PA Studies Faculty Benefits Guide

This guide has been designed to assist our PA Studies Faculty with understanding the rich benefit program that the State of Florida, University of Florida, and College of Medicine (COM) has to offer.

UF College of Medicine Human Resources
Email: HR@comfs.ufl.edu
Website: https://hr.med.ufl.edu/

1. Employee Benefits and Retirement Overview

If you are covered under your spouse’s benefits either through UF or another employer, you may choose to waive coverage. Please contact COM HR if you need assistance.

For salaried employees working fewer than 0.75 FTE: You are eligible to participate in all plans offered under the State of Florida / PeopleFirst upon hire, but pay a prorated share of the health and life insurance employer premium based on the FTE, plus the employee share. Contact the COM-HR team for assistance with calculating the monthly premiums.

Employee Benefits Overview – PA Studies Faculty

Notes:

1. Positions working fewer than 0.75 FTE: Employees in these positions are eligible to participate in all plans offered but pay a prorated share of the health and life insurance employer premium based on the FTE, plus their employee share.
2. If you have a qualifying status change (QSC) such as birth/adoption of a child, marriage, divorce, etc., please contact COM-HR at HR@comfs.ufl.edu for assistance in changing your benefits.

Retirement Options – PA Studies Faculty

2. UFSelect Insurances: GatorCare Premium

Dedicated GatorCare Representative
Phone: 352-733-9200
Email: GatorCareCSR@bcbsfl.com
Website: https://gatorcare.org/

The Premium plan offers you three network tier options:

GatorCare Premium network tiers

For additional information, review the plan documents at https://gatorcare.org/plans/com-gnv/.

For all additional insurances (dental, vision, life, etc.), see the College of Medicine PA Studies Faculty Benefits and Additional Insurances resource. (Link the “Benefits and Additional Insurances” video/page here.)

Prescriptions are managed through Prime Therapeutics: https://gatorcare.primetherapeutics.com/

Domestic Partnership Coverage: COM PA Studies Faculty are only eligible for GatorCare plans if they are covering a domestic partner. If you are not married but have been in a committed relationship with a domestic partner for at least six months, you may be eligible to enroll your partner in coverage. For assistance with enrollment, please contact the COM-HR team.

3. UFSelect Supplemental Plan

AD&D, Disability, and Life (The Standard)

• You may elect Voluntary Term Life and AD&D insurance for yourself as well as for your spouse/domestic partner and dependent children.
• Employees may elect from $10,000 to $800,000 in Voluntary Term Life and AD&D insurance in increments of $10,000. The new hire Guarantee Issue amount (amount without evidence of insurability) is $300,000.* During each open enrollment period, employees may increase coverage without evidence of insurability by $10,000, up to the plan maximum of $800,000, as long as the employee has not been previously declined for a Life Insurance increase by The Standard.
• For a spouse/domestic partner, an employee may elect from $5,000 to $400,000 in Voluntary Term Life and AD&D insurance in increments of $5,000.
• For an eligible child, an employee may elect from $5,000 to $25,000 in Voluntary Term Life and AD&D insurance in increments of $5,000.*
• When an employee turns 76, Employee coverage reduces to $10,000 on the January 1 coinciding with or next following their 76th birthday. Spouse and child coverage if applicable will also reduce to $10,000 at that time, as it cannot exceed 100% of the employee amount.

Voluntary disability insurance from Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) is designed to pay a benefit to you in the event you can’t work because of a covered illness or injury. This benefit replaces a portion of your income, thus helping you to meet your financial commitments in a time of need.

• Under this plan you may choose one of two options: The 30-day plan begins paying benefits after 30 days. The first 60 days of benefits are paid on a weekly basis. Following 60 days of benefits, beginning on day 90, benefits are paid on a monthly basis.
• The 90-day plan begins paying benefits on a monthly basis after 90 days.
• The disability benefit is based on your earnings from your employer.

