Employee Handbook
VI. Your Benefits
Address and Personal Status Changes
It is important that you promptly contact Human Resources to update any change in your name, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, office location and office telephone number, marital status, beneficiary, number of withholding exemptions and/or emergency contact number. Accurate information is important in order to keep your personal data current and to adjust insurance coverage and other pertinent benefits information.
Professional Development
We encourage you to participate in relevant professional development and training opportunities. Human Resources and other university departments offer a variety of training programs for university staff. Additionally, professional development opportunities may be available through professional associations or other outside organizations. You should discuss the availability of these opportunities with your supervisor. If approved, attendance at these programs is considered work time and any applicable registration fees may be paid when funds are available through your department.
Insurance and Retirement
The university works continuously to increase the benefits you receive as a state employee. The university contributes approximately 32 percent of your gross salary to the payment of your retirement, social security, state health and state life insurance costs.
Some of the benefit plans have limited enrollment periods. If you do not enroll within this time period, you may only enroll during the annual open enrollment period. It is important to note that some benefits are not normally available during the annual open enrollment period.
For more detailed information about the benefits provided to you as a university employee, you may refer to http://admin.fgcu.edu/hr/benefitshome.html.
Health Insurance
The State of Florida provides comprehensive health insurance programs for you, your spouse and dependents through the State Health Self-Insurance Plan. The plan provides hospitalization, physician and pharmaceutical coverage.
The state pays a portion of the premium for all covered employees. If you and your spouse are both employed by the State of Florida (full-time or part-time) you are eligible to participate in the Spouse Program, which reduces your premium cost. You must notify Human Resources in order to participate.
You must enroll for health insurance within 60 days of employment. Pre-tax premiums are paid in advance by payroll deduction and your coverage is effective on the first day of the month following enrollment.
The State Health Insurance Plan is a Preferred Provider Care Plan (PPC) that is designed for treatment to be provided by participating physicians. You may also utilize non-participating physicians with a difference in the amount of coverage. The medical treatment under this plan is covered worldwide.
Life Insurance
The state of Florida provides pre-tax term life insurance coverage at 1.5 times your salary with a corresponding amount of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance. The state pays 80% of the premium for employees. The premium you pay is payroll deducted on a pre-tax basis. You must enroll within 60 days of employment or during the open enrollment period.
State employees who enroll in the basic term life insurance plan also have the opportunity to purchase additional term life insurance in amounts from one to five times their base annual earnings, up to a maximum of $500,000. This is an "employee-pays-all" after tax benefit, but the premiums are competitive. Human Resources can provide additional information about this plan.
Additional life insurance is available through approved carriers. These plans are paid entirely by you at reduced group rates.
Supplemental Insurance Plans
You may select from a variety of supplemental insurance plans offered through payroll deduction. These plans are paid entirely by you at reduced group rates.
Dental Insurance
Vision Care
Cancer and Intensive Care
Hospital Income Insurance
Accident/Disability Insurance
SUS Long Term Disability (LTD) Income Insurance
This plan provides two-thirds of your gross salary should you become disabled. Benefits under this plan start paying on the 91st day of disability and continue to pay for as long as the disability exists. Medical certification is not required if you enroll within the first 60 days of employment. This plan may not be offered during any open enrollment periods.
Short Term Disability Income Insurance
This plan provides monthly income from the 31st day of disability through the 90th day. The benefit is for disability from either sickness or accident and is intended to supplement the Long Term Disability Income Insurance. You must enroll within the first 30 days of employment. This plan may not be offered during any open enrollment periods.
Pre-Paid Legal Insurance
Eligible employees can purchase group legal insurance to insure themselves, and their eligible dependents. This insurance will pay attorney fees for a broad range of covered personal legal services.
Florida Retirement System
Another significant benefit that you receive as a university employee is membership in the Florida Retirement System (FRS). The FRS provides two retirement options: the Pension Plan and the Investment Plan.
The FRS Pension Plan is a defined benefit plan, paid for by the State and requires 6 years of creditable service to vest and receive a retirement benefit. This system is combined with Social Security to assist you by providing an income for your later years or for an unforeseen disability.
Once vested, you may retire at age 62 and receive full benefits or at an earlier age with reduced benefits. You may retire at any age after 30 years of service with no reduction in benefit. The monthly benefit payment you will receive when you retire depends on your years of creditable service and the average income of the five highest years (fiscal year) during your covered employment.
The FRS Investment Plan is a defined contribution plan that is paid by the State through contributions that are based on your salary and your FRS membership class (Regular Class, Special Risk Class, etc.) The Investment Plan requires 1 year of creditable service to vest (i.e. own the assets in your Investment Plan account.)
The Investment Plan directs contributions to individual member accounts, and you allocate your contributions and account balance among various investment funds. (Participant contributions are not allowed.)
Your Investment Plan retirement benefit is the value of your account. Unlike the Pension Plan, there is no fixed benefit level at retirement. However, the Investment Plan, like the Pension Plan, has a guaranteed lifetime payment option (based on the benefit to be distributed) and is available with annual 3% benefit increases like the Pension Plan.
