Section 5A: Wellness program
Summary
Section 5A permits any city, town, district, or other governmental unit to accept its provisions and establish a wellness program for public safety and other employees referenced in Section 94. It sets minimum program requirements established by the Department of Public Health, requires the Commonwealth and its agencies to establish such programs automatically, and provides for reimbursement of up to half the cost (capped at $100 per employee) to municipalities that accept the section and fund wellness programs. Acceptance by a city, town, or district triggers the health and fitness standards framework in Section 5(3)(e).
Statutory Text
Section 5A: Wellness program
Section 5A. Any city, town, district or other governmental unit which accepts the provisions of this section shall establish a wellness program for employees referred to in section ninety-four, except those to whom section sixty-one A of chapter thirty-one applies, if any, employed in such city, town, district or other governmental unit. Such wellness program shall be in accordance with the minimum requirements established by the department. The commonwealth and any agencies or authorities thereof shall establish such programs for any such employees employed by said commonwealth, agencies, or authorities, and shall be deemed to have accepted this section for the purposes of paragraph (e) of subdivision (3) of section five.
Any city, town, district or other governmental unit but not including the commonwealth, its agencies or authorities, which accepts the provisions of this section and provides wellness programs pursuant thereto shall be reimbursed for the lesser of (i) one-half the costs thereof or (ii) one hundred dollars per employee, by the commonwealth, upon certification by the secretary of public safety. The secretary shall certify the amount of such reimbursement to be paid to such city, town, district or other governmental unit from information filed on or before September first of each year with said secretary by the appointing authority.