Rice Eligibility

Eligibility

• Employees who are employed in a position that requires 20 or more hours of work per week and at least 1,000 hours each year are eligible for fringe benefits.
• If an individual employed in a non-benefits eligible position later meets the eligibility criteria, he or she becomes eligible for enrollment in insurance programs and paid time-off benefits on the earlier of the date the criteria are met or at the time it becomes known the position requirements will meet or exceed benefits eligibility requirements.
• Temporary assignments may be extended only for a reasonable, short period of time based on the nature of the assignment.
• All tenure track faculty members are eligible for benefits.
• Annually appointed teaching faculty must teach at least three courses per academic year and be on an annual appointment for two semesters to be eligible for benefits.

POLICY 403 - Benefits Eligibility

For more information, please visit the Eligibility and Timing FAQs page.

ACA Eligible

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) states that anyone working 30 or more hours a week, as determined under applicable regulations, is eligible to participate in a large employer-sponsored medical plan.

When am I eligible to enroll in the medical plan at Rice?

You can enroll in one of Rice’s medical plan options if:

• You are in a benefits-eligible position per the Rice Benefits Eligibility Policy No. 403 or
• You are eligible for ACA benefits – you work on average 30 or more hours per week as determined under applicable ACA regulations.

For more information, please review the ACA FAQ downloaded to PDF.

Change in Work Status?

The transition from full-time to part-time may affect certain benefits. The list below describes the affected benefits:

• Benefits premiums remain at the same monthly rates
• Salary-based benefits such as retirement contributions and life insurance benefits will be based on the new compensation level (hourly/salary rate)
• Paid Time Off (PTO) accruals will be based on new Full Time Equivalency (FTE)
• Any accrued PTO balance over one year’s accrual based on the new FTE level will be lost per Rice PTO Policy 405.

Please note:

Employees may lose Rice benefits eligibility if the criteria under Rice Benefits Eligibility Policy 403 are not met.