Fringe Benefits
All UALR employees who work half-time or more on a regular appointed basis (not hourly) are eligible to participate in the Group Medical and Dental insurance programs. UALR pays 60% of the premium for medical and 50% for dental insurance for full-time employees and lower percentages for less than full-time. Eligible dependents of employees may also be covered.
The Medical and Dental Plan pays benefits for you and your covered dependents. The types of services and supplies covered by the plan include: doctor's charges, hospital room and board, prescriptions, x-rays and laboratory tests, and other medical services and supplies.
Like most medical/dental plans, there are deductibles, co-payment, co-insurance, maximum out-of-pocket amounts, and limitations on benefits for pre-existing conditions.
If you do not enroll in the medical/dental plan within 31 days after becoming eligible for coverage, you must provide evidence of good health.
After leaving employment with the University, you may keep your University medical/dental coverage for a maximum period of 18 months through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). Information concerning continuation coverage will be mailed to you when Human Resource Services is notified by your department of your ending employment.
This is a summary of the insurance plan and not an actual contract. For more information, contact Human Resource Services.
This plan allows you to pay your Group Medical and Dental Insurance premiums with pre-tax dollars. It will result in a tax savings for you and an increase in take home pay. Additionally, you have the option of contributing pre-tax dollars to a health care and dependent care flexible spending account (see Flexible Spending Account(s)). These are voluntary programs.
I. Basic Life
If you are appointed half-time or more, you are eligible to participate in the group term life insurance. Basic life insurance is equivalent to your base annual salary (not to exceed $50,000) and is provided at no cost to the employee. As your salary increases, your basic coverage is automatically increased. Benefits for the basic coverage are reduced for employees age 60 and older. If you choose, you may carry additional life insurance for yourself (see optional life) and/or dependent life insurance (see dependent life) with the premiums paid by you.
If you do not enroll in the insurance plan within 31 days after becoming eligible for coverage, you and any dependents you wish to cover must provide evidence of good health.
You have the option to buy additional life insurance through the Optional Life Insurance plan. You may choose additional coverage of one times, two times, three times, or four times your annual salary. There is a maximum benefit of $300,000. The employee pays the full cost of optional life insurance.
You may buy life insurance for your spouse and eligible dependent children under this plan. If you enroll for this coverage, you have the option of choosing $10,000, $15,000. or $20,000 coverage on your spouse. Each eligible dependent is covered for 50% of the amount selected for your spouse. Children older than 14 days but less than 6 months are covered for $100. The employee pays the full cost of dependent life insurance.
This coverage is available for you and your eligible dependents.
If you or a covered dependent dies as the result of an accident (on or off the job), the beneficiary will receive a benefit based on the amount of coverage you select. You may choose employee coverage up to $300,000. Employees requesting coverage in excess of $150,000 will be limited to coverage of 15 times their annual salary.
If you choose family coverage, your spouse's coverage is 60% of your coverage, and each eligible dependent is covered for 20% of your coverage.
The plan may also pay partial benefits if a covered person is seriously injured in an accident and suffers the loss of a limb or eyesight.
The employee pays the full cost of Accidental Death and Dismemberment.
The University pays the entire cost of this coverage, for all eligible employees whose annual salary is $20,000 or less.
If you are disabled, you may receive a Long Term Disability benefit of up to 60% of your base salary (up to a $1,000 maximum monthly benefit) beginning with the seventh month of your disability. Benefits continue to be paid to you for as long as you are disabled, until you retire, or until you reach age 65. In some cases, benefits may continue beyond age 65, depending on the employee's age at the time of disability.
Long Term Disability is designed to coordinate with other forms of disability payments, such as Social Security and Workers' Compensation, so that you will receive a total income of 60% of salary (up to a maximum $1,000 per month).
The Basic Long Term Disability plan pays a benefit of 60% of salary, up to a maximum benefit of $1,000 a month. If your annual salary is more than $20,000, you may elect to purchase Optional Long Term Disability to provide additional coverage for your salary in excess of $20,000 per year.
This coverage is designed to provide total disability income up to a maximum benefit of $5,000 per month (based on an annual salary of $100,000). As with the Basic Long Term Disability plan, your benefits are designed to coordinate with other forms of disability payments, such as Social Security and Workers' Compensation, so that you will receive a total income of 60% of your base salary.
If you choose the optional coverage, you pay the additional premium. Disability benefits paid from the basic insurance are taxable, but benefits paid from the optional insurance are not taxable.