The benefit under this plan is determined as follows:

• 66 2/3% of the first $22,500 of your monthly predisability earnings, reduced by deductible income.
• The maximum monthly benefit is $15,000.
• The minimum monthly benefit is the greater of $100, or 10% of your LTD benefit before reduction by deductible income.
• Benefits pay from the end of the elimination period until Social Security Normal Retirement Age (SSNRA), as long as you meet the definition of disability as specified in the policy.

The Standard
Christine D’Angelo, National Accounts Consultant
Phone: 813-878-0283
Email: Christine.Dangelo@standard.com
Website: https://www.standard.com/

Preferred Legal Plan

Schedule of Benefits includes:

• Divorce
• Child Support, Custody and Visitation
• Traffic Tickets / Suspended Licenses / DUI
• Credit Repair
• Loan Modifications / Foreclosures
• Bankruptcy
• Wills / Powers of Attorney / Living Wills
• Revocable Living Trusts
• Identity Theft Services
• Buying or Selling a Home
• IRS Issues
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
• Probate
• Garnishments
• Civil Litigation / Small Claims
• HOA / Condo Disputes
• Immigration
• Personal Injury
• Criminal Defense
• Domestic Violence
• Car Accidents

Member Benefits include:

• Free unlimited legal advice via phone consultation
• Free review of legal documents (real estate contracts, lease agreements, court papers, etc.)
• Free letters and phone calls on your behalf to third parties to resolve disputes
• Free credit repair and settling of accounts in collection
• Free identity theft protection and restoration
• Free loan modification assistance and foreclosure defense
• Free face-to-face initial consultations with local attorneys
• Free wills for member and spouse or domestic partner (powers of attorney and living wills also available)
• Free legal forms available through the Form Library (bills of sale, court forms, promissory notes, contracts, affidavits, etc.)
• Free notary services
• 40% to 70% reduced legal fees for panel attorney representation
• Comprehensive legal coverage (including all divorce, child support and custody issues)
• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access
• All pre-existing issues are covered
• Spouse (or domestic partner), dependent children and entire household covered
• Unlimited, immediate use of membership
• All communications strictly confidential
• Florida-based plan. Out-of-state assistance available.

Preferred Legal Plan
Phone: 1-888-577-3476
Website: www.preferredlegal.com

4. How to Enroll in UFSelect

UF College of Medicine, UFSelect Enrollment Instructions.

1. Log in to the myUFL System. Visit the myUFL system at my.ufl.edu. Enter your Gatorlink username and password. After you log into the portal, use the following navigation: Main Menu > My Self Service > Benefits > Benefits Enrollment.
2. Access Your Open Event. Click the Select button next to the open event (for example, new hire, marriage, birth). Elections must be completed within 60 days from your event date, which is displayed on the page. In the fall, an event for Open Enrollment will also be made available. Elections made during Open Enrollment are effective January 1.
3. Select Your Benefits. Click the Edit button next to each plan to review your coverage options and to add or remove dependents/beneficiaries if applicable. The “Election Summary” section displayed at the bottom of the page reflects any plan selections you make, along with the total biweekly costs.
4. Add Dependent/Beneficiary Information. Select a plan to add or remove dependent information. For security, UF’s Privacy Office requires validation of your SSN and date of birth to complete the entry. On the dependent page you must enter the date of birth and SSN for each dependent, along with the required fields indicated by an asterisk. On life plans, your beneficiaries do not need the SSN. Missing dependent information will delay your coverage.
5. Select Dependent Coverage / Assign Beneficiaries. After adding dependents, follow the hyperlinks on each page to return to your Enrollment Session. From the Dependent/Beneficiary list, you MUST select each person in order to enroll them in coverage or assign them as a beneficiary. Click the Update Elections button to store your selections and return to the Enrollment Summary page to review other plan options.
6. Submit Your Enrollment Selections. Verify that your benefit selections are complete and accurate. Finalize your enrollment by clicking the Submit button. Coverage is assigned to begin on your event date (see Step 2). Once you click Submit, your elections are final and no other changes can be made.

Please note, you can save your progress by clicking the Update Elections button. After you click the Submit button, your selections are final and can only be changed during Open Enrollment or if you have a Qualified Event.

