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New Employee

Welcome to UC Merced!

We are glad to have you join our community and team here at the Merced Campus. As you begin your new position, you will likely need to make some important choices about your benefits. Please review the information provided to help you make your selections and research what benefits fit best for your situation.

 

Newly Hired, Benefits Eligible Employee

Please review the following:

  • Welcome Kit (PDF) 
    • Includes "Your Benefits at a Glance", "A Complete Guide to your UC Health and Welfare Benefits", "Which Medical Plan is Right for You?", Retirement Benefits Decision Guide, "Retirement Benefits Decision Guide for Rehired or Newly Eligible Employees Who Worked for UC before July 1, 2014 and Former CalPERS-Covered Employees.", and A Complete Guide to your UC Retirement Benefits". 
    • The packet UC Path sends out to new employees to assist with information on how to choose benefits.
  • Attend a live UCPath Benefits Webinar
    • An expert from UCPath will walk you through the important - and time-sensitive - benefits decisions you'll make when you join UC. Webinars are tailored for employees eligible for full, mid-level, or core health and welfare benefits and are available live and prerecorded for your convenience. 
  • Check out ALEX 
    • This is your online personal benefits counselor that can help you choose between a variety of medical plans, UC-paid dental and vision coverage and supplemental options. ALEX can personalize results to your specific situation (bargaining contract, eligibility, pay band) to give you an accurate view of premiums. 
  • Enroll for Benefits through UCPath
    • All benefits enrollments are done on UC Path. Log into your UC Path online and go to "Benefits and Retirement - Health and Welfare Benefits - Select My Benefits" to enroll. You can view your elections at "View My Benefits Summary".
  • Verify Family Members eligibility for benefits   
    • The UC requires all faculty, staff, and retirees who enroll family members in a UC health and welfare plan to provide documents to verify their family members' eligibility for coverage. Unify HR administers this verification process for the UC.
  • Choose your primary retirements (if applicable)
    • If you are eligible, you have 90 days to choose between the pension or saving choice for your primary retirement benefits. The sooner you enroll, the sooner you can start receiving UC contributions and service credit. You will be automatically enrolled in the Pension Choice if you do not choose within the 90-day window. Review this link to find more information on the plans and how to enroll.

Eligibility 

UC offers three benefits packages:
 

These packages are Full, Mid level and Core. Benefit eligibility depends on the type of job  you have, percentage of time you work, and the length of your appointment. Check out the links below for comprehensive information regarding your eligibility. You can see what you are eligible for by logging on to UC Path. 

Health Plans

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plans: Administered by Anthem Blue Cross

  • PPO plans have contracted PPO providers that are in network whom you can choose to receive care for a lower cost. You can receive out-of-network care at higher cost.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plans: 

Additional Information:

Dental

UC offers two dental plans for employees and eligible family members. 

Vision

Behavioral Health

UC's medical coverage includes behavioral health benefits

Supplemental Health Plans

UC offers three supplemental insurance options — Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity plans administered by Prudential.  Supplemental health plans are not substitutes for medical or disability coverage, but they can provide an extra layer of financial protection against the unexpected. 

Disability, Life & Accident Insurance

  • Disability Insurance  
    • UC's basic employer-paid insurance offers a benefit capped at $800 monthly for up to six months.
    • The UC's Voluntary Disability Insurance offers 60% of your eligible pay up to $15,000 per month for a modest monthly premium.
  • Life Insurance 
    • The UC offers a basic level of life insurance at no cost.
    • If you are eligible for mid or full-level benefits, you have the option to purchase additional coverage for yourself or your dependents.
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment 
    • The AD&D plan can help protect you and your family from the financial hardship of a serious accident.
    • The UC offers three coverage options: Self, Family, and Modified Family.
    • You can make changes or enroll at any time.

Legal Insurance

At one time or another you may need legal advice, but high legal fees might prevent you or your family members from getting necessary assistance. UC offers a prepaid legal insurance plan that can help you with routine preventative or defense matters.  See the Legal Plan section of UCnet for more information about Legal Insurance and contact information.
 

Flexible Spending Accounts

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) are administered by WEX
Health FSA allows you to pay for eligible medical expenses for you and your eligible family members
Dependent Care FSA allows UC employees to pay for eligible expenses for care of a child (generally up to age 13) or eligible adult dependent
Additional Information:

Tax Savings on Insurance Premiums (TIP) Plan

The Tax Savings on Insurance Premiums (TIP) program allows you to pay your monthly health plan costs (if any) on a pretax, salary reduction basis. If you have an employee monthly cost for your health plan, you are automatically enrolled in TIP and your salary is reduced by the amount of your monthly cost. This arrangement continues unless you cancel your participation in TIP.  
 
  • For more information about this plan, visit UCnet TIP.

COBRA

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) provides for continued coverage for a certain period of time at applicable monthly COBRA rates for UC employees and their families who lose group health coverage. See the COBRA UCnet page for more information.