Benefits When Leaving the University

When you terminate employment with the university, you may elect to temporarily continue to participate in certain university-sponsored benefits or to convert certain coverage to an individual policy directly with the sponsoring insurance company or vendor. Please reach out to your HR Consultant or the HR Service Center (askhr@wayne.edu) if you have any questions at the time of leaving the university. Retirees: please read the Retiring website to learn more about retirement.

Please contact the respective vendor for the benefits below if you have questions upon termination of employement. The following table outlines the various benefit coverage end dates, which are based upon type of employee, age and last day of employment:

Benefits coverage end dates:

Type of Employee & Age Last Day of Employment Medical, Dental & Vision Life Insurance Flexible Spending Long-Term Disability
12-Month, Less than age 65 1st-14th 14th of month Last day of employment Last day of employment Last day of employment
12-Month, Less than age 65 15th-Last day of month Last day of month Last day of employment Last day of employment Last day of employment
12-month, Age 65+ 1st-Last day of month Last day of month Last day of employment Last day of employment Last day of employment
9-month, Any age End of Fall semester December 31st December 31st Last day of employment Last day of employment
9-month, Any age* End of Winter semester ACTION REQUIRED: Employee must contact the HR Service Center with their election to end coverage on either June 30 or August 31. To learn more about how 9-month employees pay for Summer premiums: please read about details here. Coverage ends on the same date as medical/dental/vision Last day of employment Last day of employment
9-month deferred, Any age End of Fall semester December 31st December 31st Last day of employment Last day of employment
9-month deferred, Any age* End of Winter semester ACTION REQUIRED: Employee must contact the HR Service Center with their election to end coverage on either May 31 or August 31. Coverage ends on the same date as medical/dental/vision Last day of employment Last day of employment

*Note regarding Medicare: WSU is not responsible for providing Medicare advice or enrolling employees, retirees or their spouses in Medicare. If you or your spouse are enrolled in Medicare as of your employment termination date or become enrolled in Medicare following your employment termination date, Medicare will become your primary coverage and the WSU benefit plan will become your secondary coverage effective on the later of June 1 or your Medicare effective date(s). You will need to let your medical providers know to bill Medicare first before billing your WSU coverage. Please visit medicare.gov to learn more. To learn more about how 9-month employees pay for Summer premiums: please read about details here.

Medical, Dental and Vision

Medical, dental and vision coverage ends based upon employment termination as stated in the table above.

Please see below for COBRA information, which is continuation of coverage when your university benefits end. Enrollment in COBRA is not automatic and you must take action.

For more details on medical, dental and vision: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/health-welfare/mdv

Vendor Information: Businessolver 888-907-1433

COBRA                                 

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows you to continue existing group medical, dental and vision benefits, for a specified amount of time, when you or your dependents become ineligible for university benefits. You will receive COBRA enrollment information from WSU's vendor Businessolver.  Please note the following:

  • You have 60 days from the latter of the date of the COBRA notice or loss of coverage to elect COBRA
  • If you elect and pay for COBRA, the coverage will be effective retroactive to the day after your active employee coverage ends, with no gap
  • Payment for the first month is required to activate coverage
  • Any claims that are incurred within the 60-day enrollment period will be covered if COBRA is elected

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/other-benefits/cobra

Vendor Information: Businessolver 888-907-1433

Life insurance

Life insurance coverage ends based upon employment termination as stated in the table above. Portability and conversion are options when your employee life insurance protection ends. You may have the option to continue the coverage by either "converting" it to an individual whole life insurance policy or "porting" (taking it with you as a term life insurance policy to a different employer). You have 31 days from the date your WSU life insurance ceases to apply for conversion or portability.

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/health-welfare/life-insurance

Vendor Information: Sun Life Financial 800-247-6875 or sunlife.com/us

Long-Term Disability

Long-term disability insurance coverage ends on the day you terminate employment.

