Quick start
Most faculty and staff are enrolling in benefits for the first time because they were just hired into our university community. If that’s true for you, welcome! Here’s what you need to do:
- Choose plans that are right for you. Get help here:
- For premiums and medical plan costs and comparisons, read our:
- 2023 Plan Information and Comparison handout (470KB, PDF).
- Use the researching your insurance options webpage.
- Browse our retirement plans webpage.
- For premiums and medical plan costs and comparisons, read our:
- Complete your enrollment in the employee portal, myHR (myhr.umsystem.edu), within 31 days of your
date of hire.
Contact your HR generalist or the HR Service Center for more information and assistance.
Why you might be eligible for insurance
You are a newly hired faculty or staff member who is considered fully benefit-eligible.
Generally speaking, you are fully benefit-eligible if your primary university job is at least 75% of a full-time equivalent (FTE) position and you have an appointment duration of at least nine months. Learn more in section HR-101: Employee Status, a section of the university’s Human Resources Manual.
You have recently had a change in family status.
Read your medical insurance Summary Plan Description (SPD) to understand if you have a qualifying family status change.
You are a part-time faculty or staff member who received a letter stating you are eligible for medical insurance only.
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, some employees are eligible for medical insurance only, even though they are not eligible for other benefits such as dental or vision insurance. If you have recently received a letter explaining that you have the option to enroll in university medical insurance, go to the medical insurance eligibility webpage to learn more.
Things to think about as you’re enrolling
Are you covering anyone other than yourself on any of your insurance plans?
If yes, you’ll need to submit proof of relationship . If one of the family members you are covering is a sponsored adult dependent, you will also need to complete the affirmation of sponsored adult dependent partnership .
Did you choose to enroll in the Healthy Savings Plan?
If yes, you may be eligible for a health savings account (HSA) and for university-paid contributions toward your health care savings. Visit the understanding your HSA webpage for details.
Did you enroll in the Life Insurance Plan or Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Plan?
If yes, you will need to designate beneficiaries. And depending on the type of insurance you chose, you may need to provide evidence of insurability.
- Beneficiaries: When you enroll in myHR, you should be prompted to list your beneficiaries. You may change them at any time with the beneficiary designation form
- Evidence of insurability: Visit the Life Insurance webpage to learn when evidence of insurability is required.
Have you thought about your retirement plans?
All UM System faculty and staff, regardless of hours or benefit eligibility, have the ability to participate in the UM System 403(b) and 457(b) Voluntary Retirement Plans.
- Generally speaking, all new fully benefit-eligible employees are enrolled in the Defined Contribution Plan as the core retirement plan.
- You may also want to enroll in voluntary retirement plans to supplement the savings for your future.
Questions?
Contact the HR Service Center at (573) 882-2146 or HRServiceCenter@umsystem.edu.
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Reviewed 2023-09-21
