Postdoc Employee Benefits
Postdoctoral employees at UMass Amherst are unionized and are part of UAW Local 2322. The UAW negotiated a health & welfare trust fund into the postdoc collective bargaining agreement.
As a result, postdoc employees are beneficiaries of the UAW/UMass Health & Welfare Trust Fund, a jointly managed labor/management Trust Fund, also providing benefits to graduate employees on campus.
Eligibility for Current Employees
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.
To be eligible to enroll in the postdoctoral employee dental & vision plans, you must be a current UMass postdoctoral research associate employed at least 20 hours per week.
When You Leave Employment
Your Trust Fund dental and vision benefits continue for 30 days after your employment with the University ends. After 30 days, you have the option of continuing your coverage for up to 18 months by paying 102% of your monthly premium, per the federal COBRA legislation.
How to Enroll
Our enrollment portal link is available at the top right of the home page. At the end of the application, you'll be asked to electronically sign a benefits authorization form. No need to turn in any hard copy forms.
You'll need the following to apply:
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your UMass employee ID number
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date of birth for any dependents you wish to add
Deadlines
There is an annual open enrollment period for current employees who would like to make changes to their coverage. Employees experiencing a qualifying event (such as losing coverage from a spouse or getting married) should contact the Director of Benefits in order to enroll: (413) 345-2156 or uwdental@umass.edu
New employees have 30 days from their date of hire to enroll in order to avoid waiting periods for coverage imposed by insurance companies.