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2: Hi, I'm Tom Hopkins, the Director of Compensation and Benefits, and I'd like
to take this opportunity to welcome you to the University of Maine System (UMS). You've
made an excellent decision to join our team. It's my hope that you'll find the University
System a stimulating and exciting place to work where opportunity abounds in a healthy
and productive workplace... We know that starting a new job will take your focus in many directions.
That's why we've created this presentation which you can view as often as you like before
making your final benefit choices. By all means, share it with your spouse or domestic
partner who will be eligible for some of our plans. .. If you have questions, please go
to our website or feel free to call the Employee Benefits Center. We're here to help. Again,
welcome to the University of Maine System. We wish you good health!
[pause] 3: Hi, I'm Tony Richard, Director of Employee
Benefits. To be eligible for University Benefits you must be a "regular" employee and work
at least 7 months a year. Full-time, regular employees are scheduled to work 40 hours a
week, and part-time regulars are scheduled for less than forty hours a week. Part-time
and temporary faculty who meet service and teaching requirements are also eligible for
some, but not all of the benefits addressed in this presentation.
[pause] 4: If you are eligible for UMS benefits, you
can enroll your spouse, dependent your children, including full-time students up to age 26,
or your eligible domestic partner for many of the UMS benefits including your chosen
Medical plan, along with dental, vision and dependent life insurance. So take a moment
to consider your needs, then take advantage of these opportunities.
[pause] 5: Upon meeting the eligibility requirements,
you will automatically be enrolled in the basic life, basic accidental death and dismemberment
(AD&D), long-term disability and retirement program.
[pause] 6: Keep in mind that you MUST ENROLL in University
Benefits within 31 days of your date of hire or date of status change that makes you eligible
for benefits... If you miss the deadline, you will have to wait for the annual open
enrollment period usually held in November. Then your benefits would become effective
the following January 1st.
[pause] 7: Changes to your annual benefits elections
are allowed only if you have a qualified family or employment status change, for example,
if you marry, have a child, a spouse loses a job, etc. If that happens and you want to
change your benefit choices, be sure to make the change within 31 days of that event. And
don't forget to look at the beneficiary you've named for life insurance, because
that could change, too.
[pause] 8: The University shares the cost with you
for Medical, Dental and Retirement Plans. The University pays the full cost for your
basic life and long-term disability insurances. If you choose additional coverage for vision
care, short-term disability insurance, additional life insurance for yourself or eligible family
members, or the group auto and home insurance programs, you pay the cost, taking advantage
of generally lower group rates. Benefit rates are available on our website and in the MaineStreet
benefits enrollment process.
[pause] 9: If you decide to contribute to a health
care or dependent day care flexible spending account (FSA), all contributions are made
by you. Both you and the University contribute to your University retirement plan, with any
accumulations growing tax-deferred until withdrawal.
[pause] 10: Perhaps the most important benefit choice
you make is for your health care coverage. At UMS, we offer a choice of two plans from
CIGNA. The CIGNA Quality Incentive Copay Plan is the most popular plan at UMS. Both plans
require you to choose a Primary Care Physician (***) who will coordinate your healthcare
needs. For both plans, your costs will be less if you visit "UMS Preferred" doctors
and hospitals. Both medical plans comply with National Health Care Reform and the Federal
Mental Health Parity Act.
[pause] 11: In the Quality Incentive Copay plan, there
is no deductible to meet if you see a UMS Preferred or CIGNA provider, and office visits
to your UMS Preferred network primary care physician only requires a $10 copay. Office
visits to network specialists require a $20 copay. The Cigna "open access plus" plan
means you do not need a referral from your *** to see other network providers. If you
use out of network providers you will have to pay more out-of-pocket. A list of providers
is available at www.CIGNA.com. To see if your *** is UMS Preferred, they must have at least
2 good, better or best ratings on the website: www.getbettermaine.org.
[pause] 12: CIGNA's OAP Passive Plan will cost you
more out of your pocket since you will have to first satisfy a yearly deductible, then
pay 20% of the charges until you reach your annual out of pocket maximum.
