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Insurance Eligibility & Coverage
for Temporary Staff Employees

CONTENTS

UNDERSTAND

Eligibility

The state Legislature has established insurance eligibility criteria for temporary employees, also known as "nonpermanent" employees. The insurance described here includes: medical and dental, life and accidental death and dismemberment, long term disability, and insurance continuation.

Eligibility Criteria

As temporary staff you are eligible for employer-paid Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) insurances if you work an average of half time or more (480 hours: 80 hours x 6 months) in a consecutive six-month period, with at least eight hours or more in each of the six months. Note: If you are temporary, part-time faculty, different rules govern your eligibility. Please see faculty eligibility rules at Eligibility for Faculty, Staff, and Librarians.

For temporary employees to become eligible and activate insurance benefits beginning the seventh month of continuous employment, you must also work at least eight hours into the seventh month.
There are two ways for temporary employees to obtain PEBB insurance eligibility:

  1. Through a temporary appointment which meets the eligibility criteria listed above from its inception, based on the position’s planned work schedule.  Eligibility is established as of the first of the month following the appointment date. Or, if an appointment is not initially eligible for insurance, then:
  2. By establishing eligibility through an individual’s actual UW employment pattern. This may include working in more than one non-faculty appointment or department at a time, or in a series of consecutive UW appointments: eligibility is established as of the first of the month following the completion of the sixth consecutive month in which the eligibility criteria were met and a minimum of eight hours of work must continue into the seventh month to activate the eligibility.

The UW Benefits Office determines when eligibility is established by monitoring all employment and hours worked at UW. Note: Student employment is not eligible for consideration towards faculty and staff benefits.

Notification of Eligibility

In the event you become eligible for insurance benefits, the Benefits Office sends written notice to your home address, so make sure you keep your home address updated in UW Employee Self Service (ESS). Log onto ESS with your UW NetID to view your address and other payroll and benefits information. If you do not have easy access to a computer, your department’s Payroll Coordinator can also update your home address for you.

Appeal of Eligibility

You may appeal an eligibility determination in writing to the Benefits Office within 30 days of receiving an eligibility notice. Note the specific reason(s) for your appeal. If you need more information about the appeal process, visit the Health Care Authority site.

ACT

Enrolling in Insurances

As soon as you get a letter from the Benefits Office notifying you of your eligibility, you must act promptly and enroll yourself and any dependent(s) in your desired coverage. Important: Return your insurance forms to the Benefits Office within 31 days of your eligibility date. Returning your forms within 31 days is essential because if you do not:

  1. You lose the ability to choose between medical and dental plans.
  2. Your medical and dental coverage will default to Uniform Medical and Uniform Dental after a 90-day period. Meanwhile, any insurance claims will be delayed or denied, limiting your ability to access services.
  3. You won’t be able to change your medical or dental coverage or enroll eligible dependents until the next annual medical/dental open enrollment or a qualifying life change in your family circumstances.
  4. Your long term disability (LTD) coverage will default to basic-only, and any optional coverage is subject to approval only after you complete an Evidence of Insurability form.

The 31-day enrollment deadline applies to all insurances except life insurance which provides a 60-day initial enrollment window. Medical premiums are due retroactive to the eligibility date for the medical plan you select. If you do not enroll in a medical plan, you can waive participation on the Medical/Dental form.

Choosing Insurances

Here are a few resources to help you decide on coverage:

As an eligible temporary employee you will also find details here:

EXPLORE

Benefits Summary for Temporary Employees (.pdf)

Retirement Plans for Temporary Employees

If you are looking for information about retirement plan participation, see the PERS 2 or PERS 3 site.

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