Exhibit 10.1
TRANSITION AND SEPARATION
AGREEMENT
This TRANSITION AND SEPARATION AGREEMENT (the
“ Agreement ”) is made effective as of September
17, 2009 (the “ Effective Date ”), by and among
WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. (“ WellCare ”),
COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH MANAGEMENT, INC. (the “
Corporation ”), and HEATH G. SCHIESSER (the “
Executive ”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, on June 26, 2009, Executive informed
the Board of Directors of WellCare (the “ Board
”) that Executive intended to resign his current officer and
director positions upon appointment by the Board of a new President
and Chief Executive Officer of WellCare;
WHEREAS, the parties desire to memorialize the
terms relating to the termination of Executive’s employment
and to provide for the transition period, which shall commence on
the Effective Date, leading up to the termination of
Executive’s employment (the “ Transition Period
”); and
WHEREAS, by execution of this Agreement,
Executive’s Employment Agreement dated January 25, 2008
(“ Employment Agreement ”) shall be superseded
in its entirety and shall have no legal effect.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
promises, covenants, and agreements set forth herein, the parties
hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1
TERMINATION OF
EMPLOYMENT
1.1
Termination of Employment .
1.1.1 It
is agreed that Executive’s employment with the Corporation
shall terminate December 28, 2009, unless Executive’s
employment is terminated earlier by Executive or the
Corporation.
1.1.2 Executive
will be deemed to have resigned from the Board and as an officer
and director of WellCare and the Corporation and any and all of
their subsidiaries and/or affiliates effective December 28, 2009,
or immediately upon any earlier termination of Executive’s
employment hereunder.
1.1.3 Through
the Transition Period, Executive will continue to receive his base
salary at the rate of $400,000 per year (the “ Base
Salary ”) and all group insurance and pension plan
benefits and any other benefits on the most favorable basis
available to any senior executive of the Corporation under the
Corporation’s personnel policies in effect from time to
time. Executive shall receive all other such fringe
benefits as the Corporation may offer to other senior executives of
the Corporation generally under the Corporation’s personnel
policies in effect from time to time, such as health and disability
insurance coverage and paid sick leave.
1.1.4 The
Corporation shall have the right to terminate Executive’s
employment under this Agreement at any time with or without
“Cause,” as that term is defined in Section 2.7.1, by
giving written notice of such termination to Executive, and
Executive shall have the right to terminate Executive’s
employment under this Agreement at any time with or without
“Good Reason,” as that term is defined in Section
2.7.2, by giving written notice of such termination to the
Corporation.
1.2
Duties During Transition Period . Except as
otherwise set forth below, Executive will serve as President and
Chief Executive Officer of WellCare and shall report directly to
the Board through the Transition Period. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, Executive agrees that during the Transition Period,
WellCare and/or the Corporation may appoint someone other than
Executive to serve as President and/or Chief Executive Officer or
acting President and/or Chief Executive Officer, at which time
Executive shall be relieved of those titles and the authority
associated with those positions. Upon the appointment of
a new President and/or Chief Executive Officer or an acting
President and/or Chief Executive Officer, and at the request of
WellCare and/or the Corporation, Executive shall continue
employment through the Transition Period, and his responsibilities
shall be to cooperate and assist with the transition by providing
counsel to the Board and the President and/or Chief Executive
Officer or acting President and/or Chief Executive Officer related
to such transition. For the avoidance of doubt,
Executive shall continue to report directly to the Board during any
such transition and will not be responsible for executing WellCare
or Corporation documents or filings on behalf of WellCare or the
Corporation. Neither the appointment of a new President
and/or Chief Executive Officer or an acting President and/or Chief
Executive Officer of WellCare and/or the Corporation, nor the
change in duties and responsibilities in connection with any
resulting transition consistent with this Section 1.2, shall
constitute “Good Reason” for purposes of this
Agreement.
