Benefits

Flu Shot Clinics on Campus

The University once again will offer flu shot clinics on campus. Faculty and staff members who carry the University’s medical insurance with UPMC Health Plan still can obtain a flu shot with no out-of-pocket cost. Should you choose to take advantage of an on-campus flu shot clinic, you simply need to present your University ID card and UPMC insurance card; no claim forms are necessary.

The main (Oakland) campus flu shot clinic information is listed below. Faculty and staff members at regional campuses should expect to see an email from their Human Resources or Student Health Services contact with information specific to their locations.

benefits

Flu shots also can be obtained at Falk Pharmacy on any Tuesday or Thursday, September–December, 9 am-3 pm.

UPMC Health Plan members also can obtain a flu shot from a participating provider at no out-of-pocket cost. If plan members obtain a flu shot at a clinic or pharmacy that does not participate with UPMC Health Plan, they will need to pay for the flu shot at the time of service and file a claim form to receive reimbursement. Reimbursement forms can be downloaded from UPMC Health Plan’s web site at www.upmchealthplan.com under “Commonly Used Forms” located at the bottom of the page.

Individuals who participate in the Panther Advocate plan can receive HIA credits for obtaining a flu shot.

Enrollment in Benefits and Status Changes

Faculty and staff members who are new to the University should attend an orientation as soon as possible after being hired. Orientations for new faculty, including research associates and post-doctoral associates, are arranged through the individual’s department and the Benefits department. Orientations for staff are arranged through the individual’s department and the Office of Human Resources.

A wealth of important information is reviewed during orientation, such as benefit plan details, enrollment deadlines and how/when you can make changes to your benefit elections. The following summarizes health and welfare benefits information discussed during orientation:

Enrollment forms for new faculty or online enrollment submission for new staff for health and welfare benefits are due within one week of attending orientation. Documentation of dependent status (copies of marriage/birth certificates, etc.) is due within two weeks of orientation.

Changes to your benefit elections, such as the plans you have selected and the dependents you are covering on the plans, only can be changed during open enrollment. The open enrollment period is your opportunity, once a year, to make changes to your health and welfare benefits. Information for each annual open enrollment is mailed in late April for the forthcoming July 1-June 30 plan year.

Outside of open enrollment, you only may make changes to your benefit elections if you have a change in status, such as a marriage, divorce, newborn, loss/gain of employment of your spouse/partner, etc.

Changes to the doctors/dentists you have selected can be completed at any time directly through the insurance carrier. Note the contact information for the insurance carriers listed on this page.

The following is a summary of the information discussed during orientation regarding retirement savings:

Eligibility for retirement savings for new hires is the first of the month following 30 days of employment. For example, if your hire date was either the first calendar or working day of the month, then you would be eligible to participate in the retirement savings plan the first of the following month, with a deadline for initial enrollment being the last day of the current month. In other words, if you were hired Sept. 1, you would be eligible on Oct. 1 and your deadline for enrollment would be Sept. 30. If you were hired Sept. 16, you would be eligible Nov. 1 and your deadline for enrollment would be Oct. 31.

Retirement savings plan changes, such as the amount you are contributing from your paycheck and the allocation between TIAA-CREF and Vanguard, can be changed on a monthly basis through the University portal. Fund selections can be changed 365 days a year directly through the investment companies. Again, contact information for these vendors is listed on this page.

Student Insurance

The Sept. 15 deadline for students to enroll in health insurance coverage has been extended to Sept. 30. While health insurance coverage is optional for domestic students, international students at the University of Pittsburgh are required to attest to other health insurance coverage or enroll in University-sponsored coverage and maintain it during their time at the University. All students also have the option to purchase dental and vision insurance coverage.

To attest to other coverage or to enroll in student coverage, the following steps should be followed:

Go to my.pitt.edu.
Enter your University username and password.
Select the My Resources tab.
Select Student Health Insurance on the drop down menu.
Select Student Health Insurance on the “My Pitt” page and continue through the online enrollment process.
Payment can be made on a monthly, recurring basis via a credit card, debit card or through a checking or savings account.