Flexible Benefits
Medical and Dependent Care Information
To access your account, click on the applicable administrator below:
The Flexible Benefits plan established by the University is an important part of your overall benefits package. This plan permits the University to exclude, from both Federal Income and Social Security taxes, premiums paid by you for group medical insurance, dental insurance and amounts you contribute to a medical and/or dependent care reimbursement account.
The Medical and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts are a component of the Flexible Benefits that provide an opportunity for additional tax savings if you choose to participate. By enrolling in one or both of the reimbursement accounts, you can designate a fixed dollar amount to be set aside annually for dependent care and/or medical expenses.
For further information, please contact Pam Ledford at (931) 393-7226 or hr@utsi.edu.
Compensation Philosophy
The university’s compensation philosophy is to provide employees with a total compensation package, comprised of both salary and fringe benefits, that recognizes and rewards performance and productivity while maintaining a competitive market position and internal equity.
The above link contains information on Job Families, Salary Schedules, Schedule for Statewide Position Review, PDQ form, IRIS Checklist, ANDI Checklist, and Compensation Project.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides free CONFIDENTIAL short-term counseling, financial counseling, and brief legal advice for regular employees who are scheduled to work at least 75% (30 hours per week) time.
The EAP is designed to provide assistance to help employees and their immediate families resolve problems that influence their personal lives or job performance such as financial planning, family/marital problems, grief and loss, elder care, etc.
Members may receive up to five sessions per problem episode. Referrals are made for problems requiring more time. All services are strictly confidential and can be accessed by calling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-855-HERE4TN (1-855-437-3486).
The EAP offers confidential and anonymous access to a wide variety of information and resources on their web site at Here4TN.com.
If you have specific questions, please contact Pam Ledford, at (931) 393-7226 or email hr@utsi.edu
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The university provides coverage under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for such reasons as:
- childbirth
- adoption
- foster care placement
- serious illness of the employee, spouse, child or parent
Employees must meet the FMLA guidelines as outlined in the policy. For further information about FMLA, please contact Pam Ledford (931) 393-7226 or email hr@utsi.edu.
Forms
For more information, see UT HR Policy 338 – Family and Medical Leave.
Sick Leave Bank
Each campus and institute at the University of Tennessee participates in a sick leave bank. Sick leave banks offer members experiencing an illness or injury the opportunity to request additional paid leave after exhausting all personal accrued annual and sick leave.
Regular full- and part-time employees can join each year during open enrollment from April 1 to June 30.
Requests for withdrawals from banks require medical verification and are reviewed by a chancellor-appointed board. Members granted time from banks receive their normal pay and continue to accrue sick and annual leave.
Bank members who have exhausted all personal accrued leave and whose requests have been approved by their campus or institute’s sick leave bank board are eligible to receive donations of sick leave from employees outside of the bank.
To join, employees must have a minimum balance of 48 hours of sick leave by July 1 and are required to donate 24 of those hours to the bank upon enrollment.
UT Knoxville’s bank also includes employees from the Institute for Public Service, the Space Institute and University-wide administration.
Open enrollment each year from April 1 – June 30.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the UTSI Human Resources Office at ext. 37504.
Non-Smoker Protection Act
The State of Tennessee has passed the Non-Smoker Protection Act. This act, effective October 1, 2007, bans smoking in most Tennessee workplaces.
Parental Participation Act
This act enables state employees to voluntarily participate in certain prescribed educational activities.
Workers’ Compensation
The state’s goals are to assist the injured employee with their recovery process, to provide access to exceptional medical services and providers, and to ensure excellent customer service during the entire workers’ compensation process.
Retirement
All regular, full-time employees must participate in one of the state of Tennessee’s retirement plans.
Regular, part-time employees may join a retirement plan. Those who elect to participate are subject to the same terms and conditions as members with mandatory participation.
Coordination of Survivor Benefits
The UTSI Human Resources office coordinates survivor benefits for employees, dependents, and retirees. The coordination of benefits may include unpaid wages at the time of death and/or a monthly benefit payment, unused annual and sick leave, insurance, retirement, and other related benefits. Departments and/or families should notify the Human Resources office when a death has occurred. For additional information, please contact the Human Resources office at (931) 393-7226.