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Eligibility

As an employee, your eligibility for retirement, health and other benefits depends on the type of job you have, the percentage of time you work and the length of your appointment.

If you’re represented by a union, your compensation and benefits are negotiated between UC and your union and finalized in your bargaining unit’s contract.

Not a faculty or staff employee? Check out information about benefits eligibility for retirees, postdoctoral scholars or residents and fellows.

On this page:

Primary retirement benefits eligibility

You qualify for UC’s primary retirement benefits if you:

• Are appointed to work in an eligible faculty or staff position at least 50% of the time for a year or more or

• Complete 1,000 hours in an eligible faculty or staff position within a rolling 12-month period (750 hours in certain instances).1

Health and welfare benefits packages

UC offers three benefits packages for faculty and staff — Full, Mid-Level and Core. Here are the rules for each level of eligibility, depending on the type of appointment you have.

Overview of Full, Mid and Core benefits

BenefitFullMidCore
MedicalUC contribution to your choice of plansUC contribution to your choice of plansUC-paid CORE plan
DentalChoice of UC-paid plansNoNo
VisionUC-paid planNoNo
Health and/or dependent care flexible spending accountsOptionalOptionalOptional
Life and disabilityUC-paid basic coverage; employee-paid extrasUC-paid basic coverage; employee-paid extrasUC-paid basic coverage; employee-paid extras

Family members

Employees who are eligible for health and welfare benefits can also cover a spouse or domestic partner, children up to age 26 and other children who are their tax dependents. UC requires anyone who enrolls family members in any UC plan to provide documents to verify their family members’ eligibility for coverage.  

Learn more about the family member eligibility verification process, administered for UC by UnifyHR.

Footnotes

  1. If you’re a member of the Non-Senate Instructional Unit, you qualify for participation in the Retirement Choice Program after working 750 hours in an eligible position within a 12-month period. ↩︎
Employee benefits

Manage your benefits

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