental services agreements;
(3) "Contributions" means money payments made to the fund by the State or the several counties or an employee-beneficiary or qualified-beneficiary;
(4) "Dependent-beneficiary" means an employee-beneficiary's spouse and any unmarried child, including an adopted child, stepchild, foster child, or recognized natural child who lives with the employee-beneficiary, deemed eligible by the board to receive health or dental services of a health benefits plan;
(5) "Employee" means an employee or officer of the state or county government or the legislature,
(A) Including:
(i) An elective officer or a person who has served as a member of the legislature for at least ten years;
(ii) A per diem employee;
(iii) An officer or employee under an authorized leave of absence;
(iv) An employee of the Hawaii national guard although paid from federal funds;
(v) A retired member of the employees' retirement system, the county pension system, or the police, firefighters, or bandsmen pension system of the State or county;
(vi) A salaried and full-time member of a board, commission, or agency appointed by the governor or the mayor of a county; and
(vii) A person employed by contract for a period not exceeding one year, where the director of human resources development, personnel services, or civil service has certified that the service is essential or needed in the public interest and that, because of circumstances surrounding its fulfillment, personnel to perform the service cannot be obtained through normal civil service recruitment procedures,
(B) But excluding:
(i) A designated beneficiary of a retired member of the employees' retirement system, the county pension system, or the police, firefighters, or bandsmen pension system of the State or county;
(ii) Except as allowed under [paragraph] (5)(A)(vii), a person employed temporarily on a fee or contract basis; and
(iii) A person employed for less than three months and whose employment is less than one-half of a full-time equivalent position.
(6) "Employee-beneficiary" means an employee, the beneficiary of an employee who is killed in the performance of the employee's duty, an employee who retired prior to the establishment of the fund, or the beneficiary of a retired member of the employees' retirement system, a county pension system, or a police, firefighters, or bandsmen pension system of the State or county, upon the death of the retired member and, which beneficiary, if a child, does not marry, or if a surviving spouse, does not remarry; provided that for the purposes of this paragraph, "family member" means the deceased retired member's or employee's spouse and unmarried child under the age of nineteen years (including a legally adopted child and a stepchild or recognized natural child who lives with the deceased retired member or employee in a regular parent-child relationship), or unmarried child regardless of age who is incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical incapacity which existed prior to the unmarried child's reaching the age of nineteen years; and provided further that the employee, the employee's beneficiary, or the beneficiary of the deceased retired member is deemed eligible by the board to receive health or dental services of a health benefits plan or a long-term care benefits plan;
(7) "Fund" means the trust fund described in section 87-2;
(8) "Health benefits plan" means (A) a group insurance contract or medical, hospital, surgical, prescribed drugs, vision, or dental service agreement in which a carrier agrees to provide, pay for, arrange for, or reimburse the cost of medical, hospital, surgical, prescribed drugs, vision, or dental services as determined by the board; or (B) a similar schedule of benefits established by the board and provided through the fund on a self-insured basis;
(9) "Long-term care benefits plan" means (A) a group insurance contract or service agreement in which a carrier agrees to provide, pay for, arrange for, or reimburse the cost of long-term care benefits as determined by the board, or (B) a similar schedule of benefits established by the board and provided through the fund on a self-insured basis;
(10) "Periodic charge" means the periodic payment by the board to a carrier for any health benefits, or long-term care benefits plan;
(11) "Qualified-beneficiary" means, for purposes of the long-term care benefits plan, a former employee or an employee who is not eligible for benefits due to a reduction in work hours including the employee's spouse or a divorced spouse of an employee or retiree provided the person was enrolled in the plan prior to loss of benefits; and
(12) "Trustee" means a trustee of the board of trustees as described in section 87-11. [L 1961, c 146, pt of §1; am L 1965, c 235, §1(A) to (F); Supp, §5A-1; am L 1966, c 13, §2(a); am L 1967, c 148, §3; HRS §87-1; am L 1972, c 35, §1 and c 101, §1; am L 1974, c 136, §1; am L 1977, c 191, §2; am L 1978, c 194, §1; am L 1981, c 82, §15; am L 1985, c 304, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1987, c 27, §1; am L 1988, c 90, §1; am L 1989, c 298, §1 and c 334, §1(1); am L 1990, c 34, §7; am L 1991, c 331, §2; am L 1994, c 56, §14]