PSU Human Resources

Optional Benefit Plans

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OPTIONAL LIFE | DISABILITY | ACCIDENTAL DEATH/DISMEMBERMENT | LONG-TERM CARE | FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS | COMMUTER ACCOUNTS

Employees may choose optional insurance benefits and tax-saving accounts. The full premium cost for optional insurance coverage must be covered by the employee. Tax-saving accounts are individual accounts established and administered according to the IRS income tax code.

Note: Enrolling in or increasing insurance amounts in some optional insurance plans may require submitting a medical history statement.

  • Optional Insurance Plans
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Commuter Accounts

Optional Insurance

As part of the Core Benefits package, PSU provides $10,000 of basic life insurance. For employees who wish to purchase more, PSU offers a few different insurance plans that cover a variety of situations.

Optional Insurance plans replace income and can help families meet many important financial needs.

  • Funeral Costs
  • Daily Living expenses
  • Debt
  • Mortgage
  • College
  • Replace Spouse/Partner's Income

Optional Life Insurance

Eligible employees may purchase life insurance coverage that goes beyond the basic $10,000 life insurance paid as part of the Core Benefits.

Dependent Life Insurance ($1.29 per month to cover all PEBB eligible dependents)

  • Covers spouse/partner/dependent children.
  • Limited to $5,000 per dependent.
  • Doesn't require a health history form.

Employee Life Insurance: employees may purchase life insurance coverage for themselves in $20,000 increments up to $600,000.

Spouse/Partner Life Insurance: Interested employees may purchase life insurance coverage for a spouse/partner in $20,000 increments up to $400,000.

For all amounts over the guaranteed issued please complete an online medical history form.

See the Optional Life Insurance Plan Documentation for additional information.

Disability Insurance

To reduce the financial impact of illness or injury, PEBB offers Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance plans through The Standard Insurance Company. These policies are available for purchase by eligible full-time or part-time employees and can provide income protection against disabilities resulting from a covered physical disease, injury, pregnancy, or mental disorder. These coverages are not available for dependents.

Short Term Disability

  • Short Term Disability (STD) Insurance replaces 60% of earnings if unable to work due to a condition covered under the policy.
  • The maximum duration of the benefit is
    • 4 weeks if the disability is caused by a pre-existing condition.
    • 13 weeks if the disability is not caused by a pre-existing condition.
  • Short Term Disability payments are offset by available sick leave accruals which must be used concurrently. It is important to carefully review all the information about this insurance.
  • Learn more about Short Term Disability on PEBB’s website.
  • See the Short Term Disability Plan Documentation for additional information.

Long Term Disability

  • Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance provides partial income replacement for a disability that extends beyond the scope of the Short Term Disability coverage.
  • Employees may choose a waiting period of 90 days or 180 days.
  • Employees choose the coverage: 60% of first $12,000 minus deductible income or 66 2/3% of first $12,000 minus deductible income.
  • The maximum benefit period is dependent in part, on the employee's age at the time of the disability.
    • 61 or younger to age 65, or 3 years 6 months, if longer
    • 62 - 3 years, 6 months
    • 63 - 3 years
    • 64 - 2 years, 6 months
    • 65 - 2 years
    • 66 - 1 year, 9 months
    • 67 - 1 year, 6 months
    • 68 - 1 year, 3 months
    • 69 or older - 1 year

Learn more about Long Term Disability on PEBB’s website.

See the Long Term Disability Plan Documentation for additional information.

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Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance (AD & D)

Eligible full-time or part-time employees may purchase this insurance to provide extra protection for you and your family in the event of a covered accidental death or injury

An AD & D policy offers features designed to reduce the financial burdens associated with the loss of life, limb, hand, foot, hearing, speech, sight, or thumb and index finder (of the same hand). Coverage is available in amounts from $50,000 to $500,000.

  • Employee is $1.00 per $50,000 coverage.
  • Employees/dependents costs are $1.70 per $50,000 coverage.

