COPING WITH 2020 – Member Assistance Services

couple with masks getting consulting assistance

Dealing With the Times 2020 has been a year of unprecedented trials and stressors that have left us all scrambling in our professional and personal lives to find compromises and solutions that address risks and concerns. It’s more important than ever to leverage tools and resources available (as an employee and employer) to assist us with the fallout of COVID … Read More

Getting the Best Advice in Employee Benefits

team standing together not facing the camera, best advice

Who We Are – Valley Schools Did you know that Valley Schools is one of Arizona’s largest employee benefits consulting organizations for schools? Serving over 35,000 employee and dependent lives for benefits consulting and plan administration, we have been leaders in the industry for innovative cost containment strategies, wellness, and more.  We are incredibly excited to announce that we have … Read More

Procurement Compliance in Our New Reality 2020

coins stacked in jar with graduation hat, funding education

This article was previously published in the AASBO Edge By Bill Munch, CPPO, CPPB   Our new reality includes an emphasis on living in the online world as we cope with trying to remain compliant with the School District Procurement Rules which demand transparency. Procurement Challenges that Impact Public Entities As the Stay-At-Home order came down in mid-March and many … Read More

Kindness RX

Be kind written in chalk

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. – Maya Angelou Prescribe Kindness for Better Connections With the negativity infiltrating our media sources right now, it is clear our world can use a little more kindness. Whether you are struggling to offer yourself … Read More

Gearing Up With Gratitude

today I am grateful notebook on table

Feeling In Control Since the coronavirus began spreading across the world, we’ve undoubtedly learned a lot about the lengths to which people will go for a roll of toilet paper. While the social distancing guidelines were extended by the White House on Sunday, the uncertainty of the future continues to drive the “panic-buying” that we see emptying all the shelves. … Read More

The Role of Telemental Services in Healthcare

Patient talking to doctor over the computer

Technology continues to advance our access to care in the form of telemental services. What Are Telemental Services? Like telemedicine that allows members to access practitioners to remedy acute care situations such as colds, rashes, or minor infections, telemental health solutions have moved into the digital age.  With the demands on balancing work, home, family, and self-care, telemental services offer … Read More

Building a Better YOU in 2020

Each month our WellStyles™ team brings you highlights of our 7 pillars of wellness and tips on how to improve yourself from head to toe, inside and out and on building a better YOU! This month is centered around building a better you. In the new year, we tend to set resolutions for ourselves and as such your wellness team … Read More

Voluntary Benefits: The Cherry on Top

cherry on top

An ice cream sundae just isn’t the same without the shiny cherry, and while medical benefits are employee’s #1 priority, voluntary benefits make the complete options package more appealing.  As your full-service, benefits consultant, Valley Schools is here to help point you in the right direction on choosing the right voluntary plans for your organization.  Ancillary or voluntary benefits are … Read More

Using Your Health Carrier’s Cost Comparisons Tool

A patient is going through an MRI machine health carrier

That MRI Costs HOW MUCH?!  If you’ve been one of the unlucky ones who know how much a knee or chest MRI impacts your wallet, you probably have had an unfortunate experience of sticker shock. If you are on a PPO or Copay Plan, diagnostic testing isn’t something we think much about as it’s likely only a $20-50 dollar copay. … Read More