ARTICLE 2
SEPARATION
BENEFITS
2.1
Separation Benefits . As consideration for
Executive’s obligations under this Agreement, and in the
event Executive’s employment with the Corporation terminates
on December 28, 2009, or alternatively, if Executive’s
employment is terminated prior to December 28, 2009, either by the
Corporation for any reason other than for “Cause” or by
the Executive for “Good Reason,” Executive will be
eligible to receive the following pay and benefits (collectively,
the “ Separation Benefits ”):
2.1.1 The
Corporation shall pay to Executive his Base Salary through December
28, 2009, in accordance with the Corporation’s normal payroll
schedule, and all Accrued Obligations, to the extent not
theretofore paid. Accrued Obligations shall be paid in a
lump sum amount within ten days following the date on which
Executive’s employment terminates. “
Accrued Obligations ” means any vacation pay and
expense reimbursements accrued by Executive as of the date on which
Executive’s employment terminates.
2.1.2 The
Corporation shall make a separation payment to Executive in the
aggregate gross amount of One Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars
($1,200,000) (the “ Separation Pay
”).
2.1.3 The
Corporation shall pay Executive a bonus for fiscal year 2009 in the
gross amount of Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000) (the
“2009 Bonus”). Except as provided in Section
2.9.1 below, the Separation Pay and 2009 Bonus shall be paid in a
single lump sum amount within ten days following Executive’s
execution of the Waiver and Release Agreement referenced in Section
3.1 and expiration of the seven-day revocation period set forth
therein.
2.1.4 The
vesting of all long-term incentive compensation awards to
Executive, including restricted stock and stock options, shall be
accelerated such that they are vested as of the date on which
Executive’s employment terminates to the same extent that
they would have been vested had Executive’s employment
continued through December December 31, 2010. In
addition, to the extent that a portion of any long-term incentive
compensation awards to Executive, including restricted stock and
stock options, would have vested at the end of a measurement period
that includes December 31, 2010, the vesting of that portion shall
be accelerated as to the amount that would have vested had
Executive’s employment continued through the end of the
measurement period multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which
is the number of whole and partial months (rounded up) from the
date of the beginning of the measurement period until December 31,
2010, and the denominator of which is the number of months from the
date of the beginning until the end of the measurement
period. For the avoidance of doubt, upon the vesting of
shares of restricted stock held by Executive, Executive may make a
payment to the Corporation, or authorize the Corporation to
withhold from funds otherwise due to Executive, an amount equal to
any applicable federal, state, and local taxes required to be paid
or withheld by the Corporation as a result of such vesting, in
which case the Corporation shall remit such full amount to the
relevant taxing authority. If Executive does not make
such a payment, or authorize the withholding of other funds,
Executive shall surrender to the Corporation shares of such
restricted stock having a fair market value at the time of such
vesting equal to the amount of any applicable federal, state, and
local taxes required to be paid or withheld by the Corporation as a
result of such vesting, in which case the Corporation shall remit
such full amount to the relevant taxing authority.
2.1.5 For
a period of 24 months following the termination of
Executive’s employment, the Corporation shall continue to
provide medical, dental, and vision care and life insurance
benefits to Executive and/or Executive’s family equal to
those otherwise available to senior executives of the Corporation
during such 24-month period; provided , however ,
that Executive agrees to elect COBRA coverage to the extent
available under the Corporation’s health insurance plans (and
the Corporation shall promptly reimburse the cost of any premiums
for such coverage during the applicable period of COBRA coverage on
an after-tax basis). Any payment or reimbursement under
this Section 2.1.5 that is taxable to Executive or any of
Executive’s family members shall be made (subject to the
provisions of such health care plans that may require earlier
payment) by December 31 of the calendar year following the
calendar year in which Executive or such family member incurred the
expense.
2.2
Death or Disability .
2.2.1 Executive’s
employment shall terminate immediately in the event of
Executive’s death or Disability. “
Disability ” means Executive is unable to engage in
any substantial gainful business activity by reason of any
medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be
expected to result in death or that has rendered Executive unable
to effectively carry out his duties and obligations under this
Agreement or unable to effectively and actively participate in the
management of WellCare and the Corporation for a period of
90 consecutive days during the Transition
Period. If there should be a dispute between the
Corporation and Executive as to Executive’s Disability for
purposes of this Agreement, the question shall be settled by the
opinion of an impartial reputable physician or psychiatrist agreed
upon by the parties or their representatives, or if the parties
cannot agree within ten days after a request for designation of
such party, then a physician or psychiatrist designated by the
Florida Medical Association. The certification of such
physician or psychiatrist as to the questioned dispute shall be
final and binding upon the parties hereto.
