Note: The information outlined below represents a summary only. Benefit plans are subject to change. Specific plan documents or contracts prevail. For more information, please contact Human Resources at HR@Muhlenberg.edu or (484) 664-3165.
As of: January 1, 2020
- Dental Benefits
- Disability Plan (Short-term)
- Disability Plan (Long-term)
- Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Holidays
- Life Insurance
- Medical Benefits
- Vision Benefits
- Parental Leave
- Retirement Benefits
- Sick Leave
- Tuition Assistance Benefits
- Vacation
- Other Benefits
The College offers United Concordia, a Dental Preferred Provider Plan, through payroll deduction. The College does not make a contribution. An open enrollment period is held from mid-November through the first of December each year.
Disability Plan (Short-term) (After 1 year of employment, minimum 1,248 hours/year):
Short-term disability occurs whenever an injury or illness, not compensable under Workers' Compensation, prevents you from continuing work for a period greater than five consecutive work days. The College establishes an individual’s short-term disability bank at ten days upon hire, and adds five days to each eligible employee’s short-term disability bank at each service anniversary. Short-term disability accumulation is capped at 130 days (26 weeks). During a certified disability, the short-term disability plan provides 100% of your normal pay up to the total amount of time accumulated in your short-term disability bank, followed by 60% (to a maximum of $4,000 per month) of your normal pay for your certified disability up to a maxium duration of 26 weeks. (After 26 weeks of short-term disability, an application for long-term disability would be submitted to the insurer. See item VII.) Click here for the full Disability Payment Policy.
Disability Plan (Long-term) (After 1 year of employment, minimum 1,248 hours/year):
Benefits from this plan, which require the approval of the insurance carrier, begin after 26 weeks of total disability. The plan provides an initial benefit of 2/3 of your base pay to a maximum benefit of $5,000 per month, reduced by Social Security payments and/or Workers' Compensation, if applicable. Following a full year of payments and subject to continued medical certification, the benefit increases by 3% per year for up to ten years to provide inflation protection. Premiums are paid by the College. The long-term disability plan may also provide continuing payment of retirement plan contributions and group life insurance premiums if you were a participant in those plans at the onset of the disability. Immediate participation may be arranged for those new employees who present evidence of long-term disability coverage by the immediately previous employer.
Complete details are available in the Human Resources Office.
The College offers Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), a tax-advantaged way to pay for certain medical and/or dependent care expenses. By setting aside pre-tax dollars in an FSA for these expenses, you save on taxes and end up with higher take-home pay. Visit TASC at https://www.tasconline.com to see how an FSA can benefit you.
General Information:
- Advantages of an FSA
- Dependent Care Qualifications
- Dependent Care FSA vs. Tax Credit
- FSA Eligible Expenses - *UPDATED 4/2020*
- Orthodontia Worksheet and Instructions
- Reimbursement Tips
- How to Request a TASC Reimbursement
Accessing Your MyTASC Account:
- TASC Universal Benefits FAQs
- TASC Universal Benefits Participant Guide
- TASC Universal Benefits Sign In Information
- What do I do if I get a message about pop-up blockers?
- Flex Direct Deposit - Visit MyCash Manager (within MyTASC) to establish direct deposit
- Claim Form - You may submit your request for reimbursement using MyTASC Mobile App or the online Request for Reimbursement form (you must login to MyTASC using your 12-digit TASC ID).
Click here for more information regarding Holidays and Office Coverage.
Employees working at least 850 hours per year may be eligible for holiday pay. Holidays observed by the College include Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and 3 days during the Christmas break period, Good Friday, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Should a holiday fall on a weekend, the College will designate a weekday observance. Many offices are also closed on Labor Day, and employees who are required to work on Labor Day to keep an office open are given one floating holiday in exchange. Employees should check with their supervisors regarding holiday office coverage. One floating holiday is also available for use on either Martin Luther King, Jr. Day OR Easter Monday, depending upon which day your office is closed; employees required to work both of these days are given one floating holiday in exchange.
