Deadline - Action Required:
All benefits-eligible employees have 31 days from the date of hire to enroll in insurance benefits as noted above. If you do not enroll in insurance during this time, you will automatically waive medical and dental insurance and will not receive that coverage; and you will automatically enroll in the basic employee-only plans for life and AD&D insurance.

Dependents:
When you enroll, you will have the option to cover your dependents. Eligible dependents are spouses, dependent children under age 26, or disabled dependent children of any age.

Option to Waive:
If a benefits-eligible employee has other coverage and does not need to enroll in the university’s insurance, they can choose to waive any of the plans with the exception of basic life and basic AD&D during the enrollment process in Self-Service or on the paper form received from HR. All benefits-eligible employees receive basic life and AD&D insurance coverage that's paid for by the university; you do not have an option to waive these plans.

Enrollment Forms:

• All Benefits-Eligible Employees- Enroll online through Employee Self-Service 

The university pays a portion of select insurance premiums for benefits-eligible employees as part of their total compensation package. These contributions are called "Sooner Credits." Sooner Credits are used for the core insurance programs: medical, dental, life, and accidental death & dismemberment. 

Click on the Additional Insurance Programs tab to review other insurance options you may choose to enroll in and pay the entire premiums as a payroll deduction.

Full and part-time employees who work between 20 and 40 hours per week are eligible for benefits. The Sooner Credit amount contributed for each employee is prorated based on their full-time equivalency (FTE) as shown below.
 

FTE	% of Sooner Credits
.5-.59	50%
.6-.74	75%
.75-1.0	100%

 

Your insurance premium rates are determined by two factors: how many hours you work and your income. Click on "Premium rates" in the right column of this page to review insurance premiums.

1. Whether you are part-time or full-time impacts the amount of Sooner Credits the university contributes toward your benefits. Your FTE or full-time equivalent status is used to pro-rate the amount of Sooner Credits you will receive. A full-time employee has an FTE of 1.0 and receives the full amount of Sooner Credits they are eligible for. A half-time employee has an FTE of .5 and receives half the amount of Sooner Credits compared with a full-time employee.
    
2. In addition to your full-time equivalent status, your income tier is also considered when determining your medical premium rates. There are three income tiers for medical premiums. Lower income tiers receive more Sooner Credits.  

Coverage for you and your eligible dependents begins on the first day of the month following your date of hire. See the important enrollment deadline above.

Once your first 31 days have passed, changes to your benefits can be made in only two ways:

• Open Enrollment: Every fall, there is an open enrollment period during which all employees can change their insurance for the upcoming year. Any changes made are effective on January 1.
• Qualifying Event: Certain life events that occur during the year such as marriage, divorce, adoption, birth of a child, loss of other coverage, or death, are considered qualifying events by the IRS. Some insurance changes are allowed mid-plan year if you experience one of these qualifying events. Insurance changes must be made within 31 days of the event. Click here to find information about changing your benefits for qualifying events.

Medical Insurance

Medical insurance for benefits-eligible employees is provided by Cigna, and two plans are available: a PPO Plan and a High Deductible Health Plan with HSA. There are several things you should consider when choosing a medical insurance plan including premiums, networks, and covered services.

Find out more about medical insurance here.

If you have questions about the plans, you can contact Cigna at 1-800-332-4462.

 

OU offers you a choice of two dental plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental depending on the level of coverage you and your family may need: the Basic Plan and the Alternate Plan. The university contributes to the premiums for each plan. 

Both plans cover preventive, basic, and major services, but they differ in how much they pay for covered services. Under each plan, you can visit any licensed dentist.

There are several Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental highlights worth mentioning.

1. Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental Network offers both in and out-of-network coverage. 
2. Orthodontia is covered up to $1500 lifetime maximum per individual participant (children and adults).
3. Most implants can now be covered under either plan and are subject to the deductible and the annual maximum benefit payment that applies to the specific class of covered dental services. Due to the complexity of implant coverage, it is advised that implant coverage be discussed between your dental provider.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about dental insurance.

