Benefit Information for Full-Time
UUP-Represented Professional Staff

The following benefits are available to all full-time academic and professional employees hired for a period of at least 3 months at the University at Albany. Programs, policies, and costs are subject to change without notice, and such changes are generally applicable to all future employees regardless of the date the original offer or acceptance of employment was made.

---

A.                 Health Insurance

B.                  Dental Insurance and Vision Care

C.                 Retirement Programs

D.                 Social Security

E.                  Group Long Term Disability Insurance

F.                  Tax-Deferred Savings Plans

G.                 Life Insurance

H.                 Death Benefits

I.                   Tuition and Fee Assistance

J.                   Flex Spending Account

K.                  Long-Term Care Insurance

A. HEALTH INSURANCE

Coverage is effective after 42 days of employment if enrollment forms are received by that date.  Employees have a choice of one of five options: a preferred provider organization or one of four health maintenance organizations.  All health plans cover pre-existing conditions.

Preferred Provider Organization:

NYS Empire Plan (http://www.cs.state.ny.us/ebd/)

 

The Empire Plan covers hospitalization through Blue Cross, surgical/medical care through United HealthCare, mental health/substance abuse treatment through GHI Value Options, and prescription drugs through Medco.  Empire Plan enrollees are not required to designate primary care providers or to obtain written referrals for specialists.  Generally, services rendered by participating providers are paid in full with the exception of modest co-payments.  The insurance carrier pays the provider directly.

 

Claims for services from providers who do not participate in the plan must be submitted under the Basic Medical Program.  The enrollee is responsible for paying all charges and will receive any reimbursement directly from United HealthCare.  Once a deductible is met, Basic Medical will reimburse 80% of reasonable and customary charges to a prescribed maximum.  The program pays 100% of reasonable and customary expenses after the coinsurance maximum limit is met.

 

The Empire Plan includes “managed care” components for certain services, such as hospital and skilled nursing facility admissions, mental health and substance abuse treatment, home health care and durable medical goods, and chiropractic/physical therapy.  Benefits may be substantially reduced if members go outside the network or do not call for pre-approval.

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

1.       Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (http://www.cdphp.com)

2.       Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO (http://www.empireblue.com)

3.       GHI HMO (www.ghihmo.com)

4.       MVP Health Plan (http://www.joinmvp.com)          

All HMOs provide comprehensive hospital, medical/surgical, mental health/substance abuse, and prescription drug coverage.  Generally, enrollees are required to select a primary care provider from the HMO’s network.  Members go to their primary provider for health care or  referrals to specialists.  (Note:  GHI and MVP do not require referrals for in-network specialists.)  The HMO pays the provider in full except for modest co-payments.  The provider takes care of claim forms and paperwork.

 

Premiums

 

At this time, the State pays 90% of the cost of individual coverage and up to 75% of the additional cost for dependent coverage (based on Empire Plan rates).  Health insurance contributions are deducted from payroll checks on a pre-tax basis, unless the employee specifically declines in writing to participate in the Pre-Tax Contribution Program (PTCP).

 

Click here to view a chart containing the current biweekly premium rates arranged by bargaining unit.

 

---

B. DENTAL INSURANCE & VISION CARE

(http://www.uupinfo.org)

Your union, United University Professions (UUP), provides dental and vision coverage through a union benefit fund after 42 days of service.   Union membership is not required.  Coverage is provided at no cost to eligible employees and dependents.  Choose between two dental plans available through Delta Dental:  a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Premier Plan.  Davis Vision provides one free examination and one free pair of glasses every 12 months.

C. RETIREMENT PROGRAMS

General Retirement Information:

You must elect to participate in a retirement program within thirty days of the effective date of your appointment. Failure to make a timely election may result in enrollment by default in one of the NYS retirement systems (NYS Employees’ Retirement System(ERS) or the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), depending on your eligibility for either System.

Enrollment in a retirement program is mandatory for full-time employees, and retirement election is permanent.

Full-time faculty and professional employees in certain non-teaching position titles are eligible to elect membership in the NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), or the SUNY-Optional Retirement Program (ORP).  In general, full-time professional employees may elect membership in either ERS or the SUNY-ORP.

To view a side-by-side comparison of the key features of ERS, TRS and the SUNY-ORP, click on Comparison of Retirement Plan Options.
 

