Employee Perks and Incentives

Below is a summary of benefits available to classified staff. When you visit the New Employee Welcome (NEW) Center, you will be signed up for a benefits orientation during which a member of the Benefits team will discuss these topics in detail. For more information on each topic, please click the hyperlinks which will guide you to our Benefits website.

Retirement

Virginia Retirement System Hybrid - Combination Defined Benefit (DB) and Defined Contribution (DC) plan. The DB portion has a mandatory employee participation of 4% with an actuarially determined employer contribution and vesting after 5 years of service. There is a mandatory employee contribution of 1% in the DC and a 1% employer match. Participants may contribute up to an additional 4% in the DC portion with a corresponding employer match (see table below).

Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)

Classified Staff are automatically enrolled in the VSDP. Under VSDP, full-time staff are credited with the following VSDP leave hours on January 10th each year:

Unused sick and family/personal leave may not be carried forward from one year to the next and staff are not paid for any unused leave at separation. (New full-time staff hired on or after July 10 will receive 40 sick leave hours and 16 family/personal leave hours for that calendar year.)

Part-time classified staff are credited with the following hours on January 10th each of year:

Unused sick and family/personal leave may not be carried forward from one year to the next and staff are not paid for any unused leave at separation. (New part-time faculty hired on or after July 10 will receive 20 sick leave hours and 16 family/personal leave hours for that calendar year.)

VSDP also includes short-term and long-term disability benefits. There is a one year waiting period before the staff member is eligible for VSDP short-term disability coverage.

After one year of employment, new hires and rehires will be eligible for a 60% benefit for the first 5 years. After you have satisfied the waiting period, short-term disability benefits are payable during periods of total disability, partial disability, maternity leave, or periodic absences due to a major chronic condition, as determined by the VSDP administrator. Short-term disability benefits provide an income replacement for a maximum of 125 workdays. You become eligible for long-term disability payments after you satisfy a 180 calendar-day (26 weeks) waiting period, following the commencement of your disability. Long-term disability benefits provide you with an income replacement of 60% of your compensation and are payable during periods of total or partial disability.

VSDP participants are also covered under the VRS Long-Term Care Program. There is no cost to you. This long-term care plan assists you in paying for nursing home care, assisted living facility care, hospice care, at-home services and community-based care. The maximum daily benefit amount is $96 with a lifetime maximum of $70,080.

Supplemental Retirement Accounts

403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuity, offered through TIAA & Fidelity Investments.

VA 457 plan, offered through the Commonwealth of Virginia. The record-keeper for investments is ICMA-RC.

The Cash Match Plan is available to salaried employees enrolled in the 403(b) plan or the 457 DCP who are not enrolled in the VRS Hybrid Plan or have maximized their voluntary contributions to the VRS Hybrid Plan. This plan provides a match equal to 50% of your contribution up to a maximum of $20 per pay check (The maximum cash match is $18.46 for bi-weekly employees paid over 26 pays)

Rehired employees not participating in the VRS Hybrid Plan will be automatically enrolled in a 403(b) plan after 90 days of employment if they do not either enroll in a supplemental retirement account or complete an opt-out form. Mason will deduct $20 per pay period and deposit it with Fidelity Investments, the default vendor for auto-enrollment. Mason will open a second account with Fidelity Investments and contribute a $10 per pay period cash match. Both accounts will be invested in Fidelity Freedom Funds, a fund tied to the estimated year of retirement based upon age.

Health Insurance

Classified Staff who work at least 20 hours per week may choose one of the following health insurance plans through the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield (PPO or HDHP)
• Aetna (CDHP)
• Kaiser Permanente (HMO)
• TRICARE Supplement

Plans include prescription and dental coverage (with the exception of the Tricare Supplement, which does not include dental). Staff who work at least 30 hours per week have their premiums shared between the employee and Mason. Part-time classified staff who work 20-29 hours per week are eligible for health benefits, but must pay the total premium (employee plus employer contribution). Premiums are payroll-deducted on a pre-tax basis.

A decision to waive or enroll in single, dual, or family coverage must be made within 30 days of the employment date. For staff hired after the first of the month, health insurance will take effect the first of the month after the first date of employment. Staff hired on the first calendar day of the month will have coverage effective the first of that month if the form is received within 30 days of the first working day.

Plan or membership changes can be made during the Annual Spring Open Enrollment for an effective date of July 1. Membership changes can also be made within 60 days of a qualifying mid-year event and will take effect on the first of the month following receipt of a completed enrollment form or the event, whichever is later (except in the case of birth/adoption or divorce when coverage is retroactive to the first of the month in which the event took place).

For the most up-to-date information on rates and coverage, please visit the DHRM website. You are also encouraged to review DHRM's Eligibility Guide for enrollment timeframes and qualifying mid-year event (QME) deadlines.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Mason Classified Staff may enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) through the Commonwealth of Virginia:

The Dependent Care FSA allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible dependent care expenses (child or elder care).

The Medical FSA allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars for IRS-approved medical expenses.

Basic Life Insurance

Mason automatically provides basic life insurance policy through Securian Financial for full-time and part-time classified staff (50% appointment time or greater) effective on the employment date. Mason pays the entire premium. The basic benefit is two times the individual's annual salary. There is also an accidental death and dismemberment provision of four times the individual's annual salary. A benefit amount above $50,000 is subject to taxes, per IRS regulations.

Optional Insurance Plans

Family Medical Leave Act

Annual Leave

Full-time classified staff earn annual leave on an accrual system in accordance with the number of years of state service.

Part-time classified staff earn annual leave on a proportionate basis.

Leave must be earned before it is used and may not be advanced. Once separated from employment, classified employees are paid for unused annual leave up to the allowable maximum. Please note that no leave is accrued in a pay period during which an employee has unpaid leave hours. An employee must have worked or have been paid for the entire pay period in order to accrue leave in that pay period. The chart below shows the hours earned per years of service and the allowable maximums for each category for semi-monthly classified staff:

^*As of January 9th each year

For further information on annual leave for classified staff please refer to DHRM Policy 4.10.

Parental Leave

Up to 320 hours of paid parental leave are available for full-time classified staff. Those working part-time will be allocated a prorated amount as appropriate.

Parental leave can be used starting from the date of birth/placement of the child. Employees have six (6) months from that date to take the leave. Any unused hours after six (6) months will be forfeited. Holidays and weekends cannot be used to extend the parental leave usage window. For example, an employee whose baby was born on July 10, 2018 has until January 10, 2019 to use up their parental leave allotment.

Employees should contact a Benefits Administrator at least thirty (30) days in advance of the leave period to begin the parental leave process. Proof of birth or legal custody documentation will be required.

Please see DHRM Policy 4.21 for more information.

Commuter Choice Transit Benefit

Employee Tuition Exemption

Faculty and staff (including adjunct faculty and non-student wage) are eligible for the tuition exemption. Conditions apply. Please see the Tuition Exemption page.