Benefits Operations

• Benefits for Faculty and Staff ~ including newly benefit eligible employees!
  • Specific Benefits Information for Academic Year Employees
• Post Doc Benefits
• UNITE HERE HEALTH ~ Benefits Information for Union Dining Employees
• Benefits for International Employees
• Limited Benefits for Temps

• Aging out at 26 ~ According to university benefit eligibility guidelines, dependents will generally no longer be eligible to participate in the university’s benefit program effective the first of the month after the dependent reaches twenty-six (26) years of age.
• Enrolling Domestic Partners/Dependents ~ please note that children of domestic partners are not able to be added to the plan unless there are court documents showing legal guardianship.
• Ex-Spouse Benefits Coverage ~ Note: Ex-spouses must email tss@tufts.edu if trying to change plans; the employee is unable to do this in our system.
• Your Benefits When Leaving Tufts University
• Death of Employee, Spouse, Dependent
  • Unum requires a death certificate to process life insurance proceeds. 
  • Deaths are handled as a concierge request to TSS, no life event processing.  Benefits Operations will manually update the employee's elections.
• Out of Country Address ~ new hires, rehires or newly eligible employees need to ensure they have a local address within the US in order for their benefit event to open.
• Transitions
  • Changing from Temp to Staff/Faculty process ~ if you have a temporary employee that is being hired as a Tufts staff/Faculty member, the department first needs to terminate the temporary position.  After that Human Resources will be able to do the actual hire which includes offering enrollment of benefits (if eligible based on FTE).
  • Post doc to Research Associate/Staff/Faculty ~  the department first needs to terminate the Post Doc position.  After that Human Resources will be able to do the actual hire which includes offering enrollment of benefits (if eligible based on FTE).

• Life Events (Outside of Open Enrollment) ~ here are some examples of qualified life events when you are allowed to make changes:
  • If you get married, separated, divorced, start a new domestic partnership or end a domestic partnership.
  • If your spouse, domestic partner, or other eligible dependent has started a new job, has been notified their employment is ending, or is going on leave.
  • When you add a child to your family by birth, adoption or gaining legal custody or guardianship of a child 

• Amending Beneficiary Information

Can't seem to enroll?  Read this information for guidance.

1.  Go to Employee Self-Service: https://access.tufts.edu/eserve
2. Click on the "Benefit Information" tile
3. The "Benefits Summary" page will list all benefits you are currently enrolled in, as well as those you've waived. 

There are three main times you are eligible to make changes to your benefit elections: 

1. When you are hired into a benefits-eligible role 
2. During the annual Open Enrollment event 
3. When you have a qualifying life event

A change in your situation, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing health coverage can make you eligible for a special enrollment period. 

Learn more about Qualified Life Events here. 

For the duration of Open Enrollment (exact dates vary year to year), you may add, waive and change coverage for yourself and your covered dependents. To do so: 

1. Log into eServe (https://access.tufts.edu/eserve)
2. Click the Benefits Information tile
3. Open the Benefits Enrollment tab

Simply click "Select" in the section showing your Open Enrollment event to see your current elections and make necessary changes. 

Visit the Open Enrollment page for information on this year's benefit offerings and Open Enrollment dates.

Check out these tips & tricks to answer even more of your Open Enrollment questions.