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Changing jobs within UC

One of the great things about working at UC is that you can build your career anywhere in the system. If you take a job at another UC campus, medical center or the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab within 120 days of leaving your previous location, you keep your seniority and your health and welfare benefits move with you.

In general, you may not change your insurance benefits when you transfer within 120 days unless your plan is unavailable in your new location. 

If you take a job at another UC location after 120 days have passed, your eligibility for health and welfare benefits may be subject to re-assessment. If your new position qualifies you for benefits, you will have a 31-day Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE) in which to enroll in the plans of your choice. You should make sure your new location knows about your previous service so your records can be coordinated.

Your retirement benefits work a bit differently. Whether they change or remain the same depends on when you were first hired and on the length of your break in UC service.

Sounds complicated, right? Don’t worry, just follow the steps below.

On this page:

Contact your existing and new inter-location transfer coordinator

Contact the benefits office at the location you’re leaving and the one you’re joining and let a benefits officer in each place know you’re transferring. They’ll let you know which inter-location transfer coordinator you’ll be working with. The move is more likely to go smoothly if both coordinators are kept aware of how your transfer is progressing. Be sure to keep in touch with both offices during the transfer to make sure your vacation, sick leave, retirement and other benefits records transfer seamlessly.

Ensure your new location has processed your transfer in UCPath

The transfer of benefits, accruals, and deductions should be a seamless transition for you as you transfer campus locations.

Check with the inter-location transfer coordinator at your new location to make sure your transfer has been entered in UCPath. Once your location has confirmed your transfer has been processed, review your UCPath benefits summary and absence balance page to ensure that your benefits are still active. 

Check your medical plan eligibility

Check to be sure you can continue in your current medical plan; some are not available at all UC locations. If your plan is not available at your new location, you’ll be able to choose a new one. After you’ve changed your address in UCPath, you may be given the option to enroll in a new plan if you have moved out of your previous provider’s HMO service coverage area. You may also complete the  Health Benefits Enrollment for Life Event Form and turn it in to UCPath to request a change in plan.

You may need to select a new primary care physician and/or dentist after you transfer. Call your plans directly to make the selections.

If you receive a COBRA health insurance continuation packet, contact the inter-location transfer coordinator at your new location. As long as you provided your transfer was processed correctly in UCPath, your health insurance will continue. Receiving a COBRA packet could be a sign that some of your benefits information did not get transferred correctly.

Make sure your retirement benefits and savings are on track

Depending on your position, when you were first hired and the length of your break in UC service, you may be newly eligible for UC’s Retirement Choice Program. Check with your local benefits office for help understanding your retirement options, and what you need to do. If you are eligible, the sooner you enroll in Pension Choice or Savings Choice, the sooner you start receiving UC contributions (and service credit under Pension Choice). 

If you’re contributing to the 403(b), the 457(b) or the DC After-Tax plans on a voluntary basis, you must contact Fidelity Retirement Services (online at Netbenefits.com or by calling 866-682-7787) to set up new deferral elections at your new location. You may miss a payroll deduction while your new election is processed. Make sure the combined contributions from your old and new locations don’t exceed the IRS maximum allowed annual contributions. These maximums change each year and depend on your age, and Fidelity can help you ensure you stay within the limits.

If you have a 403(b) loan, your payment may be delayed during your transfer. Contact Fidelity Retirement Services and the payroll office at your new location to be sure your loan payments are not interrupted.

Review your pay statement

Once you’ve started your new role, be sure to review your first few paychecks carefully to be sure all your benefits plans have transferred.

Be sure to check to see that your flexible spending account contributions have continued, if you’re enrolled. Unless you have a qualifying event (like getting married or having a baby), you have to continue your existing level of contributions to your FSAs for health and/or dependent care. A transfer is not, by itself, a qualifying event. If any monthly contributions are missed because of payroll deadlines, your new location can make a retroactive adjustment so coverage and contributions are continuous.

If you’re enrolled in the UC Health Savings Plan, be sure to check to see that your payroll deductions for Health Savings Account contributions have continued.

If you are in a position with eligibility for primary retirement benefits, review your paycheck to ensure the correct contribution is deducted for your primary retirement benefits. A change in your contribution percentage could be a sign that your retirement benefits information did not get transferred correctly.