New Employee – Benefits

Overview  –  Health  –  Prescription  –  Dental  –  Mental Health & Substance Abuse  –  AD&D  –  Long Term Care  –  Long Term Disability  –  Flexible Spending  –  Life Insurance  – Leave  –  Tuition Remission  –  EAP  –  Childcare  –  Discounts – Retirement

Overview

UMBC offers employees a variety of affordable, competitive, basic, and supplemental health benefit plans with certain coverage available to dependents and spouses, as well as retirement and leave benefits. Availability of benefits is based upon eligibility and category of employment.

UMBC, through the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM), offers a flexible health-related benefits menu which allows employees to choose from a number of options including medical (including vision and mental health), dental, prescription drug, personal accidental death and dismemberment,  group term life insurance plans and flexible spending. Plans are offered on a pre-tax basis for regular employees.

Please click on the benefit links above for more information on each type of plan.

Benefit Enrollment

New employees have 60 days from their original date of employment to enroll in Benefits using the Statewide Personnel System (SPS) Workday.  Once enrolled in a benefit option, coverage may not be cancelled or changed until the open enrollment period, unless a Qualifying Event occurs (birth of child, marriage, etc.).

Resources:

Health Insurance Plans

There are three (3) types of medical plan types offered by the State of Maryland.  Full details are covered in the State Benefits Guide referenced below:

  • Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO): This type of plan provides employees with the ability to go to “in-network” providers (those who are in the plans network) as well as “out-of-network” providers.  When visiting a provider within the PPO network, the employee pays a co-pay and the plan will pay 90% toward most services (some preventative services are covered at 100%).  The employee is responsible for the remaining 10% coinsurance in a PPO plan up to a calendar year maximum of $1,000 for Individual or $2,000 for Family.  Review the State Benefits Guide for more details.  Out-of-network services are subject to higher out of pocket costs.  PPO plans are offered through CareFirst BlueCross and BlueShield and UnitedHealthcare.
  • Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPO): Require employees to utilize “in-network” providers that are within the EPO plan network.  Employees are encouraged to visit each plan’s website for a searchable directory of in-network providers. In general, the plan will cover 100% for covered in-network services after the member pays a copay.  The plan will not cover out-of-network services.  Please review the State Benefits Guide for details.  EPO plans are offered through CareFirst BlueCross and BlueShield and UnitedHealthcare.
  • Integrative Health Model (IHM):  The IHM Plan is offered exclusively through Kaiser and is an in-network plan where you can receive care at one of Kaisers Facilities.  The plan covers 100% in-network for most services rendered within the Kaiser network. Please review the State Benefits Guide for details.

Prescription Plan

CVS Caremark provides prescription drug benefits to employees who elect the coverage.  Prescription coverage is not included in Medical coverage, employees must elect prescription coverage through CVS Caremark if they wish to have coverage for prescriptions.  Employees who waive prescription coverage will pay retail cost for prescriptions, and can enroll during an annual open enrollment period.

Dental Plans

The State offers two dental plans: one dental health maintenance organization (DHMO) through Delta Dental and a Preferred Provider Organization (DPPO) plan through United Concordia.

The DHMO requires enrollees to utilize participating plan dentists and get referrals from the primary dental provider to see a specialist.

The DPPO allows enrollees to utilize non-participating dentists with limited reimbursement benefits.  The enrollee does not select a primary dental office, and has the option of utilizing in-network benefits or out-of-network benefits without referrals.

Behavioral Health

Upon enrollment in any of the medical plans, employees are automatically enrolled for behavioral health which provides coverage for mental/substance abuse services.  To utilize the benefits employees can use their medical card and their medical plans website for a searchable directory of behavioral health specialists.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)

Underwritten by MetLife, this plan provides benefit amounts of $100,000, $200,000 or $300,000 to employees or designated beneficiaries in the event of accidental death or dismemberment. No medical review is required for enrollment in the plan. This plan will cover you for accidents that occur at work as well as accidents off the job.  The Benefits Guide and State of Maryland Website has more information on AD&D benefits.

Long Term Disability (LTD)

LTD is a University System of Maryland (USM) Benefit and is not administered through the State of Maryland Dept. of Budget and Management.  Enrollment information can found on the USM MetLife website.

Coverage can be initiated or cancelled either within the first 60 days of employment with an USM institution or only during USM MetLife’s open enrollment period.  If initiated after first 60 days of employment, medical review is required.

Rates based on age, annual salary and elimination period chosen.  Rates are post-tax.

Up to 60% of base salary payable upon election of a 90-day or 365-day “elimination period.   Benefits are up to a maximum of $10,000 per month.  Benefits may be payable until age 65.

Flexible Spending Accounts

 

Administered by the State of Maryland through P&A Group, allows employees to set aside money on a pre-tax basis for a wide variety of common health care and dependent day care expenses (please see FSA eligible list) for you and your eligible dependents.

  • Health Care Spending account allows for a minimum of $120 to a maximum of $2,750 annually to be withheld to pay out-of-pocket expenses associated with medical care (co-pays for doctor visits, prescription co-pays, etc.).
  • Dependent Care Spending You may contribute between $120 and $5,000 a year, or up to $2,500 a year if married and filing separately, to reimburse yourself for eligible dependent care expenses for children under the age of 13 (day care fees, after care costs for children, summer camp, etc.)

“Use it or lose it” provision, which means unused funds will be forfeited.   Employees have until March 15 (after the end of the coverage term) to submit claims for reimbursement, however for Dependent Care FSA expenses must be incurred during the coverage period (January 1st to December 31st).

