MSU offers five health care plans to eligible employees, or a health care waiver option if you are covered by another health plan that adequately meets your needs. Plan eligibility is determined by employee type (academic, faculty, or support staff), union affiliation (if any), and where you live. You will not be eligible for every plan, so be sure to read the eligibility criteria. Click on the following to view more details about each plan, including monthly premiums. Review the appropriate Benefits Open Enrollment guide to see a plan comparison chart and monthly premiums. 

• Blue Care Network
  • Available to benefits-eligible employees that live in Michigan.
  • This is usually the most cost-effective option for employees living in Michigan.
• BlueCard Out-of-State
  • Available to benefits-eligible employees that live outside of Michigan but within the U.S.
• Cigna Global Health Advantage
  • Available to benefits-eligible employees that live outside the U.S. for a minimum of 6 months.
• Community Blue
  • Available to benefits-eligible employees that live in the U.S.
• Consumer Driven Health Plan with Health Savings Account
  • Available to faculty and academic staff that live in the U.S.
  • Available to non-union and Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) support staff that live in the U.S.
  • Available the Administrative Professional Supervisors Association (APSA) and Clerical-Technical Union (CTU) support staff that live outside of Michigan but within the U.S.
• Waiver Option
  • If you are covered by another health plan that adequately meets your health care needs, you may want to consider waiving your MSU health coverage. Individuals who waive coverage will receive a payment of up to $600 per calendar year. Payments occur in February for the previous plan year. Enrollment is not automatic; you must enroll online for the waiver.
  • Please Note: If you and your spouse/other eligible individual both work at MSU you are not eligible for the waiver option.  

The prescription drug plan is administered through CVS Caremark, and you will be automatically enrolled for prescription drug coverage when you enroll in one of the MSU health plans. You may use any in-network pharmacy, which includes the MSU Health Care Pharmacy. 

Learn more about copays, coverage, eligibility, and more on the Prescription Drug Plan webpage. 

MSU offers four dental plan options to MSU employees. Your eligibility is determined by employee type, union affiliation (if any), and where you live.

Learn more about each dental plan option, including plan comparisons and monthly premiums, on the Dental Coverage webpage. 

• Aetna DMO and Aetna Premium DMO 
  • Aetna DMO: Available to AP, POAM, and 274 support staff employees. 
  • Aetna Premium DMO: Available to faculty, academic, executive management, APSA, CTU, SSTU, 324, and 1585 employees. 
  • Contact Aetna directly to confirm there is a participating dentist where you live before you enroll. Please note there are areas within Michigan that are not eligible for coverage through Aetna. 
• Delta Dental Base and Delta Dental Premium Plan 
  • Available to all employees 

A flexible spending account (FSA) allows you to set aside pre-tax money from your paycheck to pay for eligible expenses, which saves you an average of 30% on necessary items and service. MSU’s FSA provider is HealthEquity, and they offer eligible employees two FSA options: Health Care and Dependent Care. Make sure you know the difference before you enroll in one or both options. 

Review the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage for more details about each FSA option, including eligible expenses, annual contribution maximums, fund availability, reimbursement options, and more. 

• Health Care FSA 
  • Eligible expense examples include medical/dental deductibles and copays, eyeglasses, hearing aids, pain relievers, and much more! 
  • Please note: Due to IRS regulations, eligible employees are unable to enroll in the Health Care FSA if they enroll in the health savings account offered with the Consumer Driven Health Plan. 
• Dependent Care FSA 
  • Eligible expense examples include child or adult daycare, preschool, summer day camp, before/after school programs, and more. 

MSU employees are automatically enrolled in the Basic Life Insurance plan (paid by MSU), which provides coverage equal to one year’s base annual earnings up to a maximum of $50,000.   

You have the option to enroll in additional, employee-paid life and accident insurance options. Learn more about the following plans on the  Life/Accident Insurance webpage .  

• Optional Employee-Paid Life Insurance  
  • This life insurance is term life insurance with maximum coverage of $2,000,000.
  • Multiple levels of coverage are available for employees and their dependents.
  • If you enroll within 30 days of your hire date you do not need to provide Evidence of Insurability for coverage less than $500,000. 

• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance   
  • Coverage is provided for loss of life or specific injuries due to an accident.
  • Multiple levels of coverage are available up to $1,500,000.
  • Coverage is available for spouse/other eligible individuals and children. 

