State Insurance Benefits
Find the level of health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance that works best for you and your family.
Beyond your paycheck, employee benefits are one of your most valuable assets. Benefits can encourage good health and provide peace of mind for you and your family.
Are you Eligible for Benefits?
The following types of employees are eligible for state and supplemental insurance benefits:
- Full-Time FTE faculty and staff, research grant (RGP), and time-limited (TL) positions scheduled to work 30 standard hours or more per week.
- Full-Time variable hour employees deemed eligible under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) who averaged 130 or more hours per month over a specific measurement period.
- Part-Time FTE faculty and staff scheduled to work at least 20 standard hours per week.
- Part-Time research grant and time-limited (RGP/TL) faculty and staff scheduled to work at least 20 standard hours per week, as per grant funding or project funding and the employee’s Research Grant/Time-Limited Employment Agreement.
- Temporary (TEMP/TFAC) employees scheduled to work 30 standard hours or more per week in a single position.
- Temporary (TEMP/TFAC) employees hired into multiple positions are evaluated for eligibility on their earliest hire date and annually thereafter.
All paid employees, except student employees, are eligible for state retirement benefits.
Certain employees may opt out of state retirement by electing non-membership. Election of non-membership must be exercised within 30 days of initial eligibility. If election of non-membership is not exercised within the 30 days, or if no retirement program is selected within the 30 days, you will be automatically enrolled into the SCRS or PORS (whichever is applicable) retirement system, which is irrevocable.
If you are not sure about your retirement eligibility, please contact your Campus Benefits Office [pdf].
Learn More About Your Benefits Options
Supplemental Insurance Benefits
The university offers additional insurance benefits to supplement state coverage. Learn more about these programs and which one is right for you.
Retirement Benefits
We offer state retirement benefits and supplemental plans to meet all of your retirement goals. Learn more about these programs and which one is right for you.
Transfers and Return-to-Work Retirees
Different rules may apply to employees who transfer their employment to UofSC from another state agency or who have retired from a previous position at the University of South Carolina or from another state agency.
Employees transferring from another PEBA-participating employer cannot make changes to state retirement or insurance benefits unless a special eligibility situation occurs simultaneously with the transfer to the university.
Transfer employees and their previous employer must complete the USC Transfer Employee Form [pdf].
Employees who have retired from the University of South Carolina may be subject to additional requirements including a rehire waiting period, retirement system contribution requirements, insurance benefits, and earnings limitations.
If you retired from the University of South Carolina, or any other state agency, please review our guidance for retirees returning to work and HR Policy 2.02 [pdf].
Contact your Benefits Office
If you have specific concerns that our team can help you address, please contact the benefits office for your campus [pdf].