Extension County Operations
Employee Benefits for UGA-Funded Employees
Note: For county-funded employees contact your County Benefits Officer.
Information on all UGA benefits can be accessed at:
For specific assistance / questions contact:
Jessica Kirk, Human Resources Specialist, CAES Business Office, at:
706-542-9002 jkirk@uga.edu
NEW UGA-FUNDED EMPLOYEES
UGA Online Orientation
All new employees funded through UGA are required to complete the
UGA Online Orientation. (see link below):
Deciding Your Benefits
It is imperative that all new UGA-funded employees receive the benefits information they need in order to make wise decisions to fit their situation. CAES is committed to providing individual guidance to each new employee.
Five Things All New Employees Need to Know:
-
You have 31 days!!!
From your start date as a benefited employee you have 31 days to make your benefits decisions, with the exception of your retirement choice (see #2).
Enrollment cards must be received in the CAES Business Office and sent to Main Campus before your benefits start, regardless of when they are dated.
Benefits you need to decide on include:
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Long term Disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
- Flex Spending Accounts
NOTE: Changes can be made… on any of these after you have turned in your forms, as long as you are still within the 31 days.
Remember: Enrollment cards must be received in the CAES Business Office and sent to Main Campus before your benefits start, regardless of when they are dated.Premiums are NOT prorated if you start in the middle of the month. Here's an example: If a person is employed on January 28 and signs up for family health insurance to begin on the first day of employment, then they still must pay the full premium for the month of January even though they were only covered for 3 days.
- Selecting Your Retirement Plan
From your start date you have 60 days, if you have the choice, to decide between Teacher's Retirement System (TRS) or Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). The two plans are very different, and once the decision has been made and the 60 days have passed, under current rules, this decision cannot be reversed.
NOTE: For those getting a county check, in addition to a UGA check, keep in mind your ORP retirement deductions will be based only on the UGA portion of your salary.
- The High Price of Dental Insurance!!!
As you can see by the rates listed in your packet, dental insurance is expensive, and it has a yearly maximum benefit of $1000 per person. Unlike health insurance, dental does not have open enrollment every year so if you do not enroll you may not have the opportunity to do so again. You may instead want to take advantage of Med Flex (see #4), if you usually only see the dentist for annual cleanings the cost of insurance is too high to outweigh the cost.
- Use Med Flex to Your Advantage!!!
Med Flex is not only used for dental visits, it can also pay for contacts, glasses, eye exams, co-pays, deductibles, over- and under-the-counter medications, etc. This will lower your taxable income, but keep in mind this is a use it or lose it account. You have to spend it all within the plan year or you will lose the money. You have until March of the following year to file claims.
- What If You Live!!!
Long Term Disability is a must for anyone who is not vested on TRS, which takes 10 years, or those on ORP, who do not have disability coverage regardless of the number of years of service. It is a low cost way to provide protection for you and your family. We all know that we have life insurance if we die, but what if we live? What if you cannot work again? LTD will pay up to 60% of your income from all sources. Keep this in mind when looking at your choices.
COMMONLY REQUESTED INFORMATION
- Direct Deposit
- Family and Medical Leave
- Retirement Plans
- Tax Withholding for Multiple Paychecks
- Worker’s Compensation
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Why can’t dental insurance be dropped anytime?
- Dental insurance premiums are tax-exempt. IRS regulations do not allow coverage change unless there is a qualified change in family circumstances.