Life Insurance: (After 1 year of employment, minimum of 1,248 hours/year):
During active employment, eligible employees are covered for group term life insurance, capped at $75,000, using this schedule:
Up to Age 40 - 2.50 times salary
Age 40 to 49 - 2.00 times salary
Age 50 to 59 - 1.34 times salary
Age 60 to 69 - 0.90 time salary
Age 70 and over - 0.67 times salary
Premiums are paid entirely by the College. Immediate participation may be arranged for those new employees who present evidence of similar coverage by the immediately previous employer. The cost of the life insurance provided above $50,000 is considered a taxable benefit by the Internal Revenue Service.
Muhlenberg offers a robust, comprehensive health insurance plan to eligible employees. Enrollment is voluntary and you may waive coverage if you prefer. Our insurance plan is Highmark Blue Shield Lehigh Valley Flex Blue PPO. This is a “Blue network” preferred provider organization, with enhanced value and standard value tiers of in-network coverage, and out-of-network coverage. Vision benefits are included with the health insurance plan. The plan also includes prescription drug coverage, with all long-term prescriptions filled for 90 days at a time through the convenient mail order pharmacy.
You may make changes to your health insurance plan whenever a change in family status occurs or a qualifying event takes place (i.e. marriage, birth of a child, divorce, change in spouse's employment status), and/or during the open enrollment period, which runs from mid-November through the first of December with changes taking effect January 1.
Highmark Blue Shield PPO - Preferred Provider Organization (In-Network and Out-Of-Network Coverage)
You may choose to cover just yourself or you may add eligible family members and/or your spouse to your health insurance coverage. The College pays approximately 80% of the premium each month. The remaining 20% of the cost of coverage is deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis so that this portion of your income is not subject to federal income tax or social security tax. If your spouse is eligible to medical coverage elsewhere, either through their own employer or Medicare, we encourage your spouse to enroll in that coverage. You may add your spouse who is eligible for their own employer’s coverage (or eligible to Medicare) to your health insurance by paying a spousal surcharge. To request a waiver of this surcharge, complete the Request for Waiver of Spousal Surcharge form, listed below.
- Health Insurance Grid 2020
- Highmark Flex Blue PPO Benefit Grid
- How Lehigh Valley Flex Blue Works
- 2020 Summary of Benefits and Coverage
- Lehigh Valley Flex Blue PPO - Full Plan
- My Care Navigator (24/7 dedicated care advocate)
- Request for Waiver of Spousal Surcharge
You may make changes to your health insurance plan whenever a change in family status occurs or a qualifying event takes place (i.e. marriage, birth of a child, divorce, change in spouse's employment status), and/or during the open enrollment period, which runs each year from mid-November through early December, with changes taking effect January 1. (Medicare Part D Creditable Coverage Notice 2019)
Highmark PPO Vision Benefits are administered by Davis Vision. You should use your Highmark PPO insurance cards when visiting an eye doctor. Click here to go to Davis Vision's website to find a participating provider.
Parental Leave (After 1 year of employment, minimum of 1,248 hours/year):
Following the birth or adoption of a child, parents are eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to be home with their new family member. Family Medical Leave is available for 12 weeks, and is unpaid. At the parent’s request, the College will provide full pay for up to four weeks of an approved parental FMLA absence as a Parental Leave benefit. (Additionally, part of the FMLA leave may be paid as a certified short-term disability after childbirth. See item VII above.)
Retirement Benefits (Teacher's Insurance and Annuity Association "TIAA"):
Employee Contribution: Employees working a minimum of 1,000 hours per year are eligible to contribute to the College's Supplemental Retirement Plan immediately upon hire. Employees may contribute through pre-tax payroll deductions, up to the maximum IRS annual limits.
Employer Contribution (After 2 years of employment, minimum 1,000 hours/year): The College contributes to the TIAA retirement plan for employees working a minimum of 1,000 hours per year. A waiting period of two consecutive years (at 1,000 hours each, minimum) is required; however, this waiting period is waived if your previous employer contributed to a fully vested retirement plan on your behalf immediately preceding (within 90 days) your first day of employment at Muhlenberg. The College contribution is equal to 10% of base salary up to the current Social Security wage base, and 15% of any salary beyond that base. ***UPDATE*** Temporary Retirement Plan Change, Effective September 1, 2020: The College's retirement contribution will decrease from 10% to 4% in response to the economic impact of COVID-19. We hope to restore the 10% contribution in the next academic year.
