Benefits
Smith College offers a suite of benefit programs designed to support employees’ health and welfare, financial well-being, and social and emotional well-being, whether early in their career, during mid-career or nearing retirement.
2024 Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment Period: Monday, November 27, 2023 through 4 p.m. ET Friday, December 8, 2023.
Late enrollments cannot be accepted. Open Enrollment elections become effective on January 1, 2024. During the Open Enrollment period, complete your open enrollment in Workday using these instructions.
2024 Helpful Tools
Benefits Overview
Smith offers a robust suite of benefits designed to support the well-being of eligible employees and covered members of their family. Benefits generally begin on your start date and end on your termination date. Please select the links below for more information. See the Employee Handbook for information on eligibility.
Health & Welfare
- Medical
- Prescription
- Dental
- Vision
- Health Savings Account
- Health Care Expense Subsidy
Financial Well-Being
- Retirement Plan
- Tuition Assistance Program
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Long-Term Disability
- Pet Insurance
- Identity Theft Protection
Social & Emotional
- Employee Assistance Program
- Care.com
- Leaves
- Time Off
- Calm App
- Learn to Live
- On Our Way to Wellness Program
Notice of Data Security Incident – NASCO MOVEit
Smith College received notice regarding a security vulnerability in the MOVEit Transfer solution which is utilized by NASCO, a third-party provider of benefits administration services to health plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBS MA). MOVEit reported a zero-day vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer which has been actively exploited by unauthorized actors to gain access to MOVEit servers. MOVEit has acknowledged the vulnerability and provided patches to remediate the exploit. The College was made aware of the vulnerability by BCBS MA and the impact to the College’s data on or around October 16, 2023. NASCO is notifying individuals whose information may have been included in the files accessed by the unauthorized actors on behalf of the College. For individuals who have questions or need additional information regarding this incident, please visit https://www.bluecrossma.org/nasco-moveit-privacy-incident
Helpful Tools for 2023
See the attached document for an update on coverage for COVID-related services following the end of the Public Health Emergency effective May 12, 2023.
Enrolling in Benefits
Benefit-eligible employees will automatically receive a benefit enrollment task in your Workday inbox after you’ve completed required onboarding tasks. You will need social security numbers, dates of birth, and primary care doctors’ names and addresses for yourself and eligible dependents you intend to cover under your benefits Remember, you must enroll within 30 days of becoming eligible for benefits.
Help articles for completing benefit-related tasks, including new hire enrollment, changing benefits for qualifying events and changing your voluntary retirement contributions can be found in Workday via the Search field.
NOTE: Please allow two+ weeks for insurance cards to arrive in the mail. If you need to obtain your member ID information or have questions, please call the appropriate customer service number above or visit their website.
Beneficiaries
You are encouraged to designate beneficiaries for all accounts with a potential monetary benefit (e.g. life insurance, retirement accounts, health savings account). Beneficiaries for life insurance are designated and maintained in Workday. For the retirement plan, you may call Voya Financial at 1-800-584-6001 once your Voya account has been established. HealthEquity will record your beneficiary designation for your Health Savings Account (HSA).
Benefits Customer Service Numbers
- Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance: 800-782-3675
MyBlue Application Overview FAQ (PDF) - OptumRx prescription coverage: 888-374-8127
- Delta Dental: 800-872-0500
- EyeMed vision insurance: 866-939-3633
- Health Equity health savings accounts (HSA):
866-346-5800 - Benefit Strategies flexible spending accounts (FSA):
888-401-3539 - Voya Financial 403(b) retirement plan recordkeeper:
800-584-6001 - Allstate identity theft coverage: 800-789-2720
- ComPsych / Guidance Resources Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 855-784-2056
Non-Benefit Eligible Employees
For individuals who are not benefit-eligible, you’ll find health insurance options through the Commonwealth Health Connector by calling 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765) or by visiting mahealthconnector.org.
Health & Welfare Benefits
Coverage Types for Medical, Dental and Vision
Who you enroll in each plan will determine your coverage type for medical, dental and vision benefits:
- Employee
- Employee plus Spouse
- Employee plus Child(ren)
- Family—Employee, Spouse, plus Child(ren)
Please note the premium differences between coverage types and what defines them. If you see inconsistencies between your coverage type and your listed dependent(s), please email HRBenefits@smith.edu.
