What type of benefits does St. John’s
offer?
St. John’s offers a rich array of benefits including:
- a POS (Point of Service) medical plan through Oxford Health
Plans
- a choice of dental plans including a POS plan through Fiserv
(formerly known as Benesight) and a DMO (Dental Maintenance
Organization) offered through Aetna
- and a 403(b) retirement plan with a choice of investments
offered through TIAA-CREF, Fidelity Investments and MetLife
Resources.
See our complete list of
benefit offerings.
Who do I contact if I have a question
regarding my medical, dental and other employee
benefits?
If you have a general question regarding employee benefits,
you may contact Employee Benefits at (718) 990-BENE. For questions
about specific claims, you will need to contact the carriers
directly.
Who is eligible for benefits and when do
my benefits become effective?
All full-time employees and certain employees on a reduced
schedule (e.g.., “nine month employees”) are eligible for benefits.
An employee’s benefits become effective on the first day of the
month following the employee’s date of hire or on the first of the
month if the employee’s date of hire is the first day of the
month.
When can I make changes to my benefit
plans?
You may change your benefit plan elections during our Open
Enrollment Period (November and December.) Changes made during the
Open Enrollment Period take effect on January 1.
Additionally, if you have a "Qualifying Event" (i.e., marriage,
birth of child, spouse's loss of coverage with his/her employer),
you may change your benefit elections by notifying Employee
Benefits in writing within 31 days of the Event. Please call Employee Benefits for more details
on Qualifying Events.
Note: You may be able to make changes to some benefit plans outside
of open enrollment or absent a qualifying event. Please contact a
Benefits Representative at (718) 990-BENE for further details.
Where do I access Benefits forms such as
medical claim forms, flexible spending reimbursement forms, and
salary reduction agreements for the retirement plan?
You may access these and many other benefit forms by
visiting this Benefit
Forms page on St. John's University Web site.
Where can I find group number information
for our insurance plans, claim form mailing addresses, links to
insurance carriers, and summary plan descriptions?
You may access this information by visiting this Benefits page on page
on St. John's University Web site.
How do I request a medical leave?
You should first notify your supervisor of your intent to
take a medical leave. After notifying your supervisor please
contact the Benefits Office at ex: 2077 at least 30 days prior to
the beginning of the leave if foreseeable. The Benefits Office will
send the employee all appropriate paperwork that must be completed
by the employee’s physician.
Additional information on leaves may be found in the employee
handbook or in the leaves section of the Human Resources Policy
Manual for Staff and Administrators(the policy manual is
located on the Human
Resources Intranet site). Faculty members may refer to the
leaves section in the Collective Bargaining Agreement for further
information.
How do I enroll in the University’s 403(b)
Retirement Plan and/or how do I make changes to my plan if I am
already enrolled?
You can enroll in the plan at any time by completing a
Salary Reduction Agreement (located on the Benefit Forms page) and
submitting it to the Employee Benefits Office. You will also need
to complete an enrollment application for the carrier (TIAA-CREF,
Fidelity Investments, MetLife Resources) of your choice. Links to
all of our carriers website’s can be found on the Benefits homepage.
If you are already enrolled in the plan and you would like to
change the amount you have deducted from your paycheck, you may do
so by completing a new salary reduction agreement and submitting it
to the Employee Benefits Office. Please note that you may only make
changes to a salary reduction agreement once every calendar
quarter.
If you would like to change how your money is allocated within
the investment choices of your carrier, please contact your carrier
directly. You may make unlimited changes to allocations at
anytime.
How much money can I contribute to my plan
and does the University provide a contribution to my retirement
plan?
You may contribute through payroll deductions a percentage
of your before-tax salary, up to the IRS annual maximum
limit. For 2007, this amount is $15,500 if you are under age
50. If you are age 50 or older, you can take advantage of the
increased opportunity to “catch up” and contribute an additional
$4,000 for 2007. Rollovers from another employer’s retirement
plan may also be allowed.
Upon completion of one year of service and attainment of age 26,
employees are also eligible to receive a St. John’s University
contribution of 10% of their base salary; provided employees
contribute a minimum of 5% of their base salary to one of the plan
options. Employees that have at least one year of full time
service at an accredited college or university are eligible for the
St. John’s University’s contribution upon receipt in the Employee
Benefits Office of a letter from the prior institution indicating
dates of employment and full time status; provided employees
contribute a minimum of 5% of their base salary to one of the plan
options.
What happens to my benefits when my
employment with St. John’s University ends?
If you leave the University your benefits will end at the
end of the month following your last physical day worked (e.g. if
your last physical day worked was November 14th your benefits would
end November 30th). You may be eligible to continue your benefits
at your own expense under COBRA. You will be mailed information
regarding your COBRA rights from our billing company, Payflex
Systems Inc. upon ending your employment with the University.
Retirement: If you meet the
University’s criteria to be considered a retiree (please see the Human
Resources Policy Manual for Staff and Administrators or the
Collective Bargaining Agreement for Faculty) you may be entitled to
continue your benefits at the University group rates at your own
expense for as long as you wish. Please contact the Benefits Office
at (718) 990-BENE to notify us if you will be retiring so we can
provide you with further information concerning rates.