NMSU Employee

Orientation
Effective July 1, 2009
Benefit Services Department
Room 17 Hadley Hall
(575) 646-8000
Policies
http://www.nmsu.edu/staff.html

CHAPTER 1
Governance, Authority, Organizational
Structure, and Policy Changes
CHAPTER 2
General Operating Policies
CHAPTER 3
Codes of Conduct, Permissible
Activities
CHAPTER 4
Human Resources - General Policies
CHAPTER 5
Faculty Policies
CHAPTER 6
Academic - Related Policies
CHAPTER 7
Benefits
CHAPTER 8
Staff Policies
CHAPTER 9
Facilities and Services
Probationary Period
All new regular employees are subject to an initial
probationary period
six-months for nonexempt employees
one-year for exempt employees.
During the probationary period, a new employee may be
terminated with or without cause and without recourse to the
pre- and post-action grievance procedures except in cases
alleging discrimination.
Employees are encouraged to read NMSU policy 8.50 in its
entirety to ensure a full understanding of the probationary
period.
The probationary period is essential and is used as an
adjustment period for employees and supervisors.
Holiday Schedule
Martin Luther King Jr.
Day
Spring Holiday
Memorial Day
Independence day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (2 days)
Winter Break
(Christmas Eve through
New Years Day)
Leave Time
Annual Leave
12 month employees earn
22 days per fiscal year
240 hours may be carried
forward each July 1
Pro-rated if working less
than 40 hours
Leave time cannot be
advanced
Sick Leave
12 month employees earn
12 days per fiscal year
800 hours may be carried
forward each July 1
Pro-rated if working less
than 40 hours
Doctors note may be
requested at any time

What is the Family and Medical
Leave Act?

Family Medical Leave Act is a Federal Law that provides job
protected leave benefits to eligible employees.
The 1993 Federal Act provides:

Up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave

Ability to maintain existing medical benefit programs

Employees must have 12 months of service with NMSU (need not be
consecutive) and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the previous 12
month period in order to be eligible for FMLA.
Birth of a child

Placement of an adopted or foster child (must be taken within 12 months of
placement)

Care of a child, parent, spouse or recognized domestic partner with a
serious health condition

Serious health condition of staff member

Care for a Service Member (only benefit that allows 26 weeks of leave,
new as of 01/08)

FMLA Class offered Go to http://hr.nmsu.edu/hrs/hrtraining.shtml

When does FMLA Apply?
Pay Process
Paydays are semi-monthly (on the 15
th
and last
working day of the month)
Non-Exempt (hourly) employees are paid on a
2 week lag
Exempt (salaried) employees are paid current
Direct deposit is available for any bank or
credit union
University & Employee Contributions
to Premiums for Medical, Life and Long-Term Disability
Annual Salary NMSU % Employee %
$0 - $26,249 80 20
$26,250 - $31,499 70 30
$31,500+ 60 40
Group Medical Insurance
Regular employees working 20 or more hours are eligible
for medical and dental insurance
31 days from the date of hire to enroll
Coverage begins the first day of the pay period following
one month of employment
Can enroll Spouse, Domestic Partner and Partners
Children, and Legal Dependents (natural born, adopted,
and step children)
Pre-tax deduction option is available
Late enrollment available restrictions apply
Medical Insurance Benefit Comparison
Presbyterian Lovelace United Healthcare BCBS of NM
Preferred Network
Deductible Single $ 150
2 Person $ 300
Family $ 450
Single $ 150
2 Person $ 300
Family $ 450
Single $ 300
2 Person $ 600
Family $ 900
Single $300
2 Person $600
Family $900
Out of Pocket Maximum Single $3,000
2 Person $6,000
Family $9,000
Single $3,000
2 Person $6,000
Family $9,000
Single $3,000
Family $9,000
Single $3,000
Family $9,000
Physician Office Visit
Primary Care
Specialty Care

$15
$30

$15
$30

$20
$30

$20
$30
Preventative Services
Routine Physical
Well Child Care

No Co-Pay
No Co-Pay

No Co-Pay
No Co-Pay

No Co-Pay
No Co-Pay

No Co-Pay
No Co-Pay
Hospital Services
In-Patient Admission
Outpatient Surgery
ER Visit
Urgent Care Center

$400 per admission
10%
$175
$50


$400 per admission
10%
$175
$50

$400 per admission
10%
$175
$50

$400 per admission
10%
$175
$50
Ambulance Services
Ground Transportation
Air Ambulance

