Benefits & Eligibility
for Grad Employees & Postdocs
Benefits Overview and Eligibility Guidelines for Graduate Student Employees and Postdocs
GEO Benefits
Postdoc Benefits
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FREE dental and vision insurance for employees
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Dental from Altus Dental
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Vision from EyeMed
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$10/month to add 1 person, $20/month to add a family
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100% coverage for dental exams, x-rays, and 4 cleanings/year
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Vision exams are just a $10 copay
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$150 contact benefit and $185 frame benefit
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Nationwide network of providers
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Wellness & childcare reimbursements
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Prepaid rock climbing, yoga, or massage therapy memberships available on a first come/first served basis
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$60k+ fund available to reimburse families for childcare, after school programs, tutoring, and summer camp
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Up to $250 in Outschool class fees for families with preK-12 children
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Extras!
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FREE MetLife prepaid legal plan
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FREE 10k Basic Life Insurance Policy
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FREE access to the Calm app for mindfulness and meditation
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FREE subscription to the Daily Burn, an online fitness platform
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FREE access to MetLife's Plansmart financial wellness tools
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FREE dental and vision insurance for employees
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Dental from Altus Dental
-
Vision from EyeMed
-
$100/year for family dental/vision is free
-
100% coverage for dental exams, x-rays, and 4 cleanings/year
-
Vision exams are just a $10 copay
-
$150 contact benefit and $185 frame benefit
-
Nationwide network of providers
-
-
-
Wellness & childcare reimbursements
-
Up to a $225 wellness reimbursement for gym memberships, fitness trackers, exercise equipment, and more
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Optional prepaid rock climbing, yoga, or massage therapy memberships as an alternative to the wellness reimbursement
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$215k fund available to reimburse families for childcare, after school programs, tutoring, and summer camp
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Up to $250 in Outschool class fees for families with preK-12 children
-
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Extras!
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FREE access to the Calm app for mindfulness and meditation
-
FREE subscription to the Daily Burn, an online fitness platform
-
FREE access to MetLife's Plansmart financial wellness tools
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Optional MetLife prepaid legal plan
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Important information for new grad employees:
If you're an incoming graduate student employee for academic year 2023-24, and did not earn wages in a GEO-eligible position during 2022-23, your earliest start date for dental and vision coverage is September 1, 2023.
You'll receive an enrollment email for plan year 2023-24 at your UMass email address by August 15, 2023, the date that online enrollment begins. The deadline for September 1 coverage is 9/15/23 (coverage will be retroactive as long as you apply by 9/15). View the eligibility guidelines to ensure you will be eligible.
Grad Employee Eligibility
To be eligible for 2023-24 Trust Fund benefits, you must be:
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An enrolled graduate student at UMass Amherst AND
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Working in a GEO-eligible position earning at least $6205.40* between May 28, 2023 and May 25, 2024.
* subject to change when wage increases are implemented
Other eligibility scenarios:
Spring-only eligibility: If your earnings occur only in the spring semester, but will total at least $6205.40, you are eligible to enroll in the plans for September 1 coverage. However, your enrollment application must be accompanied by a copy of your fully-signed employment contract or letter of appointment.
Spring-entering grad students: If your earnings will total at least $6205.40, you are eligible to enroll. However, coverage starts with your first official day as a student (the first day of the spring semester) and continues through August 31, 2023. Additionally, your enrollment application must be accompanied by a copy of your fully-signed employment contract or letter of appointment.
Summer earnings: Summer earnings in a GEO-eligible position count "forward" toward your eligibility for the next plan year that starts in September. If your only earnings during an academic year occur in the summer, this will not make you eligible for coverage during the concurrent summer months. For example, if your only GEO-eligible earnings commenced June 1, 2023, these will count toward your eligibility for benefits starting September 1, 2023.
Eligibility Based on Teaching University Without Walls courses: Teaching (1) 3-credit UWW course is equivalent to earning $6205.40 for the purposes of Trust Fund benefits (minimums are subject to change when stipends increase).
Eligibility for Prestigious Graduate Fellows (Previously "Non-Working" Fellows): There is an agreement in place between the University and GEO/UAW Local 2322 making certain fellowship recipients eligible for Trust Fund benefits. The agreement states: "The agreement incorporates graduate students who are awarded prestigious external fellowships into the bargaining unit to ensure they maintain full benefits while being funded from an external source. Fellowships must be at least $6205 [or equivalent to a 10-hour semester appointment] to qualify. Certain terms of the agreement, such as Appointment & Reappointment, Job Security, Vacation, and Additional Time Off do not apply." To see if your fellowship makes you eligible, check the Graduate School's information page.
Renewing eligibility: Remember, grad students who were previously eligible for benefits must re-enroll every year.
Postdoc Employee Eligibility
To be eligible for 2023-24 Trust Fund benefits, you must be:
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A current UMass postdoctoral research associate AND
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Employed at least 20 hours per week.
Postdocs should enroll in benefits within 30 days of the start of their employment with UMass to avoid potential waiting periods for coverage imposed by the insurers. Once enrolled, postdocs do not need to re-enroll during their tenure as employees at UMass; coverage is continuous while you are employed at least 50% time.