University Of Michigan Benefits Office

Information for Department Administrators

For a newsletter specifically for fellowship benefits administrators, click here: Fellowship Benefits Administrator News

Effective January 1, 2008, the enrollment and administration of benefit-eligible fellowship and medical school students will be transitioned from M-CARE to the Benefits Office. A pilot group, consisting of the College of Engineering and first year Medical School students, was transferred as of July 1, 2007. For information on the Graduate Student Benefit Project, see the PowerPoint Presentation at:
http://www.umich.edu/~benefits/forms/Project Presentation.ppt

New Process for Enrolling Benefit-Eligible Fellowship and Medical School Students
Departments will use the Grad Student Fellowship Upload process for students newly eligible for benefits effective 1/1/08.

The Grad Student Fellowship Upload process is similar to the Student Financial Aid Award load process. The HR Benefits Fellowship Updater Role is required for access to the Grad Student Fellowship Upload process. To gain access to this role:

Your Unit Liaison will need to submit an access request to MAIS
You will need to complete the eLearning or Instructor-Led required training course
Once the access request has been submitted you may select the type of course (eLearning or Instructor-Led) needed. To access the course, go to http://www.mais.umich.edu/; click on My Linc/Mais Linc; enter your uniqname and UMICH (Kerberos) password; in the search box, type “fellowship benefits”; select your desired course

Benefit Eligible Graduate Students with multiple appointments
If a graduate student has multiple jobs or funding sources that are all benefit eligible, their eligibility will be based on the benefit group that provides the best benefit package. For example, if a GSI has a concurrent benefit eligible fellowship, benefits are based on the GSI position. The job family priority rules are;
    1. Members of GEO (Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate
        Student Staff Assistants)
    2. Graduate Student Research Assistants
    3. Holders of a designated Rackham fellowship
    4. Other fellowships

Benefit Reporting
After you have acquired the HR Benefits Fellowship Updater Role you will have access to the Fellowship Benefits Reports. The reports will include benefit-eligible fellowship holders, medical school students, benefit-eligible GSIs, GSSAs and GSRAs. Reports may be run by;

Job
Captures an entire department ID (DeptID) and returns information for all benefit-eligible graduate students. This report shows current benefit eligibility. A “Y” under Primary Job indicates this is the DeptID paying for benefits under the corresponding Empl Record, or;

Student (EmplID)
Captures information for the student for all active records in Job that could be benefit-eligible. This can be used to determine if the student has more than one department providing funding. The “Y” under Primary Job indicates this is the DeptID paying for benefits under the corresponding Empl Record.

Enrollment
Report run using DeptID; returns benefit enrollment information for all benefit-eligible graduate students

Report run using EmplID, returns benefit enrollment information for the individual benefit-eligible graduate student

If a fellowship student has multiple funding sources, you may want to contact the other department who is providing funding for the student. You can find contact information at http://cgi.research.umich.edu/web_bluepages/web_bluepages.lasso

Benefit Eligible Student Enrollment
Once you have successfully loaded the Fellowship Benefit Eligibility Load spreadsheet, M-Pathways processes information and opens Self Service > Benefits for elections by the student the next day. An email is sent to the student’s @umich.edu email account.

GEO members, GSRAs and benefit-eligible fellowship students will default to GradCare and Dental Option 1, single person coverage. They may add dependents, waive coverage, and elect Legal and Vision within 30 days. After their elections are submitted, a Confirmation Statement for verification of enrollment will be displayed. They will also receive a follow-up confirmation by email following submission. The student should contact the insurance vendor to report their primary care physician (PCP).

Enrollment information is sent to the insurance vendor each Monday. Medical insurance identification cards are produced and sent within one to two business days after the enrollment is processed by the insurance vendor.

Benefit Updates for 2008
The eligibility chart at http://www.umich.edu/~benefits/jobgroups/grads.htm details benefits that will be available to GEO members, GSRAs and benefit-eligible fellowship and medical school students for 2008. In addition to these changes the following defaults will apply to benefit-eligible graduate students:

GEO members, GSRAs, and Benefit-Eligible Fellowship Students

Immediate enrollment in single person GradCare medical insurance once the job or benefit eligibility has been entered into M-Pathways
Immediate enrollment in single person Dental Option I. University contributions are provided as of the date of hire/benefit eligibility
All benefit-eligible graduate students may add dependents, waive coverage, elect Dental Options 2 and 3, Vision and Legal within 30 days

Benefit Eligible Medical School Students

Immediate enrollment in single person GradCare medical insurance once the benefit eligibility has been entered into M-Pathways
Medical school students may add dependents, elect Dental Options 1, 2, or 3, Vision and Legal within 30 days

Change in Student Eligibility
If a student is consecutively appointed in the same student category from term to term (i.e. GSI Fall term, GSI Winter term), their current medical insurance and other benefit elections will continue. When a benefit-eligible student changes from one student category to another, there may be a change in their benefit eligibility. They will receive notification of their new eligibility or termination of coverage if one of the following occurs:

GEO members who become benefit-eligible fellowship holders;

Eligible for GradCare only; if enrolled in a plan other than GradCare, that plan will end and they will default to GradCare
Termination of Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA)

GEO members who become GSRAs;

Eligible for GradCare only; if enrolled in a plan other than GradCare, that plan will end and they will default to GradCare
All other elections continue

GSRAs who become GEO members;

Eligible for all medical plans, GradCare will continue unless a new plan is elected within 30 days
All other elections continue

GSRAs who become benefit-eligible fellowship holders;

GradCare, Dental, Legal and Vision will continue

Termination of Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA)

Benefit-eligible fellowship holders who become GEO members;

Eligible for all medical plans, GradCare will continue unless a new plan is elected within 30 days. Dental, Legal and Vision will continue

Newly eligible for Life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA)

Benefit-eligible fellowship holders who become GSRAs;

GradCare, Dental, Legal and Vision will continue

Newly eligible for Life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA)

Contact Information

Departments may contact the Benefits Transaction Team (BTT): 734-936-0258

Students should contact the HR/Payroll Service Center: 734-615-2000

Benefits Office website
http://www.umich.edu/~benefits/jobgroups/grads.htm

MAIS Help Desk for system questions: 734-936-7000, Option 5
Or send an email message to: maishelpdesk@umich.edu