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Benefit Information

Overview

Bradley University provides a competitive benefit package for its employees. Basic information about each of the benefit plans can be found on the linked pages. Legal description for all benefit plans is contained in the Summary Plan Description for each plan. Questions concerning all benefits provided by the University should be directed to the Human Resource Department.

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Health Insurance

Bradley University is a self-insured provider utilizing the BCBSil Network for the PPO and QHDHP plans with Medical, Dental, Vision, and Pharmacy Coverage. The University provides generous cost-sharing of the premiums with coverage beginning on the first of the month following the date of hire.

Plan Years

  • Medical – Jan 1st thru Dec 31st
  • Dental – Jan 1st thru Dec 31st

Create an account with your Health Insurance Information from your card for the most accurate resources using the website.

You may qualify for a special enrollment period if you’ve had certain life events, such as losing health coverage, job status changes, getting married/divorced, having a baby, or adopting a child. Changes/enrollment must be made within 31 days of the Qualifying Event.

  • Spousal Affidavit of Healthcare Coverage Form (if spouse is covered on BU Medical Plan, this is required)
  • Letter of Creditable Coverage or documentation of Qualifying Event (this indicates date of event and comes from the current or past provider)

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Mental Health Resources

The mental health of our faculty and staff is of the utmost importance. When it comes to life changes and struggles, Bradley strives to provide solutions for our employees. Below is a list of resources available to Bradley employees so you can tackle whatever trouble life throws your way.

Never be afraid to reach out when you’re struggling. The Bradley community is here for you.

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Faculty and Staff Tuition Benefits

Bradley University provides its employees and certain of their family members opportunities for significant educational cost savings through Tuition Remission and The Tuition Exchange. These benefits represent a long-standing University practice and philosophy to support the higher educational aspirations of employees, spouses and domestic partners, and dependent children.

Bradley’s Tuition Remission program provides reductions in the tuition prices charged to employees, their qualified dependent children, and the employees’ spouses or partners. The program is administered by the Office of Financial Assistance on behalf of the Faculty Senate’s Contractual Arrangements Committee.

Reference the Faculty Handbook to review the full Tuition Remission Policy

Tuition Remission and Federal/State Financial Assistance

Employees using tuition remission benefits are strongly encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA results are used to determine eligibility for all types of federal assistance including student loans and the Pell Grant program. It is commonly assumed that the receipt of tuition remission precludes eligibility for other assistance. On the contrary, the federal Pell Grant and student and parent borrowing opportunities are available to assist with any costs beyond those covered by tuition remission.

Tuition Remission and other Assistance Programs

When institutionally-funded assistance such as Tuition Remission is combined with other tuition-restricted financial assistance, the total of all programs may not exceed a student’s annual tuition cost. The following types/sources or programs, alone or in combination, fall within the scope of this policy:

  • ISAC Monetary Award Program Grant
  • Keystone Employee Dependents Scholarship
  • Leadership Scholarship
  • Legacy Scholarship
  • National Merit Scholarship
  • Neighbor State Scholarships
  • Presidential Scholarship
  • Transfer Scholarship (all programs)
  • Tuition Exchange Scholarship
  • Tuition Remission Program
  • University Scholarship

Institutionally funded assistance combined with the following types/sources or programs of assistance may exceed a student’s annual tuition cost:

  • Athletic Grants (Subject to NCAA restrictions)
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Residence Hall Staff Remission

Bradley University participates in The Tuition Exchange, a reciprocal scholarship program that finances college tuition for dependents of employees at more than six hundred participating institutions. The program is for dependent children of full-time Bradley employees who are enrolled in a first undergraduate program. This program is administered by the Office of Financial Assistance on behalf of the Faculty Senate’s Contractual Arrangements Committee. A limited number of new scholarships (typically two to four) are available in a given year so there is no guarantee that all employees will have the opportunity to participate. Eligibility for participation is determined by years of full time service.

For additional information about Tuition Exchange please see our Tuition Exchange Import and Tuition Exchange Export FAQ’s.

Selection Process

  • Applicants are ranked based on the eligible employee’s years of continuous service at Bradley University.
  • The three (3) highest ranking applications received by October 1 will be offered the opportunity to designate ten (10) Exchange schools where they have applied or will apply for admission. The next 3 highest-ranking applications received by October 1 will be designated alternates.
  • If a top-3 family relinquishes a slot, it will be made available to the next highest-ranking alternate.

