GEO Eligibility
2022-23 Open Enrollment Periods
There are 6 open enrollment periods per year (you only need to apply during one of these periods annually:
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Aug 15 - Sept 15
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Oct 15 - Oct 31
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Nov 15 - Nov 30
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Jan 15 -Jan 31
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March 15 - March 31
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May 15 - May 31
Open enrollment periods are the only times during the year when we process new applications and changes to existing applications.
Earnings Requirement
To be eligible for 2022-23 Trust Fund benefits, you must be an enrolled graduate student (program fee is ok) at UMass Amherst and be working in a GEO-eligible position earning at least $5762.70* between 5/22/22 & 5/27/23. Trust Fund benefits are for 12 months (9/1-8/31 of each year) and include dental, vision, the wellness reimbursement and the child care reimbursement. Please refer to Assistantship Earnings Requirements published by the Graduate Assistantship Office for more information.
Spring-only eligibility: If your earnings occur only in the spring semester, but will total at least $5762.70, 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: The same guidelines apply. However, coverage starts with your first official day as a student (the first day of the spring semester) and continues through August 31, 2023.
How summer earnings are counted: 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 commence June 1, 2022, these will count toward your eligibility for benefits starting September 1, 2022.
How University Without Walls courses count: Teaching (1) 3-credit UWW course is equivalent to earning $5762.70 for the purposes of Trust Fund benefits.** These requirements differ from those of your student health plan.
* These earnings requirements and dates differ from those of your student health plan.
**Minimums are subject to change when stipends increase.
NEW - Eligibility for Prestigious Fellows
Effective plan year 2022-23, 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 is below and the full GEO contract is here.
Former Eligible Employees
If you graduate, you will lose your eligibility at the end of the plan year in which you graduate, on August 31.
If you withdraw as a student from the University, fail to be enrolled as a student, or terminate your employment prior to earning the minimum earnings required above, you will lose your eligibility thirty (30) days after the aforementioned event occurs.