Deferred Retirement Option Program
The 1997 Legislature established a new benefit program for all eligible FRS Pension Plan members, which was effective July 1, 1998. The Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) allows members to have their retirement benefits deposited monthly into their DROP account, earning interest, while simultaneously continuing to work (but not earning additional credit for retirement). The purpose of this program is to provide a way for retirees to accumulate additional savings while continuing employment. You are eligible to DROP when you first reach your normal retirement date - either age 62 and vested, or 30 years of service (age 55 and vested or 25 years of service if you are a Special Risk employee). You must decide to elect DROP participation within 12 months of first reaching your normal retirement date. There are special provisions for an employee who is more than five years away from their normal retirement date based upon age. (For example, if an employee is age 55 with 30 years of service, the employee could defer DROP participation until age 57 and participate in DROP for 60 months.) For additional information about FRS retirement and the DROP program you may visit their website at http://www.myfrs.com.
Optional Retirement Program
A&P employees are eligible to participate in the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of the Florida Retirement System (FRS). As an A&P employee you must make an irrevocable election to participate in either the FRS or the ORP within the first 90 days of employment. If you are reclassified or promoted to an A&P position, you have 90 days to elect participation in the ORP. For further information contact Human Resources.
Flexible Spending Accounts Program
The Flexible Spending Accounts Program (FSA) allows you to pay for eligible medical expenses and/or dependent day care expenses from your gross earnings before taxes are calculated. The annual election amount you choose is automatically deducted from your pay. This plan allows you to increase your take-home pay by utilizing pre-tax payment for these services.
You must enroll within 60 days of your employment, during open enrollment or within 31 days of a change in your family/employment status.
You must enroll within 60 days of your employment, during open enrollment or within 31 days of a change in your family/employment status.
Tax Deferred Annuities
You may purchase fixed, variable, flexible, or investment annuities from several different companies by payroll deduction. These annuities result in a tax deferment for you because the dollars put into the program are not taxed until you receive them. To achieve maximum benefit, this program should be considered only for long-term savings.
Employee Tuition Voucher Program
Full time FGCU employees in a faculty, A&P or USPS position and/or on approved leave with or without pay, are eligible to use the Tuition Voucher for up to six hours of credit coursework per semester at FGCU. The employee may assign his or her Tuition Voucher benefit entitlement to a spouse or dependent child. The benefit may be assigned to a spouse or dependent child for degree seeking, undergraduate credit courses only. Each employee is entitled to a Tuition Voucher benefit not to exceed a total of 6 credit hours, whether used by the employee, spouse or dependent child, or a combination of eligible users. Please access the tuition Voucher Form and Guidelines at marlin/share/forms/hrforms for procedures regarding this benefit.
Employee Assistance Program
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available for all faculty, A&P and USPS employees and their immediate family members.
This program is absolutely confidential and there is no cost to you or your family members for this benefit.
The Southwest Florida Employee Assistance Programs, Inc. is the provider organization for EAP services. They have convenient counseling offices located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte and Naples. You can contact their offices twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven days a week, by calling (239) 278-7435 or (800) 226-7930.
The EAP professional staff is available to assist with problems including, but not limited to, those associated with marital and family difficulties, financial, legal, alcohol and drug abuse, emotional difficulties, aged parents, grief and abuse.
Professional services provided by EAP are available as follows:
Unlimited accessibility to the program by employees and members of their immediate families.
Up to three (3) counseling sessions, per event, for the purpose of assessing the nature of the problem(s).
Utilization of motivational and short-term counseling.
Referral to outside community or health insurance treatment resources for follow up.
Case management to track outcome.
For more information regarding the Employee Assistance Program, please feel free to contact Human Resources or Southwest Florida Employee Assistance Programs.
U.S. Savings Bonds
You may elect to purchase U.S. Savings Bonds through payroll deduction. The amount of your deduction will vary depending on the bond denomination you choose and the rate of your bond purchases. For example, you may choose to purchase a bond every pay period or to spread the purchase of a bond over several pay periods. Once you have enrolled in this program, your deductions will continue biweekly until you terminate your employment or cancel your enrollment.
Florida Prepaid College Program
This program is available for parents, relatives and others to prepay the future cost of a child's post-secondary tuition and dormitory residence fees at affordable rates. All of Florida's 11 state universities and 28 community colleges are part of this plan. The state of Florida guarantees payment at the time of enrollment of your beneficiary for the full tuition and optional dormitory fees purchased under this plan.
For additional information, please contact the Program Office toll-free in Florida at 1-800-552-4723.
Discount Coupons
The university receives discounts for various tourist attractions throughout the State of Florida. Some of these attractions include Universal Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, and Medieval Times. Discount cards are available in Human Resources.
Blood Donation Program
The university sponsors periodic blood donation drives. These drives are a public-spirited endeavor that is fully endorsed by the university. Each unit of accepted blood is credited to the FGCU account. These credits can be used to help employees and their immediate family members defray the replacement cost in the event a need for blood arises.
Announcements of upcoming drives are distributed throughout the university community and all employees are encouraged to participate.