If at any time an employee decides to decline his position in the program, please notify Mhairi Doty in the Office of Financial Assistance to ensure the next person in line has the opportunity to use this benefit.

Bradley Guidelines for The Tuition Exchange

Each faculty and staff member will earn one unit of credit for each academic or calendar year of full-time service as a faculty or staff member at Bradley University. Each faculty and staff member will be debited at the rate of 2½ units for each academic year that his or her child participates in the tuition exchange program.

Preference for participation of a student in the program will be given to those faculty and staff children whose parent has the highest number of net (credits less debits) units. In the event that two or more faculty and staff members have an equal number of net units, preference will be given to the prospective student participant having the highest composite ACT score.

Once a student has entered the Tuition Exchange Program, he or she is eligible to complete his or her entire academic program, up to a maximum of four consecutive academic years. Upon entrance of the student into the program, the parent is automatically debited for the number of years that the student applied for, times 2½ units / year. (For example, assume a student enters the Exchange Program as a first-year student working toward a B.S. degree. Further assume that the faculty or staff parent has 24 net units of credit. Ten units will be debited immediately when the student enters that program leaving the faculty or staff parent with 14 net units of credit.)

In cases where both parents are full-time faculty or staff members, credit will be earned by the parent having the longest full-time service as a faculty or staff member at the university.

This procedure will be applied on a year-to-year basis. That is, only people applying in a particular year will be considered, and if a spot is not available in the first year of application, the student may continue to apply each subsequent year with the hope of a spot opening up. In no case will priorities of spots be assigned on the basis of application dates.

In order to be considered under these provisions, applications for The Tuition Exchange must be made to the Financial Assistance Office by October 1st in the year prior to the expected date of matriculation.

Bradley University recognizes that the skills and knowledge of its employees are critical to the success of the organization. The educational assistance program encourages personal development through formal education so employees can maintain and improve job-related skills or enhance their ability to compete for reasonably attainable positions within Bradley University .

Bradley University will provide educational assistance to all eligible employees who have completed 365 calendar days of service in an eligible employment classification. To maintain eligibility, employees must remain on the active payroll and be performing their position satisfactorily through completion of each course. Employees in the following classifications(s) are eligible for educational assistance:

Regular full-time employees defined as employees who work a minimum of nine (9) months per year and 30 hours per week.

While educational assistance is expected to enhance employees’ performance and professional abilities, Bradley University cannot guarantee that participation in formal education will entitle the employee to automatic advancement, a different assignment, or pay increases.

The Bradley University Educational Assistance Plan is intended to comply with the tax provisions of IRC Sections 127 and 117(d). Under Section 117(d), undergraduate tuition reduction provided to the employee, the employee’s spouse, or dependents as defined under IRC Section 132(h) is excluded in full from gross income. Under Section 127, payments received by an employee for tuition for coursework beginning January 1, 2002 is excludable from gross income up to $5250. This includes graduate tuition remission, but only to the maximum of $5250. These exclusions apply as long as the benefit does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. Graduate tuition remission for the spouse or dependents remains taxable, as no exclusion is provided under either Section 117(d) or Section 127.

Those eligible for tuition remission include:

  • The employee
  • The spouse of the employee who is married to the employee on the first day of the academic term for which the benefit is being requested.
  • The dependent(s) of the employee who qualifies for admission to Bradley University. Dependent is a natural child, adopted child, stepchild, or legal ward of an eligible employee who was claimed as a dependent on the employee’s most recent federal tax return. Otherwise eligible children of eligible employees not claimed on the employee’s most recent federal tax return due to divorce or legal separation agreements are considered eligible dependents. However, dependents in these situations are still required to meet the “qualifying child test” established in IRS Publication 501.

No application fees shall be required for those who are eligible for tuition remission.

Any and all exceptions to these regulations must have the recommendation of the appropriate Vice President and approval of the President. In order that registration may be processed promptly, any request for exception should be made in ample time for consideration to be given before the applicant appears for registration.

