Employee Benefits
2024 Benefits Guide (Flipping Book):
IAS 2024 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide
2024 Benefits Guide (PDF version):
The Institute’s 2024 Benefits Open Enrollment will begin on November 6 and will run through Friday, November 17. This is the time to review your current benefit elections and make changes if needed. The benefits you elect during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024.
Everyone is required to complete the enrollment process in Employee Self Service.
2024 Open Enrollment Information Session Presentation
The Information Session has been recorded and below is the link.
Information session on Monday, Nov 6, 2023.
https://sftp.aleragroup.com/public/folder/wg9uWWlZr0qOBVCKxqunBQ/Zoom
Password: N1R%%JXF
Detailed plan summaries & documents for the Aetna plans are below. Please contact the Human Resources Office, A-201/203, for more information.
2024 Plan Documents
- Aetna Teladoc Benefits - the cost for the Teladoc would be the same as the office visits under the plan.
- Register Online! You can follow the instructions from the link to register for the Aetna Member Website. You can also print a temporary ID Card through the website if you need.
After registration, you can use your Aetna ID to log into your own personal account on the Aetna website to access claim information, participating providers, discount programs offered in coordination with your Aetna health insurance, and much more.Aetna website: www.aetna.com. You can also download the Aetna App to your phone to generate a digital ID card.
- Aetna Pediatric Behavioral Health Partnership - Brightline
- Aetna Machine-readable File
The Transparency in Coverage final rule, released on October 29, 2020, requires health plans and issuers to publicly disclose pricing information via machine-readable files (MRF).
Machine-readable files (MRF) link (the file will be populated on July 1, 2022):
RxBenefits Members Services FAQs: Member-Services-Pharmacy-FAQs-2020.pdf
RxBenefits Home Delivery: Home Delivery.pdf
Good dental health is important to your overall well-being. At the same time, we need different levels of dental treatment. It is for this reason that the Institute offers staff two dental plan options through MetLife: The DMO Plan and the PPO Plan. The MetLife DMO Dental Insurance requires that you receive services from a participating dentist. Services are provided with $5.00 co-pay per visit at negotiated, discounted rates in the DMO. MetLife PPO Dental Insurance allows you to receive services from any dentist. After satisfying a $50 annual deductible, MetLife will reimburse you 50% - 100% of the usual charges for the services received, depending on the procedure, up to a maximum of $2,000.00.
To search for in-network providers go to https://www.metlife.com/insurance/dental-insurance/
Select "Find a dentist". For the DHMO Network go to Dental HMO/Managed Care Met 245, PDP Plus for the PPO Network.
The enhanced vision program through Vision Services Plan (VSP) is provided at no cost to our medical plan participants, providing vision care in addition to the coverage already provided by Aetna. The VSP Plan includes coverage for such items as eye exams every 12-months, a $130 allowance for new frames every 24-months, subsidized payments for lenses, and many others. Information about the VSP program is included below. You will have to login to the VSP website to see these offers.
By redirecting a portion of your salary into a Flexible Spending Account, you have the opportunity to pay for insurance premiums, out-of-pocket medical and dental expenses, and certain dependent care expenses with money that is not taxed. Over-the-counter medications are also eligible for reimbursement with a prescription from your physician. Every November you are given the opportunity of choosing a new amount to allocate to these accounts for the following calendar year. The Flexible Spending Account is administered externally by Ameriflex.
Ameriflex account login: https://www.myameriflex.com/login
You may participate in either the Transit or Parking Reimbursement Program—or both. The T/PRP, administered by Ameriflex, allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars each paycheck to pay for commuting expenses. You choose a monthly election, which is available to you as of the first of each month. Your contributions will then be deducted in equal installments from your semi-monthly paychecks in the same month. Any unused funds will roll over from month to month. For example, if you take a vacation during the month of August, the unused August balance will roll over to the following month, September. The funds are available to you as long as your monthly spending does not exceed the IRS allowable monthly amount. For more information, please speak with Human Resources.
If you need help getting a benefits-related question or issue resolved (Aetna, RxBenefits, MetLife Dental, VSP Vision), you can contact our Broad Reach Benefits representative Angela Malgeri for assistance.
Angela Malgeri
973-377-3362
IAS Retirement Plan
A retirement annuity program has been established by the Institute with the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) and the College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF). Enrollment occurs the date of hire. The Institute contributes 9.5% of base compensation up to the Social Security wage base and 15% of base compensation above the wage base up to the IRS cap. You have a choice of more than 15 funds (including various bond, stock and life cycle funds) in which to invest and contributions can be allocated between the funds as you choose. Also, there is an automatic enrollment feature for all new hires after 1/1/2021 with a deferral of 3% into the 403(b) plan.
