A Boost When You Need It Most

No matter how busy you are, it’s essential to pause from time to time to nurture the health of your mind and your spirit. Fortunately, CPG offers a range of resources to support that goal for eligible clergy and lay employees enrolled in our health plans. The Employee Assistance Programs, for instance, provide counseling, promote overall wellness, and help address a wide variety of everyday needs. In addition, the Fund for Special Assistance can reduce the stress of unexpected or urgent financial expenses for retired clergy and their dependents.

Employee Assistance Programs

Administered by Cigna, the Employee Assistance Program offers wholly confidential, 24/7 access to professionals who can help eligible domestic clergy and lay employees, their dependents, and all those living in their households deal with stress, grief, postpartum depression, substance use disorders, and parenting issues—to name just a few.

In addition, the program can assist with all manner of practical concerns, from finding a dog walker or a smoking cessation program to identifying a well-staffed daycare center or an accountant who specializes in clergy taxes.

Recently, the program expanded its network, adding thousands of providers across dozens of specialties and extending services to children as young as five. But that’s not all. Through this program, everyone can benefit from monthly on-demand seminars on a variety of wellness-related topics, such as Stress Relief: Train Your Brain, Minding Your Mental Health, and Making Meaning of the Everyday.

Eligible clergy serving outside the United States* and everyone in their household can take advantage of the International Employee Assistance Program, also offered by Cigna, which provides the same confidential services as the Employee Assistance Program—but in 27 languages and tailored to the realities of international ministry.

Pastoral Support Network

Domestic clergy and their household members can also benefit from the Employee Assistance Program’s Pastoral Support Network, which connects them with counselors familiar with the unique vocational and family demands of ordained ministers.

Fund for Special Assistance: Help When It’s Needed Most

Established in 2012, the Fund for Special Assistance currently provides up to $500,000 in grants annually to support eligible retired clergy of The Episcopal Church—and their surviving spouses and dependents—with a wide range of extraordinary financial challenges, including car repairs, moving expenses, and wheelchair-accessibility renovations. Qualifying applicants may receive up to $50,000 in lifetime grants, with no limit on the number of applications and no required waiting period between requests.

“Last year, we enhanced this program by simplifying the application process and increasing the money available per eligible individual,” CPG’s Chief Operating Officer Frank Armstrong explains, adding that “we encourage eligible retired clergy, along with their spouses and dependents, to take advantage of the fund. These resources are intentionally set aside each year to support their well-being during times of need.”

How to Contact the Programs

• Employee Assistance Program 
  Members enrolled in the Anthem and Cigna networks can call Quantum Health at 866-871-0629, 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM ET, Monday to Friday. Outside those hours, call the Employee Assistance Program directly at 866-395-7794. Members in other networks should also call the Employee Assistance Program directly.
• Pastoral Support Network
  Call 866-395-7794 or sign in at myCigna.com using the company code EpiscopalPSN.
• International Employee Assistance Program 
  Visit Cigna.com/IEAP and enter the company code “episcopal,” call +1 984 222 6957 (direct dial or reverse call), or refer to the program’s Global Freephone List for the applicable country number.
• Fund for Special Assistance
  Review the Fund for Special Assistance eLearning course.

*The International Employee Assistance Program assists active and retired clergy and clergy working under an Extension of Ministry in the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Dioceses of Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador Central, Ecuador Litoral, Haiti, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela, and the British Virgin Islands.

Comments? Questions? Concerns? CPG is listening. Please reach out to us at corpcomm@cpg.org

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