2.2.2 As
consideration for Executive’s obligations under this
Agreement, and in the event Executive’s employment with the
Corporation terminates due to death or Disability, as that term is
defined above in Section 2.2.1, prior to December 28, 2009, the
Corporation shall pay to Executive or his estate, as applicable,
the Separation Pay described above in Section 2.1.2, under the same
terms and subject to the same conditions as stated in Section 2.1,
except that the execution of the Wavier and Release Agreement shall
not be required. Additionally, the vesting of all
long-term incentive compensation awards to Executive, including
restricted stock and stock options, shall be accelerated such that
they are vested in full as of the date of Executive’s death
or Disability. Executive shall also be entitled for a
period of 12 months to the continued medical, dental, and vision
care and life insurance benefits set forth in Section
2.1.5.
2.3
Base Salary; Accrued Obligations . In the event
that Executive’s employment is terminated prior to December
28, 2009, either by the Corporation for “Cause” or by
Executive without “Good Reason,” Executive shall not be
entitled to the Separation Benefits set forth in Section
2.1. Instead, the Corporation shall pay Executive only
his Base Salary and any Accrued Obligations through the date on
which Executive’s employment terminates. Payment
under this Section 2.3 shall be made in a lump sum amount within
ten days after the date on which Executive’s employment
terminates.
2.4
Indemnification; Insurance . WellCare, the
Corporation, and Executive entered into an Indemnification
Agreement on May 8, 2009 (effective as of January 25, 2008),
providing, among other things, for indemnification of Executive to
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and that
Indemnification Agreement shall remain in full force and
effect. In addition, the Corporation currently provides
Executive with coverage under policies of directors and officers
liability insurance covering directors and officers of the
Corporation (the “Current Coverage”). The
Corporation shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause
policies of directors and officers liability insurance, at least as
broad in coverage terms and amount as the Current Coverage, with
fresh limits every year, to be maintained throughout the Transition
Period and for at least six years thereafter. In the
event of any merger or other acquisition of the Corporation, the
Corporation shall no later than immediately prior to consummation
of such transaction purchase at least six years of
“tail” or extended coverage to cover acts or omissions
of Executive during the term of his employment, including during
the Transition Period (unless such transaction does not result in a
diminution in coverage available to Executive or in fact provides
greater coverage to Executive). In the event of any
conflict between this Agreement and the Indemnification Agreement
referenced above with respect to indemnification or rights to
insurance, such conflict shall be resolved in a manner most
favorable to Executive.
2.5
Effect of “Change of Control” . If a
“Change of Control,” as defined in Section 2.7.3 occurs
prior to the termination of Executive’s employment, the
vesting of Executive’s long-term incentive compensation
awards shall be accelerated in full in connection with such a
“Change of Control,” such that all awards are fully
vested immediately prior to such “Change of
Control.”
2.6
Exercisability of Options . Except with respect
to options granted prior to January 25, 2008, all vested options
will terminate on the earlier of, and be exercisable until,
(a) the expiration of the ten-year term of such options, or
(b) one year after the termination of Executive’s
employment with the Corporation, regardless of the cause of such
termination. Unvested options to purchase shares of
WellCare’s common stock will terminate on the termination of
Executives’ employment with the Corporation, except to the
extent such options become vested as a result of such termination
under the terms of the governing stock option agreement or this
Agreement.
2.7.1
Cause . For purposes of this Agreement, “
Cause ” shall be defined as:
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any willful act
or willful omission, other than as a result of Executive’s
Disability, that represents a breach of any of the terms of this
Agreement to the material detriment of WellCare or the
Corporation;
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bad faith by
Executive in the performance of Executive’s duties,
consisting of willful acts or willful omissions, other than as a
result of Executive’s Disability, to the material detriment
of WellCare or the Corporation; or
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Executive’s conviction of, or pleading
guilty or nolo contendere to, a crime that constitutes a felony
involving fraud, conversion, misappropriation, or embezzlement
under the laws of the United States or any political subdivision
thereof, which conviction has become final and
non-appealable.
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2.7.2
Good Reason . For purposes of this Agreement,
“ Good Reason ” shall be defined as:
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a material
diminution in Executive’s authority, duties, or
responsibilities, or any change in Executive’s title, except
as permitted by Section 1.2.