For any plans, use this Find a Doctor link to determine if a provider is in-network. Enter the zip code for your search area and the applicable Prefix code above.
All BCBS plans offered via Smith College include:
- Reimbursement of up to $150/year for participating in a qualified fitness and/or weight-loss program and/or buying qualified fitness equipment. Use this link for more information.
- Reimbursement of up to $100/year for qualifying Mind & Body activities such as massage therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, mediation, tai chi and more. Use this link for more information.
- Coverage for expanded gender-affirming care. Use this link for more information.
- Travel benefits for access to reproductive health care.
- Coverage for out-of-network medical emergencies. If you are hospitalized, you, or someone on your behalf (family, attending physician, etc.), must call your PCP within 48 hours. If covered under the Value HMO or HMO any follow-up care must be done in-network in order to receive continued coverage.
- See the attached document for an update on coverage for COVID related services following the end of the Public Health Emergency effective May 12, 2023.
Explore the Plans
To assist with the cost of medical coverage, Smith College offers a subsidy program to eligible employees enrolled in a Smith College medical plan covering two or more individuals and who have a total household income below a specified level in the prior tax year ($74,787 in 2022).
The subsidy program runs from April to December of the given calendar year and requires verification of the prior year’s household income via submission of a signed federal income tax return(s). Applications can be submitted via Workday. Note: there are no midyear adjustments and no retroactive payments.
For more information please see the Health Care Expense Subsidy Summary document.
Dental: Delta Dental of Massachusetts
Smith College offers two levels of Dental coverage via Delta Dental of Massachusetts (800-872-0500).
Value Plan
The “Value Plan” includes an annual deductible of $50 per individual, embedded, and $100 for plans covering two or more people, which is waived for diagnostic and preventative categories. The calendar year maximum benefit is $1,000 per person. New dentures, bridges, implants and crowns are NOT covered. See coverage summaries for details.
High Plan
The “High Plan” has a maximum benefit of $2,000 per family member per calendar year and includes 50% coverage for orthodontics (up to a lifetime maximum of $2,000) and 50% coverage for major restorative work.
Additional Information
Vision: EyeMed
Visit in-network providers for an annual exam (with dilation as necessary) at no cost and receive allowances and discounts on eye wear. See the EyeMed Benefit Summary for details on vision coverage. Download the EyeMed app or visit the EyeMed site for a list of providers, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and more.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Voya/Benefit Strategies
Smith College employees can elect a Health Care and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through Voya Financial (formerly known as Benefit Strategies). The money you elect to set aside is deducted from your paycheck before taxes in equal increments throughout the calendar year. IRS regulations state that any unused funds remaining in the accounts at the end of the calendar year must be forfeited, and changes to contributions during the year can occur under specific conditions.
Healt Care FSA
This account allows you to set aside up to $3,050 in 2023 on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualifying out-of-pocket medical, dental and/or vision care costs.
Dependent Care FSA
To help with the cost of day care, this account allows you to set aside up to $5,000—or $2,500 if you are married and filing separately—of pre-tax earnings to pay for qualified dependent care expenses.
For more information login to the Voya Financial (Benefits Strategies) site or call 888-401-FLEX (3539).
Additional Information
Financial Well-Being Benefits
Retirement Plan (403(b)): Voya
Overview and Eligibility
Smith College offers a competitive retirement plan that includes a fully-funded employer contribution plus employees can make voluntary pre-tax and/or Roth contributions via payroll deduction beginning as soon as their start date. Employees may start, change, or stop their voluntary contributions at any time through Workday.
If you meet the eligibility guidelines outlined in the “Eligibility & Participant Info” tab below, Smith College contributes 9% of your eligible earnings up to an integration level, and 13.3% of your earnings above the integration level, to your retirement account. You are not required to make any matching contribution to receive the employer contribution. The College’s contributions to your retirement account are fully vested beginning with the first contribution.
Employees who worked at another college or university within 90 days of their date of hire at Smith College may be eligible to receive employer contributions earlier.