A Bradley Employee Remission Application must be completed at the Office of Financial Assistance by each participant in tuition remission so that the appropriate credit is posted to the student’s registration form. The Bradley Employee Remission Application will be available during the registration period. The Office of Financial Assistance may request the participant to present the employee’s ID card in order to verify eligibility.

The above procedure is applicable each session of school and applies only to courses offered on-campus.

The Division of Continuing Education and Professional Development may permit Bradley employees, spouses, and dependents to attend non-credit community service courses, institutions, seminars, or extension courses at reduced rates.

Applicants will be asked to certify compliance with the above eligibility requirements.

Employees should contact their supervisor or the Financial Assistance Director for more information or questions about education assistance.

Price reductions through the Tuition Remission program (including senior citizen benefits and hall staff) are not applicable to:

  • Accelerated BSN
  • Dietetics MS
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
  • Executive MBA
  • Fall/Spring Study Abroad
  • Hollywood Semester
  • Nutrition and Dietetics MS
  • Online EdD
  • Online BS in Speech Language Hearing Science
  • Online BSN to DNP
  • Online BSN to DNP-FNP
  • Online MSN to DNP-Leadership
  • Online BSN to MSN
  • Online BSN to MSN-FNP
  • Online DNP-FNP Psych
  • Online MSN to DNP
  • Online MSN to FNP
  • Online MSN-FNP Psych
  • Online PNP-Certificate
  • Online RN to MSN
  • Online RN-MSN-FNP Psych
  • Online Master of Arts in Counseling
  • Online Master of Computer Science
  • Online UG Degree Completion
  • Post Master Certificate in Neurocounseling
  • All Bundled Programs (includes programs billed based on flat program rate)

Price reductions for programs offered through Bradley’s Study Abroad Office are limited to the tuition component of Bradley programs offered during January Interim, May Interim or summer sessions. Tuition remission is not applicable to any costs associated with any other study abroad offerings or other off-campus programs that do not charge Bradley tuition and/or fees.

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Flexible Spending Account

The Flexible Spending Account is administered by Chard Snyder. Plan Year is from January 1 thru December 31 with a grace period of services to March 15th. All reimbursement requests must be submitted by April 30th.

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Life Insurance

Life Insurance is administered by Standard. Basic life insurance is based on the employees contract salary up to $75,000 with the University 2/3 of the total premium for each full-time employee. Voluntary life insurance coverage can be purchased in $10,000 increments (employee pays full premium) up to 5 times their annual wages with a maximum benefit of $500,000.

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Long-term Care

If you’re wondering whether the term “caregiver” applies to you or someone in your family, it probably does. A caregiver is anyone who helps an aging, ill, or disabled family member or friend manage their day-to-day lives.

It’s a demanding job that can combine routine tasks with life-changing decisions. The only thing you can know for sure about your role is that it’ll change as your loved one’s needs change.

Whether you expect to be a caregiver or not—and even if you’ve been doing it for years—it can feel overwhelming. As you scramble to make sure your loved one’s needs are met, your own well-being can easily get lost in the shuffle.

In addition to your caregiving duties you might be wondering how you will be able to pay for your own care as you age. Bradley offers LTC insurance to help with that challenge.

Plan 1

  • Long Term Care Facility – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • Professional Home and Community Care – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount

“Professional Home and Community Care Services” means Qualified Long Term Care Services provided to the insured for at least one hour or more per day by/through a Licensed Home Health Care Agency, by a Licensed Home Health Care Professional, or in an Adult Day Care Facility.

Plan 2

  • Long Term Care Facility – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • Total Choice Home Care – 50% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount

“Total Choice Home Care Services” means Qualified Long Term Care Services provided to the insured by anyone including a Family Member, by/through a Licensed Home Health Care Agency, by a Licensed Home Health Care Professional, in an Adult Day Care Facility or by an informal caregiver.

Plan 3

  • Long Term Care Facility – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • Professional Home and Community Care – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • 5% Simple Inflation Protection: The insured’s Facility Monthly Benefit will increase each year on the Policy Anniversary by 5% of his/her original Facility Monthly Benefit.

Plan 4

  • Long Term Care Facility – 100% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • Total Choice Home Care – 50% of Facility Monthly Benefit Amount
  • 5% Simple Inflation Protection

Facility Monthly Benefit Amount:
Choose a minimum of $1,000 per month up to an overall maximum of $9,000 per month in $1,000 increments. New employees have the opportunity of Guarantee Issue (GI). GI allows employees to enroll in a benefit amount up to $6,000 with no medical underwriting (no health questions).

