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Healthcare/Retirement for Part-time Members
As a part-time employee of Connecticut State University, you are
entitled to a variety of benefits. If you have any questions about these
benefits, please contact your Human Resources office.
Health Care - For a summary of the health care options provided to
CSU employees, please visit the
State Comptroller's website.
The open enrollment period is typically during the month of May, at
which time you can change your health insurance. If there has been a
life-altering event, such as the loss of a spouse's employment, you will
be able to make changes to your health insurance plan outside of the
open enrollment period. Part-time state employees may sign up for a
health care plan, however they must pay the entire premium.
Part-time
faculty who teach nine or more load credits a semester across the CSU,
UConn, and/or Connecticut Community College Systems are now eligible to
be reimbursed for the state’s share of their healthcare premiums.
These faculty must pay for the benefit throughout the
semester, but they will receive a reimbursement check for the total
amount of the state’s share of the premiums at the end of the semester.
Please contact your local Human Resources office if you have questions
about healthcare benefits.
Retirement - As a part-time faculty member,
librarian, counselor or coach in the Connecticut State University
Retirement System, you have the choice between three retirement plans,
contingent on eligibility:
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The
State Employee's Retirement System (SERS): SERS is composed of
three (3) tiers commonly referred to as Tier I, Tier II, and Tier
IIA and all are defined benefit plans. As a new employee, you may
only join Tier IIA (or for any employees who were hired on or after
July 1, 1997). Tier I is restricted to employees hired on or before
July 1, 1984, and Tier II is restricted to employees hired from July
2, 1984 through June 30, 1997. Tier I requires contributions from
your salary, either 2% or 5%. Tier IIA requires a 2% contribution.
Tier II is a non-contributory plan. Under all tiers, at the time of
retirement, benefits are calculated based on the average of your 3
highest years of earnings, your total years of credited service and
a percentage factor. Normal, early, disability and hazardous duty
retirements are available under these plans. For more information on
SERS, please visit the State Comptroller's website.
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The
Alternate Retirement Program (ARP): ARP allows full-time and
pary-time faculty to contribute 5% of their salaries to a pension
plan, while the state contributes 8% to the plan. There are
currently 24 funds available for investment purposes. For more
information, please visit the State of Connecticut’s Defined
Contribution Plans website.
Please
read the Q&A about the ARP (9/30/09) prepared by the Comptroller's Office.
SEBAC has officially filed a grievance with the State of Connecticut
pursuant to the SEBAC Pension Agreement in response to reports by
state employees that they have been steered into the Alternate
Retirement Plan (ARP); please read it here.
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The
Teacher's Retirement System (TRS): TRS is a defined benefit plan
which provides a pension based upon the average of your three
highest year's earnings, age at retirement and length of service.
TRS requires a pre-tax contribution of 7% from your salary on a
bi-weekly basis. This plan is only available to individuals who have
previously or currently contribute to TRS through another teaching
position. For more information, please visit the Teacher's
Retirement Board website.
Part-time
faculty who teach nine or more load credits a semester across the CSU,
UConn, and/or Connecticut Community College Systems who have
contributed to a retirement plan during their state service are eligible
to receive retiree healthcare benefits (even if they have never
received healthcare benefits from the state), and meet one of the
two following additional requirements: (1) they go directly into
retirement, and have five or more years of service at half-time or more
or (2) they do not go directly into retirement but have 10 or more years
of service at half-time or more. For this purpose, a semester as an
adjunct faculty member (teaching more than 9 load credits between any of
the state institutions) counts as one-half year of state service. For
more information about retirement benefits, please contact your local
Human Resources office.
Same Sex
Domestic Partners and Civil Unions:
Same sex
domestic partners and eligible dependent children of the domestic
partner had been eligible for coverage under the State’s pension and
health benefit plan. This benefit was awarded to couples by an
arbitrator, however the arbitrator's award terminates same-sex
partners' eligibility for domestic partner benefits as of the date same
sex couples become eligible to marry in Connecticut. The award also
holds that domestic partners and eligible dependent
children of the domestic partner on the State’s pension and health
benefit plan will have these benefits cease one year after same
sex marriages are allowed by the State of Connecticut.
As of November
12, 2008, same sex partners have gained the right to obtain marriage
licenses in Connecticut. Accordingly, under the terms of the
arbitrator’s award, and effective November 13, 2008, the State will
no longer recognize “new” domestic partnerships for benefit purposes.
For those individuals currently in a domestic partnership
relationship, the health (including medical, prescription and dental)
and pension benefits (including pre-retirement benefits and spousal
waivers) currently provided to partners and the eligible dependents of
the domestic partner will end effective November 30, 2009 unless
the partners marry or enter into a civil union prior to this date.
For partners who do not marry, enrolled domestic partners and their
dependent children will be allowed to continue their benefits through
COBRA after November 30, 2009.
For current
employees with a domestic partner enrolled in health insurance who marry
or enter into a civil union by November 13, 2009, the employee or
retiree will be given thirty days from that date to obtain medical and
dental coverage for his or spouse or civil union partner and eligible
dependent children. If they fail to complete this within the thirty day
period, the employee or retiree will have to wait until the annual open
enrollment period, which normally takes place in June.
With regard to retirement and
pension benefits, for current employees with a domestic partner who
marry or enter into a civil union by November 13, 2009, the employee
should complete a form to entitle the civil union partner or spouse to
pre-retirement death benefits (where applicable) and survivorship
protections. For current domestic partners who do not marry or enter
into a civil union by November 13, 2009, the domestic partner can remain
the employee’s beneficiary for retirement purposes but the domestic
partner will not be treated by the Division as a spouse for purposes of
pension benefits at the time of the employee’s retirement.
If you have questions, please
contact the Human Resources office.
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Professors