$30
$100

$30
$100

20%
20%

20%
20%
Durable Medical 20% 20% 25% 25%
Changes to Medical Insurance
Change of status (marriage, birth, death, divorce)
Enrollment form must be received within 31 days from the
date of change in status
Coverage begins the day after the event
Exceptions:
Birth of a child coverage begins the date of birth
Divorce coverage ends for ex-spouse the day before the divorce is final
Vision coverage change effective the first of the month after the event
Documentation is needed to support the change for each type
of benefit
Premium contributions will be deducted for the whole pay
period in which the change takes place
Prescription Benefits
Prescription benefits are included with the Medical
benefits provided by Express Scripts
National contracts (Walgreens, K-mart, Wal-Mart,
etc)
When available, any prescribed medications are
automatically issued as a generic
Home delivery (mail order) is available
Some prescriptions may require pre-authorizations or
letters of medical necessity
Dental Insurance
Delta Dental PPO
Regular employees working 20+ hours per week
31 days from the date of hire to enroll
Late enrollment not available
Deductible is on a calendar year
Total Per Pay Period
Contribution
Employee Pay
Period Contribution
Employee Only $14.50 $5.80
Employee + Spouse $29.01 $11.61
Employee + Child $29.01 $11.61
Employee + Family $43.51 $17.40
Vision Insurance
Vision Service Plan (VSP)
Regular employees working 20+ hours per week
31 days from the date of hire to enroll
Late enrollment is available restrictions apply
Coverage is effective the first of the month after 30 days of
employment
Employee Pay Period
Contribution
Employee Only $3.49
Employee + Spouse $7.35
Employee + Child(ren) $7.86
Employee + Family $12.56
Benefit Providers
BCBSNM
877-994-2583
www.bcbsnm.com
United
800-842-0241
www.myuhc.com/groups/nmex
Presbyterian
888-275-7737
www.phs.org
Lovelace
877-232-1988
www.lovelacehealthplan.com


Express Scripts
877-849-5530
www.express-scripts.com
Delta Dental of New
Mexico
877-395-9420
www.deltadentalnm.com
Vision Service Plan (VSP)
877-395-9420
www.vsp.com
Flexible Spending Account
Enrollment upon hire, at open enrollment in November/December, or with
qualifying event
Health Care FSA
Eligible expenses include medical, dental, vision and prescription (some OTC
included)
Can elect up to $5,000 per plan year
Can file a claim up to the elected amount without money being in the account
at the time of filing the claim
Any unclaimed amounts are forfeited
Dependent Care FSA
Eligible expenses include childcare payments, camps
Can elect up to $5,000 per plan year or $2,500 if filing joint tax returns
Money must be in the account to file a claim
Any unclaimed amounts are forfeited
Employee Health Center
Employees and their dependents enrolled in an NMSU
health insurance plan may use the Employee Health
Center
When an employee or his/her dependent visits the Health
Center:
$5 per visit for those enrolled on NMSU medical, $30 for
employees not enrolled (does not get billed to your
insurance plan)
Employees are not required to use annual or sick leave for
their office visits but must use leave for dependents
appointment
Phone Number: 646-6600
Long Term Disability (LTD)
Insured by Fort Dearborn Life
Regular employees working 20+ hours are
eligible
31 days from the date of hire to enroll
Coverage begins 1
st
day of month following 30
days of employment
Late enrollment available health statement
required
135 day waiting period in event of disability
Pays 60% of monthly salary to a maximum of
$5,000 a month
Sick Leave Bank
Available to all regular employees with at least 2
years of service
Must be enrolled in LTD to participate
Donation of 40 hours of personal sick leave to the
bank is required
Membership in the Sick Leave Bank is optional
In the event of a personal emergency, a member
with insufficient leave balances to cover the 135
day waiting period for LTD is eligible to apply for a
donation (maximum of 70 days per request per
fiscal year)
Group Life Insurance
Insured with Fort Dearborn Life
Employees working 20+ hours per week are eligible
2 times the annual salary with a maximum of $75,000
31 days from the date of hire to enroll
Late enrollment available health statement required
Beneficiary - NM is a community property state
Supplemental Life Insurance
Provided by MetLife
Regular employees working 20+ hours per week are
eligible
Enroll 31 days from the date of hire
Late enrollment available health statement required
$50,000 guaranteed with no medical review
Employee pays full cost
Age based - rates increase in birthday month
Also available, spouse and dependent coverage
Accidental Death and
Dismemberment (AD&D)

