Personnel Services

Contact TEES Personnel Services at 979-458-7699 or 458-7693 for more information.

System Employee Benefit Advisory Committee (SEBAC)

Dr. David Breeding is elected as the TEES SEBAC representative for fiscal year 2010-2011. Dr. Breeding serves as the Manager of Engineering Safety and has worked with employee injury and illness, risk management, worker compensation and accident investigations. Read more about his election here.

Benefit Information

TEES is a member of the Texas A&M University System, and as such, offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D), long-term care (LTC), long-term disability (LTD), and flexible spending accounts. Additional value added benefit programs, retirement plans, and local discounts are also available to eligible faculty and staff. Our Benefits Office strives to provide excellent customer service and serves as an information resource for insurance and benefit programs.

Eligibility Requirements

As an employee, your compensation may include not only direct pay but also indirect compensation including health insurance. The Texas Legislature sets eligibility requirements for these benefits based on the definition of a regular employee. A regular employee is one who is listed in the position identification database:

Graduate students who work at least fifty percent time for four and one-half months or for a semester of more than four months and whose positions require that they be enrolled in graduate level courses are also eligible (i.e. GAT, GANT, GAR, GAL). Excludes positions that require student status not contingent of graduate level as a condition of employment (i.e. student technician, student worker).

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Annual Benefit Enrollment

The benefit plan year runs from September 1 - August 31. Benefit selections are made upon employment. Needed changes may be made during the annual benefit enrollment period, or when the employee experiences a change in status.

  • Annual benefit enrollment is held each July
  • Changes made during annual benefit enrollment will be effective September 1
  • Enrollment and changes are made online via the "benefits" tab in HRConnect (Login to Single Sign On)
  • Access the EMPLOYEE Annual Enrollment Booklet
  • Access the RETIREE Annual Enrollment Booklet
  • Link to the Texas A&M University System AE page

New Employees

New employees will make benefit selections in iBenefits via Single Sign On (sso.tamus.edu). The UIN and employee ADLOC will be needed for initial entry.

  • Enrollment Timeline: 60 days from hire date or initial benefit eligibility date
  • The date you make your benefit selection impacts the date your coverage begins.
    1. Coverage can begin on your date of hire if you sign up for benefits on or before your date of hire. You must pay full cost of the plan until your state contribution applies and premiums will not be prorated for partial month coverage.
    2. Coverage can start the first of the month following your enrollment.
    3. Coverage can be deferred until your state contribution date which is the first of the month following a 90 day waiting period. Refer to the FY2010 State GIP (SGIP) Dates
  • Must enroll or waive benefits within 60 days of enrollment window or employee will be placed in the defalut plan - A&M Care 350 beginning on their employer contribution date.
  • Access to SSO

COBRA

  • COBRA (Health/Dental/Vision Coverage Continuation) - Complete form if employee wants to maintain medical benefits if there has been a change in status that will cause TAMUS health/dental/vision coverage to end on the last day of the month during which the change in status occurred.
  • COBRA Acknowledgement - Use when COBRA Form is delivered in person.

Benefit Plans and Forms

Detailed information about each benefit plan and links to the carrier sites may be accessed from the A&M System Benefits Administration Office website. This site will also provide access to the annual benefit booklet, beneficiary forms, dependent enrollment forms, and benefit change forms.

A&M System Benefits Administration - http://tamus.edu/benefits

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Benefit Changes

Benefit changes are not permitted outside the annual benefit enrollment period (July) except in the case of a qualifying change in status. Certain changes in family status or changes in an individual's, spouse's, or dependent's employment or a change in dependent's residence meet the definition of a change in status. Even with a change in status, the desired change must be consistent with the event and the change request must be completed within 60 days of the event.

For example, if the birth of a child is the change in status, a consistent change would be to add your child to your medical coverage within 60 days of the birth.

Additional information about qualifying changes in status is available in the table below.

FAMILY STATUS CHANGE   EMPLOYMENT STATUS CHANGE
Marriage   Reduction in Effort
Birth or Adoption of Child   Going on Leave
Divorce   Retirement
Loss of a Family Member   Change in Spouse's Employment
Dependent Loss of Eligibility    Change in Spouse's Enrollment
Change of Residence   Change in Employment Classification
    Leaving Employment

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Link to Additional Benefit Information

HRConnect

HRConnect is an A&M System online tool to assist employees in monitoring information about their pay, benefits, leave, training and emergency contact. Access to HRConnect is through Single Sign On (SSO) https://sso.tamus.edu

  • PERSONAL DATA: maintain and edit personal and emergency contact information
  • PAYROLL DATA: view deductions, edit/update income tax withholding, view paystub, W-2 and tax documents
  • BENEFITS DATA: view benefit selections, benefit policy details and carrier contract information. Used for new employee benefit selections and current employee benefit changes during annual benefit enrollment
  • TRAINING: complete online training including mandated Ethics, Discrimination Free Workplace, Reporting Fraud, Waste & Abuse, and Information Security Awareness training
  • UTILITIES: helpful tools to assist in retirement and savings planning

Retirement

Are you ready for retirement? Maybe you are not sure what to do to start the process or who to contact. Resources for employees considering retirement, current retirees and beneficiaries of retirees is available here.

Contact

Senior Employee Benefits Representative
Sarah Tobola
Phone: (979) 458-7693 Fax:(979) 458-7720
s-tobola@tamu.edu

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