Benefits Information for New Hires

Welcome to K-State!

We are delighted that you have chosen to join the diverse and engaged community of Kansas State University! Our mission is to foster excellent teaching, research and service that develops a highly skilled and educated citizenry necessary to advancing the well-being of Kansas, the nation, and the international community.

Please check out the benefits summary for more information on all of the benefits available to you. Below you will find information for orientation to the university, benefits for employees, and key resources to help you grow and flourish to be an integral part of the K-State community.

Again, welcome. It is a pleasure to have you as part of our K-State family.

Health and Life Insurances

All employees are eligible for insurance if hired into a benefit eligible (.5 or greater and working 1,000 hours). Insurance plans are optional. Health insurance premiums are paid by the employer and employee. Optional life insurance plans are paid by the employee only.

Group Health Insurance (GHI) (31 day deadline)

Coverage is effective on the first day of employment
Enrollment through the State of Kansas Membership Administrative Portal (MAP)
Notification sent from State of Kansas when portal is open
Dependent documentation required
- Spouse: marriage certificate or Pages 1 & 2-signatures required of 1040 or 1040a
- Child(ren): birth certificate or birth confirmation letter
Documentation in another language: submit in native language and translation
Employer and employee pays

Prescription Drug Insurance

Provided with health coverage, no additional cost

Dental Insurance

May have dental without medical coverage.

Vision Insurance

For vision hardware. Glasses or contacts. May have vision without medical coverage.

Lab Benefit Programs

HealthyKids Program

HealthyKIDS program helps eligible State employees cover the cost of the premiums for their children enrolled in the State Employee Health Plan.

(31 day deadline)

Certain restrictions apply-may need to enroll in HRA
Employer funded
May be employee funded
Contributions belong to employee - portable
Contributions roll from year to year

(31 day deadline)

Employer only funded
Contributions belong to State – not portable
Contributions do not roll from year to year

HealthQuest

Incentive to reduce standard health insurance premiums

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) (31 day deadline)

Employee only funded
Dependent Care – Childcare or elder care – may enroll without insurance
Full Health Care – May use with any plan that is not a high deductible plan or with a HRA – may enroll without insurance
Limited Health Care – May use with Plan C or Plan N with HSA-limited to dental and vision hardware

Basic Life Insurance-Standard Insurance Company underwriter

No cost coverage for the employee equal to 150% of your annual salary

Optional Group Life (OGLI)-Standard Insurance Company underwriter

Guarantee issue of $250,000 without medical if enrollment within 30 days
Premiums determined by age and coverage amount
May apply at any time, subject to medical underwriting
Spouse coverage available
Child(ren) coverage available

Teachers and Employees Association (TEA) Optional Group The Hartford underwriter

Guarantee issue of $150,000 without medical if enrollment within 30 days
Premiums determined by age and coverage amount
May apply at any time, subject to medical underwriting
Spouse coverage available
Child(ren) coverage available

Voluntary Short Term Disability Insurance

Voluntary coverage for non-occupational short term disability
Must enroll within 30 days of hire

KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan

Benefits-eligible Faculty and Professional Staff participate in the Kansas Board of Regents mandatory retirement plan.

Eligibility: Faculty and Professional Staff participate in the KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan after one year of service in a benefits eligible position. This one-year waiting period may be waived if specific criteria are met and the request for immediate participation is received within the first 90 days of employment. If you qualify, Form PER-33 needs to be completed and returned to benefits@ksu.edu.

Who Pays: The employee contributes 5.5% of salary in pre-tax funds and the University contributes 8.5% of employee’s salary to the employee’s selected provider. You are 100% immediately vested in this retirement account.

Q. What are the Investment Choices?

A. Retirement plan providers are Voya Financial, and TIAA.

Q. Where can I receive advice?

A. Each provider has financial advisors available to provide assistance. Advisors are available via phone, or on campus at designated times.

Related Information

Forms:

KPERS Retirement Plan– Immediate Participation

All University Support Staff who are hired into a benefit eligible position (regular position requiring 1,000 hours or more per year) will immediately begin participation in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). Participation in the retirement system is mandatory for all employees in covered positions. KPERS is a defined benefit plan, meaning when you retire, you will receive a guaranteed monthly benefit for the rest of your life.

Generally, employees hired January 1, 2015, or after, become KPERS Tier 3 members. If you had previous KPERS covered service, you may be in a different tier. For more information regarding KPERS Benefits, visit the KPERS website.

KPERS Tier 3
Who is a member?	All members first employed on or after 1/1/15 in a covered position
Contributions	Employees contribute 6% of gross earnings (pre-tax to Federal income tax and taxable to State of Kansas income tax). Employer contributions are contributed to the KPERS general fund and are not credited to individual employee accounts
Vesting (guaranteed benefits)	After 5 years of participation in KPERS
Full Retirement Eligibility	Age 65 plus 5 years of service OR Age 60 plus 30 years of service
Early Retirement Eligibility	Age 55 plus 10 years of service with a permanently reduced benefit

All covered employees should complete a Designation of Beneficiary form. Completed forms can be submitted to benefits@ksu.edu.

For more information regarding KPERS Benefits, visit the KPERS website.

Optional Savings Plans

Kansas State University offers additional ways to save for retirement. These retirement programs can be started, changed or stopped at any time. Contributions are withheld from your paycheck bi-weekly.

