Prospective Employees
Find out how the benefits package helps makes the University of Alaska a great place
to work!
Prospective Employees
Considering working with the University of Alaska? Review the high level overview
of UA's benefits package to find out what makes UA a great place to work. Detailed information on all benefits can be found on our main benefits webpage or by reviewing the Enrollment Guide below.
The Enrollment Guide provides more detail on all of the benefits under Health Care
Coverages, Insurances, and Employee Wellness & Support.
Questions?
If there are questions on the benefits provided below, please reach out to UA Benefits
at ua-benefits@alaska.edu or (907) 450-8242.
Temporary Employees
Temporary employees should review our
temporary employee page for detailed information on what benefits are available and when.
Health Care Coverages
The University has the following options for medical, dental, and vision coverage:
Medical Plans
- Premium medical
- Basic medical
- HDHP
- Opt-out (if have coverage elsewhere)
Dental Plans
- Premium dental
- Basic dental
- Opt out
Vision Plans
- Vision
- Opt out
Eligibility
All benefit-eligible employees who are working at least 20 hours per week can enroll
themselves, their spouse/Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP), and their children
in any combination of medical, dental, and vision. (A FIP is a non-married spouse FIP Explanation Document and requires the FIP form to be completed. Covered FIPs and covered children of FIPs are a post-tax benefit.)
Enrolling in Coverage
New benefit-eligible employees have 30 days after their first day of employment to
enroll in medical, dental, or vision. They can also choose to opt out. Forms and information
are provided to new employees from our benefits department.
Coverage Begins
Coverage can begin on an employee's first day of work as long as the enrollment form
is submitted by 5:00pm on the Thursday immediately prior to the end of their first
pay period. Forms submitted after the first pay period, but within the 30 day requirement,
will have coverage start on the first day of the pay period in which the form is submitted.
Additional Premera Programs
The University of Alaska - in partnership with Premera - offers multiple other benefits
including telehealth providers; mental and behavioral health with TalkSpace and BrightLine;
Livongo for diabetes, hypertension, and weight management; BoulderCare for opioid
use insurance; traveling for certain health care services, and more!
TouchCare
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!
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
The University of Alaska provides FSA and HSAs to qualified benefit eligible employees.
1. Health Care FSA (HC FSA) for medical charges
2. Dependent Care FSA (DC FSA) for daycare charges
3. Limited Purpose FSA (LP FSA) for dental and vision charges in conjunction with
an HSA
4. HSA with a qualified HDHP
Retirement
The University of Alaska has the following retirement account options for employees
depending on the nature of their position and past service with the University or
the State of Alaska:
Required Retirement Accounts
1. Staff - Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
2. Faculty - Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
3. Executives / Faculty - Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)*
*Staff may be eligible if previously worked at UA while contributing to the ORP.
UA Pension Plan*
The University of Alaska contributes 7.65% of an employee's salary (up to $52,000
maximum salary) each year. This account is made up of employer contributions only (no employee contributions).
*Not applicable for all employees
Voluntary Retirement Accounts
1. Tax-deferred 403(b)
2. Roth 403(b)
3. 457(b) - executives only
These accounts are made up of employee contributions only.
Insurances
The University of Alaska offers the following insurance account options for employees
depending on their needs:
Life Insurance (Securian)
Basic Life Insurance
Provided at no cost to the employee to cover the employee in the amount of $100,000.
Supplemental Life Insurance
Available for purchase through post-tax payroll deduction. Covers the employee's choice
of self, spouse/Financially Interdependent Partner (FIP) and/or children.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
Available for purchase through post-tax payroll deduction. Covers the employee's choice
of self-only or family.
MASA Air and Ground Ambulance
The University of Alaska partners with MASA to provide employees with supplemental
emergency air and ground transportation through MASA. This is a unique plan built
for UA employees that covers emergency transportation reimbursement along with an
indemnity plan.
Benefit Enhancement Program - Powered by Corestream
The Benefit Enhancement Program - Powered by Corestream provides discounts to UA employees for Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Identity Theft Insurance,
Legal Insurance, and Pet Insurance.
Employee Wellness & Support
Wellness Program
The University of Alaska provides a Wellness Program for employees and their spouses/Financially Interdependent Partners (FIPs) to earn
money back on their medical premiums. Employees and their spouses/FIPs are eligible
for up to a $600 rebate each if the program is completed individually.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
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 (Securian)
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.
Time Off
UA Paid Holidays
- 12 paid holidays each calendar year
- Observes a hard closure during the business days between Christmas and New Years (unpaid)
- Covers employee salary when serving on Jury Duty (separate from employee leave banks)
- Provides up to 16.5 days of paid leave for Military Leave (separate from employee
leave banks)
Annual Leave
Staff begin accruing annual leave immediately at 5.54 hours per pay period with a cap of 240 hours per fiscal year.
One personal holiday per fiscal year is also awarded after the employee's first 6 months.
Faculty Time Off (FTO)
Eligible faculty typically receive 120 hours of Faculty Time Off (FTO) each academic year. This information is outlined in the Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) and appointment letter.
Sick Leave
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.
Medical Leave
Family Medical Leave (FML)
Family Medical Leave (FML) provides unpaid job protected leave for employees who need
to be absent for their own serious health condition or to care for an immediate family
member with a serious health condition.
Paid Parental Leave
Employees who are welcoming a new addition to their family 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.
Short-term and Long-term Disability (Unum)
The University of Alaska provides both Short-term and Long-term Disability to all benefit-eligible employees at no charge. This helps cover lost wages due to a
serious health conditions that keeps employees from working.
Leave Share Program
The Leave Share Program allows employees to donate their sick leave to another employee
who is on approved Family Medical Leave (FML) and is experiencing leave without pay.
Education Benefits
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.
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.
Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical leave is available to faculty to enrich their studies.