5. State of Florida Insurance: PPO & HMO Options

PeopleFirst Service Center
Phone: 866-663-4735, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET
Website: https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/health

State of Florida health plan comparison (network services)

The state contributes $41.66/month for single coverage (up to $500/year) and $83.33/month for family coverage (up to $1,000/year).

• * Comparison of Network Services only. (Non-Network is available for the PPO Plan, however it is more costly.)
• ** Cost per month based on a full-time, 1.0 FTE employee.
• *** Only after CYD (Calendar Year Deductible).

For all additional state insurances (dental, vision, life, etc.), see the College of Medicine PA Studies Faculty Benefits and Additional Insurances resource. (Link the “Benefits and Additional Insurances” video/page here.)

For the Summary Plan Description (SPD), refer to: https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/myhealth/publications_and_resources

Spouse Program: If you and your spouse work for a State of Florida agency, you may be eligible to participate in the State’s Spouse Program. Contact the COM-HR team for enrollment assistance.

6. State of Florida Life Insurance (MetLife)

MetLife
Phone: 844-222-9104
Website: https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/myhealth/life_insurance_plans

Basic Term Life Insurance Coverage

A free, basic group term life insurance benefit of $25,000 is available to all full-time employees. Eligible part-time employees pay prorated premiums based on their FTE. This coverage is provided at no cost to full-time employees and all full-time employees are automatically enrolled upon their hire date. This coverage is portable by the employee paying the full cost once you have terminated.

Optional Term Life Insurance Coverage

Salaried employees enrolled in basic life insurance coverage can also elect additional term life insurance. Benefit amounts between 1 and 7 times base annual earnings, up to a maximum of $1,000,000 are available. Medical underwriting may be required.

Your optional life insurance premium will increase the month before (for coverage for the month of) your birthday when you change age bands. Your optional life insurance premium will change as the result of a change in annual salary on the effective date of the change in salary.

Guaranteed issue coverage gives you the option to purchase life insurance without providing evidence of insurability (EOI). This means you won’t be turned down for medical reasons. Guaranteed issue coverage may be available during annual open enrollment periods, qualified family status changes and when first eligible to enroll in your life insurance plan. If you apply for coverage above the guaranteed amount and are declined due to health reasons, you will still receive the guaranteed amount.

Optional Dependent Spouse Term Life Insurance Coverage

All employees enrolled in basic term life insurance may elect and pay for dependent spouse coverage. Spouses may be enrolled in either a $15,000 or $20,000 benefit. Dependent spouse coverage is guaranteed issue if elected when the spouse first becomes eligible.

Optional Dependent Child Term Life Insurance Coverage

All employees enrolled in basic term life insurance may elect and pay for dependent child coverage. The benefit for this coverage option is $10,000. The premium for dependent child coverage is $0.85 per month for all eligible children. Coverage is guaranteed issue.

7. State of Florida Supplemental Insurance

All pricing is specific to the individual employee. Please contact the provider for monthly premiums.

Accident

Helps you pay the following types of expenses when injured during a covered accident:

• Expensive medical treatment for broken bones and dislocations, or physical therapy.
• Crutches, wheelchairs or other medical aids you may need as a result of your accident.
• Copays and deductibles.

Provider: Colonial Life (Colonial Insurance Company), 888-756-6701

Cancer

Depending on the plan you choose, supplemental benefits for:

• Cancer diagnosis and treatment, including certain screening tests.
• Procedures and treatments you may require to care for your cancer.

Providers:

• Aflac (through Capital Insurance Agency), 800-780-3100
• Colonial Life (Colonial Insurance Company), 888-756-6701

Disability

Helps supplement your income during short-term disability to help you pay the following expenses:

• Mortgage or rent payments, utility bills and other household expenses.
• Food, clothing and other necessities.
• Copayments and health costs not covered under other plans.
• Travel and lodging expenses for treatment.

Provider: Colonial Life (Colonial Insurance Company), 888-756-6701

Hospitalization

Daily cash payments when you are hospitalized.

