Employee Benefits

For New Employees

Fringe benefits make up an important part of compensation for most employees. To make the most of your benefit opportunities, you need to know:

  • what benefits are available to you and how they interact
  • how and when to enroll

Use the Total Compensation Estimator to better understand the value of your benefits package.

What's in my benefit package?

Benefits vary according to your employee group.  If you are not certain where you fit in, read the descriptions on this page to find your employee group. Follow the appropriate link for a list of available benefit programs and important enrollment deadline information for new employees of your type. 

If you not a new University employee, go to the Life Events page for information about how to change your benefits in response to new personal and job situations.  For more in-depth information about a specific program, follow the topic links at the top of this page.

For detailed information about benefits available to you as a new employee, see the benefit orientation and benefit summary that applies to you.

New Employee Orientations

2013 Benefit Summaries

Permanent or long-term employees with retirement coverage:  This group includes most university employees, both unclassified -- university executives, deans and directors, faculty, and academic staff -- and classified employees. Any employee who is initially hired on or after July 1, 2011 who has never worked for a Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) participating employer, must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for coverage under the WRS and the associated benefits package:

  • Must be appointed to work at least two-thirds of full-time and
  • Must be expected to work for at least one year

For unclassified staff, two-thirds of full-time is 880 hours per year (56% appointment for a nine-month employee or a 42% appointment for a twelve-month employee). For classified staff, two-thirds of full-time is 1,200 hours per year (58% appointment).

If an employee worked for a WRS participating employer at any time prior to July 1, 2011, the employee is only required to work at least one-third of full time (440 hours per year for unclassified employees and 600 hours per year for classified employees) in order to be eligible for WRS coverage and the associated benefits package. This includes anyone who worked in a non-WRS covered appointment such as an LTE, graduate assistant, student assistant, short-term academic, employee-in-training, student hourly...prior to July 1, 2011.

Short-term academic employees and graduate and post-graduate employees:  This group includes appointees at the graduate level and beyond, as well as visiting faculty and other short-term teaching and research staff.  Undergrad Assistants and Undergrad Interns are also included. This group of employees is covered under the Graduate Assistant benefits package.

Fellows, Employees-in-training and similar titles: Members of this group are graduate and post-graduate appointees who work independently as a part of their professional training.  They receive stipends or awards rather than salaries.  Though technically not employees, they are eligible for some benefits within the Graduate Assistant benefits package.

Limited Term Employees (LTEs): This group includes employees appointed to fill classified positions that are temporary or temporarily vacant, or on an emergency basis

Student hourly employees:  This group includes students who are hired to provide support services to campus departments, libraries, food services, etc., and who are paid on an hourly basis.

 

For Employers

Go to the Benefit Enrollment Deadline Worksheets page to access benefit enrollment deadline worksheet templates for new employees.

2013 New Employee Benefit Orientation for all employees covered by the WRS (use if giving orientation for classified and unclassified employees at same time)

 

 

This document was last revised on November 30, 2012

UWSA Thumbnail Logo