EAP stands for Employee Assistance Program.

EAP's can cost little to no money to add to your benefits program.  Companies can buy EAP's on a stand-alone basis (meaning the EAP would not be tied to another plan) or they can add this to their long term disability program.  EAP's offer many services and can often fill in some coverage gaps in the medical plan.

Usually EAP's on a stand-alone basis are $2 to $6 per employee per month.  Price depends on the size of your employer group as well as the richness in benefits the company wishes to offer.  I have found the majority of the costs lie in the number of face-to-face counseling visits the EAP will pay for.  Most plans offer 3 face-to-face visits per occurrence per year.  An occurrence is usually loosely defined and can be pretty much anything.  Common occurrences include, but are not limited to: divorce, death, financial issues, marital issues, and drug abuse.

EAP's don't just offer counseling.  Most EAP's offer other services as well. General categories that EAP's target:

• Family, relationship and parenting issues
• Child and elder care needs
• Emotional and stress related issues
• Conflicts at home or work
• Alcohol and drug dependencies
• Health and wellness issues

Services generally offered to assist in these areas:

• Telephone consultation, available 24/7, with licensed mental health professionals
• Referrals to local child and/or elder care services and resources
• Online information and service
• Referrals to community resources when employees need additional assistance
• Legal and financial services
• Workplace support services

EAP's can help improve productivity, workplace safety, absenteeism, and reduce the number of health insurance claims.