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Benefits Plans
The
Benefits Office at the University of Michigan administers
many faculty and staff benefits plans. Highlights of the plans
appear below. Many of these plans are described in greater
detail in other sections of this Web site. Enrollment in benefits
is not automatic, and it is not mandatory: you choose and
enroll in benefits that best suit your needs. All benefits plans
are subject to change.
Prospective Faculty
If you are a prospective faculty member, view
Benefits Highlights for
Prospective Faculty for a summary of benefits plans available to University of
Michigan faculty members.
Eligibility
Your eligibility for benefits at the University is based
on your benefits job/career family, your appointment percentage,
and the duration of your appointment. In general, you are
eligible for benefits at the University if you have at least
a 50% appointment lasting four consecutive months or longer.
There may be other eligibility requirements for individual
plans. Your specific benefits options will be shown on your
Personal Enrollment Worksheet, which you will receive at
your home address when you become an employee of the University.
Your dependents are eligible for many of the same benefits
offered to you.
Enrolling in Benefits
You can enroll in or make changes to your benefits when
your appointment is available online or during the annual Open Enrollment, which usually
occurs in October. Certain qualified family status changes, such as marriage
or birth of a baby, allow you to make changes to specific
benefits plans.
Medical
Care Options
The University of Michigan offers one traditional medical
plans, one preferred provider organization (PPO), and two health maintenance
organizations (HMOs), and U-M Premier Care. The University generally does not
have a preexisting condition clause in any of its medical
insurance contracts. Coverage is available for dependents
who meet age and other guidelines.
Prescription
Drug Plan
All eligible participants
in University medical insurance plans are automatically
enrolled in the University Prescription Drug Plan.
You cannot enroll in the Prescription Drug Plan without enrolling in a University medical plan.
Dental
Plan
The University of Michigan Dental Plan is administered through
the Metropolitan Life Insurance company (MetLife). The Plan
offers three coverage choices: Option 1, Option 2, and Option
3. The plans have differing features and eligibility requirements.
If you choose an option that requires a cost, you pay the
additional cost through payroll deductions. Coverage is
available for dependents who meet age and other guidelines.
Orthodontia benefits are for dependent children only.
Vision
Plan
Vision coverage is offered to eligible
staff through Davis Vision, a preferred provider organization
(PPO). As a plan participant,
you receive one eye examination and one pair of eyeglasses
every year. You can purchase a voucher directly from Davis
Vision for additional pairs of eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Basic
Retirement Plan
The University offers a 403(b) defined contribution retirement
plan. You contribute 5%, and the University contributes
10% of your eligible gross salary. All contributions to
retirement accounts are made through payroll deductions
on a tax-deferred basis. Retirement funds can be invested
with TIAA-CREF and/or Fidelity Investments. You can enroll
in the retirement plan at any time; however, if you wish
your contributions to be retroactive to your service date
(date of hire), enrollment must occur within your first
60 days at the University. Your retirement contributions
are vested immediately. All contributions, yours and the
University's, are set aside in an account in your name to
provide retirement income. If you leave the University before
retirement, your contribution and the University contribution
remain yours.
Supplemental
Retirement Accounts (SRA)
You may establish an SRA account through TIAA-CREF or Fidelity
and make contributions to the account on a tax-deferred
basis in an amount beyond your 5% contribution to the basic
retirement plan. There is no University matching contribution
to SRA accounts.
Basic
Long-Term Disability (LTD)
The Basic Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan is available to AFSCME members only,
after four years of service. The University pays the entire cost of this plan.
Expanded
Long-Term Disability (LTD)
The Expanded LTD Plan pays up to 65% of covered pre-disability base salary when
you become totally disabled. The plan
also pays the cost to continue most of the benefits you have at the time of disability.
You are eligible to participate in this
plan if you have at least a 50% appointment for eight continuous months. Supplemental
Faculty, Graduate Students, House Officers, Professional Specialists, and Research
Fellows are not eligible for this plan.
