ACA Eligibility Statuses:

Always Eligible –  Certain jobs are always benefits eligible, such as salaried full-time employees, tenured/tenure-track faculty, and employees working 20 hours per week for a period of 4.5 months or more.

Excluded – Students employed under Federal and State Work Study programs are always excluded from ACA, per Federal regulations.

To Be Determined – Variable hour employees, such as temporary workers, adjuncts, part-time staff that are not automatically benefits-eligible, and student workers who are not Federal or State Work-Study.  These employees will have their hours calculated and reviewed during the Measurement Period.

Eligible – This status applies to employees that were in To Be Determined job codes and have met the threshold of working an average of 30+ hours per week during the Measurement Period.

Ineligible - This status applies to employees that were in To Be Determined job codes and did not meet the threshold of working an average of 30+ hours per week during the Measurement Period.

How is Eligibility Calculated?

Eligibility for variable (TBD) employees is determined by averaging the hours paid during a 12-month period, beginning on the 3rd day of June and ending on the 2nd day of the following June.  All paid hours will be combined and divided by the number of weeks worked to determine the average. Employees with multiple jobs, whether on the same campus or across multiple UH campuses, may become eligible on the basis of the combined hours worked for all jobs. For adjuncts and lecturers, each credit hour equates to 2.7 hours worked.  Multiple job records will be combined to determine if an adjunct or lecturer is averaging 30+ hours per week.

Existing employees deemed ACA eligible will be notified that they have 60 days from their eligibility date to elect benefits.  If the employee elects coverage, the benefits are active until the end of the following August, regardless of changes in employee hours or status. Eligibility will be recalculated each year.

Breaks In Service (unpaid leave)

Rehires within 26 weeks of the previous termination date are not considered new hires. If employee was previously ACA eligible for the current year, the employee will be offered benefits at rehire. Due to ERS regulations regarding breaks in service, a 60-day medical coverage waiting period will apply.

If an employee has more than 26 weeks of unpaid leave or break in service, the employee will be considered a new hire upon return to employment.