Benefits Overview for Temporary Employees

Welcome to the University of Alaska!

Below you will find information on your benefits as a temporary employee in category (1) hired at 29 hours per week or less or category (2) hired at 30+ hours per week. Temporary employees are eligible for certain benefits depending on the nature of the position and which category the position falls. If you have questions about what benefits you are eligible for, please reach out to your HR Coordinator or to ua-benefits@alaska.edu.

Hired at less than 29 hours per week

Hired at 30+ hours per week

Temporary Employees Hired at Less than 29 Hours Per Week

Definition

Temporary employees that are expected to work up to 29 hours per week.

Eligibility

Temporary employees who are expected to work 29 hours per week or less are not eligible for health care benefits unless they work an average of 30+ hours per week (130 hours per month) over the previous 6 months.

If a temporary employee is expected to work 29 hours per week or less at hire, but actually works an average of 30 hours per week (130 hours per month) over their first 6 months of employment, they are eligible for coverage for the next 6 months as long as they are actively working at UA. After the 6 month period is over, the employee will need to meet the hour requirements over the previous 6 months again in order to maintain coverage for the next 6 months.

A member of the benefits team will notify temporary employees and their HR Coordinators via email with information and a form to enroll if they are eligible.

For example, if a temporary employee was hired in January to work 29 hours per week or less, they are not eligible for coverage in January when they are hired. From January - June, this employee works an average of 32 hours per week. This employee would then receive an opportunity to enroll in coverage from July - December. If this employee continues to work 30+ hours per week from July - December, they will be given an opportunity to continue their coverage in January - June of the following year. If this employee's hours reduce to 27 hours per week between July - December, then the coverage the employee had will cease in December.

Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage (if eligible)

The University of Alaska offers three medical plans (Premium, Basic, and HDHP) and two dental plans (Premium and Basic) through Premera. We offer one vision plan through VSP. Employees can enroll themselves and their dependents in any combination of the three plans. Since our plans are unbundled, you can enroll in the coverage that you need! Dependents can only be enrolled in coverage if the employee is enrolled in that same coverage.

For more information, please review the medical webpage, dental webpage, and vision webpage. If you find you need additional assistance, please contact TouchCare as they can help you choose which plan may be right for you.

Due Dates & Coverage Dates

If you are eligible for coverage, you will have no more than 30 days to enroll from the date you are considered eligible.

What happens if a temporary employee becomes eligible and doesn't submit a form to enroll in coverage?

If you do not submit a form within 30 days of notification of eligibility, you will automatically waive your right to health care coverage unless you experience a qualifying life event.

Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA)

As a temporary employee you are eligible to participate in a Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) retirement plan. More information on the TDA can be found on our TDA webpage.

Other Included Benefits

Excluded Benefits

Regardless of hours worked and health care eligibility, temporary employees are not eligible to participate in:

Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance
Sick leave
Annual leave or Faculty Time Off (FTO)
Parental leave
Short and long-term disability
PERS, TRS, ORP, or UA Pension Plan retirements
Tuition waiver
Wellness plan

Rehired Retiree - Bona Fide Retirement

If you are an employee who is re-entering the workforce after retirement from a PERS or TRS plan with the State of Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits (DRB), you must meet the bona fide termination regulations.

You cannot return to work in any capacity with the same employer from which you retired for at least 6 months if under 62 years old at retirement or 60 days if over 62 years old at retirement.
There can be no pre-arranged return to work agreement - either written or verbal.

If you have retired from PERs or TRS and are returning to the workforce, please reach out to the DRB at 1-800-821-2251 to see how this will affect you. The DRB also provides bona fide retirement resources on their website.

Temporary Employees Hired at 30+ Hours Per Week

Definition

Temporary employees that are expected to work at least 30 hours per week on a regular basis at the time of hire.

Eligibility

Temporary employees that are expected to work at least 30 hours per week on a regular basis at the time of hire are eligible at the time of hire.

Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

Due Dates & Coverage Dates

You will have no more than 30 days to enroll from from your start date. Coverage can begin on the first day of employment. To qualify for first-day coverage, a new temporary employee must submit their form by 5:00pm on the Thursday prior to the end of their first pay period. If a form is not submitted by that deadline, coverage will begin on the first day of the pay period in which you submit your form.

Review the chart of pay periods to see when your coverage will begin based on what pay period you submit your form.

How to Enroll in Coverage

A member of the benefits team will notify temporary employees and their HR Coordinators via email of their health care eligibility and provide a due date, form, and instructions on how to enroll.

To enroll in a UA Choice Health Care Plan for you and your dependents, please complete the temporary employee enrollment form via NextGen (must have UA login credentials to access forms) within 30 days from your start date.

You must have supporting documentation to provide proof of relationship at time of enrollment. For information on a Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP), please review the FIP Statement and FIP Form.
If you do not make a selection within the 30 day election period, you will automatically waive your right to health care coverage.
You must remain employed to maintain coverage.

What happens if a temporary employee doesn't submit a form to enroll in coverage?

If you do not submit a form within the first 30 days of employment, you will automatically waive your right to health care coverage unless you experience a qualifying life event.

Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA)

As an extended temporary employee, you are eligible to participate in a Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) retirement plan. More information on the TDA can be found on our TDA webpage.