Hampshire College

Benefits are an important component of our total compensation package. We offer a wide array of benefits, including comprehensive medical insurance coverage for the employee and family, retirement plans, college-paid group life insurance, and generous time off.

Employees working half-time or more are eligible for our benefit program, assuming there is an appointment of six months or longer.

This is not a plan document.
The information below is used to highlight benefit programs. Benefits are subject to change.

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Automobile Insurance Discount
Hampshire College has contracted with Whalen Insurance Agency to offer our benefit-eligible employees an opportunity to receive a discount on automobile insurance.

Beneficiary Reminder
In order to stay current with changing life circumstances, employees should periodically check their designated beneficiaries on group insurance as well as retirement plans. Please contact the Human Resource Office for the appropriate form.

Computer Purchase Program
We offer a computer purchasing benefit to all benefitted employees. Payments for the computer are deducted directly from an employee's paycheck. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase a personal computer or other components with a no-interest loan.

Employee Assistance Program
The Wellness Corporation provides Hampshire College employees with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a resource. This program provides consultation, evaluation, referral, and follow-up services for a wide variety of personal and health-related problems that may affect an employee's life at work.

Flexible Reimbursement Accounts
Our Flexible Reimbursement Accounts are administered through Benefit Strategies. The reimbursement accounts allow employees to use before-tax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket expenses. Benefits-eligible employees are able to participate in the plan on the first of the month following the first day of employment.

Employees may elect to have their portion of group health insurance, voluntary dental, and voluntary vision premiums deducted on a before-tax basis. 

Health Care Reimbursement Account: Employees may contribute a maximum of $5,000 to pay for eligible health care expenses not covered by their group health insurance plan (i.e. co-payments, prescriptions, and dental). 

Dependent Care Reimbursement Account: Employees may contribute a maximum of $5,000 to pay for eligible dependent care expenses.

Group Health Insurance
Employees are offered a choice of two health plans: the HMO plan and the PPO plan. These plans are offered by Tufts Health Plan.

Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
The Standard Insurance Company is the carrier for Hampshire's Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Program. An employee's exact coverage is determined by age and salary to a maximum of $150,000. Benefitted employees are enrolled on the first day of employment. Hampshire College pays the entire cost of this benefit.

Hampshire College Children's Center
The Hampshire College Children's Center was founded in the fall of 1982 by Hampshire College staff who saw the need for an on-campus child care program. Admissions priority is given to Hampshire-affiliated families. Call the Children's Center (413-559-5706) for further information on admissions, rates, and programs.

Holidays
Please check our holiday page to review Hampshire's recognized holidays.

Long Term Disability 
Hampshire participates in a long term disability benefits insurance plan through The Standard Insurance Company. All benefitted employees are automatically enrolled after one full year of employment. The monthly benefit is 60% of basic monthly earnings to a maximum benefit of $7,500 per month. Hampshire College pays the entire cost of this benefit.

Sick Time
Benefitted staff and administrators earn sick time from the first day of the month following the initial date of employment. Details are available in the Human Resource Policy Manual.

Social Security Administration
The Social Security Administration has unveiled a new electronic service that allows individuals to estimate their future Social Security benefits. The online retirement planner, accessible from the Social Security Administration's website (http://www.ssa.gov/), consists of three options. Quick Calculator produces a rough estimate based only on a person's age and current earnings. Online Calculator produces an estimate based on the past, present, and projected future information. Detailed Calculator, the most comprehensive estimate, requires downloading a software program to your personal computer. Once installed, it produces retirement, survivor, and disability benefits for workers and their families. For privacy protection, the calculators are not linked to individual earnings records or any other information in the Social Security Administration database; estimates are based purely on user input. The Web site also contains general information to help people make retirement decisions.

Supplemental Retirement Annuity
A TIAA Supplemental Retirement Annuity Plan (SRA) complements the basic TIAA/CREF retirement plan offered by Hampshire College. Contributions to the SRA plan are made entirely by the employee. Employees are eligible for enrollment on the first day of the month following the date of employment.

TIAA/CREF 
Hampshire provides a defined contribution retirement plan through TIAA/CREF to benefitted employees. Eligibility to join is voluntary after completion of one year of service. Participation is mandatory after completion of one year of service and attainment of age 30. We offer ten different investment options in which to allocate contributions. Details are available from the Human Resources Office. TIAA/CREF.

UMass/Five College Credit Union
The credit union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. Services offered to eligible members include federally insured savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit, mortgages, home equity, home improvement, automobile, and personal loans. To learn more call 1-800-852-5886 or visit the website UMass/Five College Credit Union.

Vacation and Personal Days
Benefitted staff and administrators are awarded vacation and personal days on July lst of each fiscal year. Details are available in the Human Resource Policy Manual.

Voluntary Dental Insurance
Hampshire College offers employees voluntary dental insurance through Altus Dental. Employees pay their premium through payroll deduction. Please check the Altus Dental Website for more details.

Voluntary Vision Insurance
Hampshire College offers employees voluntary vision insurance through Spectera Vision. Employees pay their premium through payroll deduction. Please check the Spectera Website for more details.