HR Office Address
2525 S.W. Third Avenue,
Suite 100, Portland, OR 97239-3098
Ph: (503) 494-8060
Fax: (503) 494-6469
Employee Benefits
Photo courtesy of Kent Anderson
As one of Portland’s premier employers, OHSU is committed to providing comprehensive, affordable and customizable benefits for our employees.
Our total rewards package includes benefits that meet the essential health needs of employees and their families, help secure a strong financial future and enhance wellbeing.
The primary benefit of working at OHSU, however, can’t be measured in insurance coverage or vacation days. When you join OHSU, you join a team of dedicated caregivers, educators, researchers and administrative professionals who are working toward one goal: Change the world. Making that kind of a difference, in one life or a million, is often its own reward.
Benefits Overview
OHSU supports its employees and their families’ health through several medical and dental insurance options. Our UniversityFlex program gives employees the opportunity to choose the level of insurance coverage that best suits their unique needs and offers a variety of coverage options at reasonable cost to the employee.
Additionally, we offer generous paid time off, many financial savings opportunities and those extra perks that make balancing work and personal life a little easier.
Insurance Eligibility
Employees
Employees working a 0.5 fte or greater (20 hours per week) are eligible for benefits at OHSU, with the exception of students, temporary or flex-staff employees. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible for medical and dental insurance only.
Dependents
Eligible dependents include an employee's spouse, same-sex or opposite-sex domestic partner, and unmarried children up to age 19 (or 24 if they are full-time students).
OHSU provides eligible employees a set amount of benefit dollars each month, based on the employees’ designated FTE (full-time or part-time). The benefit dollars apply toward the cost of benefits with a pre-tax deduction: medical, dental, and the first $50,000 of employee life insurance. Currently, OHSU pays more than half of every employee’s costs for medical, dental and basic life insurance; some employees pay little or nothing for this basic coverage.
Through the UniversityFlex program, employees use their benefit dollars to enroll in the pre-tax benefits that best suit their personal situation. Employees may opt out of medical insurance coverage if they are covered under another group medical plan, potentially resulting in additional income for the employee.
To provide employees and their families flexibility in health care coverage options, OHSU offers the choice between three medical plans. Prescription and vision coverage are included under each medical plan.
1. A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) through OHSU, with 80 percent paid by the plan after a $200 deductible is met.
2. A Preferred Provider Plan (PPP) through OHSU, with 80 percent paid by the plan after a $250 deductible is met.
3. A Preferred Provider Plan (PPP) through OHSU with 60 percent paid by the plan and no deductible.
OHSU’s medical plans offer comprehensive and competitive benefits at an affordable rate with access to the best physicians and hospitals Oregon and the nation have to offer, including the award-winning care we provide at OHSU.
OHSU offers the choice between three dental plans. Participation in one of the dental plans is a requirement for all employees working in a benefit-eligible position.
ODS, which pays for services at any licensed dentist.
Kaiser Permanente, which pays for services at Kaiser dental offices.
Willamette Dental, which pays for services received at Willamette dental offices.
OHSU’s dental choices allow our employees to best plan for their dental needs without having to change dentists and to get the best services available for routine care to adult orthodontia.
In order to keep all employees’ life insurance rates affordable, core life insurance coverage of $5,000 is required for every benefit-eligible employee at OHSU. Up to $50,000 is guaranteed at initial enrollment for the employee and spouse/partner, without proof of insurability. Additional coverage beyond $50,000, up to a total of $500,000, is available for employees and their spouse/partner with approval from the insurance company. $4,000 of dependent life coverage is also available.
Accidental death and dismemberment insurance up to $500,000 is available to the employee and a percentage of the selected amount for dependents.
Both short and long-term disability are available to provide income replacement when an employee experiences a serious illness or injury. The short-term disability plan replaces 65 percent of pre-disability income for up to 179 days and the long-term disability provides 65 percent of pre-disability income replacement after 180 days. The maximum weekly benefit for short-term disability is $1,250 and the maximum monthly benefit for long-term disability is $5,417. The premiums for disability are paid, in full, by the employee on an after-tax basis, so the benefit is not taxed when you are receiving it.
Employees can contribute up to $5,000 per year to a Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care expenses, and up to $5,000 annually to a Health Care FSA to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses, such as co-pays and deductibles. Contributions to FSA plans are deducted before taxes, which lowers your taxable income and, as a result, increases your take-home pay. Participating in FSA plans can result in considerable tax savings for those with high dependent care or out-of-pocket health care expenses.
Employees can purchase long-term care insurance at group rates through an OHSU agreement with the Prudential Insurance Company of America. The benefit is also available to an employee’s qualified family members, including spouse/domestic partner, parents, grandparents and adult children. Premiums are paid in full by the employee or other insured. Employees may choose to pay for employee and/or spouse/partner coverage through payroll deduction. The long-term care insurance plan is fully portable.
OHSU offers one of the most generous retirement benefits of any employer, contributing approximately 12 percent of an employee’s pay to a pension plan. No contribution from the employee is required. Employees working a minimum of 600 hours in a calendar year at OHSU are eligible to participate after six months of employment, with the exception of students, house officers and fellows. Employees choose between the University Pension Plan (UPP) and the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP).
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the maximum salary deferral for the University Voluntary Savings Program is $15,500 for a regular deferral and $20,500 including the catch-up limit. The maximum deferrals are annual limits and apply to both the 403(b) and 457(b) plans. Employees who participate in both plans in 2007 may contribute up to $31,000 for the year, or $41,000 including the catch-up.
Employees begin accruing paid sick and vacation hours the day they start work and, in most cases, can access this benefit immediately. Accruals vary by employee classification and FTE.
Holiday pay is also provided to employees who qualify.
OHSU offers a tuition benefit program to employees working in at least 0.5 FTE position, excluding student, temporary and resource positions. Eligible employees may receive a discount for undergraduate and graduate courses at several institutions within the State of Oregon.
OHSU offers an employee assistance program through BalanceWorks, which provides free, confidential and professional assistance to help benefit eligible employees and their families resolve problems that may affect their personal lives or job performance.
A comprehensive employee wellness program at OHSU offers wellness screenings, health coaching, educational materials, support groups, seminars and more, free of charge, for OHSU employees who qualify for benefits. This program supports OHSU employees in improving their quality of life. Additionally, OHSU offers an employee assistance program through BalanceWorks, which provides free, confidential and professional assistance to help benefit eligible employees and their families resolve problems that may affect their personal lives or job performance.
The march wellness center, located on the OHSU waterfront campus, is open to all employees for membership or per-class fees. The Center offers a gymnasium, weight room, cardio equipment, racquetball and squash courts, swimming pool, hot tub and a variety of classes and programs.
OHSU offers all eligible employees a discounted Tri-Met or C-Tran buss pass, available for unlimited use throughout the Tri-Met or C-Tran service areas. In addition employees may ride the Portland Aerial Tram free of charge.
Companies within the local community and beyond offer discounts to OHSU employees. Apple, Safeway.com and Dell computers are just some of the organizations that provide substantial discounts and special offers to employees of OHSU.