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a diminution
during the Transition Period in Executive’s Base
Salary;
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a material
breach by the Corporation of any term of this Agreement;
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a change in
Executive’s office location to a point more than 50 miles
from Executive’s offices in Tampa, Florida; or
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Executive no
longer serving on the Board, other than pursuant to his removal
from the Board for Cause pursuant to a vote of the equity holders
of WellCare or due to Executive’s resignation from the
Board.
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2.7.3
Change Of Control . For purposes of this
Agreement, a “ Change of Control ” shall mean
the occurrence of any of the following events that occur during the
Transition Period:
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The direct or
indirect acquisition by an unrelated “Person” or
“Group” of “Beneficial Ownership” of stock
that, together with stock already beneficially owned by such
“Person” or “Group,” constitutes more than
50% of the voting power of WellCare issued and outstanding voting
stock or more than 50% of the fair market value of WellCare’s
issued and outstanding stock;
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The direct or
indirect sale or transfer by WellCare of substantially all of its
assets to one or more unrelated “Persons” or
“Groups” in a single transaction or a series of related
transactions;
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The merger,
consolidation, or reorganization of WellCare with or into another
corporation or other entity in which the “Beneficial
Owners” of more than 50% of the voting power of
WellCare’s issued and outstanding voting securities
immediately before such merger or consolidation do not own,
directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the voting power of the
issued and outstanding voting securities of the surviving
corporation or other entity immediately after such merger,
consolidation, or reorganization; or
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Individuals
who, at the beginning of the Transition Period, constituted the
Board (together with any new directors whose election to the Board
or whose nomination for election by the stockholders of WellCare
was approved by a vote of a majority of the directors on the Board
then still in office who were either directors at the beginning of
such period or whose election or nomination for election was
previously so approved) cease for any reason to constitute a
majority of the members of the Board then in office.
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Notwithstanding this Section 2.7.3, none of
the events set forth in this Section 2.7.3 shall constitute a
Change of Control, if such event occurs subsequent to the
termination of Executive’s employment, for any reason, or is
otherwise not a “Change in Control Event” under
Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) or successor
guidance of the Internal Revenue Service. For purposes
of determining whether a Change of Control has occurred, a
“Person” or “Group” shall not be deemed to
be “unrelated” if: (a) such
“Person” or “Group” directly or indirectly
has “Beneficial Ownership” of more than 50% of the
issued and outstanding voting power of WellCare’s voting
securities immediately before the transaction in question,
(b) WellCare has “Beneficial Ownership” of more
than 50% of the voting power of the issued and outstanding voting
securities of such “Person” or “Group,” or
(c) more than 50% of the voting power of the issued and
outstanding voting securities of such “Person” or
“Group” are owned, directly or indirectly, by
“Beneficial Owners” of more than 50% of the issued and
outstanding voting power of WellCare voting securities immediately
before the transaction in question.
The terms “ Person ,” “
Group ,” “ Beneficial Owner ,” and
“ Beneficial Ownership ” shall have the meanings
used in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) Persons
will not be considered to be acting as a Group solely because they
purchase or own stock of WellCare at the same time, or as a result
of the same public offering; (b) Persons will be considered to
be acting as a Group if they are owners of a corporation that
enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase, or acquisition of
stock, or similar business transaction, with WellCare; and
(c) if a Person, including an entity, owns stock both in
WellCare and in a corporation that enters into a merger,
consolidation, purchase, or acquisition of stock, or similar
transaction, with WellCare, such Person shall be considered to be
acting as a Group with other shareholders only with respect to the
ownership in such corporation prior to the transaction.
2.8
Opportunity to Cure . It shall be a condition
precedent to a party’s right to terminate Executive’s
employment for Cause or for Good Reason, as applicable, that
(a) such party shall have first given the other party written
notice stating with reasonable specificity the breach on which such
termination is premised within seven days after the party
providing such notice becomes aware of such breach, and (b) if
such breach is susceptible of cure or remedy, such breach has not
been cured or remedied within 30 days after receipt of such notice
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2.9
Section 409A Compliance
2.9.1 In
the event that any compensation with respect to Executive’s
termination is “deferred compensation” within the
meaning of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations
promulgated thereunder (“ Section 409A ”),
the stock of the Corporation or any affiliate is publicly traded on
an established securities market or otherwise, and Executive is
determined to be a “specified employee,” as defined in
Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, payment of such
compensation shall be delayed as required by
Section 409A. Such delay
shall last six
months from the date on which Executive’s employment
terminates. Within 30 days following the end of such
six-month period, the Corporation will make a catch-up payment to
Executive equal to the total amount of such payments that would
have been made during the six-month period but for this
Section 2.9. Such catch-up payment shall bear
simple interest at the prime rate of interest as published by the
Wall Street Journal’s bank survey as of the first day of the
six-month period, which such interest shall be paid with the
catch-up payment. Wherever payments under this Agreement
are to be made in installments, each such installment shall be
deemed to be a separate payment for purposes of
Section 409A.
