Employee Benefits

Medical and Life Insurance.  Participation in the University's medical and life insurance programs is optional for regular employees (appointments in excess of 120 days) working 75% of full-time or more. (Options selection must be submitted within 30 days of employment (or eligibility) for automatic enrollment.

Medical Insurance.  State Employees’ Group Benefits Program is a self-insured reimbursement policy and is offered in two formats:  Preferred provider Organization (PPO) or Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO).   Definity Health Plan is also being offered at this time.  Details on each are available from Human Resource Management. The university pays 50% of the premium cost.

Dental Insurance Plan.  Paid Dental is offered to all regular employees employed for 75% of full-time or greater and allows a choice of dentists.  The longer the participation in the program, the greater the level of reimbursement benefits.  Please see the plan description available in the Human Resource Management Office for complete details.

Vision Service Plan.  Vision care insurance is available for eye exams and eye wear expenses.  Please see the Vision Service Plan Brochure for details.

Life Insurance.  State Employees Group Benefits provides two optional levels of insurance--$5,000 (without any further change in coverage) or a scheduled amount.  The latter option permits the insurance amount to "float" with salary level.  The University pays 50% of the elected life insurance premium.

Cafeteria Plan.  Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code established the ability for employees to pay for their life, health, dependent life, catastrophic illness, vision plan and dental insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis.  What this means to the employee is that they can pay less federal and state taxes and less FICA Medicare tax to net a saving in income tax owed.  Employees choosing to participate in the cafeteria plan are obligated to maintain coverage except for "life altering" changes during the plan year.  Additional information is available in Human Resource Management.

Expanded Cafeteria Plan.  Allows participant to use spending accounts to pay for certain unreimbursed health care and dependent care expenses with tax-free dollars.  There is a small administration fee for the unreimbursed medical expense program.  Specific details are available in Human Resource Management.

Long-Term Care Insurance  is an optional program available to provide nursing home and/or home care for employees, their spouses and parents.

Medicare.  All new employees must have a deduction for Medicare taxes.  The deduction equals 1.45% of salary up to the social security maximum salary amount established for that year.

Long Term Disability Insurance.  This optional group coverage is available to all active, full‑time employees under the age of 70.  This policy offers protection against salary loss, after a 90-day waiting period, as a result of sickness or accident, with a maximum benefit of 66 2/3% (or a low option of 60%) of the employee's regular annual salary (maximum $60,000) until the age of 65 or recovery.  Participants who become totally disabled after their 62nd birthday will be entitled to a limited duration benefit if totally disabled before age 70.  Should one become eligible for any of the other listed disability benefits, long-term disability benefits will be reduced by the amount that equals the sum of all such benefits.  See the Sun Life brochure for definitions of total disability and detailed benefit explanations.

This coverage should be of particular interest to new employees with little or no accumulated sick leave and who are ineligible for disability retirement.  Faculty members are urged to read the brochure that describes this plan.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance.  This voluntary all‑risk accident insurance program. This coverage affords protection supplemental to the benefits provided under the university's group life insurance plan, group disability plan, worker's compensation, or under the employee's private insurance program.  This particular insurance protection provides 24-hour, 365-day coverage against accidents at work, at play, and while traveling anywhere in the world.  Employee protection is available ranging from $27,500 to $300,000.  The employee's family is eligible to be insured. 

Retirement.  A regular full-time faculty member employed on a continuing basis is required to enroll in either the Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana or one of the approved companies offering the Optional Retirement Plan.  Information concerning these plans is provided to employees as they become eligible (usually at the time of employment).  The employee's contribution rate is 8 percent of all earned compensation, and these contributions are tax-sheltered.

Tax Sheltered Annuities. Information on this is available from Human Resource Management.

Personal Property.  The University does not insure privately owned property kept on University property.

Credit Union.  The Campus Federal Credit Union offers its services to faculty, staff, and students.  A branch is located at the corner of University Drive and East 70th Street.

Work Injuries.  An injured employee or the employee's representative aiming to be entitled to compensation must give notice to HRM within thirty (30) days of the injury.  If notice is not given within thirty (30) days, no payment will be made under the law for such injury or death.

Procedures for Reporting Employee Injuries:

1. Obtain the appropriate medical care for the injured employee.
2. Advise HRM immediately, which will contact the party providing medical care and if possible authorize treatment as a Worker's Compensation case.
3. Have the employee's supervisor fill out and forward the Employer's Report of Occupational Injury or Disease and a Supervisor's Accident Investigation Report to HRM which will complete the reports and submit to our carrier for consideration.

Human Resource Management will not consider authorizing treatment without first being advised of the circumstances of the accident.

Any bills from job-related accidents should be forwarded to HRM for remittance for payment.

Drug Free Workplace.  LSUS is committed to providing a drug-free Workplace and workforce pursuant to the provisions of the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.  The complete policy is found in Policy Statement 1 11.05 of the Policy Manual.