Contact Human Resources at HR@Muhlenberg.edu or Ext. 3165 for information regarding individual appointments with the College's TIAA representative.
All employees budgeted for a minimum of 850 hours per year accumulate ten days (pro-rated based on annual budgeted hours) of sick time annually. The sick bank provides full pay during occasional brief absences due to an employee's illness or injury. Sick bank accumulation is capped at twenty days. Employees who are eligible for the short-term disability plan may roll a maximum of five days of unused annual sick leave accumulation into their short-term disability bank each year. ***UPDATE*** Temporary Expansion of Sick-Leave Benefits, Effective March 12, 2020: Employees who need to stay home to care for a family member due to COVID-19 concerns or reasons such as school/daycare closings, and are unable to work remotely, may use time from their sick leave bank. If sick leave has been exhausted, you may request an advancement of up to 10 additional days by contacting Human Resources. Absences for those not eligible for paid sick leave will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Note: This is a temporary exception in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Normally, sick leave may only be used for the employee’s own illness or injury.
Tuition Assistance Benefits: (After 2 years of employment, minimum 1,248 hours/year):
Tuition Remission Program: Full tuition scholarships are available at Muhlenberg for you and your spouse for a maximum of 2 courses per term, space available. As an alternative to Muhlenberg tuition remission, through the LVAIC Tuition Exchange program, you and your spouse are eligible for cross-registration of up to 2 undergraduate courses per term, tuition free, on a space available basis at any of the LVAIC member institutions (Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Cedar Crest College, DeSales University and Moravian College).
For eligible dependent children, full tuition scholarships at Muhlenberg (maximum 8 semesters/4 years of study) are available. Click here to review the complete Tuition Scholarship Plan or here for the Tuition Remission Form.
Tuition Exchange Program: Eligible dependent children may be certified for participation in a nationwide tuition exchange scholarship program, Tuition Exchange Incorporated. Certification by Muhlenberg allows dependent children to compete for generous scholarship awards at more than 500 institutions. For detailed information and eligibility requirements, click here for the LVAIC Cross Registration Policy or visit Human Resources.
Full-time exempt employees working at least 850 hours annually earn paid vacation during each year, from September 1 through August 31, up to a maximum of 22 days per year (pro-rated for those working less than 2,080 hours per year). Effective with vacation accrued beginning September 1, 2019, a maximum of five vacation days may be carried forward.
Staff associates and service personnel working at least 850 hours per year earn vacation days (based on their average work day as determined by their annual scheduled hours) at the rate of 10 days per year until their fourth service anniversary, 15 days from their fourth to their eighth service anniversary, and 20 days per year after completing eight years of service. Accumulation for staff associates and service personnel runs from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year; carryover each July 1 is currently capped at the amount of vacation time earned in the preceding 12 months. ***UPDATE*** Temporary Expansion of Vacation Carry-over Benefits, Effective May 7, 2020: The maximum amount of vacation that may accrue in your vacation bank to carry over into the next year will increase by an additional 10 days. Accrued but unused vacation in excess of this maximum will be forfeited. This is a temporary change in policy due to COVID- 19. Absent further updates, this vacation policy will revert back to its prior form and expire on June 30, 2021 for non- exempt staff and on August 31, 2021 for exempt stafff. As always, requests for vacation leave require your manager’s pre- approval.
Arrangements for these benefits may require individual enrollment or an ID card: Assigned Parking, Miller Keystone Blood Bank membership, Library and Life Sports Center Privileges, Wellness and Professional Development Courses, Bookstore Discount, Lehigh Valley Educators Credit Union & First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union membership.
Bookstore Discount - 10% on most bookstore items
Entertainment Discounts - Go to www.plumbenefits.com and use code ac0627076
Lehigh Valley Educators Credit Union
Library Privileges
Life Sports Center privileges
Miller Keystone Blood Bank membership
Travel Insurance - See Human Resources for Information
For more information, contact the Human Resources Office, (484) 664-3165.