About Benefits
The Office of Total Compensation and Wellness administers your health and welfare benefits, your retirement plan, the tuition assistance programs for employees and their spouse or dependents and the flexible spending accounts program. Our continuing goal is to provide professional, responsive and friendly service.
New Hire Benefits Checklist
Medical Insurance
You have a choice of six comprehensive medical plans: a traditional fee-for-service plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan; two preferred provider organizations, DMC CARE and Community Blue; and three health maintenance organizations: Blue Care Network, Total Health Care and Health Alliance Plan. The university provides a considerable subsidy toward employee and dependent premiums. If you are covered by other health insurance, you may be eligible for a cash benefit up to $100 per month.
Coverage for new hires begins on the first of the month following or concurrent with your date of hire assuming all completed forms are received by Total Compensation and Wellness within 30 days of your hire date. Our annual Open Enrollment period for the medical plans is in the fall with the new coverage beginning January 1.
University retirees may continue their medical insurance in the WSU group plan. Retiree medical insurance is not a subsidized benefit.
If you are faculty, staff or a graduate employee and you have questions about whether your coverage or the coverage for your dependents is in effect, please contact Ursula Hart at 577-3717, ao1514@wayne.edu or Dorothea Smith at 577-2132, bn9538@wayne.edu . If you are a Rumble or graduate fellow, a housing authority employee, a retiree, or on leave of absence, please contact Holly Caddell at 577-6349, ab5203@wayne.edu. If you have questions about the rates, coverage services, or a claim problem, please contact Albert Bowman at 577-6353, ab3895@wayne.edu.
Dental Insurance
Eligible faculty and staff have a comprehensive dental plan with the Delta Dental Plan of Michigan. For new hires, coverage begins on the first of the month following or concurrent with your date of hire.
Employees represented by the Graduate Employees Organizing Committee are able to participate in Delta Preferred, a dental preferred provider organization. For graduate assistants, your dental insurance goes into effect the first of the month following date of hire.
The university pays the entire premium for the employee and all eligible enrolled dependents.
If you are faculty, staff or a graduate assistant and you have questions about whether your coverage or the coverage for your dependents is in effect, please contact Ursula Hart at 577-3717, ao1514@wayne.edu or Dorothea Smith at 577-2132, bn9538@wayne.edu . If you are a Rumble or graduate fellow, a housing authority employee, a retiree, or on leave of absence, please contact Holly Caddell at 577-6349, ab5203@wayne.edu.
Life Insurance
Upon employment, the university provides eligible employees with term life insurance with The Hartford. The basic coverage amount equals your salary. Supplemental insurance coverage is available in amounts of one, two or three your annual salary at a subsidized cost to the employee. University retirees receive $2,500 in term life insurance paid for by WSU.
Coverage begins on the date of hire for new employees.
Now might be a good time to review the amount of coverage you have to ensure it still meets your family’s needs in the event of your death and remember to keep your beneficiary designations up to date. If you have questions about the amount of coverage or your beneficiaries, please contact Ursula Hart at 577-3717, ao1514@wayne.edu or Dorothea Smith at 577-2132, bn9538@wayne.edu.
Long-term Disability
The long-term disability program provides income to employees who experience a continuous total disability. The benefit for most employee groups is 66 2/3% of regular monthly salary up to a maximum of $5,000 per month. The university pays the full cost of the benefit.
For faculty and staff only, long-term disability benefits become effective after you have completed one year of service. The waiting period may be waived with proper verification of previous group long-term disability coverage.
If you have any questions on the coverage, please contact MaryAnn Wilson at 577-6351, ab8110@wayne.edu.
Retirement Program
Our retirement savings and investment program is one of the key benefits available to eligible employees.
Faculty and staff, may join the retirement program at anytime. There is no age restriction or years-of-service requirement to enroll. However, the university matching contribution (10 percent of eligible compensation) begins after two years of service, attainment of age 26 and your minimum participation of 5 percent. We may waive the years of service requirement if you have previous service at WSU, another University, educational institution, or a non-profit organization associated with a university or educational institution.
If you are not currently participating in the retirement program, now might be a good time to reconsider. Even though participation in the plan is voluntary, 70 percent of all eligible employees have enrolled.
Please contact Daryl Bowen at 577-6348, mailto:aa5595@wayne.edu for information and assistance.
If you are interested in retiring from the university, please contact MaryAnn Wilson at 577-6351, ab8110@wayne.edu.
Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Flexible spending accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for your unreimbursed medical and/or dependent care expenses. Your eligibility to participate in the health and dependent care spending accounts is determined by your classification and union representation. Enrollment is during the month of October and November. If you have questions about the program, please contact Albert Bowman at 577-6353, ab3895@wayne.edu.
Tuition Assistance
You may be eligible for the University’s tuition assistance program for employees and the reduced tuition benefit for dependents of employees. The employee benefit varies by employee classification and union representation. The reduced tuition benefit for a spouse or dependent pays 50 percent of certain tuition costs. If you have questions on the program, please contact Daryl Bowen at 577-6348, aa5595@wayne.edu.