1.     New York State Teachers' Retirement System(TRS) (http://www.nystrs.org/)

a.     Under current legislation, employees contribute 3 percent of annual salary toward retirement for the first ten years of membership. Employee contributions are deducted prior to the computation of federal taxes.

b.     At age 62, with 20 to 30 years of full-time credited service, the benefit equals 2% of your final average salary (average of the highest consecutive 36 months of salary) multiplied by your years of credited service. The benefit includes an additional 1.5% of your final average salary for each year of credited service beyond 30 years. Retirement is possible at age 55 with pension reductions, or no reduction at age 55 with 30 years of credited service.

c.     The retirement benefit for those with more than five but fewer than 20 years of full-time credited service is computed at the rate of 1.66% of final average salary as described above.

d.     Members who terminate employment with at least five years of full-time credited service are vested in the system and are, therefore, entitled to a retirement allowance upon reaching age 55. Members who terminate employment with fewer than ten years of full-time service credit may ask for a refund of their own contributions when they leave State service.

e.     The State makes appropriate annual contributions to TRS to provide a pension.

f.      Nine or ten-month appointments are treated as a full year of service in calculating service credit.

2.  New York State Employees' Retirement System(ERS)
     (http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/)

Provisions are generally the same as the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System with the following exceptions:

a.     ERS allows unused sick leave to be used in calculating service credit; TRS does not.

b.     ERS allows for the inclusion of payment for unused vacation towards Final Average Salary (FAS) if FAS is based on the 36 months preceding retirement; TRS allows no such inclusion.

c.     TRS allows members with 35 years of service to retire at any age; ERS minimum retirement age is 55.

d.     TRS gives a full year’s service credit for sabbatical at half-pay; ERS allows a half-year’s credit.

 

3.  The SUNY-Optional Retirement Program (ORP)with AIG Retirement, ING, MetLife, TIAA-CREF

a.     Under current legislation, employees contribute 3% of annual salary for the first 10 years of participation.  Employee contributions are deducted prior to the computation of federal taxes.

b.     The State contributions to the ORP will be the following percentages of the employee's first $230,000 (2008) of salary: 8% of salary for the first seven years of SUNY service; 10% of salary from seven to 10 years and 13% thereafter.

c.     Contracts are issued to and become the property of the employee, and the State is not liable for the payment of benefits provided under such contracts. The carrier determines benefits at the time of retirement based on the accumulation of assets in the account.

d.     New employees coming to the University with existing contracts from AIG-Retirement, ING, MetLife, or TIAA-CREF, are considered immediately vested and are entitled to immediate University contributions. New employees without such contracts are vested upon completion of 366 days of service and are entitled to retroactive University contributions at that time. Employee contributions begin immediately but are held in escrow by the Office of the State Comptroller until completion of the vesting period and then forwarded to TIAA-CREF. Employees who leave SUNY service before vesting are entitled to a refund of their contributions plus interest.

e.     Upon immediate vesting or after completion of the vesting period, employees may transfer part or all of their accumulations to any of three other vendors (AIG-Retirement, ING, or MetLife).

To view the latest ORP investment performance information for ING, MetLife, TIAA-CREF and VALIC, click on Quarterly Earnings Comparison by Vendor.

Vendor Websites:

AIG Retirement:(http://www.aigretirement.com)

ING:(http://www.ingretirementplans.com\custom\SUNY)

MetLife: (http://www.metlife.com)

TIAA-CREF: (http://www.tiaa-cref.org)

---

D. SOCIAL SECURITY
(www.ssa.gov)

All employees are covered by Social Security. Taxes are withheld from salary up to the Social Security base as determined each calendar year. In 2008, $102,000 is subject to Social Security taxes (7.65%). Amounts over $102,000 are subject only to the Medicare portion of the Social Security tax (1.45%).

---

E. GROUP LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE

Full-time academic and professional employees generally serve a one-year waiting period. The waiting period is waived when it is verified that, within three months prior to appointment at the University, an employee was covered under a similar group disability insurance program by the previous employer. The following is additional important information about this program:

1.      Benefits begin after six months of total disability.

2.      Benefits consist of a guaranteed income equal to 60% of monthly salary as of the date the disability began, not to exceed $7,500 monthly. Guaranteed income is inclusive of Social Security, Workers Comp, and retirement system benefits, if applicable.