Group Term Life Insurance
The University offers three group term life insurance plans to eligible faculty and staff:
- University Plan $30,000 of coverage for you paid by the University.
Newly hired faculty and staff members are enrolled automatically.
- Optional Plan your choice of coverage in amounts of $5,000, $50,000,
or one, two, three, four, five, or six times your annual salary (maximum
of $1 million), paid for by you. You must enroll to participate. The amount
of coverage you choose and its cost will increase when your salary increases if
your coverage is based on your salary. Your cost will increase when you move
into the next higher age bracket. There is a nonsmoker discount on the
Optional Plan premium.
- Dependent Plan coverage for your spouse or other qualified adult or your dependent children, paid for by you.
Flexible
Spending Accounts
Flexible Spending accounts provide an option for all staff
to save money by paying dependent care and some health care
expenses with pretax dollars.
Group
Legal Services
Group Legal Services, a legal
plan administered by Hyatt Legal Plans, Inc., is available to all eligible staff members and their dependents.
Travel
Accident Insurance
The University provides travel accident insurance for all
staff while traveling on University business. Coverage is automatic, and no application is required.
The University pays the entire cost.
Other
UM Benefits and Services
The following benefits and services are available to all
University of Michigan faculty and staff at all three campuses. Please note that the benefits and services listed below are not administered
by the Benefits Office.
Long-Term Care Insurance (LTC)
Long-term Care (LTC) Insurance is available for you, your
spouse or other qualified adult, your parents, parents-in-law,
and the parents of your other qualified adult.
- Work/Life
Resource Center (WLRC) assists all faculty and staff members in identifying and
locating services and resources for work and family issues, focusing on
child care and elder care.
- Kids Kare at Home,
sponsored by WLRC, is a program to help
families at the University of Michigan when their children
are sick or have special needs and cannot be left alone.
For more information, contact Kids Kare at Home at WLRC.
- Faculty
and Staff Assistance (FASAP) provides confidential counseling and information for all
faculty and staff members for those times when your work
life or personal life gets difficult, and you could use
some help. Counseling on a wide variety of personal problems
and referrals to appropriate outside agencies are available
to individuals with persistent and potentially troublesome
personal problems, such as alcohol, drugs, marital strife,
financial, emotional and other difficulties.
- Work~Connections,
which is jointly sponsored by Risk Management and Human
Resources and Affirmative Action, is an integrated disability
services program designed to assist and support faculty
and staff members when they experience an illness or injury,
either work-related or non-work-related.
-
Vacation Leave. The University provides paid annual
vacation to allow time off from work for rest and convenience.
Contact your
designated timekeeping unit for more information.
- Sick
Leave. The University provides paid sick time to assist
regular faculty and staff members when they are unable to
work due to illness or injury, or due to absence for preventive
medical and dental care. Contact your designated timekeeping
unit for more information.
- University of Michigan Health System employees may be covered by the "Paid Time Off" (PTO) program. For more information, please refer to the Health System Human Resources Department (UMHSHR) Web site or contact your timekeeping unit for more information.
- Extended
Sick Leave. Contact your designated timekeeping unit for more information.
- University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU). UMCU
membership provides benefits such as lower-than-average
interest rates on loans for automobiles, mortgages, and
vacations and higher-than-average interest rates on checking, savings and IRA accounts.
- University
of Michigan Staff ID Card (MCARD). MCARD
is the University of Michigan's official identification
card. This single-card program combines many features including
identification, library privileges, and building access on one card.
- Recreational Sports User Passes. Contact the Recreational
Sports department for more information.
- University Libraries. A staff member ID card can
be used at all University
libraries to check out books and materials.
- Computer Account. Each staff member has a computer
account with a monthly allotment for its use. Contact the
ITD Accounts
Office for more information.
- Athletic Tickets. Season athletic tickets for football,
basketball and hockey can be purchased by payroll deduction.
Contact the UM
Athletics Ticket Office for more information.
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