HUMAN RESOURCES-Administrative Services

This chapter is a summary only. Pamphlets containing detailed information are published for the use of University staff and are available from University Benefits located in the University Services Building.

Starting and Ending Dates

Insurance benefits for P&S and Merit Supervisory Exempt staff start the first of the month following the hire date. Insurance benefits for Merit staff start the first of the month following 30 days after the hire date. Retirement benefits for newly employed staff start the first of the month following the hire date.

Insurance benefits end the last day of the month of the termination. Retirement contributions continue until all worked time is paid off. Retirement contributions are not paid on any vacation/sick leave paid at time of termination.

Compensation

The annual salaries of staff members are paid in 12 equal installments on the first day of each month.  Hourly employees are paid bi-weekly.  Payroll checks must be deposited directly to any financial institution within the United States.  AFSCME contract covered employees are not required to sign up for direct deposit, however, they are highly encouraged to do so.

Group Life and Supplemental Life Insurance

The University provides staff members with term life insurance equal to 2.5 times annual budgeted salary. Coverage automatically adjusts to any change in the annual budgeted salary beginning with the January following the change.

Participation in the program is required for anyone with a permanent appointment of 50% time or greater.

Supplemental life insurance is also available to staff holding permanent appointments of 50% time or greater, in amounts of one-half to three-and-one-half times the annual budgeted salary.

Long-Term Disability Insurance

The University’s long-term disability insurance plan provides coverage for staff who become disabled. Insurance benefits are based on the individual’s salary and length of service. This coverage is provided after one continuous year of employment for all permanent staff holding appointments of 50% time or greater. An optional program is available, which offers coverage during a staff member’s first year of employment.

Health and Dental Insurance

Insurance coverage is available on a voluntary basis to all staff paid on a monthly basis. Regular staff with appointments of 50% or greater receive a contribution towards the cost of the health and dental insurance programs. The University offers a number of health plans ranging from traditional open-ended products, which allow individuals to go to any provider or facility to HMO plans that restrict access to limited providers and facilities. Traditional dental plans are also available.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance

This insurance program provides life insurance coverage for most types of accidents. Coverage may be purchased in increments of $100,000 up to a maximum of $1 million. Coverage also is available for family members.

Spending Accounts for Dependent Care and Medical Expenses

The University offers staff the option to have their taxable salary reduced for the purposes of paying dependent care and medical expenses as covered by the Internal Revenue Service Code.  These programs allow individuals to set aside funds based upon their marital and tax filing status.  These funds then can be used to pay general medical expenses or to pay the expenses involved in dependent care.

Flexible Benefits

The University provides P&S and Merit Supervisory Exempt staff members with a flexible benefits program. The University makes a contribution (called flexible credits) toward an individual’s participation in the various benefit programs. Costs above the University’s contribution are deducted from the individual on a before-tax basis, allowing the person to save federal, state, and social security and FICA taxes (FICA taxes are saved only on that portion of the salary below the FICA-covered salary limit.)

Waiver of Premiums

A staff member who becomes disabled may be entitled to continuation of retirement and life insurance premiums based on salary and length of service. The University provides this coverage after one year of continuous service to all permanent staff who hold appointments of 50% time or greater and participate in the TIAA/CREF retirement plan.

Liability Protection

University staff members are provided liability protection under the Iowa Tort Claims Act (Chapter 25A, Code of Iowa). This act provides that claims may be filed against the State of Iowa on account of damage to or loss of property or on account of personal injury or death caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any employee of the state while acting within the scope of their employment. This provision applies to all employees of the state working in a temporary or permanent capacity on behalf of the University. For further information, contact the University Risk Manager.

Holidays

University staff members receive 9 scheduled paid holidays and 2 personal holidays each year:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Friday following Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• One additional day near Christmas as designated by the University
• Two personal holidays are to be taken as vacation days

Vacation

Full-time P&S staff members on 12-month appointments receive 22 working days of vacation with pay per year, plus two paid personal holidays as mentioned above. Vacations and personal holidays are cumulative and accrue to an amount not to exceed twice the staff member’s annual entitlement. Vacation time (including personal holidays) is earned at the rate of 16 hours per month worked and can be used anytime after it has been earned, providing departmental approval is received. Part-time staff members accrue vacation at their fractional equivalent of full-time employment. Individuals covered by the AFSCME or the SEIU bargaining agreement receive vacation based upon their particular contract. Merit supervisory exempt/confidential Merit staff receive vacation based upon the Code of Iowa.

Sick Leave

Full-time staff members accumulate sick leave at the rate of 18 working days per year (12 hours per month worked). Part-time staff members earn sick leave at their fractional equivalent of full-time employment. There is no maximum limit of accrual. A staff member is entitled to take sick leave necessitated by a medically related incident at his or her normal rate of pay, to the extent that the individual has accumulated sick leave credits to cover the period of absence.

Once an individual has accumulated 240 hours of sick leave, additional monthly sick leave accumulations may be transferred to vacation at the rate of 12 hours of sick leave to four hours of vacation in any month in which no sick leave is taken. This may not be done retroactively and must be specifically requested in advance.

A maximum of 5 days per calendar year, with some carryover provisions for some employee groups, may be designated as family caregiving leave for the care and necessary attention of ill or injured members of the employee’s immediate family and be charged to accrued sick leave credits.  An individual may accrue up to 80 hours.