Who Pays: These optional retirement programs are voluntary and comprised of employee contributions only. No university contributions are made. Contributions may be pre-tax, after-tax, or a combination to the maximum allowed by the IRS. You are 100% immediately vested in these retirement programs.

What Are the Options? There are two different Optional Savings Plans. The KBOR Voluntary Retirement Plan (available to benefits-eligible employees only) and the KPERS 457 Deferred Compensation Plan (available to all employees).

How Do I Sign Up? After selecting a provider you will need to contact them to enroll in an account. They will assist you with selecting your investment and assigning beneficiaries. The KBOR Voluntary Retirement Plan requires that in addition you submit the appropriate salary reduction agreement (linked below) to benefits@ksu.edu.

Related Information

Forms:

The Voluntary Savings Plan

What are the Investment Choices: Retirement plan providers are TIAA and Voya Financial.

How do I enroll: Complete Form PER-19, or Form PER-19R as applicable and return to benefits@ksu.edu. Changes will take effect with the pay period following receipt of the completed form.

Is there a minimum contribution amount: A minimum of $10, or 1% per pay period is required.

Is there a maximum contribution amount: The calendar year 2022 IRC 403(b) limits are as follows: $20,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $6,500.

Can I roll over old Retirement Plan Accounts: This depends on the type of account to be rolled over. Please work with your investment provider directly on if this is permissible under your plan(s).

When can I take a distribution: Please visit the Kansas Board of Regents website for more information on distributable events and tax considerations.

The Kansas Board of Regents 403(b) plan is using Planwithease.com (PWE) to help administer the Retirement Program. PWE is a plan administration service which will act on behalf of the KBOR Retirement Program to review and approve distribution requests that are allowed under the KBOR Plans for approved providers.* PWE also offers account information and educational materials. See the link below

Or you can work directly with your investment provider’s financial advisor.

When can I take Retirement: Regular retirement is based on which retirement program you are a participant. See the link below for the retirement age and service requirements.

Note that if you have taken out a Loan, unless you repay it in full, it will be taxable to you and if you are under age 59 ½, there is an additional 10% IRS penalty. See your Financial or Tax Advisor for specific details and assistance.

Also because the contributions are made with pre-tax dollars, any distributions taken from the retirement plans will be taxable to you and some IRS penalties may apply.

KPERS 457 Tandem Retirement Plan

What are the Investment Choices: The retirement plan provider is Great West Financial and is offered through KPERS. See the link below for additional information.

How do I enroll: A representative can meet with you to enroll or you can enroll online. It will be effective as of the first payroll processing date in the next month once complete and accurate information is received.

Is there a minimum contribution amount: You can start with as little as $12.00 per payroll.

Is there a maximum contribution amount: Yes, because Section 447 of the IRC allows employees to contribute pre-tax to this retirement program, the limits for 2022 are as follows: $20,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $6,500.

What if I need to change my deferral amount: You can start, stop, or change it at any time. You can make the change on-line or meet with your financial advisor. Be sure to work them as to the payroll pay roll effective date.

Can I roll over old Retirement Plan Accounts: Probably yes, but you need to talk with your Financial Advisor and provide them information such as type of retirement plan. They will be able to work with you through the entire process.

When can I take a distribution: Participants may access funds after termination, retirement, death, or for an approved hardship or loan. You work directly with your Great West Financial Advisor.

LearningQuest

The Kansas Learning Quest Education Savings Program is established by the State of Kansas and administered by the Treasurer of the State of Kansas. American Century Investment Company is the program manager for employee investments. These investment plans, sometimes called 529 plans, offer tax-deferred earnings growth and potentially reduced taxes on withdrawals. Contributions are made on an after-tax basis for the benefit of named beneficiaries.

When Eligible: Any employee – benefits-eligible or non-benefits-eligible – may begin participating on the first day of employment.

Who Pays: The employee contributes after-tax dollars up to the individual maximum. The University makes no contribution to this plan.

Is there a minimum contribution amount: You must allocate a minimum of $25 per month for each account.

How do I enroll: Complete the Learning Quest Payroll Direct Deposit Change or Enrollment Form (pdf) and send it to Learning Quest, P O Box 29202, Shawnee Mission KS 66201-9202

Once LearningQuest has created an account(s) for you, they will forward a payroll reduction authorization to the University. It will take effect as of the following payroll period.

What if I need to change my direct deposit amount: You can start, stop, or change it at any time. You will need to complete a new form and send it to Learning Quest.

Workers’ Compensation – Immediate Coverage

All Kansas State University employees are covered under the State of Kansas Workers’ Compensation Insurance provided through the State Self Insurance Fund (SSIF). The university pays the cost of this coverage. Anytime an employee has a work-related incident or injury it must be reported to through the Electronic Incident Report as soon as possible. The reporting form and additional instructions can be found on the Human Resources Workers Compensation website.

Injuries Requiring Medical Attention

Emergency

Life or limb‐threatening emergency situations require immediate medical attention from the closest medical facility. Injuries such as broken bones, profuse bleeding, head injuries, wounds that require stitches, chemicals in the eye(s), etc. are some examples of emergency situations.

Prior authorization is not required for emergency treatment but the supervisor should inform as soon as possible both Benefits Administration at 785-532-6277 and the SSIF at 785‐296‐2364.

Non-Emergency

Before seeking medical treatment in non-emergency situations, the supervisor should contact the SSIF at 785-296-2364.

More information, including Frequently Asked Questions (pdf), can be found on the SSIF website.

Kansas State University

Human Resources