The Benefits Office administers many faculty and staff benefits plans. Highlights of the plans are listed below, or you may download a summary. Follow the links to view more information on the plans. Call the SSC Contact Center at (734) 615-2000 or (866) 647-7657 (toll free) if you have any questions.

Benefits Plans

Basic Retirement Plan

The University of Michigan offers the Basic Retirement Plan with a two-for-one match of your retirement savings plan contributions after you complete a 12-month waiting period. Your retirement contributions and earnings are vested immediately. In addition to your Basic Retirement plan, you may also establish a 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) and or a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. You may choose to make after-tax Roth contributions to your 403(b) SRA and 457(b) accounts.

Health Plan

A number of health plan coverage options are available allowing you to select the plan that best meets your needs.

Prescription Drug Plan

When you enroll in a U-M health plan, you will be concurrently enrolled in the U-M Prescription Drug Plan.

Expanded Long-Term Disability

The Expanded Long-Term Disability plan pays 65% of your covered pre-disability base salary in the event you should become totally disabled. The plan also pays the cost to continue most of the benefits in which you are enrolled at the time of disability.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Enrolling in either or both the Health Care or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account allows you to pay certain medical, dental, and child care bills with tax-free money.

Life Insurance

The university offers three group term life insurance plans to eligible faculty.

University Plan — $30,000 of coverage for you paid by the university. Newly hired faculty and staff members are enrolled automatically.

Optional Plan — your choice of coverage in a flat amount of $5,000 or $50,000, or a multiple from one to eight times your annual salary to a maximum of $1.5 million, paid for by you. You must enroll to participate. The amount of coverage you choose and its cost will increase when your salary increases if your coverage is based on your salary. Your cost will also increase when you move into the next higher age bracket. There is a nonsmoker discount on the Optional Plan premium. A health statement may be required with approval from MetLife.

Dependent Plan — coverage for your spouse or other qualified adult or your dependent children, paid for by you. You must be enrolled in the University Plan in order to enroll your dependents in the Dependent Plan. A health statement is required for coverage on your spouse or other qualified adult. Health statements are not required for coverage of dependent children. 

Dental Plan

The University of Michigan Dental Plan offers three coverage choices: Option 1, Option 2, and Option 3. The options have differing costs, coverage and features. If you choose an option that requires a cost, you pay the additional cost through payroll deductions. Coverage is available for dependents who meet age and other guidelines. Orthodontia benefits are for dependent children only.

Vision Plan

Vision coverage is offered to eligible faculty and staff through Davis Vision, a preferred provider organization (PPO). As a plan participant, you receive one eye examination and one pair of eyeglasses every year. You can purchase a voucher directly from Davis Vision for additional pairs of eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Legal Services Plan

A low monthly fee entitles you to coverage for many common legal needs under the Legal Services Plan, such as simple wills and estate planning, powers of attorney, real estate matters, family law matters (not including divorce), debt defense, defense of civil lawsuits, document preparation and identity theft protection. Telephone advice and office consultations are also covered.

Business Travel Accident Insurance

The university provides travel accident insurance for all faculty and staff while traveling on university business. Coverage is effective from the date of employment and terminates on the last day of university employment.

Other Benefits and Services

The following benefits and services are also available. Please note that the benefits and services listed below are not administered by the Benefits Office.

Sick Leave

See the Standard Practice Guide section 201.11-1 for information on paid sick time. Contact your department if you have questions about sick leave.

Vacation

View the Standard Practice Guide section 201.64-1 for information on vacation time for instructional staff. Contact your department if you have questions about vacation time.

Maternity (Childbirth) and Parental Leave

View the Standard Practice Guide section 201.30-6 for information on paid maternity and parental leave following a new child's birth or placement for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship. Faculty who are eligible for modified duties may choose parental leave in lieu of one semester of modified duties. Contact your department if you have questions about maternity or parental leave.

Work-Life Resource Center (WLRC)

The Work-Life Resource Center exists to help the University of Michigan provide an environment supportive of, and sensitive to, the healthy integration of work and personal life.  Services for parents include child care referral consultations and the Kids Kare at Home backup care program.  The Work-Life Resource Center also coordinates a network of home-based child care providers that serve the U-M community. Resources for eldercare and flexible work arrangements, and educational programs such as the annual work-life conference are also available.

Kids Kare at Home, sponsored by WLRC, is a program to help families at the University of Michigan when their children are sick. WLRC has contracted with an established home health care agency from the community to provide this service. Kids Kare is available for children ages 13 and under, or for children with special needs who cannot be left alone. For more information, contact Kids Kare at Home at WLRC.

Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO)

The Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office offers a number of services designed to help with personal difficulties that may be encountered at work and home. Services include short term counseling on personal, emotional, family and work place issues; critical incident, trauma and grief counseling; educational presentations on a variety of emotional and mental health topics. All FASCCO services are free of charge and confidential.

Michigan Medicine Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience

The Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience is an assessment, referral, consultation and short-term counseling service for Michigan Medicine employees. The primary purpose of the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience is to assist in the identification and resolution of personal or work related issues that may affect productivity and overall work satisfaction as well as the employees well-being. All active faculty, staff and temporary employees of Michigan Medicine including immediate families are eligible.

Mediation Services

Mediation Services provides consultation and mediation to help solve workplace concerns between parties who are willing to participate in mediation. Mediation provides participants with an avenue to try and reach a mutually acceptable resolution.

Work Connections

Work Connections is an integrated disability management program designed to assist and support faculty and staff members when they experience an illness or injury, either work-related or non-work-related, that prevents them from working. Work Connections offers access to university programs and services that continues through your recovery and safe return to work.