University of California, Berkeley

Benefits Eligibility Requirements

The following charts show how eligibility for employee benefits is determined.

Health and Welfare Plans

BELI Code Benefits Package Initial Requirements Continuing Requirements[1] Loss of Eligibility
1 Full Member of a UC-sponsored defined benefit retirement plan AND
An appointment that is 50% or more for 12 or more months OR
1,000 Eligible hours worked in a rolling 12-month period, including previous UC employment		 Minimum 17.5 hours/week or 43.75% average paid time (APT) over rolling 12 month period Drop below minimum continuing requirements for 2 consecutive months
2 Mid-Level NOT a member of a UC-sponsored defined benefit retirement plan

AND
Minimum 50% appointment for 12 months or more

 Minimum 17.5 hours/week or 43.75% average paid time (APT) over rolling 12 month period Drop below minimum continuing requirements for 2 consecutive months
3 Mid-Level NOT a member of a UC-sponsored defined benefit retirement plan AND
An appointment that is 100% for 3 or more months (but less than 12 months)		 Minimum 17.5 hours/week or 43.75% average paid time (APT) over rolling 12 month period Drop below minimum continuing requirements for 2 consecutive months
4 Core
Minimum 43.75% appointment for any duration		 Minimum 17.5 hours/week or 43.75% average paid time (APT) over rolling 12 month period Drop below minimum continuing requirements for 2 consecutive months
5 None Employee is ineligible for Health and Welfare Benefits because of excluded appointment type or does not meet the BELI 1 – 4 requirement:
  • Appointed less than 43.75% and/or average paid time (APT) is less that 17.5 hours/week or 43.75%/month
  • "Casual restricted" or student reserved position
  • "Per diem" appointment
  • "By Agreement" appointment without pay related to time on pay status
  • "Without salary" appointment
 N/A N/A
P Post-Doctoral Benefits Title codes 3252, 3253, 3254
Eligible for Postdoctoral Benefits package
https://vspa.berkeley.edu/		    

 

[1]Health & Welfare Plans without Continuing Requirements:

The following list of plans do not have ongoing eligibility requirements and may be continued regardless of BELI code as long as any required contributions are made by the employee through payroll deduction.

  • Supplemental Life
  • Expanded/Basic Dependent Life
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment
  • Legal
  • Automobile/Homeowners/Renters
  • Dependent Care FSA
  • Health FSA
  • TIP

Status Qualifier Codes

Certain Qualified Status situations affect an employee's benefits eligibility. The Status Qualifier Code (SQC) may be used to establish eligibility or continue eligibility where an employee’s status otherwise looks ineligible.  Conversely, the code may make an appointment ineligible for benefits that otherwise looks eligible for benefits. These situations should be identified by use of the BELI SQC(s) in addition to the BELI code itself. See Benefits Eligibilty: Status Qualifier Codes for more information.

Retirement Plans

Plan Eligibility Requirements Exclusions

University of California Retirement Plan (UCRP)
UCRP is a defined benefit retirement plan.  If eligible, membership is mandatory.

 

 To be eligible for UCRP membership:

Appointment must be 50% or more for 12 months or longer
OR
Employee has worked 1,000 eligible hours in the most recent rolling 12 month period (including previous UC employment) AND is not excluded from UCRP membership.

Both employees and UC make contributions to fund the plan. After a 20-year holiday, contributions to the plan began with May earnings 2010.

 
  • Visiting appointments 8/1/90 or after
  • By agreement appointments that are paid a flat amount and have no covered compensation
  • Casual restricted appointments
  • Per diem appointments
  • Regents' professors or lecturers
  • Those here for primarily for education or training (unless in a career position)
  • Those who receive “special compensation” but no “covered compensation
  • Active PERS members

DCP—Regular
DCP—Regular is a defined contribution retirement plan.

 

Between 1990 and April 2010--a contribution holiday for UCRP--UC redirected employee UCRP contribution to this plan.  Resumption of UCRP contributions was/is subject to collective bargaining. Some employees covered by bargaining agreements may continue to contribute to DCP-Regular.

The contributions default to the UC Savings Fund, but employees manage their investments through Fidelity Retirement Services.

  

DCP—Casual/Safe Harbor
Safe Harbor is a defined contribution retirement plan.

Participants are part-time, seasonal and temporary UC employees who are not eligible to participate in UCRP and whose wages are not subject to Social Security taxes.

The contributions default to the UC Savings Fund, but employees manage their investments through Fidelity Retirement Services.
  • Students, during periods of full time enrollment
  • Resident aliens with F-1 and J-1 visa status