Providers:

• Cigna (through Capital Insurance Agency), 800-780-3100
• New Era (through State Securities Corp.), 800-277-2300

Hospital Intensive Care

Daily benefit for confinement in a hospital intensive care or a sub-acute intensive care unit.

Provider: Aflac (through Capital Insurance Agency), 800-780-3100

Flexible Spending Account

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lets you use pretax payroll deductions to pay for eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses, helping reduce your taxable income.

Provider: Chard Snyder Service Center, 1-855-824-9284. For more information, please visit https://www.chard-snyder.com/.

8. How to Enroll in State Insurance

State of Florida Enrollment Instructions, PeopleFirst Service Center, 1-866-663-4735.

1. Log on to https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com. Note: Certain web browsers are not supported on this site. Disable the pop-up blocker on your browser before you begin.
2. Enter your ID and password. User ID (7-digit ID number): You can obtain it by calling 866-663-4735 or by going to MyUFL.edu > Main Menu > My Self Service > My Benefits > PFID and Beneficiary. If you have not established a password before, use: PeopleFirstMMDDYYYY! For example, a 1/1/70 date of birth would be PeopleFirst01011970!
3. Change your password and complete three security questions. Click the “Save and Logon” button to proceed with enrollment. Click on the People First Password Guidelines link and review. Passwords must follow the delineated criteria to be approved.
4. Select the Change My Benefits link to begin your enrollment. You may view your benefits summary, premium history, dependent information, etc. by accessing the links on this page any time during the year.
5. Select your qualifying event. This screen displays your event (hire, open enrollment, etc.) and your deadline to enroll in benefits.
6. Register/validate eligible dependents if applicable. Name, birth date, social security number, etc. are required for each entry. This list is used later to attach dependents onto your plans. Detailed instructions can be found in the People First Dependent Certification Process guide. (If enrolling in individual coverage, skip this section and go to the next step.)
7. Click Add to select a plan or Cancel to remove a plan. Select dependents for each plan if applicable.
8. Verify your selections and any dependents if added. Coverage is assigned based on the payroll cycle. Health is the only plan that provides an option to request an earlier coverage date for new hires.
9. Enter your password and click the Complete Enrollment button to finalize your elections. No other changes are permitted until the next open enrollment period or if you have a qualified event. Print the confirmation sheet for your records.

Note: Once you have enrolled in your benefits, your information will be transmitted to the vendor within 1-2 weeks of the effective date. If you need to access care and have not received your ID card, please contact People First at 866-663-4735.

9. Mandatory Retirement Plan

403(b) SUSORP: State University System Optional Retirement Program

Florida Retirement System
Phone: 866-446-9377
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET
Website: https://www.myfrs.com/

The ORP is a defined contribution plan qualified under section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code administered by the Florida Department of Management Services. The department contracts with four Investment Provider Companies to offer a variety of mutual funds and annuities to university personnel. The benefits are determined by performance of the participants’ investment choices funded by employer contributions and employee contributions.

Employer contributions in the ORP are at the rate of 5.14% and a mandatory employee contribution of 3% will automatically be withdrawn from your salary.

Voluntary employee contributions are permitted up to 5.14% of biweekly earnings.

All four investment providers are approved and contracted under the State University Optional Retirement Program (SUSORP). Employees may confidently choose any of the available vendors. However, selecting a vendor and managing investment decisions is the employee’s responsibility.

COM Retirement Investment Providers (choose one):

• CoreBridge Financial (AIG/Valic)
• Equitable
• TIAA
• Voya

To enroll in your 403(b) State University System Optional Retirement Program, follow these steps:

1. Contact an investment provider listed above and open an account.
2. Email the completed Mandatory Optional Retirement Program Enrollment Form to UF Benefits at benefits@ufl.edu (without your SSN) within 90 calendar days from hire.

10. Voluntary Retirement Plan

403(b) Plans & 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The University of Florida offers voluntary retirement savings plans, the 403(b) and 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan, to help employees supplement their core retirement benefits. These optional, employee-funded plans allow you to contribute through payroll deductions on a pre-tax and/or Roth (after-tax) basis, subject to IRS limits. While there is no employer contribution, both plans offer valuable tax advantages and flexible investment options. Employees may contribute to one or both plans, and because each has separate IRS limits, participating in both can significantly enhance long-term retirement savings.

