EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Welcome to the Employee Benefits Web Page for West Liberty University!

LINKS

• New Employee Benefit Enrollment and Summary
• PEIA
• PEIA Shoppers Guide
• Mountaineer Flex
• Mountaineer Flexible Benefits Plan Summary Guide

Now, let’s look at an overview of what we have to offer.

Because of the changing nature of benefits, please note this is general information only, not represented to be complete, and is preliminary. Its offer does not imply an employment relationship or offer of employment. The University reserves the right to change and/or otherwise modify the presentation of this information from time to time and/or to correct any errors. 

ELIGIBILITY and GENERAL INFORMATION:
Basic eligibility for all employee benefits at the University is according to your “FTE” or full-time equivalency. An employee who works 1,950 hours per calendar year is considered to be a 1.0 FTE employee. In order to be eligible for employer sponsored benefits you must be at least a .53 calculated FTE. If you are less than .53 FTE then you are not benefits eligible.

You must enroll for health coverage during the calendar month you are hired or the following two calendar months. There is an “open enrollment” each fiscal year when you may choose to make changes to your coverage(s). Because you pay your premiums on a pre-tax basis, these enrollment periods are the only time you may make changes unless you experience a “qualifying event” as defined by the plan and the Internal Revenue Service.

HEALTH/MEDICAL INSURANCE COVERAGE:
All of your choices for coverage (as a State employee), are governed and controlled by the PEIA, or “Public Employee’s Insurance Agency” of the State of West Virginia.

You may pick coverage ranging from our “HMO” or managed care plans, to”preferred provider benefit” (or PPB) type plans.  You can view the PEIA Shoppers Guide to view coverage details and costs. The amount of premium you will pay is based on the following items:

• Your base salary
• Coverage tier
  Your coverage tier would be whether you choose;
  • Employee Only coverage
  • Employee and Child(ren)
  • Family
  • Family with Employee Spouse
    You may find out more at West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency
• PEIA Wellness Tools
  • Tobacco Cessation Program
  • Face-to-Face Diabetes Management Program
  • Weight Management Program
  • Pathways to Wellness

MOUNTAINEER FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PROGRAM:
As a benefits eligible employee, you have the option of selecting as few or as many of these “optional coverage” to supplement your basic medical plan coverage. Note: some of the available coverage are not medical in nature.

• VISION– You may choose between a “full service plan” or an “exam plus plan.”  These two options are offered through Humana EyeMed(July 2022).
• DENTAL– Our Dental Insurance is offered through Delta Dental.  Three options are offered.  Enhanced Plan, Basic Plan, and Dental Assistance.
• ACCIDENT INSURANCE– This program provides 24 hour-a-day protection against accidents anywhere in the world, on or off the job.
• MOUNTAINEER FLEX LONG TERM DISABILITY INCOME–
  You can choose between “Plan 1” which pays 70% of your pre-disability earnings after a 180 day waiting period, or “Plan 2” which pays you 50% of your pre-disability earnings after the same waiting period.
• SHORT TERM DISABILITY INCOME– Pays 70% of your pre-disability earnings after a 30 day waiting (disability) period up through the 180th day of disability.
• FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS (FSAs)– You may choose a “Medical Expense” account or a “Dependent Care” account. You determine how much to contribute each plan year.
• GROUP LEGAL PLAN– This is a new legal services plan and is offered by “ARAG Legal.” You may call 1-800-247-4184 during regular business hours for more information or ARAG Legal Center At the website use the code “18387wv”.

LIFE INSURANCE OPTIONS:

• BASIC LIFE COVERAGE– This is in the amount of $10,000 of coverage and is provided to you at no cost–the University pays the full premium.
• OPTIONAL LIFE COVERAGE– You may purchase additional coverage amounts, at your expense, up to a maximum of $500,000. Of course, the higher the selected coverage, the more expensive the premiums, however rates are very reasonable for this term life coverage.
  • How much life insurance do I need?
    • Life Insurance Calculator

• DEPENDENT LIFE COVERAGE– You may to insure eligible dependents with amounts of coverage selected by you.

RETIREMENT
Your retirement plan is with TIAA. The basic benefit is your mandatory 6% base salary (pre-tax) contribution, is immediately matched by the University contribution of 6%. Thus, a total of 12% of your base salary is contributed to an account (or accounts) of your choosing with TIAA. Plus, you are immediately 100% “vested” in all of the contributions made to your account, yours and the University’s. These contributions go into what is called a “Group Retirement Annuity” or “GRA” for short.You also have the option of choosing to participate in a “Supplemental”  403(b) or 457(b)) to which you may elect to contribute additional percentages of your salary (or dollar amounts) on a payroll deduction basis, and again, as pre-tax contributions. There are certain limits as to the total amount(s) which you are allowed by tax laws to contribute in any given year.

• We also offer a Roth 403(b) which is a (Post-tax) contribution. If you would like to start contributing to a supplemental retirement account, please contact Human Resources.  You can access this enrollment form by clicking on the link below.  This form should be completed and returned to Human Resources
  • 403B 457 Plan Form
• There are loan provisions associated with the plan and you may apply to borrow against your accumulated retirement contributions with favorable interest rates for repayment.

           You may find out more information at TIAA

STUDENT DEBT RELIEF

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal program designed to reduce the burden of student loan debt for people who work in public service.  The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) and West Virginia’s public higher education institutions are considered public service employers for the purposes of these programs.

Simply put, PSLF pairs the immediate relief of an income-driven repayment plan (to make your monthly payments affordable) with the longer-term relief of loan forgiveness. You’ve probably heard some negative press about the difficulties borrowers have faced in attempting to realize the benefits from these programs.

TIAA has joined forces with Savi, a social impact technology company, to help West Virginia public higher education employees benefit from forgiveness programs like PSLF. The service helps eligible borrowers to understand their choices, lower their monthly payments, and enroll in a forgiveness program.

Learn more at TIAA.org/wvhepc/student

Watch an informative video

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ 2022

Click to learn more about Public Service Loan Forgiveness Savi Quick Start Guide

WORKER’S AND UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION:
These State provided benefit coverages are administered by the State of West Virginia and are provided at no cost to you. The University pays the complete cost for these benefits at the present time.

You may find out more at WorkForce West Virginia

VACATION, SICK LEAVE, AND PAID HOLIDAYS
If you are in an eligible class of employment, you are entitled to accrue annual (vacation) leave and sick leave according to your FTE. For staff employees there are generally 12-13 paid holidays observed per year.  Your annual leave posts to your Kronos record at the beginning of the month and sick leave accrual posts to Kronos each pay.

ADDITIONAL AND SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT ANY OF THESE BENEFITS MAY BE OBTAINED BY CALLING BRIAN SCHAMP, HUMAN RESOURCES SENIOR GENERALIST AT 304-336-8288.