[pause] 13: Both of the University's health plans
offer the same prescription drug coverage. When your doctor prescribes medication, we
encourage you to ask for generic drugs when appropriate. A 30 day supply of a preferred
generic drug will cost only $5, where a brand name preferred drug prescription will cost
$25. Generic, non-preferred medications will cost you $10 while brand name, non-preferred
medications will cost $40 for a 30-day supply, so it's clearly to your advantage to request
generic medication. You may also obtain a three (3) month supply for the cost of two
(2) months by using the mail order prescription program or your local participating pharmacy.
When you are able to get a three month supply for the cost of two months, in essence, one
month is free. After you reach your annual out-of-pocket maximum for prescriptions, you
have no more copays for the remainder of the calendar year.
[pause] 14: The University helps employees and their
families improve their lives by getting well and staying well, not just by providing medical
insurance. You'll hear a lot about RiseUP: the UMS Wellness Program, throughout your
University employment. Along with on-campus health screenings, and other wellness activities,
our robust wellness website provides you and your family with access to timely information
on nutrition, exercise, children's health, health alerts, even local information like
where to pick apples or take a hike. An annual Health Assessment helps you understand and
lower your health risks, and there's even a financial incentive for participating. UMSRiseUp
is the place to go and to go often. Check it out.
[pause] 15: Probably the most important reason to
"RiseUp" are the financial incentives. That's right -- full participation provides
you with lower health insurance premiums, also called "incentive premiums" along
with other incentives for full participation. As a new employee, you are eligible for the
incentive premiums for the first 90 days. If you fully participate in RiseUp, you will
continue to have the incentive premiums withheld for health insurance. However, keep in mind,
that if you choose not participate, your health insurance premiums will increase significantly.
Visit the RiseUp website for participation details. New employees may not be able to
create a new account on the Reasons2RiseUp portal until approximately 3 weeks after enrolling
in the health plan.
[pause] 16:
[pause] 17: We firmly believe that good dental care
is essential to maintaining good health. For that reason UMS pays the entire cost of your
coverage. Coverage is also available for eligible dependents and you pay the cost. Our plan
uses the extensive CIGNA dental network, however, you can use any dentist you wish. It's always
more cost effective to use participating dentists and more efficient, too. When you use a CIGNA
dentist you won't have fill out claims forms nor will you have to meet a deductible. Another
feature is that CIGNA dentists won't balance bill you, meaning, they have agreed to discounted
rates, passing the savings on to you. A new feature of the dental plan gives you a financial
incentive for practicing preventive care. With Wellness Plus, provided you have a yearly
dental exam and need no extra services, your annual maximum benefit will increase. So,
for example, if you check out fine in one year, and you need a root canal the following
year, you will appreciate the increased annual maximum.
[pause]18:
[pause] 19: The Vision plan offers access to quality
vision care for you and your family's eye care needs. The University plan covers comprehensive
exams and coverage for glasses and contact lenses. You can elect vision coverage for
yourselves and your family. The cost of coverage is payroll deducted on a before-tax basis.
The vision program utilizes a network of retail and private practice optometrists; benefits
are higher when network providers are utilized.
[pause] 20: There are several different term life
insurance programs available for full-time employees. Basic coverage is paid by the University
in an amount equal to one times your annual salary. For employees who would like to buy
additional coverage for themselves or their dependents, supplemental insurance is available
at reasonable group rates. Depending on the amount of optional coverage you apply for,
you may be required to provide evidence of good health.
[pause] 21: For an added measure of financial protection,
the University also provides Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance at no cost
to eligible employees. AD&D insurance differs from life insurance in that in addition to
protection against death, employees are covered for other life changing injuries such as loss
of limbs and loss of sight or hearing. You can also purchase Supplemental AD&D coverage.
You pay for the Supplemental AD&D insurance at low group rates through payroll deductions.
The amount elected cannot exceed 10 times your salary. You may purchase individual
or family coverage. If individual coverage is purchased, you will be insured for the
amount elected. If family coverage is purchased, your spouse and dependent children will receive
a fixed level of coverage.
[pause] 22: If you choose to enroll in the short-term
disability plan, you pay the premiums and receive 60% of your base salary after 14 calendar
days of disability. The maximum weekly benefit is $1,000 for up to 26 weeks. If you are unable
to work for 6 months or longer, the University-paid Long-Term Disability Plan provides benefits
for eligible employees. The long-term disability plan pays 60% of your base salary with a maximum
monthly benefit of $13,000. A pre-existing condition clause applies to both programs.
