voluntary Benefits
Employee Paid Benefits
MSU benefits-eligible faculty and staff have the opportunity to enroll in several voluntary, employee-paid benefit programs. These programs include:
- Vision Insurance
- Legal Insurance
- Critical Illness Insurance
- Auto & Home Insurance
- Pet Insurance
- Discounts
Enrollment Information
You can access information about all the listed programs above and enroll online by visiting MSU Benefits Plus. Various programs may have open enrollment periods that limit when you can enroll in coverage. Premiums for any programs you may choose to enroll in will be deducted from your paycheck, monthly. For employees who are paid bi-weekly, it will be deducted from the first paycheck of the month.
To sign up for an account on MSU Benefits Plus, you will need your MSU ZPID number. You can locate your ZPID on your MSU Spartan Card ID badge or you can find the number in the EBS Portal under the Personal Profile in the My Personal Information Section.
The MSU Benefits Plus administrator is Corestream.
Coverage Effective Date (varies):
Enrollment Event |
Enrollment Date |
Coverage Effective Date |
| Annual Open Enrollment | October 1 - 31 | January 1 of the following year |
| New Hire Employee OR Newly Eligible Plan Participant | 1st & 15th of any month | 1st of the month following enrollment Example - If enrollment occurs January 1-15, coverage is effective February 1. |
| New Hire Employee OR Newly Eligible Plan Participant | 16th & 31st of any month | 1st of the month after the next month following enrollment Example - If enrollment occurs January 16-31, coverage is effective March 1. |
Vision Insurance
Vision Insurance coverage can help with the cost of glasses and contact lenses for you and your family. Review the Benefits Summary below for basic information about the plan coverage and rates:
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can enroll during Open Enrollment. Outside of Open Enrollment, benefits-eligible new hires or newly-eligible faculty and staff have 30 days to enroll from their date of hire or date of eligibility. If you are a new hire or newly eligible and wish to enroll in VSP Vision Care, please call MSU Benefits Plus Customer Care at 888-758-7575. To use your benefits once enrolled, there's no ID card necessary. If you'd like a card as a reference, you can print one atwww.vsp.com.
Please note an Employee cannot be covered as both a dependent and employee under the Vision plan.
Legal Insurance
With ARAG Legal Insurance, you can access legal assistance in a wide variety of situations when you need it without worrying about the costs. Review the Benefits At a Glance below for basic information about the plan options and rates:
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can enroll during Open Enrollment. Outside of Open Enrollment, benefits-eligible new hires or newly-eligible faculty and staff have 30 days to enroll from their date of hire or date of eligibility. If you are a new hire or newly eligible and wish to enroll in ARAG Legal Insurance, please call MSU Benefits Plus Customer Care at 888-758-7575.
Critical Illness
Critical Illness Insurance through MetLife gives you extra cash in the event you or a covered family member experience a covered illness. This money can be used to offset unexpected medical expenses or for any other use you wish. The plan offers $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 of Guaranteed Issue coverage. Review the Plan Summary below.
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can enroll during Open Enrollment. Outside of Open Enrollment, benefits-eligible new hires or newly-eligible faculty and staff have 30 days to enroll from their date of hire or date of eligibility. If you are a new hire or newly eligible and wish to enroll in Critical Illness Insurance, please call MSU Benefits Plus Customer Care at 888-758-7575.
Please note an Employee cannot be covered as both a dependent and employee under the Critical Illness plan.
Other Eligible Individuals (OEIs) are not eligible for Critical Illness insurance.
Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance through Transamerica will no longer be offering new enrollments after June 30, 2021. Anyone currently enrolled will be able to remain on the plan. Starting October 2022, members will no longer be able to pay for premiums via payroll deduction and will be switched to direct quarterly billing. You can contact Transamerica at 800-227-3740 if you have any questions concerning your account or billing updates.
Auto and Home Insurance
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff are able to receive estimates from and enroll in auto and/or home insurance with either Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual Insurance. Enjoy the convenience of having your home and auto insurance payroll deducted. There is no formal enrollment period for auto and/or home insurance and the coverage period will vary depending on when your policy is issued.
Pet Insurance
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff are able to enroll in Pet Insurance with Nationwide. Nationwide offers several plan options that may cover surgeries, diagnostic tests, hospitalization, prescriptions, wellness exams, etc. There is no formal enrollment period for pet insurance and the coverage period will vary depending on when your policy is issued.
Discounts
You can visit MSU Benefits Plus to access information on employee discounts.
We've requested accessible versions of website documents from vendors. If you have difficulty reading any documents, contact the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.