You have the option to enroll in the following voluntary, employee-paid benefits through the MSU Benefits Plus website (see Enrollment Deadlines and Instructions below):  

Enroll within 30 days of hire date: 

• Accident
• Critical Illness
• Legal
• Vision 

Enroll or make changes at any time: 

• Auto
• Home
• Pet  

The above voluntary benefits are paid by the employee via payroll deduction. Visit the  Voluntary Benefits webpage  for more details about each option.  

MSU offers the following retirement plan options to help you prepare for your eventual retirement: 

• 403(b) Base Retirement Plan:  A 5% employee contribution of your eligible compensation and a generous 10% university matching contribution – an immediate two for one match of your investment – for a total contribution of 15%. Your participation may be mandatory based on your age and length of service. 
• 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program: This program is fully funded by employee contributions, and you can choose either a pre-tax or after-tax Roth contribution. After-tax Roth contributions may be mandatory based on your age and salary.  
• 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan: This program is fully funded by employee contributions, and you can choose either a pre-tax or after-tax Roth contribution. After-tax Roth contributions may be mandatory based on your age and salary. 

You may enroll in or make changes to your retirement plans at any time (see Enrollment Deadlines and Instructions below) and choose either Fidelity or TIAA as your retirement vendor. Learn more on the Retirement webpages. 

MSU offers financial assistance to employees and their dependents to help them reach their educational and professional goals, including: 

• Tuition Benefit Program: Provides financial assistance to enhance the educational development of an employee's spouse/OEI and dependent child(ren).  
• Educational Assistance Program: Provides financial assistance to support staff for professional development in their current jobs and in the enhancement of competencies for career development at MSU. 
• Academic Specialist Professional Development Support Program: Provides eligible Academic Specialists with support to participate in MSU credit courses.  

MSU offers various leave and paid time off options based on your employee type (faculty, academic, or support staff), union affiliation (if any), and length of employment.  

• Faculty, Academic Staff, and Executive Management Programs
• Support Staff Programs  

Before you enroll in your benefits, there are a few actions you’ll need to complete: 

1. Activate your MSU NetID. Please contact MSU IT for help.  
2. Set up multi-factor authentication. Please contact MSU IT for help. 
3. Add your dependents (if any) using the written instructions below. 

If you’d like to add an eligible dependent to your benefits—such as a spouse/other eligible individual (OEI) or children— you must first submit a form within the EBS portal with appropriate documentation for each dependent and wait for approval from MSU Human Resources. Approval can take up to 5 business days.  

Special Instructions: 

• If you’d like to add an OEI to your benefits, please include a completed OEI Form for documentation. 
• Review a list of eligible dependents and required documentation. 

Step-by-Step Instructions for Each Dependent: 

1. Log in to the EBS portal using your MSU NetID and password.  
2. Click My Benefits in the top navigation. 
3. Click the Add a Family Member or Dependent tile. 
4. Review the Employee Details and Address sections and click Next. If the information is incorrect, please contact Human Resources. 
5. Select the Event type from the drop-down list (select New Hire). Click Next. 
6. Enter the Dependent Details information. Select Dependent or Family Member type from the drop-down list. Enter the required information for the dependent.  
   • A Social Security Number (SSN) is required for any dependent, including a spouse/OEI, aged 45 or older. However, due to ACA and CMS requirements, a warning will appear if not entered. You can continue through the process without an SSN.  
   • Check box if dependent or family member is disabled. 
7. Click Next to continue. 
8. Click the check box in the Acknowledgments Section. 
9. Select Supporting Documentation from Attachment Type drop down list and select Browse to upload.  
   • If you do not have digital copies of your documentation, you can send via secure email, fax, mail or use the drop box outside the HR building. 
   • The required documentation needs to be submitted before HR can approve your request.  
   • The required documentation must be submitted during the allotted time of the qualifying event. Your family member will not be added to your record and will not be visible to add to your coverage until documentation is received. 
10. Enter any comments you have in the New Comments section. 
11. Click Next to review your completed Add Family Member or Dependent Form. 
12. Review information for accuracy, then click Check. 
13. When you are ready to complete the form, click Send.  
    • You will receive a confirmation email when the Add Family Member or Dependent Form has been approved and added to your record. You can now enroll your dependent(s) in your MSU benefits. 
14. If you have additional dependents/family members to add, select the "To add another dependent/family member click here" link. 

Please complete an Add a Family Member or Dependent Form and supply documentation for each dependent you would like to add to your benefits plans. Upon completion of the form, HR will either approve or reject the dependent addition form with valid comments.  

NOTE: Once the family member has been approved and added to your record, you still need to complete the benefit enrollment process to enroll your dependents in your benefit plans. 