Tuition Assistance Programs
Smith College is committed to academic achievement and lifelong learning for employees and their eligible family members. In support of this commitment, we make a significant investment in providing employees with rich opportunities for professional growth and development. Tuition assistance is available to eligible employees, their spouse and their children.
College-Aged Children
- Grants for daughters attending Smith College
- Grants for children attending other colleges and universities
Dependent Care Expense Subsidy
To assist with the cost of dependent care, Smith College offers a subsidy program to eligible employees who have a total household income below a specified level in the prior tax year ($74,787 in 2022), file as joint or head-of-household on their taxes, and have a Dependent Care FSA of $100 or more.
The subsidy program runs from April to December of the given calendar year and requires verification of the prior year’s household income via submission of a signed federal income tax return(s). Applications can be submitted via Workday using the instructions below. Note: there are no midyear adjustments and no retroactive payments.
Social & Emotional Well-Being Benefits
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Smith College is committed to supporting the well-being of employees and members of their family household. Via our Employee Assistance Program, administered by ComPsych, individuals can access free confidential referral and consultation services in the areas noted below.
You can contact ComPsych 24-hours a day even on weekends and holidays by phone (855-784-2056) or online (visit guidanceresources.com, and use the Web ID SmithEAP).
Emotional Well-Being
ComPsych offers 12 sessions per issue per contract year (Nov. 1 to Oct. 31).* The EAP can help with a variety of issues including: anxiety, grief, communication problems, substance abuse, domestic violence, marital/family concerns, depression, parenting, stress, and more.
*If you think you may need more than 12 sessions with a counselor and you have Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), you may want to ask ComPsych if they can help you set up an appointment with a counselor who is also BCBS provider. For more information about BCBS Mental Health Benefits, call 800-444-2426.
Care.com
To help employees balance needs in their personal life, Smith College provides all active benefit-eligible employees with a membership to Care.com at no cost to employees. Care.com can help you find caregivers for your whole family, including your child, parents/grandparents and/or pet, as well as your home. There is no limit to the number of times you can access the services.
To learn more about the Care.com benefit visit smithcollege.care.com or contact Care.com at 855-781-1303 or careteam@care.com.
What Does the Care.com Membership Include?
You get unlimited access to the world’s largest network of caregivers. There, you can explore detailed caregiver profiles in your area, post a job for caregivers to apply to, access the Care.com Safety Center and background check options, send real-time payments to caregivers, and even learn about household payroll and tax assistance.
Is There a Cost to Use the Care.com Benefit?
There is no cost to find care providers on the self-service site. Once you hire them, the cost of care should be discussed with your caregiver.
This benefit is designed to support mental and emotional well-being. Learn to Live is a free, confidential, on-demand digital well-being resource for those interested in learning tools to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, substance use, or panic, providing help any time and from anywhere.
Benefit eligible employees and their family members (age 13 and older) can enroll for free in any of Learn to Live's interactive programs and optional personalized one-on-one coaching.
To access Learn to Live please visit www.learntolive/partners (access code SMITHL2L).
Leaves and Time Off
Smith College offers a variety of time-off programs to support employees, including vacation, sick, holidays, leaves and even time off to volunteer. In addition to the information below, please visit the Employee Handbook.
Holiday Schedules
Smith observes a number of holidays throughout the year. Whenever possible, department heads are encouraged to grant time off for the observance of religious and other holidays that are not official college holidays. This time off may be taken as personal time, vacation or short-term absence without pay. See the Employee Handbook for terms and eligibility.
Other Offerings
Disclaimer
The benefits summarized here are not conditions of employment. Smith College, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to amend, modify or terminate any plan or provision at any time. (Smith College has the sole and absolute authority to interpret the terms of these plans, determine benefit eligibility and resolve any and all ambiguities or inconsistencies in the plans.)
This link leads to Blue Cross Blue Shield machine-readable files made available in support of the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and health care providers. Machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data. The files are not intended to be a cost comparison tool for employees and dependents in medical plans offered at Smith College. Information on medical plans is available on the Smith College Benefits Page and Blue Cross Blue Shield's website.