University of Florida 403(b) Plan (Tax-Deferred or After-Tax Roth), through Fidelity: https://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/retirement/plans/voluntary-403b/

457 Deferred Compensation Plan: https://www.myfloridacfo.com/DeferredComp/

Bureau of Deferred Compensation
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET
Toll-Free: 877-299-8002
Fax: 850-488-7186
Address: 200 East Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Email: DeferredCompensation@MyFloridaCFO.com

All contributions are subject to IRS guidelines. Please find current limits here: https://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/retirement/enrollment/plan-limits/

11. UF Leave

UF College of Medicine.

As an employee at UF, you are entitled to the following leave options. Leave accruals are prorated based on an employee’s FTE. Rates below are for 1.0 FTE, 12-month employees. Please speak with your supervisor regarding departmental leave policies and tracking processes.

Sick Leave

• Full-time faculty members accrue 4 hours biweekly (roughly 13 days/year) of sick leave. There is no limit on total hours accrued. Sick leave must be earned before being taken.
• There is no cash-out option for sick leave.
• UF’s Sick Leave Pool is a way for employees to combine a portion of their individually accrued sick leave for collective use. Enrollment into the Sick Leave Pool occurs each October. More information: https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/time-away/sick-leave/

Vacation Leave

• Full-time faculty members on 12-month appointments accrue annual leave at the rate of 6.769 hours biweekly (roughly 22 days/year).
• Upon resignation or retirement, an employee may have a lifetime cash-out up to 200 hours of annual vacation leave.

Paid Holidays

Full-time faculty members are eligible for 11 paid holidays each year. All full-time leave-accruing Academic Personnel, TEAMS, and USPS employees earn 8 hours of holiday pay as long as they are in pay status for a reasonable portion of their last regularly scheduled workday before the holiday. The holiday schedule is available at: https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/time-away/holidays/

December Personal Leave

Full-time faculty members earn 4 additional days of leave which are credited to their account in December of each year. These days are typically used between December 26th and 31st. However, due to department staffing needs, these days will be available for use until the end of the current fiscal year (June 30th).

FMLA Leave (unpaid)

The University of Florida values its employees and recognizes the challenges employees can face when it comes to balancing work and personal responsibilities, particularly when those responsibilities are related to the employee’s own health and the health of loved ones. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons. To be eligible for FMLA, you must have at least 12 months of employment with UF, worked at least 1,250 hours for UF during the 12 months prior to starting FMLA leave, and not exhausted your current entitlement.

Paid Family Leave

UF Paid Family Leave provides up to 8 weeks of paid family leave in a rolling 24-month period for full-time faculty and staff, as a mechanism to provide for work-life integration and protection against income loss in times of major life events. These 8 weeks count towards your FMLA entitlement. Employees can use this time in one of two ways:

1. Parental: to cover absences related to parental leave (birth, adoption, fostering).
2. Medical: a personal illness/injury, or an immediate family member’s illness/injury.

Employees are not required to exhaust their accrued leave in order to use this benefit.

For questions regarding leave, please contact the UFHR Central Leave team at central-leave@ufl.edu or (352) 392-2477.

12. Wellness Benefits

Employee Assistance Program

University of Florida faculty, staff, graduate assistants, non-student OPS employees, housestaff/residents, and postdoc associates who live within the State of Florida, as well as their spouses or domestic partners, are eligible for six free counseling sessions (per presenting concern) with one of three dedicated therapists.

BabyGator

UF Early Childhood Collaboratory has three centers on campus that serve infants ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Our centers are NAEYC accredited, offer VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten), and are school readiness centers.

Employee Education Program

The Employee Education Program, or EEP, is an opportunity funded by university resources that enables full-time eligible staff and faculty employees who have been employed in good standing for at least six months to receive tuition assistance for up to six credit hours of instruction per semester at the state university closest to their work location.