Basic Overview
The eligibility criteria are very similar to those for the student health insurance waiver (though the plans and their application processes are completely separate). To be eligible, you must be an enrolled graduate student (program fee is ok) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and be working in a GEO-eligible position earning the minimums described below.
6 Month's Eligibility: May-Oct
Earnings from January 15, 2012 through May 26, 2012 (basically spring semester earnings) in a GEO position totaling at least $3860.80* (or full responsibility for teaching one three-credit course section) make a graduate student employee eligible for for all trust benefits for one (1) six-month period: May 1, 2012 - October 31, 2012.^
Full 12 Month's Eligibility
Earnings from May 29, 2011 through May 26, 2012 in a GEO position totaling at least $7,721.60* (or full responsibility for teaching two three-credit course sections) make a graduate student employee eligible for all trust benefits (dental, vision, and the wellness reimbursement) for the period of November 1, 2010-October 31, 2011. If your earnings occur only in the spring semester, but will total at least $7,721.60*, you are eligible to enroll in the plans for November 1; however, your enrollment application must be accompanied by a copy of your fully signed employment contract or your letter of appointment.
Eligibility for Spring-Entering Graduate Student Employees
The same guidelines apply, however, if you are eligible for a full year of coverage, your coverage will start with the first day of the spring semester (January 15, 2012) and continue through October 31, 2012. If you are eligible only for one period of coverage, your coverage will be from May 1, 2012-October 31, 2012.
* These are subject to change when the University recalculates the minimums.
^In cases where an employee's contract spans both time periods outlined above such that the appropriate coverage period cannot be definitively determined, the applicant may be offered the option to choose which of the two six month coverage periods he or she would prefer. In all other cases, the employee's coverage must be designated for the six month period that overlaps the majority of their term of employment.coverage.
6 Month's Eligibility: Nov-April
Earnings from May 29, 2011 through January 14, 2012 in a GEO position totaling at least $3860.80* (basically fall semester earnings) (or full responsibility for teaching one three-credit course section) make a graduate student employee eligible for for all trust benefits for one (1) six-month period: November 1, 2011-April 30, 2012.^