Catastrophic Illness Policy

Staff may donate vacation time to be used by colleagues who have exhausted their own sick leave and vacation accumulations because of a catastrophic illness. A catastrophic illness is defined as an illness or injury, to either the staff member or to a member of the immediate family, resulting in a medical condition for which a physician has certified that it is likely to result in a loss of 30 or more work days.

Family and Medical Leave Policy

The Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to grant eligible employees up to 12 weeks of leave during the calendar year for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child and first-year care of the child; the care of a spouse (includes partners registered with UI Benefits, and Iowa recognized common law relationships), child, or parent with a serious health condition; or the employee’s own serious health condition. Eligible employees must have worked for the University at least an aggregate of 12 months and have provided at least 1,250 hours of actual service during the year immediately preceding the start of the leave.

Leave of Absence Without Pay

Staff members may apply for, and with approval, obtain a leave of absence without pay including a medical leave of absence.  Such leaves of absence are granted when a specific purpose has been defined and only if it is possible for the employing unit to operate effectively in the absence of the applicant.  Several of the University-sponsored insurance programs may be continued while a staff member is on leave of absence without pay.  Health, dental, and accidental death and dismemberment may be continued provided the staff member pays the full premium to the University for the coverage desired.  Special arrangements must be made in advance in order to continue any of these insurance coverages.   If a break in coverage occurs because of a leave of absence without pay in which the staff member did not arrange for continuation of benefits, the staff member must re-enroll upon returning from leave.

Social Security

The Federal Retirement and Survivors Insurance System, which is usually referred to as Social Security, covers University of Iowa staff. The University contributes an amount equal to that deducted from the monthly payroll check.

Pension Plans

All staff members are required to participate in the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS), or in a University-funded retirement plan with Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA/CREF). Temporary staff with appointments of six months or more and staff members whose annual salary is less than $7,800 are required to participate in the IPERS program. Staff members with ongoing appointments and annual budgeted salaries of more than $7,800 may elect to participate in the TIAA/CREF program in lieu of IPERS.

Annual contributions for individuals with in TIAA/CREF, less than five years of service are equal to 3 and 1/3% on the first $4,800 in salary and 5% above $4,800, while the University contributes 6 and 2/3% on the first $4,800 in salary and 10% above $4,800. After five years of service, the individual contributions go to 5% and the corresponding University contribution is 10%.

Retirement Age

There is no mandatory retirement age for staff at The University of Iowa.

Phased Retirement

The University of Iowa currently offers a phased retirement program.

Faculty, professional and scientific staff, and merit system staff members employed by the Board of Regents for a period of at least 15 years and who have attained the age of 57, are eligible to negotiate with their department a schedule for phasing into retirement.

All requests for admission to the Phased Retirement Program must be made through the staff member’s department. The program does not create a right for the staff member. A request to enter the program may not be approved if it is not in the best interests of the department and University.

If approved, the staff member may elect to reduce his or her full-time appointment to 50% to 65%, provided the department involved can operate effectively with such an appointment. The phased retirement period is limited to five years; a person must retire at the end of the program period.  Salary during the first four years of phasing will be proportional to the reduced appointment but will include an additional 10% of what the fulltime budgeted salary would have been.  During the fifth year of the phasing period, an employee’s appointment can be no more than 50% and the salary will reflect the actual percentage of appointment.  During the period of phased retirement the University will provide, at the level of a full-time appointment, the institutional contributions for life, health, and disability insurance, as well as retirement contributions.  Contributions to FICA and IPERS are required by law to be based on actual salary.  Accrual of vacation and sick leave will be based on actual appointment.  Once phased retirement is begun, employees may not return to full-time employment.

Educational Assistance Opportunities

University of Iowa Tuition Assistance Program

The Tuition Assistance program allows all eligible staff to apply for financial assistance to help defray the cost of tuition only fees for one college credit course (up to four semester hours).  This online application process is located in the HR Self-Service Center site.  Listed in My Information under the Learning & Development tab, eligible applicants have the ability to complete and send the application through the Workflow System for processing. 

Once entering the HR Self-Service Center, faculty and staff eligible for tuition assistance through the Hospital Human Resources Tuition program will be directed to UIHC to submit applications or may visit their website at:  http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/humanresources/tuitiondocs/tuitionexplain.html or call 356-2008 for eligibility and application information.

Eligibility requirements for the Tuition Assistance program include the following:

1. Position must be a "regular appointment", 50% time or greater.
2. Individual must be employed one continuous year by the application deadline in a "regular" appointment.

Applications will be processed, and staff will be notified of their award status.  Priority will be given to those faculty and staff members who have not received tuition assistance in the last two years.

Mary Jo Small Staff Fellowship

University of Iowa staff may apply for the Mary Jo Small Staff Fellowship in order to support meeting expenses, training opportunities off-campus, or to cover release time to prepare publications or reports.  All Professional & Scientific and Merit staff members who hold a regular appointment of 50% time or greater and have been currently employed for two or more consecutive years at the University (with no breaks in employment), by the application deadline are eligible for this program.  Selection for the awards will be based upon documentation of recognized contributions which support the University's mission and goals.  For more information and an application visit the UI Learning & Development website at: http://www.uiowa.edu/learn/awards/mjsfellow.htm.

Professional Development Award

Professional Development Awards are available each spring and fall semester to attend for-fee programming offered through UI Learning & Development.  Application information is communicated by email to all Professional & Scientific and Merit staff, who hold a 50% time or greater regular appointment.  For more information, contact UI Learning & Development.

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