Flexible spending accounts allow you to annually contribute a portion of your salary to an individualized account before federal, state, and social security taxes are calculated. You may then be reimbursed from that account for eligible health, dental or dependent care expenses. The advantage of establishing a flexible spending account is that it allows you to reduce your taxes while increasing your spendable income. The types of flexible spending accounts are:
Employees may elect to continue their Medical/Dental/Life insurance if they meet eligibility:
For more information, contact Human Resource Services.
All UALR employees on one-half time (50%) or greater appointment are eligible to participate in the University's retirement program. You have 31 days from your date of hire to choose one of the available retirement plans. If you do not make a choice within that time period, you will be automatically enrolled in the TIAA/CREF program on a non-contributory basis. The plans are described below:
I. Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA/CREF) -- Under this plan, you may choose to contribute a part of your salary.
| A. | Non-contributory |
| If you choose not to contribute, UALR contributes an amount equal to 5% of your base salary. | |
| B. | Contributory |
| If you choose to contribute in excess of 5% of your salary, UALR will match your contribution up to 10%. Your contribution may be made on a "salary reduction" (before tax) or "salary deduction" (after tax) basis. |
II. Fidelity Investments -- Under this plan, you may choose to contribute a part of your salary.
| A. | Non-contributory |
| If you choose not to contribute, UALR contributes an amount equal to 5% of your base salary. | |
| B. | Contributory |
| If you choose to contribute in excess of 5% of your salary, UALR will match your contribution up to 10%. Your contribution may be made on a "salary reduction" (before tax) or "salary deduction" (after tax) basis. |
III. Arkansas Public Employees Retirement Systems (PERS)
This system is automatically non-contributory unless you were enrolled on a contributory basis with some other state agency/institution before coming to work at UALR. UALR contributes an amount equal to 10% of your base salary whether you are enrolled on a contributory or a non-contributory basis.
IV. Arkansas Teacher's Retirement System (ATRS)
Employees transferring to UALR from an agency where they were enrolled in ATRS may continue in the contributory or non-contributory option. This option only applies to employees transferring to UALR who are enrolled in ATRS. Employees who elect this option must continue to participate in the same ATRS (contributory or non-contributory) option.UALR will contribute 12% percent of your base salary.
For more information contact Human Resource Services.
As a UALR employee, you are covered by the Federal Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance System. Social Security tax is paid by you through withholding a percentage of your gross salary. UALR also pays an equal amount to your credit. The percentage of salary withholding for Social Security is subject to change due to Congressional action.
If you have any questions about benefits under the Social Security System, contact the Social Security Administration.
In certain circumstances, you are eligible for unemployment compensation benefits when no longer employed by the University. You may file a claim at any local Employment Security Division Office.
You should notify your supervisor immediately if you are the victim of any job-related injury or occupational disease. You may be entitled to benefits under the Public Employee Claim Act.
All UALR Workers' Compensation claims are processed and submitted to the Public Employee Claims Division of the Arkansas Insurance Department through Human Resource Services. The procedure outlined below establishes uniform guidelines to be followed by UALR employees. Supervisors are responsible for seeing that the procedure is followed.
You may get copies of all forms mentioned above in Human Resource Services. Send completed forms to Human Resource Services as soon as possible after an accident occurs. These forms must be completed before any payment of medical expenses or compensation can be made by the Public Employee Claims Division. The Public Employee Claims Division will make a determination of benefits eligibility after it has received all forms, medical reports and itemized statements of charges. Whenever you receive a statement about an on-the-job injury, it is your responsibility to see that Human Resource Services receives the itemized statement or a copy.
According to the Public Employee Claims Act, compensation to injured employees is not allowed for the first seven calendar days of disability due to an injury, excluding the day of injury. If a disability lasts longer than that period, compensation starts with the eighth calendar day of disability. If the disability lasts for a period of two weeks, compensation begins the first day of disability, excluding the day of injury.
Eligibility for payments to the dependent of a deceased employee or to an injured employee with temporary partial disability, permanent partial disability or permanent disability is determined by the Workers' Compensation Commission.
If you should require time off for an injury suffered on the job, your supervisor is to immediately notify Human Resource Services of the date you return to work. After receiving notification, Human Resource Services will complete an Employer's Supplemental Report of Injury Form (Form E) and submit it to the Public Employee Claims Division. This form is also used if the original report did not show time lost and you are later unable to work.