Learn more about Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance on PEBB's website.

See the AD & D Plan Documentation for additional information.

Long-Term Care

Long-term care insurance can help ease the financial burdens associated with care when the ability to perform the basic activities of daily living (ADLs) is lost. ADLs include activities such as walking, moving unassisted, dressing, bathing, eating, toileting. Long-term care may be needed to recover from surgery or to cope with the effects of illness.

Employees may enroll or cancel at any time throughout the year.

Enrollment eligibility:

  • All PEBB employees who are 18-84 years old.
  • Employee's spouse/domestic partner.
  • Parents and grandparents of an employee or of the employee’s spouse or domestic partner.
  • Adult siblings or adult children of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner.

Enrollment forms for Long Term Care Insurance are available online.

Important: Newly hired employees are eligible for benefit amounts up to $4,000 and a facility benefit duration of 3 or 6 years. Interested employees must enroll within 30 days of initial eligibility. Employees consider the guaranteed issue amount if they have a family history that may prevent gaining coverage.

Learn more about Long-Term Care Insurance on PEBB's website or through the provider, UnumProvident.

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Flexible Spending Accounts

There are two types of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs):

  1. Health Care FSAs allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible medical items.
  2. Dependent Care FSAs allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible child care expenses.

FSA's are annual accounts and do not roll over. (please see grace period)

Interested employees who want an FSA for the coming plan year must enroll during Open Enrollment.
Participation is an FSA cannot be reviked after it goes into effect.

FSA's are administered by PEBB and provided through ASIFlex. For more information on Flexible Spending Accounts visit ASIFlex.

New Hire enrollment form

Send enrollment or change forms to inquiries.pebb@dhsoha.state.or.us.

Health Care Flexible Spending

Resources

Dependent Care Flexible Spending

  • Dependent care expenses are incurred when the services are provided and not when the employee is billed for or pays for those services.
  • The annual employee contribution limit for an individual Dependent Care FSA is $5,000.
  • Only work-related expenses qualify for Dependent Care Reimbursement.
  • Dependent care will be canceled while on leave. It must be reinstated upon return to work with a midyear change form.
  • Employees are only be reimbursed money already in their ASI flex account. This will delay payments.
    • ex. the employee begins a dependent care flexible spending January 1st. They will pay out of pocket for January childcare costs. At the end of January, the deduction is taken out of January pay. It is deposited into the ASI flex around the 9th of the following month. At that time claims may be submitted.
  • List of Dependent Care FSA qualified individuals and expenses
  • FAQ on Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Dependent Care FSA Program Overview
  • File claims online

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Commuter Accounts

Commuter Accounts are individual fringe benefits defined and regulated by IRS Code. They allow savings on taxes by paying eligible employment-related commuting expenses with pre-tax dollars. Important information about FSA's:

Commuter Accounts do not stop until cancellation forms are submitted.

Commuter Accounts are administered by PEBB and provided through ASIFlex. For more information on Commuter Accounts, visit PEBB's website.

Transportation Accounts

Use this pre-tax account to pay for qualified expenses for commuting by:

  • Bus, Ferry, Rail, Monorail, Streetcar, Train, Subway, Vanpool
  • Expenses must not be deducted by the employer from the employee's pay pre-tax to be eligible.
  • The PSU pre-tax TriMet pass is not eligible.
  • Commuting means traveling between home and the employee's place of work on a regular basis.
  • The monthly maximum contribution and reimbursement in a transportation account is $270.

Parking Accounts

Use this pre-tax account to pay for qualified expenses incurred for parking a personal vehicle:

  • At or near your employer-provided workplace.
  • At a location from which to commute to the workplace by mass transit facilities, commuter highway vehicle, or carpool.
  • Personal vehicles can include a car, truck, motorcycle, or bicycle.
  • The PSU pre-tax parking pass is not eligible.
  • The monthly maximum contribution and reimbursement in a parking account is $270.

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