[pause] 23: The University offers two great ways to
stretch your disposable income with Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). You can set aside
money in the Health Care FSA to pay for expenses such as copays, deductibles, uninsured vision
expenses and certain over-the-counter drugstore purchases. We encourage you to go to the benefits
website to review the list of approved expenses which has recently changed. If you have dependent
day care expenses, including after school programs for children and elder care for your
qualified dependent, consider setting aside money in the Dependent Day Care FSA. Federal
law requires you to use all of the money in these accounts each year, so plan carefully.
[pause] 24: It's never too soon to start planning
for retirement, even on your first day of work. Participation in the University's
basic retirement plan is mandatory for all eligible employees. Eligible employees are
required to contribute a portion of their base salary which is matched by the University
in an amount based on your length of service and bargaining unit. Participation begins
the first of the month following when you become eligible.
[pause] 25: You may choose among four vendors to set
up your retirement account. If you do not choose a vendor, the University will automatically
enroll you in a TIAA-CREF account. There could be significant tax savings for you by tax
sheltering contributions, but you must authorize before-tax contributions by electing the before-tax
option when enrolling.
[pause] 26: The University of Maine System offers
employees the opportunity to supplement basic retirement benefits by authorizing additional
before-tax contributions beyond the basic plan. Contributions may be made up to the
maximum permitted by the IRS with TIAA-CREF or one of the three alternate vendors. You
can tax-defer under both the 403(b) and 457(b) plans at the same time. This means that you
can contribute the annual maximum to each plan, thus doubling the amount that you can
tax-defer during the calendar year.
[pause] 27: If you are a regular University employee,
you will earn disability leave (also called sick leave) which can be used for those times
when you are unable to perform your normal work duties because of your health or when
you must be available to care for a sick family member. You can also use disability leave
for appointments with health care providers or your dentist. We urge you to schedule routine
appointments ahead of time so that they do not unduly disrupt the workday. More information
about disability leave and accrual rates are described in your employee handbook or collective
bargaining agreement.
[pause] 28: To encourage good health habits, UMS provides
employees with 24 free visits (8 visits per voucher/card) to any UMS fitness center each
fiscal year. Employees and/or their family members may use the voucher to access any
university fitness center. Employees must contact their employing campus' office of
human resources for more information and to obtain vouchers.
[pause] 29: We value are employees and recognize that
from time to time personal problems can affect our ability to perform at our jobs. The University
provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help employees and families cope with challenging
times. The EAP is a free, voluntary and confidential service. It provides employees, retirees and
their household members with assessments, consultations, referrals and other information.
The EAP is designed to assist you in dealing with a wide variety of personal concerns,
such as: Emotional distress, Alcohol and substance abuse, Stress, Depression, Relationship problems,
Job worries, Family matters, Childcare issues, Financial concerns, Legal concerns, Work/Life
services, Violence and domestic violence. Again, this is a free, confidential service.
University of Maine employees participate in a campus-based program. All other employees
participate in the CIGNA EAP.
[pause] 30: One of the most valued and valuable employee
benefit is the University tuition waiver program for regular employees and their eligible dependents.
Full-time employees can take up to 2 courses each semester and part time employees can
take one course per semester, tuition free. The employee tuition waiver does not cover
fees.
[pause] 31: In additional to more traditional benefits,
the University has arranged for employees to save with special group discounts on automobile
and home insurance. Call MetLife today for a FREE quote and start saving on your auto
and home insurance. 1 800-GET-MET8 (1-800-438-6388) or log on to www.metlife.com/mybenefits.
[pause] 32: "MaineStreet" is the road to online access
to the University of Maine System administrative computing system. MaineStreet provides a two-way
communication between you and the University. You can select your benefits choices online
through the benefits module of MaineStreet. We encourage you to use MaineStreet to enroll
in benefits, view your benefits coverage, assign life insurance beneficiaries and much,
much more. Again, welcome to UMS. We are very glad you're here.
[pause] 33: This presentation is intended only to
highlight your benefits. The details of these plans are contained in the official Plan documents,
including some insurance contracts. If there is ever a question about one of these plans,
or if there is a conflict between the information in this presentation and the formal language
of the Plan documents, the formal wording in the Plan documents will govern. Visit our
website for detailed information: www.maine.edu/benefits. If you need help or have questions, please
contact the Employee Benefits Center. We're here to help. Again, welcome to the University
of Maine System.