2.9.2 With
respect to any reimbursement of expenses or any provision of
in-kind benefits to Executive specified under this Agreement, such
reimbursement of expenses or provision of in-kind benefits shall be
subject to the following conditions: (1) the expenses
eligible for reimbursement or the amount of in-kind benefits
provided in one taxable year shall not affect the expenses eligible
for reimbursement or the amount of in-kind benefits provided in any
other taxable year, except for any medical reimbursement
arrangement providing for the reimbursement of expenses referred to
in Code Section 105(b); (2) the reimbursement of an eligible
expense shall be made no later than the end of the year after the
year in which such expense was incurred; and (3) the right to
reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to
liquidation or exchange for another benefit.
2.9.3 Payments
conditioned upon execution of the Waiver and Release Agreement
referenced in Section 3.1 shall be made within ten days following
Executive’s execution of the Waiver and Release Agreement and
expiration of the seven-day revocation period set forth therein;
provided , however , that if the period during which
the Executive has discretion to execute or revoke the Waiver
and Release Agreement straddles two taxable years of the Executive,
then the Corporation shall make the payments starting in the second
of such taxable years, regardless of which taxable year
the Executive actually delivers the executed Waiver and
Release Agreement to the Corporation.
2.10
Additional Payments .
2.10.1
Gross Up for Excise Tax . Anything in this
Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event it shall be
determined that any payment or distribution by the Corporation or
WellCare to or for the benefit of Executive (whether paid or
payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement or otherwise, but determined without regard to any
additional payments required under this Section 2.10.1) (a
“ Payment ”) would be subject to the excise tax
imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, or if any interest or
penalties are incurred by Executive with respect to such excise tax
(such excise tax, together with any such interest and penalties,
being hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Excise
Tax ”), then Executive shall be entitled to receive an
additional payment (a “ Gross-Up Payment ”) in
an amount such that, after payment by Executive of all taxes
(including interest or penalties imposed with respect to such
taxes, but not including interest and penalties imposed by reason
of Executive’s failure to file timely tax returns or to pay
taxes shown due on such returns and any interest, additions,
increases, or penalties unrelated to the Excise Tax or the Gross-Up
Payment), including, without limitation, the Excise Tax imposed
upon the Gross-Up Payment, Executive retains an amount of the
Gross-Up Payment equal to the Excise Tax imposed upon the
Payment. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of
this Section 2.10.1, in the event the amount of Payments
subject to the Excise Tax exceeds the product (the “
Parachute Payment Limit ”) of 2.99 and
Executive’s applicable “base amount” (as such
term is defined for purposes of Section 4999 of the Code) by
less than ten percent (10%) of Executive’s base salary,
Executive shall be treated as having waived such rights with
respect to Payments designated by Executive to the extent required
such that the aggregate amount of Payments subject to the Excise
Tax is less than the Parachute Payment Limit.
2.10.2
Gross-Up Determinations . Subject to the
provisions of Section 2.10.3, all determinations required to
be made under this Section 2.10, including whether and when a
Gross-Up Payment is required and the amount of such Gross-Up
Payment and the assumptions to be utilized in arriving at such
determination, shall be made by a nationally recognized accounting
firm selected by Executive and reasonably acceptable to the
Corporation (the “ Accounting Firm ”), which
shall provide detailed supporting calculations both to the
Corporation and Executive within 15 business days of the receipt of
notice from Executive that there has been a Payment, or such
earlier time as is requested by the Corporation. All
fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm shall be borne solely by
the Corporation. Any Gross-Up Payment, as determined
pursuant to this Section 2.10, shall be paid by the
Corporation to Executive within five days of the receipt of the
Accounting Firm’s
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