Frequently Asked Questions

There will be mandatory Drug Testing, on site in both divisions, for ALL Transitioning Team Members.  

Drug Testing Event Dates:

·        Tulsa:  Tuesday, November 17, 7AM – 5PM and Friday, November 20, Noon – 9PM

• Break Room, 1417 N Lansing Ave.

You MUST sign up for an individual testing appointment using the following link, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/emsa-tul-transition-dt. To adhere to social distancing guidelines testing schedules have been developed to reduce the number of Team Members gathering at one time.  Please adhere to your individual testing appointment time. 

It is required that you present your driver license at the time of testing. Team Members will be asked to remove jackets, hats, loose outer clothing, and pocket contents while you are in the restroom providing a specimen.

There will be mandatory Drug Testing, on site in both divisions, for ALL Transitioning Team Members. 

Drug Testing Event Dates: 

• Oklahoma City:  Monday, November 16, 7AM – 5PM, and Thursday, November 19, Noon – 9PM

• Grant’s Conference Room (across the hall from the clinical services offices), 1111 Classen Dr. 

You MUST sign up for an individual testing appointment using the following link, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/emsa-okc-transition-dt. To adhere to social distancing guidelines testing schedules have been developed to reduce the number of Team Members gathering at one time.  Please adhere to your individual testing appointment time.  

It is required that you present your driver license at the time of testing. Team Members will be asked to remove jackets, hats, loose outer clothing, and pocket contents while you are in the restroom providing a specimen.

EMSA will honor previously approved PTO for December 2020, upon verification from the scheduling team.    

The PTO Bid for the 2021 calendar year will occur in December.  

Thank you for reaching out to the EMSA Transition Team.  EMSA will have processes in place to support workplace safety and the wellbeing of Team Members.  We are still working through some of the details of the COVID management portion of our Safety and Risk Management Program.  As soon as those details are finalized, we will communicate that out to all Team Members.

This has not yet been determined. We do want you to know that to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of the EMS system, EMSA does have attendance policies, standards, and an expectation of accountability for all Team Members that will be enforced.  

It is common for an employer to terminate benefits effective the day employment ends.  We suggest that you reach out to a member of AMR’s HR department to determine what deductions will be taken out of your last paycheck and what AMR’s policy regarding insurance coverage will be. 

Our intent is to begin processing applications to transition in phases based on departments and/or specific job duties, beginning 11/04/2020.  The onboarding process is automated, this means that you will receive offers of employment and an authorization for background screening to the email you list on your short application.  

• The successful completion of a background check, an insurable motor vehicle record screening (for those driving EMSA vehicles) and a negative drug screening are required for employment. 

We are working through the applications to transition in phases, your department is likely next, no need to worry.    

All team members are paid bi-weekly. AMR’s pay cycle is one week off from EMSA’s. If a new team member’s first day at EMSA is December 1, their first pay day will be December 18th. EMSA requires all team members to utilize direct deposit. 

 All new full-time team members will be eligible for benefits with EMSA January 1, 2021 this includes medical, dental, vision, life, std/ltd insurance and retirement program.

COBRA is available for team members who require coverage in December. EMSA will pay COBRA premium payments equivalent to the employer contribution amount currently provided by GMR. However, COBRA premiums are usually quite a bit more than “normal” premiums and the deductions to pay COBRA premiums cannot be made on a pre-tax basis. As result, if COBRA is elected a team member will see a slight reduction in net pay for two pay checks.

Team members will have 60 days from November 30th, 2020 to elect COBRA.  Coverage will then be applied retroactively back to the term date. 

No, you do not have to sign up for COBRA. It will have no impact on benefits received on January 1, 2021. Since the coverage is retroactive, the team member has some flexibility on determining if the coverage will be needed.

The plan is administered on behalf of AMR and you will need to follow their guidelines for continuing with the plan, taking distribution, or rolling amounts into EMSA’s  457(b) plan, as applicable.

EMSA’s retirement plan is a 457(b) matching plan administered by Bank of Oklahoma.  A 457(b) plan is similar to a 401(k) plan in that a team member can elect to withhold pre-tax or after tax dollars each pay period to invest in a retirement account. If you elect to contribute to the plan, EMSA will match your contributions up to 6% of your annual salary. There is no vesting schedules in the EMSA plan. However, you do have to be employed with EMSA at the end of the plan year to receive the 6% contribution. Current retirement accounts held with GMR or another employer can be rolled over into the EMSA plan.

EMSA will honor all existing FMLA eligibility and leaves.  This means, that those currently taking continuous or intermittent leave will continue to take their leave as if no change of employment has occurred.  Employee will receive the remainder of FMLA leave available at the time of the transition through the exhaustion, or end of, their FMLA leave period.  

AMR will cash-out your current PTO bank in accordance with their policy at transition.

PTO accrual rates for transitioning operational team members will match your current AMR accrual rate.  We will work through pre-arrange, previously approved PTO on an individual basis.   

Right now, we anticipate that the reporting structure will remain largely unchanged at the departmental level.   We will offer the vast majority of AMR employees the position they currently hold, and any vacancies created by an individual leaving the EMSA system post December 1st will be evaluated at that time.

Yes, policies will be updated to reflect any necessary organizational standards. Those will be communicated to all new Team Members during the onboarding process.

For the immediate future we will not be making any changes to the shift schedules.  We will be evaluating all areas for operational efficiency and to determine the need for any changes in the future.  

EMSA is requesting transfer of education records from AMR.  But we suggest that you download and save copies of any CEU documentation/records that would support your next refresher certification

Yes, we will continue to have in house Paramedic Schools.  

EMSA will honor current sign-on bonus and/or scholarship agreements.