Automatic enrollment: At the beginning
of employment, employees are automatically
enrolled as a state employee in the premium
conversion program, which allows insurance
premiums to be paid before taxes. Depending
on employment status, employees may also be
automatically enrolled in the State’s health
insurance program. Employees will also be
automatically enrolled in the retirement
program after the first 90 days of
employment with the university. Enrollment
will become effective with the paycheck
beginning the first of the month following
the 90th day, and 6% of salary is set aside
in a retirement account - which the State
will match at retirement. UH employees
participate in the Teacher Retirement System
(TRS) Retirement Plan or Optional Retirement
Program (ORP).
Optional coverage enrollment: The initial
period of eligibility is the first 31 days
to enroll themselves and their dependents in
dental coverage, optional term life
insurance, dependent term life insurance,
voluntary accidental death and dismemberment
coverage, short-term and long-term
disability and long-term care insurance.
TexFlex: During the first 31 days,
employees can enroll in TexFlex , a federal
program that allows employees to pay for
medical or dependent care expenses tax-free.
Health coverage enrollment: The initial
period of eligibility is the first 90 days
of employment. Enrollment will become
effective on the first of the month after
the 90th day. If full-time employees make no
selection, they are automatically enrolled
in HeathSelect, $5,000 basic term life
insurance and $5,000 AD&D. For part-time
employees, they must decide if they want to
enroll themselves and/or their dependents.
They will not be automatically enrolled.
Summer Enrollment: Each summer, ERS holds
an enrollment period during July and August
to enable members to enroll in, apply for,
or change benefits for the new plan year.
Each plan year runs from September 1 through
August 31.
Qualifying Life Events: When employees
have qualifying life events, they may be
able to make appropriate changes to
insurance coverage or TexFlex deductions
during the plan year. Examples of QLEs are
marriage, divorce and birth of a child.
Open enrollment: Employees may enroll in
some benefit programs at any time during the
plan year. These include the Texa$aver
deferred compensation program, a savings
plan that allows employees to defer money
before taxes to invest for use later in
life. Employees can apply for the State Kids
Insurance Program State Kids Insurance
Program, which could supplement premium
payment, or for long-term care insurance
with EOI.