Facility Benefit Duration:
Choose benefit duration of 3 years, 6 years or Lifetime. Under the Guarantee Issue provision new employees can enroll in benefit duration up to 6 years with no medical underwriting (no health questions).

Lifetime Maximum:
The Lifetime Maximum is the total dollar amount of benefits that will be paid under the policy. For example, if a person selects a $3,000 Facility Monthly Benefit and a three year Benefit Duration, the Lifetime Maximum would be calculated as follows:

Facility Benefit Amount x (Facility Benefit Duration x 12) = Lifetime Maximum

$3,000 x (3 years x 12 months) = $108,000

*Note: Late Enrollees (any employee beyond 31 days of hire date) must submit Evidence of Insurability with application and be approved for enrollment.

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Long Term Disability

Long Term Disability Insurance at Bradley University is Provided by The Standard. This benefit is available at one-year of service with Bradley University or by Waiver of Service qualification (if eligible).

If desiring Long Term Disability after your one-year of service mark deadline, an Evidence of Insurability Form will need to be turned in and approved. Please contact the Human Resource Department if you would like rate information or further information on this benefit.

LTD Summary Plan Description – Administrative Staff, Operating Engineers and Clerical or Maintenance Staff

LTD Summary Plan Description – Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Academic Deans

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TIAA

Schedule an appointment with our TIAA Representative on their next visit to Bradley Campus by calling 1-800-732-8353 or book an appointment online.

Note: any new Salary Reduction form submitted supersedes the former contribution submitted. Please select the correct form for your contribution situation. Forms can be submitted at any time with change reflected following Payroll schedule.

TIAA Bradley Website

Tax Deferred Annuity (GSRA)
Contributions to this Plan are made on a tax-deferred basis in additional to any contributions which may be made to Bradley University’s Retirement Annuity Plan. No contributions are made by the University.

Defined Contribution (RA)
A new full-time staff member immediately coming from a four year degree granting institution or employees meeting the year of service requirement, are eligible to participate in the plan. Eligible employees may contribute up to 5% of their base salary and the University matches the contribution up to the amount allowed by the IRS depending on their postretirement benefit selection. If the employee’s post retirement selection is the enhanced Defined Contribution Plan then the University will contribute an automatic 2% upon the employee’s eligibility date.

Supplemental Plan – Eligibility requires 1000 annual hours.

Bradley Match – Eligibility after 1-year of service or Waiver received.

Play

Participant Education – October 17, 2023

Retirement Plan Enhancements Detailed Notice

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Social Security

Social Security provides you with a source of income when you retire or if you can’t work due to a disability. It can also support your legal dependents (spouse, children, or parents) with benefits in the event of your death.

While you work, you pay Social Security taxes. This tax money goes into a trust fund that pays benefits to:

  • Those who are currently retired
  • To people with disabilities
  • To the surviving spouses and children of workers who have died

Each year you work, you’ll get credits to help you become eligible for benefits when it’s time for you to retire. Find all the benefits Social Security Administration (SSA) offers.

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Humana Medicare Advantage

Medicare eligible retirees only (must be 65 years old and no longer an Active Employee)

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Workers Compensation

In the unfortunate event that you are injured while working, please report this to the HR Department quickly and completely for best processing and care to you as an employee.

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Wellness

Bradley provides resources to help full-time employees and eligible dependents cope with life events through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP offers confidential, short-term counseling at no cost.

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – (888) 293-6948/TDD: (888) 293-6948, twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week or workhealthlife.com/Standard3
  • If you’re enrolled in a Bradley-sponsored health plan, you can schedule a time to speak with a counselor in the privacy of your home through the Virtual Visit option.
  • Take breaks from watching, reading or listening to news stories, including social media, if they make you feel overwhelmed or distressed.
  • Healthy eating, exercising, getting sleep and finding time to unwind are beneficial during these stressful times.
  • Be sure to talk with people you trust about your concerns and feelings

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Retiree Benefit Information

Publications

TIAA Forms

TIAA-CREF Seminar

Social Security Forms

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