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/health-welfare/longterm-disability

Vendor Information: New York Life Group Benefit Solutions 800-362-4462 or mycigna.com

Retirement Savings Plans

Once you terminate your employment from Wayne State University, you may elect any of the following distribution options:

  • Retain your WSU Account - Leave your vested account balance with your current Investment Carrier (inside the WSU 403(b) and/or 457(b) Retirement Plan) until some later date. Later, you can take cash withdrawals or arrange to annuitize your vested balance.
  • Rollover to your next employer's plan  - Roll your vested account balance into another qualified plan of your new employer.
  • Rollover to an IRA - Roll your vested account balance into an IRA
  • Cash Withdrawal - Elect a cash income option (subject to 20% Federal income tax withholding and 10% Early Withdrawal Penalty if you are age 59-1/2 or less).
  • Annuity Option -  Elect an annuity option from TIAA. When you "annuitize" your account balance, you may select regular cash payments in the form of a single life annuity, joint and survivor annuity, fixed period certain annuity. There is no requirement that you elect an annuity as an option if your funds are invested with TIAA, unless you have savings in the TIAA Traditional Account. 

You should contact the retirement plan carrier(s) to discuss the available options. If you have satisfied the 2 years of service requirement for vesting, then the employer matching contributions belong to you. However, if you leave prior to satisfying the 2 years of service requirement, you will forfeit the employer match.

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/retirement-savings

Vendor information:  

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

If an employee's coverage ends prior to the end of the plan Year, they will have 120 days after the date coverage ends to submit claims for reimbursement from the Plan. Only expenses incurred during the plan year and prior to the date their employment ends are eligible. Claims documentation must be received by WEX no later than 120 days after their last date of employment with WSU to be eligible for reimbursement from the plan. However, with the Health Care Reimbursement Account (i.e. Health FSA) benefit, the employee may be eligible for continuation coverage under COBRA. Please contact the WSU COBRA administrator for more info. Since this is a "use it or lose it" program, any unused funds will be forfeited.

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/health-welfare/flexible-spending

FSA Summary Plan Description: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/benefits/fsa-spd.pdf

Vendor Information: WEX 866-451-3399 or wexinc.com

Tuition Assistance

Employee Tuition Assistance:

You must remain on the WSU payroll until the date the term ends for which benefits are requested, except if you are subject to a layoff, RIF or leave of absence (in such cases, the employee retains the Employee Tuition Assistance benefit for that term). If you resign or are terminated for other reason before the date the term ends, the Employee Tuition Assistance benefit will be forfeited and you will be responsible for payment of all charges for that term.

Reduced Tuition for Spouse/Child:

If you resign, are terminated, are subject to a layoff, RIF or leave of absence before the date the term ends, the Reduced Tuition for Spouse/Child benefit is NOT forfeited; however, no future Reduced Tuition for Spouse/Child benefits will be granted unless you become eligible again.  

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/tuition-assistance

Voluntary benefits

Liberty Mutual Home and Auto Insurance

You may have the option to continue your coverage.  Contact Liberty Mutual to review options and switch from payroll deductions to home billing.

Vendor Information: Liberty Mutual Melanie Fishell melanie.fishell@libertymutual.com or 248-699-9917

Long-Term Care Insurance

You may have the option to continue your coverage. Contact Trustmark to review option and switch from payroll deductions to home billing.

Vendor Information: Trustmark 888-520-2469 

For more details: https://hr.wayne.edu/tcw/other-benefits

Vacation and Illness Banks:

If you are eligible for a payout upon termination (see Union contracts or Non-Rep manual), Payroll will process your payout to be deposited.

Contact Information: Payroll 313-577-2138 or https://payroll.wayne.edu/about

Filing an Unemployment Claim

The fastest and preferred method is to file for unemployment insurance benefits online using the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) at michigan.gov/uia. You must first sign into MILogin to access or create a MiWAM account.

For step-by-step instructions, view the MiWAM Toolkit for Claimants. You may also file by phone at 1-866-500-0017. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available at 1-866-366-0004. Please visit the UIA website for the online and telephone filing schedule. Claimants are assigned a day and time to file online or by phone according to the first letter of their last name.

When filing your claim, it is recommended that you provide the unemployment agency with Wayne State University's EAN number.  Wayne State University's EAN is 08 00417 000

For more details: michigan.gov/uia