1. Log in to the EBS portal using your MSU NetID and password. 
2. Click on the My Benefits tab in the top navigation.
3. Click on the Benefit/Retirement tile
4. In the dropdown menu, you will see three different options. The first option allows you to complete your New Hire benefits enrollment. The second option is always available and allows you to enroll in or change your retirement contributions on a prospective basis. The last option allows you to make retirement enrollment retroactive to your start date within your 30-day New Hire enrollment period. To continue, select the New Hire enrollment option. Then click Next at the bottom right.
5. A benefit eligibility notice will appear regardless of your eligibility. Carefully review the information and determine whether it applies to you before continuing. Read this and click OK. 
6. On the personal profile screen, verify your name and address information is correct, and click Next. You can make updates to your address in the Personal Profile tile within the EBS portal. If you need to make corrections to your name, contact Human Resources.
7. On the dependents screen, verify all family members and dependents are correct, and click Next. If information is missing, exit the enrollment application and submit the Add a Family Member or Dependent Form (see instructions above) within the EBS Portal. If information is incorrect, contact Human Resources.
8. On the Benefits Summary screen, you will see your current coverage. For additional details about any plan you’re currently enrolled in, click on the plan name. When you are finished reviewing, click Next. 
9. The next screens display the different types of plans available to you, such as health and dental plans, flexible spending accounts, and life or accident insurance. You can add, change, or remove enrollment by clicking on the Action icons on each screen.
10. After you select the benefit plan from the list and make sure you select each dependent you would like to enroll in the plan by checking the box next to their name.
11. When you reach the Health Plan Waiver screen, only take action if you do not want to enroll in MSU’s health plan coverage.
12. Please note, you may click Cancel at any time, which will exit you out of the enrollment application. All changes will be lost if you click Cancel. 
13. If you choose to enroll in a flexible spending account, please note the amount you select for your contribution is for the entire plan year.
14. When you reach the Review and Save screen, you may add, change, or remove coverage by clicking on the steps in the top navigation to navigate back to the correct screen. 
15. After you are done making changes to your benefit choices, click Save. 
16. On the final screen, review the information on the Benefit Elections Summary. You have the option to click on additional links such as MSU Benefits Plus for voluntary benefits like vision, critical illness, or legal insurance. 
17. You should receive a confirmation email to your MSU email account shortly after completing your benefits enrollment.  

Important Reminders: You can make changes to your benefit selections within 30 days of your hire date. After that time, you will not be able to make changes to your health, dental, life, or flexible spending account benefit options, or some voluntary benefits, like accident, critical illness, legal, and vision insurance, until the next Open Enrollment period or if you experience a qualifying life event.

1. Visit the MSU Benefits Plus website and login with your MSU NetID and password.
2. You may now review the available voluntary benefit options, including monthly plan premiums, and elect to enroll in, change, or cancel voluntary benefits through the MSU Benefits Plus website.
3. If you enroll in, change, or cancel any voluntary benefits, you will receive an email confirmation statement directly from the administrator, MSU Benefits Plus (not MSU).

Please Note: Some voluntary benefits—such as accident, critical illness, legal, and vision—will only allow you to enroll in or make changes within 30 days of your hire date.

1. Log in to the EBS portal using your MSU NetID and password. 
2. Click on the My Benefits tab in the top navigation.
3. Click on the Benefit/Retirement tile.
4. Select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu. The second option is always available and allows you to enroll in or change your retirement contributions on a prospective basis. The last option allows you to make retirement enrollment retroactive to your start date within your 30-day new hire enrollment period. 
5. Verify the information on the Personal Profile screen is correct and click Next. 
6. The Benefits Summary screen displays your current enrollment. When you're finished reviewing, click Next.
7. The Savings Plan screen displays the various retirement plan options available to you. Click on the Action icons to enroll in or make changes to a retirement plan option. When you are finished making changes, click Save.
8. You will receive a confirmation email to your MSU email account shortly after completing the retirement enrollment process.

For support staff, coverage is effective on the first day of the month following the date of hire, provided enrollment occurs within 30 days of employment. Coverage is retroactive to the first day of the month following the date of hire.  

For example, if your hire date is January 10 and you enroll in benefits within 30 days, your benefits coverage would begin on February 1.  

For faculty, academic staff, and executive management, coverage is effective immediately, provided enrollment occurs within 30 days of employment. Coverage is retroactive to your hire date. 

For example, if your hire date is January 10 and you enroll in benefits within 30 days, your benefits coverage would begin on January 10.