Temporary Employee Benefits

 
 

Welcome to the University of Alaska

Below you will find information on your benefits as a temporary employee:

(1) hired to work 29 hours per week or less
(2) hired to work 30+ hours per week
(3) benefit breakdown

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, to ua-benefits@alaska.edu, or call (907) 450-8242. 


 

Hired to work 29 hours per week or less

Definition of Position

Hired to work 29 hours per week or less
Temporary employees that are expected to work up to 29 hours per week or less at hire.

Medical, Dental, and Vision Eligibility

Eligible if meet the work requirements
Temporary employees who are expected to work 29 hours per week or less at hire 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.

6 month lookback
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.

How do we notify you of your eligibility?
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.

Example of earning medical, dental, and visions eligibility
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. 

Due Dates and Coverage Dates

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

Coverage dates
Coverage begins on the first day you are eligible (the benefits team will provide this date to you). Coverage will end at the end of the pay period in which you are (1) no longer eligible because you didn't work the required number of hours over the last 6 months or (2) because you have separated from service. 

 


Who is a temporary employee?

A temporary employee is a student, graduate student, adjunct, or temporary. 

Initial COBRA Notice

Please review the COBRA Initial Notice for information on your COBRA rights should you choose to elect a UA Choice Plan.

COBRA Initial Notice

Rehired Retiree

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. 

No form submitted?

If you are eligible for coverage and 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.

 

Hired to work 30+ hours per week

Definition of Position

Hired to work 30+ hours per week or more
Temporary employees that are expected to work 30+ hours per week or more at hire.

Medical, Dental, and Vision Eligibility

Eligible as of first day of work
Temporary employees that are expected to work at least 30 hours per week or more on a regular basis at the time of hire are eligible at the time of hire.

How do we notify you of your eligibility?
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.

Due Dates and Coverage Dates

30 days to enroll
You will have no more than 30 days to enroll from from your start date. 

Coverage dates
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. Coverage will end at the end of the pay period in which you separate service from the university or move to less than 29 hours per week on average. 

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

 


 

Benefit Breakdown

 

Benefits Available to ALL Temporary Employees

Retirement to ALL Temporary Employees

403(b)
As a temporary employee you are eligible to participate in a Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) 403(b) or a Roth 403(b) retirement plan. More information on the 403(b) accounts can be found on our 403(b) webpage.

Benefits Available to Qualified Temporary Employees

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision

 

Benefits Not Available to Temporary Employees

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

Graduate Students

If you are a graduate student who is eligible for health care based on your hours worked, you will receive a notice from UA Benefits. Otherwise, you may have access to health care through your graduate school. Please reach out to them directly to discuss your health care benefits.