Benefits FAQ

Q. What is the effective date for medical benefits?
A. Medical benefits are effective the first of the month after 30 days of employment.

Q. To whom do I return the completed benefit forms?
A. Completed benefits forms should be returned to the Office of Human Resources within two weeks of the hire date.

Q. I am a part-time employee. What benefits am I eligible for?
A. Part-time employees are eligible to contribute to the GSRA Tax Deferred Annuity funded through TIAA CREF and partial tuition waivers (see employee handbook for details).

Q. When am I eligible for paid time-off?
A. Full-time non-academic employees are allocated annual vacation, sick and personal time based on the University's fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).   The first year's allocation will be prorated based on service time.  Thereafter, the annual allocation is based on years of service and/or employee category (see employee handbook for details).  The staff employee is not allowed to use vacation days or personal days until successful completion of their three month introductory probation.  All vacation and personal time allocations must be used by the end of the fiscal year (June 30).

Q. When do I become eligible for undergraduate tuition waiver benefits?
A. Full-time employees are eligible the next semester after their hire date.

Q. How many undergraduate credits are waived per calendar year?
A. A maximum of fifteen (15) credits per calendar year, not to exceed two regular courses in any one semester or term.

Q. When do I become eligible to contribute to the retirement fund – TIAA-CREF?
A. There are two types of eligibility: 1) GSRA – full-time employees become eligible immediately and 2) RA – full-time employees become eligible after one year of service and reach age 25. The one year waiting period is waived if the employee has ownership of an existing retirement account sponsored by a prior employer issued in accordance with code sections 403(b) or 401(k).  The RA plan is voluntary, but requires a 5% of base salary contribution from the employees to receive a matching 5% from the University.

Q. What is the maximum annual amount that I can contribute towards TIAA-CREF?
A. For most people, the 2008 maximum annual contribution allowed in the RA and SRA combined is $15,500 for those under age 50 and $20,500 for those age 50 and older. Under certain circumstances a greater amount may be tax-deferred.

Q. What forms do I need to complete to begin the TIAA-CREF reduction?
A. The forms that require completion are the TIAA-CREF enrollment application form and the agreement for salary reduction form.

Q. Whom do I notify when my address changes?
A. All address changes must be communicated to the Office of Human Resources.

Q. How do I obtain username/email account, employee ID and telephone authorization code?
A. Once the employee's Banner ID is generated, the department requests the employee's username/email account from the Office of Human Resources.  Once the usename/email account is created, the employee 1) reports to the Help Desk for final activation and user password, 2) may obtain the employee ID at the Student Service Center - Engineering Building E109. The Department must request the employee's long distance authorization code from the Office of Human Resources.