- Employee benefits
- Understanding your benefits
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Eligibility
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.
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.
You are eligible for Full Benefits if you:
- Are appointed to work in a retirement-eligible position at least 50% of the time for a year or more2 or
- Complete 1,000 hours in a retirement-eligible position within a rolling 12-month period (750 hours for represented lecturers)
You are eligible for Mid-Level Benefits if:
- You are appointed to work 100% of the time for at least three months but for less than one year or
- You are appointed to work at least 50% of the time for a year or more in a position that does not qualify you for the primary retirement benefits noted above.
You are eligible for Core Benefits if you are appointed to work at least 43.75% of the time.
You are eligible for Core Benefits if you are appointed to work at least 75% of the time for at least three months.
Overview of Full, Mid and Core benefits
Benefit | Full | Mid | Core |
---|---|---|---|
Medical | UC contribution to your choice of plans | UC contribution to your choice of plans | UC-paid CORE plan |
Dental | Choice of UC-paid plans | No | No |
Vision | UC-paid plan | No | No |
Health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Life and disability | UC-paid basic coverage; employee-paid extras | UC-paid basic coverage; employee-paid extras | UC-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
- 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. ↩︎
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- Beneficios de salud y vivienda para retirados
- Opción de Retiro de la UC (nivel 2016) si no está sujeto a PEPRA
- Plan de Jubilación de la UC, nivel 1976
- Plan de Jubilación de la UC, nivel 2013
- Programa de Ahorros para la Jubilación
- Programa de Opción de Jubilación de la UC (nivel 2016 del UCRP)
- Visión
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- Affordable Care Act
- Behavioral health benefits
- COBRA
- Coverage for COVID-19 tests
- Emergency resources from UC’s benefit plans
- Health coverage outside the U.S.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Notification for Medical Program Eligibility
- Open Enrollment for 2025 benefits: Frequently asked questions
- Premium assistance under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Resolving disputes
- Tax savings accounts: Know your options
- Taxes and your benefits
- Telehealth
- Terms and conditions
- Transgender and nonbinary health benefits
- University of California Healthcare Plan Notice of Privacy Practices – Self-Funded Plans
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- A new employee
- Adding a family member to your insurance
- Adopting a child
- Applying for disability
- Being laid off
- Changing jobs within UC
- Changing your address
- Enrolling in Medicare
- Establishing a domestic partnership
- Getting married
- Going on military leave
- Having a baby
- Laid off temporarily
- Leaving UC employment
- Lo despiden
- Lo despiden temporalmente
- Preparing for retirement
- Removing a family member from insurance
- Taking a furlough
- Taking a leave of absence
- Taking a sabbatical
- Taking paid leave
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