Health insurance

The Group Insurance Commission offers life insurance, long-term disability coverage, flexible spending, and 11 different health insurance plans to benefit-eligible employees.  Plans are chosen upon hire and may be changed during the annual open enrollment period. For newly hired employees, coverage is effective on the 1st of the month, following 60 days of employment.

• Fallon Community Health Plan (Direct and Select)
• Harvard Pilgrim (Primary Choice and Independence)
• Health New England
• Neighborhood Health Plan
• Tufts (Spirit and Navigator)
• Unicare State Indemnity Plan (Basic, PLUS, and Community Choice)

dental insurance

• MetLife Dental/Vision Savings Home Page
• MetLife Dental MyBenefits Login (APA/MSCA Company Name is MTA.  Non-Unit Company Name is DHE Non-Unit)
• MPE Fund Dental/Vision (AFSCME)

Retirement plans

• State Board of Retirement (All benefited employees)
• Optional Retirement Program (All benefited employees except Unit and Non-Unit Classified)

supplemental retirement plans

• Massachusetts Deferred Compensation SMART Plan
  • Contact Jan Richardson 877-457-1900 #2 x20086
• Commonwealth Tax-Deferred Savings Plan Summary (PDF)
• Differences Between the 457(b) and 403(b) Plans and Contributing to Both

Please note that employees who are retiring from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may be eligible to take advantage of the supplemental retirement plans to defer their sick and vacation buyouts.  Please contact Human Resources for more information.

Leaves and accruals

Benefited, state employees may be entitled to accrue sick, personal, and vacation leave.  The amount and type of leave accrued and is based upon the language in the corresponding collective bargaining agreement. 

holidays

Benefited, state employees are entitled to 11 holidays each year.  Faculty are entitled to those holidays which fall within the academic year.  Holidays are paid within the constraints of each respective collective bargaining agreement.  If any employee is absent without pay for a fraction of a day immediately before or after a holiday, that employee is not entitled to receive pay for that holiday.  The state holiday calendar is located on our forms page.

flexible spending

Benefit-eligible employees may also be eligible to utilize Flexible Spending to pay for medical and/or child care expenses on a pre-tax basis.  This program is managed by Benefit Strategies, LLC.  Annual enrollment occurs during the fall.

• Benefit Strategies

additional resources

• Social Security Administration
  • Windfall Elimination Provision
  • Government Pension Offset
• Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
• Internal Revenue Service

University savings plans

• U Fund - Fidelity Investments
• U Plan - MEFA

 staff discounts

Our employees are offered numerous discounts through various vendors, in addition to the discounts offered by the OneCard.