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Health & Welfare

Pratt Institute provides a number of benefits to support the general health and welfare of employees. The benefits described below highlight the major aspects of the health and welfare benefits. The Pratt Benefits Team within Human Resources also periodically offers wellness initiatives to employees on topics such as healthy living and disease prevention. All employees are encouraged to contact Human Resources for assistance with concerns related to their health and well-being. Employee concerns will be kept confidential, and the HR staff will provide appropriate advice and assistance as necessary and to the extent possible.

Staff gather at the Research Open House in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Downloads

Emblem Health Pratt Institute Summary of Benefits and Coverage

Emblem Health Pratt Institute Adjunct Summary of Benefits and Coverage

Cigna Open Access Pratt Institute Access Summary of Benefits

Cigna HDHP with HSA

Cigna Dental DPPO Benefit Summary

Cigna Dental PPO Benefit Summary

MEDICAL AND DENTAL

Pratt’s main provider of employee health insurance coverage is CIGNA. The following classifications of employees are eligible for medical and dental coverage:

  • Regular full-time administrator (i.e. non bargaining unit)
  • Full-time faculty (represented by UFCT Local 1460)
  • Part-time adjunct faculty members with Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE) status (represented by UFCT Local 1460)
  • Regular full-time and part-time clerical and technical employees (represented by OPEIU, Local 153)
  • Full-time security officers (represented by OPEIU, Local 153)
  • Full-time Facilities employees (represented by NCFO, Local 311)

Eligible employees and their dependents can be enrolled for Medical coverage upon hire or during Open Enrollment. Otherwise, during the plan year, enrollment or changes in dependent coverage may only be made within 30 days of loss of other coverage or change in family status.

Eligible employees have two options to choose from within the Cigna plan, the more expensive option providing more advantageous out-of-network benefits.

High Plan and Deductible Plan. Eligible employees are free to choose either plan and may select either Individual or Family coverage. Either plan may be more suitable for an individual employee depending on the employee’s medical and family needs and financial concerns.

Regular Full-Time and Part-Time Clerical and Technical Employees represented by OPEIU, Local 153 also may choose to have medical coverage through the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP), an HMO plan.

Eligible Facilities employees at the 215 Willoughby building represented by SEIU Local 32BJ receive medical coverage through the union, as provided in the collective bargaining agreement and are therefore not eligible for coverage provided by Pratt.

WAITING PERIOD

New employees, except for faculty, become eligible for medical coverage on the 1st day of the month following completion of 30 days of employment.
Full-time faculty become eligible for medical coverage on​ ​ ​September 1st. If hired outside of the fall semester, full-time faculty become eligible for medical coverage on the 1st day of the month following completion of 30 days of employment.
Part-time faculty with CCE status become eligible for medical coverage on the 1st day of the month following the effective date of CCE status.

EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS

Employee contributions toward health insurance are made through a pre-tax payroll deduction. The amount of an employee contribution varies depending on employee classification, salary and the plan selected, (part-time Adjunct faculty with CCE status, represented by UFCT Local 1460, have a 15% premium regardless of salary level).

DOMESTIC PARTNER COVERAGE

Domestic partners of eligible employees are eligible for medical coverage as dependents, subject to the provisions of the respective plan. Domestic partner health coverage is considered a taxable benefit by the IRS and thus the employee will be liable for taxes on the value of the coverage for his/her domestic partner. Domestic partners may be same-sex or opposite-sex.

RETIREE MEDICAL COVERAGE

Employees who retire from Pratt employment with at least 10 years of continuous service and who are a minimum of 62 years of age may be eligible for retiree medical coverage. Retiree medical coverage operates essentially as a continuation of the active employee plans subject to certain restrictions.

DENTAL

There is also a voluntary dental plan available to employees through Cigna. This plan covers a significant portion of the dental procedures, 50–100% depending on the nature of the procedure and the option selected. All services except diagnostic and preventive under the PPO plan are subject to an annual deductible ($50/individual and $150/family). The Dental INO plan is limited to in-network only, except for emergencies which are Major services covered at 80% and Orthodontics which are covered at 50%.

LIFE INSURANCE

The Institute provides a group life insurance policy for employees in an amount equal to the annual salary.

DISABILITY COVERAGE

Eligible employees may receive short-term disability benefits for up to 26 weeks when absent due to a medical condition, up to a maximum benefit of $170 per week. Employees medically disabled from employment beyond 26 weeks may be eligible to receive long-term disability benefits, up to 60% of the employee salary. Employees must complete two years of employment with Pratt Institute to be eligible for long-term disability. Employees are required to first exhaust all paid leave (sick, vacation, discretionary) prior to being eligible for disability benefits.

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE (FMLA)

Pratt Institute is an FMLA-covered employer. Under FMLA, covered employees are eligible for up to twelve (12) weeks of leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child, to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent, or for the employee’s own serious illness and up to 26 weeks of leave for to care for a covered relative for military related illnesses. A covered employee is one who has been employed by the Institute for one (1) year and has worked at least 1250 hours at Pratt during the 12 months preceding the leave. Under FMLA the employer may set the administrative policy for FMLA. Under the Institute’s administrative policy both paid and unpaid leave will count towards the 12-week entitlement.

The Institute requires that an employee exhaust all applicable accrued time. Once the applicable accrued time is exhausted the remainder of the 12 weeks will be granted as unpaid leave. Absences of four (4) or more days will be considered an FMLA-triggering event.

Employees may also be eligible for an extended leave in limited circumstances.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)

Employees may utilize the services of an external EAP confidentially for professional counseling, legal referrals, financial advice, and other assistance related to personal life issues. EAP services are provided by Prudential ComPsych and there is no charge to employees. Their services and contact information are described in this brochure.