Provided by AIG Life Insurance
Regular employees working 20+ hours per
week
Acts of war and terrorism are not covered
May enroll at any time
NM Educational Retirement Board
Defined benefits program
Employees working more than .25 FTE are required to contribute
Employee earning $20K or less contributes 7.9%;
University contributes 12.4%
Employee earning more than $20K contributes 9.4%;
University contributes 10.9%
Retirement calculation uses the average salary of the last 5 years worked OR
the average of the highest 5 consecutive years of salary.
Calculation: final average salary X number of years service credit X .0235
May retire if one of the following is met: 1) age 65 w/5 years of service; 2)
age + years of service equal 75; or 3) any age with 25 years of service
http://www.nmerb.org
NM Alternative Retirement Plan
Defined contribution plan
Available only to select faculty, administrators, and some
coaching staff
Employee contributes 9.4%; University contributes 7.9%
Benefit Services department notifies eligible employees
Eligible employees have 90 days from date of hire to exercise
this option
After seven years of contributions one-time opportunity to
switch to ERB.
Upon leaving the university, ARP members can rollover, cash
out or annuitize the funds for dispersement.
NMSU Retirement Benefits
Retiree Health
Requires 10 consecutive years of health coverage as an
employee immediately prior to retirement
Retiree Life (Group life policy)
Can continue a basic $10,000 policy through NMSU at
reduced rate
Additional Benefits
Discounts
Free classes
Library Access
ID Card
Tax Sheltered Annuities & 457 Plans
Regular employees working over 1,000 hours per
year may participate
Allows employees to voluntarily set aside additional
funds for retirement
Contributions are on a pre-tax basis
Annual limits are set by the IRS
Catch up options available see carriers
List of vendors available at
http://hr.nmsu.edu/benefits/retire/annuities.html

Workers Compensation Insurance
All employees are covered for on-the-job accident
and occupational diseases
Benefits include all medical, surgical, drug expenses
and 66 2/3 of the weekly salary after a 7-day waiting
period
On-the-job accidents and injuries must be reported to
the supervisor immediately
Report forms are available on the NMSU website
All forms must be completed and turned in to the
David Carbajal at the employee health center
department within 24 hours
Tuition Remission Benefits
Employees working 20+ hours per week may take 6
credit hours per semester & 8 credits over the
summer without a tuition charge
Available to the spouse or domestic partner* if the
employee does not use all the credit hours
Must be employed and registered for course(s) prior
to the deadline
Deadline is the last day to add classes each
semester/session
* Domestic Partnership paperwork must be on file in Benefit Services

Reduced Tuition for Dependent Children
For dependent children under age 25 (undergraduate courses
only)
50% tuition discount for both full-time and part-time students.
Employee must complete a certificate of dependency for each
semester in which the dependent will be using the Reduced
Tuition Program
Must be employed and registered for course(s) prior to the
deadline
Deadline is the last day to add classes each semester/session

Photo Identification Cards
All employees are required to have an NMSU
Identification Card
Banner ID number
ID photographs are taken at Corbett Center ID Services
(located across from Taos)
The ID Card can be used as a Campus Money Card for
purchasing food items on campus
Phone Number: 646-4835
Additional Benefits
Employee Assistance
Program
University Health
Center
Discount Season Tickets
for Athletic Events
Natatorium & Activity
Center (AggieFit)
Tennis Center
Discount Golf Course
Membership
Family Entertainment
Parks
Discounts GM,
Verizon, AAA, Dell
Health Promotion
Programs
Savings Bonds

University Communications
Employees may sign up for the following
university-wide communication lists:
http://www.nmsu.edu/Administration/abcd.html
http://www.nmsu.edu/Administration/postings.html
In addition, employees will automatically
receive NMSU Hotline communications.
Training Opportunities
Hazcom (mandatory within 60 days)
Banner
Basic Computing
Blackboard
http://erp.nmsu.edu/
For Additional Information
Please contact the Benefit Services Department

benefits@nmsu.edu

HR Service Desk
646-8000
Employment, Payroll and Benefits Questions

Orientation Packet
Benefits Summary
Rates and descriptions
Eligibility
HIPAA
COBRA
Drug Free Workplace
Env. Health and Safety
Business, Finance and HR
Sample Pay Stub
Money$Card, Parking
Safety and Security
Savings Bonds
Ethics Point
Workers Compensation
Orientation Evaluation
ERB Beneficiary Form
ERB Employment Data Form
Benefit Deadlines
Presentation handout
Benefit Enrollment form
Medical, Dental, LTD, Life,
Supplemental Life, AD&D Life, Pre-
tax
TSA handout and enrollment form
Direct Deposit form
Supplemental Life statement of health
Supplemental Life handout
AD&D plan booklet
Flex booklet (SHDR)
Domestic Partner packet