3.      Benefits are based on the monthly earnings at the time the disability was incurred.

---

F. TAX-DEFERRED SAVINGS PLANS

A tax-deferred annuity program is available to all University employees. Faculty and Professional Employees may elect to set aside a portion of their salaries before taxes as a retirement investment under a contract with TIAA-CREF and/or Fidelity Investments. For TIAA-CREF, contact the Office of Human Resources at 437-4729 for information on enrollment; for general information, including investment fund performance, contact TIAA directly at 800/842-2776 or at www.tiaa-cref.org Contact Fidelity Investments at 800/343-0860 or www.fidlelity.com for general information.

United University Professions (UUP) has negotiated an alternate tax-deferred savings program for employees through ING (“Opportunity Plus”). Information is available from ING at 800/438-1272 or at www.ingretirementplans.com\custom\nysut.

All faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP).  For enrollment information and investment fund performance, contact NYSDCP at 800/422/8463 or www.nysdcp.com.  New enrollment packets can also be requested by calling the Office of Human Resources at 437-4729.

General Information (on these tax-deferred savings plans, including annual IRS maximum deferral limits)

Loan Provision Information

 

---

G. LIFE INSURANCE

H. DEATH BENEFITS

A death benefit may be payable to the beneficiary of an individual who dies while employed by the University. Types and amounts of death benefits vary significantly according to the retirement system an employee elects.

The public retirement systems (TRS and ERS) provide a benefit equal to one year's salary for each year of service up to three years maximum salary, but with death benefits reduced each year beyond age 61. This benefit is further reduced upon retirement.

Under the Optional Retirement Program, the death benefit would be the current value of the contract accumulations, paid either as income or in a single sum.

If the death benefit provided by the retirement system is less than one-half final salary, a separate State program will provide or supplement that amount to a maximum of $10,000.

---

I. TUITION AND FEE ASSISTANCE

Full-time employees are eligible for a waiver of a percentage (usually 40-50%, based on the number of employees applying and the availability of funds) of tuition for up to eight credit hours of job-related courses taken at a SUNY campus. Tuition may not be waived for courses taken at a SUNY community college or at a campus external to SUNY. Tuition assistance is not available to dependents of employees.

Under a separate union-negotiated program, employees represented by United University Professions (UUP) may enroll in one tuition free course per semester at any SUNY campus on a "space available" basis. Tuition may not be waived for courses taken at a SUNY community college or at a campus external to SUNY. UUP also offers a $500 tuition benefit for dependent children who are enrolled for at least 12 credits at a SUNY State-operated campus (not including SUNY community colleges).

---

J. FLEX SPENDING ACCOUNTS
(www.flexspend.state.ny.us)

 

1.      Dependent Care Advantage Account: This allows eligible employees to pay for up to $5,000/year of dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis. Qualified dependents include children under the age of 13; disabled children of any age; and relatives residing in the employee's home who are incapable of caring for themselves.  Employees must enroll within the first 60 days of employment (or within 60 days of a change in family status) or wait until an annual enrollment period in the fall.  Visit the website for additional information, including the current employer contribution toward participation in this program.

2.      Health Care Spending Account: This allows eligible employees to set aside up to $4,000 annually in pre-tax salary to pay for health-related expenses that are not reimbursed by insurance.  Medically necessary medical, dental, prescription, vision, and hearing expenses for enrollees and their eligible dependents may be reimbursed.  Employees must enroll within the first 60 days of employment (or within 60 days of a change in family status) or wait until an annual enrollment period in the fall.  Visit the website for additional information. 

---

K. LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE
(www.nyperl.net)

The NYS Public Employees and Retirees Long-Term Care Insurance Plan (NYPERL) allows eligible employees and their eligible dependents to purchase long-term care insurance through MedAmerica Insurance Company of NY.  Generally, long-term care insurance provides benefits for covered services from a nursing facility, home health care agency, adult day care center, assisted living facility, and hospice.  Active employees who enroll within 60 days of employment are guaranteed issue of a policy without proof of insurability. Enrollment after 60 days requires proof of insurability. Eligible dependents are required to prove insurability regardless of when they apply.

Revised March 2008

  

Top

Employee Benefits
Office of Human Resources Management
University at Albany
Albany, NY 12222
(518) 437-4729 (Voice) 437-4731 (Fax)
Office Hours: M-F, 8:30am to 5:00pm, Summers, 8:00am - 4:00pm