A. Employee Benefits

5.1   Authority. The USNH Human Resources Office shall establish a flexible benefits plan. The plan shall provide faculty/staff members with an opportunity to select coverage and plan features from a variety of medical, dental, life and long-term disability options.

5.1.1   The USNH Human Resources Office shall establish the design, terms and conditions of each plan and shall be responsible for selection and contracting of vendors for the Flexible Benefits Plan.

5.1.2   The USNH Human Resources Office shall establish the conditions and time frames for open enrollment, plan year dates, and Flexible Benefits coverage options.

5.2   Enrollment Coverage

5.2.1   Open Enrollment. Once each year, faculty and staff members will be given the opportunity to make changes or initially select their plan options for medical, dental, life, and long term disability selections. This period is called "open enrollment" and lasts approximately 30 days. It occurs in the fall of each year with new coverage effective on January 1 of the following year.

5.2.1.1   Coverage selections made by a faculty/staff member are irrevocable during the plan year and may be changed only during the annual open enrollment, unless the faculty/staff member has a change in family status as noted in section USY V.A.5.2.2.

5.2.2   Change in Family Status. A change in family status is defined as a marriage, divorce or legal separation, addition of a dependent by birth or adoption, gain or loss of spouse's employment, involuntary loss of spouse's medical coverage, death of a spouse or dependent, change in USNH employment status from part-time to full-time or vice versa, or taking an unpaid leave of absence.

5.2.2.1   Faculty and Staff members must notify USNH of a change in status within 30 days of the qualifying event in order to be eligible to change their coverage selection. Changes in coverage must be consistent with the change in status and, based on proper notification, will be effective on the date of the event.

5.2.3   Change in Percent-Time. Employees who are part-time (74% time or less) and change to full time employment will be permitted to participate in the Flexible Benefits Plan. Employees who are full-time and move to part-time employment status (less than 75% time) will no longer be permitted to participate in the Flexible Benefits plan.

5.2.4   Leave Status. Employees on a paid or unpaid leave of absence are permitted to maintain their coverage in the Flexible Benefits Plan. When applicable, employees will be billed by the USNH Benefits Office for the appropriate employee/employer premium contributions.

5.3   Flexible Benefits -- Plan Design

5.3.1   The Flexible Benefits Plan includes medical, dental, life, and long-term disability options. Plan details are described in published Flex Plus materials.

5.3.2   Each plan shall have a core-coverage "Option B" that represents the standard for USNH's contributions.

5.3.3   USNH contributions to other options, (medical options C, D and E, dental option C, life options C and D and disability option C) shall be the same as to the core Option B plan or the actual premium, whichever is less. The employee shall contribute the difference when applicable.

5.3.4   Employees may also select medical, dental, life, and long term disability options that provide less coverage than the core benefit plans but require no employee contribution. The medical and dental plans offer the option of no coverage.

5.4   Eligibility. All status USNH faculty and staff members with appointments of 75% or more shall be eligible to enroll in Flex Plus.

5.4.1   Faculty and staff members with appointments of less than 75% time shall be eligible for the equivalent of medical, dental, life and long-term disability option B coverage and will be required to make contributions as described in USY V.A.2.3 and 2.3.1.

5.4.2   Faculty and staff members with 75% time appointments employed after 4/1/90 have a choice of Flex Plus or no coverage.