Basic life insurance for a benefits-eligible employee is fully paid for by the university. In the case of your death, the policy pays a benefit that is one and a half times your annual salary. You will need to name at least one person as a beneficiary on this policy. Purchasing supplemental life insurance is described in the Additional Insurance Programs tab above.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about life insurance.

Basic AD&D coverage of $20,000 for a benefits-eligible employee (1.0 FTE) is fully paid for by the university. Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance pays a benefit to your beneficiary if you were to die because of an accident whether at work or not. Also if you were to lose a limb because of an accident, you would receive a partial benefit with this policy. You will need to name at least one person as a beneficiary on this policy. Purchasing additional AD&D insurance is described in the Additional Insurance Programs tab above.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about AD&D insurance.

Vision insurance is an optional benefit that the employee pays for through a pre-tax payroll deduction. You can choose from two plans provided by MetLife: the Standard Plan and the Premium Plan. 

Both plans provide coverage for a regular visit to your eye doctor once every 12 months, frames, lenses, and contacts. The co-pays for these services and the frequency you can get them are determined by which plan you choose.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about vision insurance.

A Flexible Spending Account, also called an FSA, is an optional benefit that can help you save money on healthcare and dependent daycare. FSAs allow participants to set aside part of their pre-taxed wages to pay for out-of-pocket medical and daycare expenses. OU offers two kinds of FSAs administered by Optum Financial: a healthcare FSA and a dependent daycare FSA. You can choose to be in one or both of them; however, employees who are enrolled in a high deductible health plan with health savings account cannot also enroll in a healthcare FSA.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about FSAs.

Employees can purchase optional supplemental life insurance for themselves and optional life insurance for their spouses and children through a payroll deduction.
 

Supplemental Life Insurance

Supplemental life insurance can be purchased at different coverage levels. If you enroll now as a new employee, you may not be required to complete an evidence of insurability form depending on the coverage amount you choose. 

The beneficiary for Supplemental Life Insurance is the same person you chose as the beneficiary for Basic Life Insurance.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about supplemental life insurance.
 

Dependent Life Insurance

You can purchase dependent life insurance for your spouse or your children at different coverage levels. Dependent life insurance is a benefit that the employee pays for through an after-tax payroll deduction. 

You, as the employee, are named as the beneficiary on both spouse and child life insurance policies.

Use the link in the right column to learn more about dependent life insurance.
 

 

The university provides basic AD&D coverage for an employee. Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance pays a benefit to the beneficiary if covered person were to die because of an accident whether at work or not. Also if the covered person were to lose a limb because of an accident, a partial benefit would be available with this policy. Use the link in the right column to learn more about AD&D insurance.

Additional Coverage

• You can purchase additional AD&D coverage for yourself in $50,000 increments, up to $250,000.
• OU also offers Dependent AD&D Insurance for your spouse in $10,000 increments, up to $40,000.
• There is also Dependent AD&D Insurance for your eligible dependent children in a $5,000 or $10,000 option.

Beneficiaries

At least one beneficiary must be named for the employee policy. The employee is the beneficiary for dependent AD&D policies. 

Short-term Disability (STD) Insurance replaces a portion of your income when you are recovering from a covered illness or injury — a big help for keeping up while you are unable to work. You can feel better sooner knowing that your income is protected while you’re on the mend.

The Short-Term Disability plan is an optional insurance plan offered through Lincoln Financial which is fully paid for by the employee through payroll deduction (offered as an after-tax deduction only).

If there’s one thing you can expect, it’s the unexpected. Whether you’re responsible for a family or just yourself, you may have rent or mortgage payments, tuition, and regular monthly bills. If you’re unable to work, there’s an affordable way to help protect your lifestyle and the people who depend on you. Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance from Lincoln Financial fills the income gap between disability coverage you may already have and the income you had before you became disabled.

You may participate in optional long-term disability plans by paying the low monthly premium. You must be off work at least 180 days (6-months) and be approved before this benefit begins. Long-term disability insurance is an optional benefit offered by OU paid for by the employee through a payroll deduction. Use the link on the right to learn more about LTD.