Employee Support

FY24 Prospective Employees

Are you a prospective employee who is considering working with the University of Alaska? We offer a robust and comprehensive benefit package to our employees as part of our total compensation strategy. Here we outline our benefits at a high level - including our health and retirement plans, paid time off, and more. More information on our benefits can be found on our main benefits webpage or by reaching out to us at ua-benefits@alaska.edu. Review the benefit package below and learn why the University of Alaska is a great place to work. 

 

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UA Benefits Homepage
Health Care
Retirement
Holidays & Time Off
Education Benefits
University Paid Benefits & Employee Support

HEALTH CARE

Our Plans

We offer comprehensive coverage to include medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision. 

We offer three medical plans:

  1. Premium medical
  2. Basic medical
  3. HDHP medical w/optional HSA
We offer two dental plans:
  1. Premium dental 
  2. Basic dental
We offer one vision plan.

Eligibility and Coverage Dates

All regular full and part time employees working at least 20 hours per week are eligible to enroll themselves and qualifying dependents in Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage. Temporary employees should refer to our temporary employee webpage.

  • Employees have up to 30 days after their first day of employment to enroll in coverage.

  • Coverage begins on an employees first day of work if a new employee benefits form is submitted by 5:00pm on the Thursday prior to the end of their first pay period.

  • You can enroll in any combination of Medical, Dental, and Vision. Choose exactly what coverages your family needs!


TouchCare - Health Care Concierge

The University of Alaska has partnered with TouchCare to answer all your health care questions. Whether you are needing need more clarification on the plans, help picking the best plan for you, or an advocate in your corner when you receive a bill you think may be in error - TouchCare is here for you!

 

Additional Premera Programs

We offer several additional Premera programs through our UA Choice Plans. These include:

  1. Telehealth providers
  2. Mental and behavioral health programs through TalkSpace and Brightline
  3. Substance use disorder assistance 
  4. Diabetes and hypertension management through Livongo

Enroll your FIP!

Our UA Choice Plans allow you to enroll your Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP).

FSA and HSA

We offer three pre-tax accounts to help you optimize your health care dollars:

Enroll in the HC FSA for qualified medical expenses and the DC FSA for daycare expenses. Funds in the FSAs are use-it-or-lose it for each plan year. FSAs are available on all our plans.

Open an HSA and save for the future! HSA is used for qualified medical expenses and the balance always stay with you. HSAs are only available with the HDHP.

*You cannot use your FSA or HSA funds on a FIP.

Wellness Program

Our wellness program is available to UA employees and their spouses/FIPs. Employees and their spouses/FIPs can complete the program for a potential to earn a $600 discount (each!) on their health care deductions for the next plan year. Dependent children are not eligible to participate in the Wellness program.

RETIREMENT

Retirement Accounts

UA has three retirement accounts. Employees are eligible for these accounts depending on the nature of their position (faculty vs. staff). These accounts are made up of employee and employer contributions.

  1. Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
  2. Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
  3. Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)

UA Pension Plan

In addition to PERS, TRS, or ORP, the University of Alaska will also contribute 7.65% of your salary (up to $52,000 maximum salary) each year. This means the university contributes to both your PERS, TRS, or ORP account and to the UA Pension Plan! You will vest in the UA Pension Plan in three calendar years.

403(b) and 457(b)

The university provides payroll deduction to employees who wish to contribute pre-tax dollars to a supplemental 403(b). These accounts are made up of employee contributions only and allows you to supplement your PERS, TRS, or ORP contributions should you wish to set aside more for retirement. 

Executive staff are also eligible to contribute to a 457(b) pending they meet the eligibility requirements.

HOLIDAYS & TIME OFF

Annual Leave and Personal Holiday (staff)

Staff begin accruing annual leave immediately at 5.54 hours per pay period with a cap of 240 hours. One personal holiday per fiscal year is also awarded after the employee's first 6 months.

Faculty Time Off (faculty)

Eligible faculty typically receive 120 hours of Faculty Time Off (FTO) each academic year. This information is outlined in your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and your appointment letter.

Sick Leave (faculty/staff)

Both faculty and staff will begin accruing sick leave immediately at 4.62 hours per pay period. There is no cap on sick leave accrual and there is no monetary value.

 
UA Paid Holidays (faculty/staff)

The University of Alaska observes 12 paid holidays each calendar year. For a full list of holidays, please visit our holidays webpage.

 
Annual Leave Cash-In (faculty/staff)

Eligible employees can cash-in up to 40 hours of their annual leave each year and receive the monetary value on their next available paycheck.

Parental Leave (faculty/staff)

If you are welcoming a new addition to your family, you may be eligible for UA's parental leave. Parental leave offers 5 days of paid leave in the first 6 months after birth or adoption/placement as long as the parent is on FML.

Winter Closure (faculty/staff)

The University of Alaska observes a hard winter closure each year where most non-essential departments are closed during winter break. The university also observes a soft closure where time off for rejuvenation is encouraged. More information on the winter closure can be found on our holidays webpage.

Additional Leaves (faculty/staff)

To help support our civic duty, UA employees are provided with paid Jury Duty Leave. For those in the Military, we provide 16.5 days of  paid Military Duty Leave.

 

EDUCATION BENEFITS

Alaska529

The University of Alaska provides payroll deduction support for employees who wish to open an Alaska529 account to save pre-tax dollars for education purposes.

Tuition Waiver

The tuition waiver is available to all employees immediately, as long as they are employed as of the first day of instruction. Employees can take 8 credits per semester, 16 per year. Dependent children (under the age of 24) and spouses/FIPs receive the tuition waiver with no cap on credits. The tuition waiver can be used at any University of Alaska campus.

Sabbatical Leave

Sabbatical leave is available to faculty to enrich their studies.

UNIVERSITY PAID BENEFITS & EMPLOYEE SUPPORT

Basic Life Insurance

The University of Alaska covers Basic Life Insurance for each benefit-eligible employee in the amount of $100,000. There are buy up options with Supplemental Life (for employee, spouse/FIP, and children) and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) should an employee wish to purchase additional coverage beyond the UA paid Basic.

 

Short-term and Long-term Disability

The University of Alaska provides both Short-term Care (STD) and Long-term Disability (LTD) to all benefit-eligible employees at no charge. This helps cover lost wages due to a serious health conditions that keeps employees from working.

 

ComPsych

The University of Alaska offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through ComPsych. These benefits include short term counseling, career development, and more. Services are typically free of charge and the EAP extends to any member of an employee's family living in their household. 

 

LifeWorks

LifeWorks is provided through Securian, the University of Alaska's Life Insurance vendor, and provides legal counseling, grief counseling, and more. Many of these benefits are free of charge or provided at a reduced rate.