Voluntary Tax-Deferred Annuities
You are eligible to participate in a voluntary tax-deferred annuity plan, also through TIAA-CREF. You may open a Supplemental Retirement Annuity contract (SRA) and contribute money on a pre-tax basis. With your first contribution, you are 100% vested in these voluntary plans. The same fund options available through the retirement plan are available for your personal contributions. Contributions are subject to certain limitations determined by the IRS. The maximum amount an employee can contribute to this plan for 2024 is $23,000, up $500 from 2023. If you're 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $7,500 as a "catch-up" contribution, bringing your contribution total to $30,000. For more information, please feel free to contact the Human Resources Office.
EPIC Retirement Consulting information session on June 8, 2022, has been recorded, and below is the link:
Investment Performance Monitoring Table and Participant Newsletter
Every quarter, we provide you with a Performance Monitoring Table and Quarterly Newsletter for participant distribution. The purpose of the Table is to provide you with the performance results of the different funds offered in your 401k/403b Plan and also to compare their returns to the returns of various market indices and comparable peer funds.
- Investment Performance Monitoring Table
- Participant Newsletter
Tax-Deferred Savings through 457(b) Plan
This type of plan is only open to “a select group of management or highly compensated (also known as “top hat”) employees” as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. If you are already contributing the maximum to your 403(b) and are eligible to participate, you may reduce your salary by up to $22,500 additional effective January 1, 2023, and contribute to this plan. For more information, please feel free to contact the Human Resources Office.
Eligibility for Medical Coverage after Retirement
Employees hired on or before June 30, 1994 will continue to be eligible to maintain Institute health insurance coverage after retirement provided they retire at age 62 or older and have at least 10 years of service by age 70. After satisfying these requirements, the retiree will be charged the same percentage as active employees (currently 20% of premium).
Employees hired or re-hired July 1, 1994 or later and who choose to retire at age 65 or later will be eligible to continue medical coverage during retirement according to the following schedule:
With the completion of at least 10 years but less than 20 years of service at or before age 70, the employee is entitled to medical insurance and will be billed 50% of the applicable premium.
With the completion of at least 20 years but less than 25 years of service at or before age 70, the employee is entitled to medical insurance and will be billed 35% of the applicable premium.
With at least 25 years of service at or before age 70, the employee is entitled to medical insurance and will be billed 20% of the applicable premium.
For all employees, the requirement that retirement be at age 62 or older (for those employees hired prior to July 1, 1994) or age 65 (for those employees hired July 1, 1994 or later) may be waived in exceptional cases for employees with 25 or more years of service if there are personal or medical circumstances that prevent meeting the age requirement.
Retiree Medical Plans
Effective January 1, 2020 the Institute for Advanced Study has the following two options for retirees:
Option 1: AARP Medicare Supplement Plan G with the current UnitedHealthcare® Prescription Drug Plan D
Option 2: UnitedHealthcare® Group Medicare Advantage (PPO) plan.
Effective January 1, 2022, IAS is offering an advanced UnitedHealthcare® Group Medicare Advantage (PPO) plan with more benefits.
Plan Information:
2023 Open Enrollment Information Meeting:
Tuition Assistance - Employee
The Institute has an educational assistance program that helps pay the cost of college or university courses-for-credit which are career-related. Career-related courses are those which directly improve your performance in your present position or which may qualify you for another job opportunity within the Institute. The program provides up to $5,250 in tuition assistance each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) towards the cost of tuition, books, registration and laboratory fees for approved career-related courses. The Institute will pay fully for the first $1,500 of covered charges and will pay 75% of any remaining covered fees up to a maximum yearly benefit of $5,250. In addition, successful completion of the course with a grade of "C" or above must be maintained to qualify for reimbursement.
All regular employees who have completed their probationary period are eligible to apply for tuition assistance for career-related courses. Courses must be approved by Human Resources. Upon approval of your request for tuition assistance, you will receive one-half of allowable costs. Upon successful completion of the course(s) and submission of a transcript of grade(s) to the Human Resources Office, you will be reimbursed for the remaining one-half of allowable costs. Some of these benefits may be taxable. Information on the taxation of tuition assistance benefits is available in the Human Resources Office.
All courses must be taken at times that do not coincide with your regular work schedule.
Tuition Assistance - Children
The Institute provides educational assistance grants which cover one-half of tuition and academic fees, to employees whose children are attending, on a full-time basis and as candidates for degrees, an undergraduate college or university. To be eligible for this grant on a tax free basis, a child must be dependent and either be naturally born, legally adopted, or a dependent step-child of the employee or the employee’s domestic partner. In addition, under IRS rules, a qualifying dependent child attending college is one who is a full-time student who has not reached age 24 by the end of the calendar year. If a child is over 24 but meets all of the other dependent criteria listed above, he/she will be eligible for the grant but it will be paid to the parent as ordinary income and will be subject to withholding taxes.
