Questions?

If you have questions about your benefits eligibility, please contact:

Benefits Department
Office of Human Resources
(781) 736-4468

Benefits Eligibility




Staff

Full time

Regular full-time staff are eligible to participate in the benefits program unless otherwise stated. Full-time staff are defined as:

  • Nonunion staff members who are scheduled to work 35 hours per week for 52 weeks a year.
  • Union staff members who work in the library and who are scheduled to work 35 hours per week for 52 weeks a year.
  • All other union employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours per week for 52 weeks a year.

Part time

Regular part-time staff who work the following schedules are eligible to participate in the benefits program unless otherwise stated:

  • Nonunion staff who are scheduled to work 17.5 hours or more per week for at least 39 weeks a year.
  • Union staff members who work in the library and who are scheduled to work 17.5 hours or more per week for at least 39 weeks a year.
  • All other union employees who are scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week for at least 39 weeks a year.
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Faculty

Faculty members who have appointments of at least half-time status for one semester or more are eligible to participate in the benefits program unless otherwise stated.

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Postdoctoral Fellows/Research Associates and Visiting Scholars except those who have an affiliation only with a Center or Institute


Note: Eligible postdoctoral fellows/research associates and visiting scholars except those who have an affiliation only with a Center or Institute are eligible to participate in the medical insurance, dental insurance and voluntary 403(b) retirement plan.

Appointments of at least half-time status for a period of six months or more and who receive salary payments through the university payroll office may enroll in a medical and/or dental insurance plan. The university will contribute toward the cost of the monthly premiums.

Appointments of at least half-time status for a period of six months or more and who are not paid directly by the university may enroll in a medical and/or dental insurance plan but must assume 100 percent of the monthly premiums.

Appointments at Brandeis University for a period less than six months are not eligible to participate in the university benefits plan.

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Effective Date

Employees are generally effective on the first day after the month they become eligible for benefits unless they are hired on the first of a month, in that case they will be effective on the first day. If an employee does not enroll within the first month when they are initially eligible they must wait for either the annual open enrollment or a qualifying event to enroll.

Qualifying Events

A qualifying event is an occurrence that dramatically changes your health insurance needs.

Types of Qualifying Events:

•Change in legal marital status, including marriage, death of spouse, divorce, legal separation, annulment,
• commencement or termination of a same-sex domestic partner relationship;
•Birth, adoption or placement for adoption of a child;
•Death of a spouse/same-sex domestic partner or dependent;
•You, your spouse/same-sex domestic partner or eligible dependent has a change in job status;
•Covered dependent reaches the age limit for coverage making him or her ineligible for coverage;
•You, your spouse/same-sex domestic partner or eligible dependent moves out of or into your medical plan’s service area;
•You, your spouse/same-sex domestic partner or eligible dependent begins or returns from an unpaid leave of absence.