Employee Assistance Program: Free Counseling
The Employee Assistance Program is a free, confidential counseling and referral service available to all employees and their family members. It is provided by UMB to make access to counseling services as easy as possible. The EAP is staffed by trained mental health professionals and is designed to assist employees and family members experiencing personal, professional or family problems. The EAP staff provide short-term counseling and make referrals to other appropriate resources as needed.
How it works
When someone calls the EAP, he or she will be scheduled for an appointment with a counselor. This counselor will meet with you in a confidential setting and help you assess the problem, provide short-term counseling as needed and help in the selection of other appropriate professional resources within the community.
How confidential it is
All services provided by the EAP are completely confidential. The EAP does not release information regarding someone’s care unless that person specifically authorizes it. The only exception to this is when a supervisor requests that an employee seek counseling due to poor job performance and even then, only limited information is released.
How much it costs
All EAP services are provided free of charge and are separate from the regular health plans provided by UMB. If the EAP refers someone to an outside provider for services, those services would need to be covered by the employee or the employee’s health plan.
University of Maryland, Baltimore Health Plan Coverage
In addition to the University’s EAP program, employees enrolled in a University (State of Maryland) health plan have mental health and substance abuse coverage included in their medical plan. Employees enrolled in an HMO must contact their primary care physician to obtain a referral within the HMO. Out of network services are not covered. Employees enrolled in a PPO or POS plan must contact APS Healthcare Bethesda, Inc. To receive the maximum level of coverage from APS, employees should contact APS before receiving any services. Otherwise benefits will be reduced 50% for outpatient services and there will be no coverage for services not preauthorized by APS.
Contact information:
APS Healthcare Bethesda, Inc
P.O. Box 1440
Rockville, MD 20849-1440
Phone: 1-877-239-1458
www.APSHelpLink.com
MD State Code: SOM2002
Detailed mental health and substance abuse information may be found in the State of Maryland’s Benefit Guide. Employees may contact the UMB Benefits Department at 410-706-2616 or the Department of Budget & Management at 410-767-4775 or 1-800-30-STATE with any additional questions.