Regular employees who have completed five years of service prior to the academic year for which the scholarship grant is requested are eligible to apply for tuition assistance for their child(ren). Regular staff who have less than five years of service but who were eligible with their immediate last employer for an educational grant such as this, will be given service credit toward satisfaction of our five years of service rule for their applicable prior employment after completion of the introductory period.
Each child is eligible for one Institute grant each year for up to four years of undergraduate study. The maximum tuition assistance benefit is reviewed by the Human Resources Office at the beginning of each fiscal year. Effective July 1, 2023, the grant covers one-half of tuition and academic fees up to a maximum of $21,400 per child per year, subject to the maximum of $256,800 total scholarship grants per family.To apply for tuition assistance for a child, please request an application from the Human Resources Office or print one out from the "Forms" link on the HR website.
Life Insurance
Basic Life Insurance
Life Insurance is an important part of your financial security, especially if others depend on you for support. That’s why the Institute provides eligible staff with a Basic Life Insurance benefit that equals 1.5 times their annual salary up to a maximum of $1,000,000. This coverage is provided to you at no cost to you through Guardian.
Voluntary Life Insurance
Eligible staff may also purchase additional Voluntary Life Insurance through Guardian. Coverage may be purchased in increments of salary (1, 1.5 or 2) up to a maximum of $750,000 at initial hire or due to a qualified life event. If you elect this coverage you will be responsible for paying 100% of the cost but will receive a discounted rate for being a part of the Institute. You may also purchase this benefit for your spouse or child. Spouse coverage amount is 100% of your amount to a maximum of $250,000. Child coverage amount is 10% of your amount to a maximum of $10,000. For more information, please contact Human Resources.
You can access your Guardian certificates online at www.GuardianAnytime.com.
Voluntary Benefits
Eligible Staff and Faculty have access to a greater variety of insurance plans through the Institute’s Voluntary Benefits Program. Enrollees pay 100 percent of the cost for plans in the program; however, the group rates are more affordable than what one would pay as an individual, and premiums for most plans can be paid for by a single, after-tax payroll deduction. The plans currently offered are Transamerica Life Insurance, Transamerica Accident Insurance, Transamerica Critical Illness Insurance, and Transamerica Hospital Indemnity Insurance. Please speak with Human Resources for more information.
Employee Assistance Program
As an Institute employee, you and your immediate family members are eligible for the employee assistance program (EAP) offered through Guardian. This program is designed to help individuals, on a confidential basis, resolve personal and work-related problems, including those involving legal and financial matters, alcohol or drug problems, and emotional, family, or marital difficulties. The program is available 24 hours per day, every day, to faculty and members of your household. You are entitled to receive up to three face-to-face counseling sessions per year. The telephone number for the EAP is 800-386-7055.
Please visit https://worklife.uprisehealth.com/ and use the access code: work-life
Disability Coverage
Faculty
This policy covers Faculty members who have worked at the Institute for at least one year and provides income protection if you become disabled. To be eligible for benefits, you must be unable, by reason of illness or injury, to satisfactorily perform the usual duties of an Institute Professor. Disability benefits are not available during an initial evaluation period, which is the period of 24 months after the onset of the disability. During this evaluation period, the full Faculty salary will continue to be paid. After the 24-month evaluation period, basic disability payments are 60% of the Faculty member’s annual salary at the time of the onset of the disability.
Staff
Benefits-eligible staff are covered under a private Short-Term Disability Plan that provides up to six months of benefits when an illness lasts more than seven consecutive days. The State disability rate is enhanced to full pay for a period equal to two times your number of years of service. Should your illness continue beyond the six-month period, you are eligible to apply for Long-Term Disability benefits which would provide, in combination with Social Security disability benefits, 60% of your base salary up to $20,000 per month.
Wellness
It’s always important to keep your health and wellness in mind, and awareness is the first step in maintaining or improving your health. To help you in this effort, the Institute for Advanced Study is offering wellness programs for all of our Aetna medical plan participants. Included in this Wellness Program is an annual biometric screening event and a variety of wellness-related physical activities and challenges, as well as access to Aetna’s wellness program which covered individual Health Assessments, Disease Management, Health Trackers, Incentives, and more. For more information, please contact Human Resources.
IAS Paid Time Off Policy:
IAS Holiday Schedule:
The Institute’s holiday schedule is announced annually and normally includes: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. The schedule is distributed to all employees. In addition, the Institute normally closes between Christmas and New Year’s Day.