Employees must enroll every open enrollment if they wish to have an FSA for the new plan year, flexible spending does not roll-over each year.

Enrollment in any spending account prohibits employees from claiming the identical expenses on their income taxes.

Term Life Insurance Programs

There are two group term life insurance programs offered to employees through the University:

The MetLife Insurance Plan (State of Maryland)
  • Employees can take a maximum of $300,000 coverage
  • Dependents can take a maximum of $150,000 coverage
  • Guaranteed issue amount is $50,000 offered to employees

Term life program administered by the State of Maryland and underwritten by the MetLife.

Allows employee to take out life insurance for up to $300,000 in $10,000 increments.  Insurance for dependents may be taken for 1/2 employee amount or $150,000 whichever is less.  Please note that dependent children may be covered up to age 26 (effective July 1, 2012) only.  Amounts up to $50,000 for employee are pre-tax.  Amounts over $50,000 for employee, and any amount for dependents, are deducted post-tax.

Guaranteed issue amount of $50,000 offered to employees.  Anything in excess of $50,000 must have medical insurability form.  Any amount in excess of $25,000 for dependents must have medical insurability form.

Rates based on age and level of coverage.

Portability coverage available.

MetLife Life Insurance Plan (University System of Maryland)
  • Employees can take a maximum of $750,000 or 6X annual salary coverage
  • Spouse can take a maximum of $150,000 coverage
  • Dependents can take a maximum of $10,000 coverage
  • Guaranteed issue amount is $100,000 offered to employees

Offered to University employees only, please see the following Plan Highlights.

Allows employee term life insurance coverage up to 6X annual salary in $10,000 increments to a maximum of $750,000.  Spouse may be insured for same amount as employee amount or $150,000, whichever is less.  Dependent children may be insured for up to $10,000.

Guaranteed issue amount of $100,000.  If enrolled within first 60 days of employment, no evidence of insurability is required.  Medical evidence of insurability is required for coverage in excess of $100,000.

Rates based on age, annual salary and level of coverage.  Coverage can be initiated or cancelled either within the first 60 days of employment with a USM institution or only during USM MetLife’s open enrollment period.  If initiated after first 60 days of employment, medical review is required.

Portability coverage available.

 

Leave

Paid Leave:  Leave benefits available dependent upon category of employment.

Family and Medical Leave Act:  The FMLA allows employees up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave for qualifying medical event (see policy for details) wherein the University will continue to pay its portion of health benefits.

Unpaid Leave:  A Leave of Absence Without Pay (LWOP) is available for personal, medical, military, or research purposes.  Employees should consult appropriate employee manual for eligibility criteria.

Holidays: 14 paid holidays (15 in election year).  Must be employed on calendar date of occurrence in order to receive credit for holiday when it is observed by the University.

Jury Duty: Administrative leave is provided for persons called for jury service.  No charge to accrued leave provided appropriate documentation is supplied.

Military Leave: 15 days of administrative leave for anyone enlisted in the armed forces or organized militia for observance of annual training exercises or military call up.

Tuition Remission

 

Full-time regular faculty and staff are eligible for 100% tuition remission for classes not to exceed 8 credits per semester at any USM institution, plus Morgan State University, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, and Baltimore City Community College. The courses may be at the undergraduate or graduate level and toward any discipline with the exception of Dental and Medical School. Other exclusions may apply at individual institutions. Part-time regular faculty/staff receive benefits proportional to their percentage of employment.

The spouse and dependent children of full-time faculty and staff hired after July 1, 1992 are eligible for remission of tuition only after the faculty/staff member has been employed for 2 years. A full course load may be taken toward the pursuit of the first undergraduate degree (no graduate courses or pursuit of secondary degree will be covered). Courses taken at UMBC will be remitted at 100%. The spouse/dependent child may enroll at any other USM campus (plus dependent children not spouses at Morgan St., St. Mary’s, and BCCC) and courses will be remitted for 50%. Part-time regular faculty/staff receive partial benefits proportional to percentage of employment. Please see the HR website for details.

Contingent II employees are eligible to receive 100% tuition remission for up to 8 credits per semester (prorated for part-time), at home institution only. Contingent II employees are not eligible for tuition remission at any other campus, nor are spouse and dependent child(ren) eligible.

Tuition remission benefits for graduate-level courses are subject to taxation under the following guidelines: (1) any amount of benefit over $5,250 in a calendar year is taxed for an employee’s own graduate-level courses; and (2) the entire amount of benefit is taxed for graduate-level courses taken by an employee’s spouse or dependents (if eligible). Undergraduate-level courses are taxed if dependent child is not claimed as a tax dependent.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

 

The University System of Maryland’s EAP program GuidanceResources is designed to provide confidential and professional assessment and referral services to employees (and/or their household members) who may be experiencing problems which may be affecting their work and/or well being.  The program assists in the early identification, evaluation and referral for treatment and/or counseling for family, marital, legal, mental health or substance abuse problems.  For eligibility, more information, online resources and contact information visit the EAP webpage for more information.

Child Care Center

Y Preschool at UMBC

myUMBC Mom’s & Parent’s Group

USM EAP Program:  Childcare provider search available online

Discounts

As an employee of UMBC, you are eligible to take advantage of benefits, services and discounts offered by companies that have partnered with UMBC, as well as USM and the UMBC Alumni Association.

Retirement

New Hires must select a retirement plan prior to their first day of employment.  Visit the HR website to learn more about the retirement options available to employees of UMBC.