Benefits Overview

Eligibility & Effective Date of Coverage

  • Full-time and part-time (50.0%-89.9%) support staff
    • Coverage will become effective the first day of the month following the date of hire, provided enrollment occurs within 30 days of employment.
    • If enrollment occurs within the first 30 days of employment, coverage will be retroactive to the first day of the month following the date of hire. 
  • Faculty, academic staff and executive management with appointments of nine months or more
    • Coverage is effective upon hire, provided enrollment occurs within 30 days of employment.
    • If enrollment occurs within the first 30 days of employment, coverage will be retroactive to the date of hire.

Enrollment Deadlines

  • New hires have 30 days to enroll.
  • Newly eligible employees have 30 days to enroll.

Find more details on the Benefits Enrollment/Changes webpage. 

How to Enroll

To enroll in benefits, login to the EBS Portal and select My Benefits from the top navigation, then select the Benefit/Retirement Enrollment & Changes tile. 

To add an eligible dependent to your benefits coverage, login to the EBS Portal and select My Benefits from the top navigation, then select the Add Family Member or Dependent tile. Using this tile, you will need to submit a form for each eligible dependent you'd like to add to your benefits coverage. Additional documentation may be required, such as a marriage or birth certificate. Review Eligible Dependents and Required Documentation for more details.

Health Care Coverage

MSU offers Blue Care Network (BCN), BlueCard Out-of-State, Cigna Global Health Advantage (CGHA), Community Blue PPO, and the Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) with Health Savings Account (HSA) to eligible employees. Plan eligibility is determined by employee type, union affiliation (if any), and where you live. Review the Health Care Plans webpage for more information on each of the following plans.

  • BCN
    • Available to all benefits-eligible employees that live in Michigan.
  • BlueCard Out-of-State
    • Available to all benefits-eligible employees that live outside of Michigan but within the U.S.
  • CGHA
    • Available to all benefits-eligible employees that live outside the U.S. for a minimum of 6 months.
  • Community Blue PPO
    • Available to all benefits-eligible employees that live in the U.S.
  • CDHP w/ HSA
    • Available to all benefits-eligible faculty and academic staff that live in the U.S.
    • Available to all benefits-eligible Administrative Professional Supervisors Association (APSA) and Clerical-Technical Union (CTU) support staff employees that live outside of Michigan but within the U.S.
    • Available to all benefits-eligible non-union support staff that live in the U.S.
    • Available to all benefits-eligible Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) support staff that live in the U.S.
  • Health Care Coverage 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 during Open Enrollment.
    • Please Note: If you and your spouse/other eligible individual (OEI) both work at MSU you are not eligible for the waiver option. 

Plan Comparisons

Plan Rates

Prescription Coverage

The prescription drug plan is administered through CVS Caremark. Benefits-eligible employees continue to be automatically enrolled for prescription drug coverage in CVS Caremark when they enroll in one of the MSU health plans. MSU employees 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.

Dental Coverage

MSU offers the Aetna DMO Base Plan, Aetna DMO Premium Plan, Delta Dental Base Plan, and Delta Dental Premium Plan to benefits-eligible employees. Plan eligibility is determined by employee type, union affiliation (if any), and where you live. Learn more about each plan on the Dental Coverage Options webpage.

  • Aetna DMO Base Plan

    • 274, AP, and POAM support staff employees are eligible to enroll.

  • Aetna DMO Premium Plan

    • APSA, CTU, 324, 1585, SSTU, nurses, resident advisors and MSU Extension support staff employees are eligible to enroll.

    • All faculty, academic staff and executive management are eligible to enroll.

Note About Aetna Plans: Eligibility for Aetna is determined by where you live. Please contact Aetna directly to confirm if you are eligible to enroll in this plan based on your state and zip code. Please note there are areas within Michigan that are not eligible for coverage through Aetna.

  • Delta Dental Base Plan
    • All faculty, academic, executive management, and support staff employees are eligible to enroll.
  • Delta Dental Premium Plan
    • All faculty, academic, executive management, and support staff employees are eligible to enroll.

Plan Comparisons

Plan Rates

Life Insurance

MSU employees are automatically enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and have the option to enroll in additional Employee-Paid Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. Learn more about the following plans on the Life/Accident Insurance webpage.

  • Basic Life Insurance
    • Provides coverage equal to one year's base annual earnings up to a maximum of $50,000.
    • Enrollment is automatic.
    • MSU pays the entire cost of the benefit.
  • 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.
    • New Hires, that enroll within 30 days of their hire date, do not need to provide Evidence of Insurability (EOI) for coverage less than $500,000.
  • Accidental Death & 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/OEI and/or children.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

We all spend money on medical expenses such as prescription and office visit co-pays, dental work and over-the-counter items like bandages. Many people spend thousands of dollars each year on child or elder care. An FSA allows you to use pre-tax dollars to buy these common household items and services – saving you an average of 30%!

MSU’s FSA vendor is HealthEquity and they offer eligible employees two different kinds of FSAs:

  • Health Care FSA - can be used for eligible medical expenses for you and your eligible dependents.
  • Dependent Care FSA - can be used for eligible child and dependent care expenses (daycare).

Please note, due to IRS regulations, eligible employees are unable to enroll in a Health Care FSA if they enroll in the Health Savings Account (HSA) offered with the Consumer Driven Health Plan (CHDP).

Find details on eligible expenses, contribution limits, deadlines, claims processes, and more on the Flexible Spending Account webpage.

Voluntary Benefits

MSU employees have the option to enroll in the following voluntary benefits:

  • Vision Insurance (VSP)
  • Legal Insurance (ARAG)
  • Critical Illness (MetLife)
  • Auto Insurance (Farmers or Liberty Mutual)
  • Home Insurance (Farmers or Liberty Mutual)

Visit the MSU Benefits Plus website to learn more about the above available benefits and enroll online.

  • First Time Users: Enter your MSU email, click Get Started and fill out the form. Signing up for an account does not obligate you to enroll in any benefits; it just gives you access to learn about and enroll in the various programs. You will need your MSU ZPID number, which is located on your MSU Spartan ID Card or in the EBS Portal. Use a capital “Z” when putting in your ZPID number.
  • Existing Users: Enter your email address and click Get Started, then enter your password and click Log In.

Learn more about these benefits on the Voluntary Benefits webpage.

Retirement Plan Options

MSU employees have several options to help them save for retirement, including:

  • MSU 403(b) Base Retirement Program (BRP)
    • This plan consists of an employee contribution of 5% of your eligible compensation and a university matching contribution of 10% of your eligible compensation - an immediate two for one match of your investment - for a total contribution of 15%.
    • Participation may become mandatory, based on age and length of service.
    • The program is fully and immediately vested, including the university contribution.
  • MSU 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) and the MSU 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP)
    • These plans are always optional.
    • Employee contributions only (no university contribution).
    • Annual IRS contribution limits apply.

Retirement Plan Vendors

Fidelity and TIAA are the vendor selections for all three types of retirement plans. Learn more about retirement plan options on the Retirement webpages.

Tuition Assistance

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

Leave Programs

At MSU, we understand the value of your time. This is why we offer different leave and time off programs to support our employees for whatever life brings their way.

Additional Tools and Resources

For more details about enrollment, eligibility, benefit plans options and rates for:

Executive Management

Faculty & Academic Staff

Support Staff