Health Insurance | Dental Insurance | Life Insurance | Disability Insurance | Vacations & Holidays | Sick Leave
Health & Dependent Care Savings Accounts | Retirement Plans | Travel Accident Insurance Plan
Health Insurance
Caltech provides a broad and generous array of health and welfare, retirement, and paid time off programs to postdoctoral scholars and their families that have Caltech appointments. In some cases granting agencies or countries may award a fellowship to a Caltech postdoctoral scholar and pay the stipend directly. In such cases, the postdoctoral scholar may elect health care coverage through the funding entity, secure coverage independently, or enroll in Caltech’s health care program. If the scholar chooses the third option, the Institute will send monthly bills for the appropriate share of those costs to the scholar and funding entity or sponsoring faculty member.
Changes in Your Benefits & Open Enrollment
Upon arriving at Caltech, your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialist will help you make your benefits decisions. After that you will take part in the Caltech Open Enrollment period, generally in October. During Open Enrollment you will have the opportunity to make any changes in your benefits (e.g. changing from one health care provider to another).
Generally mid-year changes to your benefits are only made under certain specific circumstances, e.g. birth or adoption of a baby, marriage, etc … For a list of these types of events visit here.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Caltech provides dental coverage for postdoctoral scholars and their families through two different providers:
With the Delta Dental plan you can receive care from any licensed dental provider, while with the safeguard plan you must choose a Safeguard participating dentist at the time you enroll. A more complete description of the plan is here.
Useful documentation
Monthly costs for each health plan
Comparison of Health Plan Benefits (see page 5)
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Caltech provides basic life insurance at no cost to postdoctoral scholars in an amount equal to one time your annual salary to a maximum of $50,000. Additional supplemental coverage is available for 2, 3, 4, or 5 times the annual salary to a maximum of $1,000,000. The cost for voluntary coverage is based on age, and is fully paid by the employee. Coverage is also available for spouse and children.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Short-Term Disability
Postdoctoral Scholars are automatically covered for Short-Term Disability (up to 52 weeks) through the California State Disability program. The cost for this coverage is paid by employees through a special state tax. For additional information regarding California State Disability Income, refer here, or to JPL's leave of absence policies as well as California's SDI brochure available in your Human Resources Office.Long-Term Disability
You become eligible for group Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan coverage on the first of the month coincident with or next following the date of your hire or change to benefit-based employee status. LTD coverage is designed to protect you against the loss of income that can accompany a Disability. The LTD plan provides you with a portion of your pay after 180 days of a total disability due to injury or illness.Caltech provides two layers of long-term disability. Postdoctoral scholars are eligible for coverage of 40% of their salaries at no expense, and can elect to pay for 60% coverage at a fee of $0.24 per $100 of salary. For example if a scholar had a salary of $3400 a month, the 60% coverage would cost ($0.24)*(34) = $8.16 a month.
If you choose the 60% coverage upon being hired there is no medical or health history questionnaire, but should you choose to change from the 40% coverage to the 60% coverage in a future open enrollment you will need to supply some health information. If for whatever reason you are denied the 60% coverage you will still automatically receive the 40% coverage.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Postdoctoral and senior postdoctoral scholars are entitled to one month of vacation a year. Initially, they may take up to three weeks of vacation after having completed nine months of service. Such vacation time must be scheduled with the faculty sponsor. The maximum amount of vacation a postdoctoral scholar may accumulate is 21 work days (One calendar month).
When a postdoctoral scholar’s Caltech appointment is coming to an end, it is expected that he or she will make arrangements to take any vacation for which they may be eligible prior to the end of their Caltech engagement. If it is not possible for the faculty sponsor to grant such vacation time, at the time of the scholar’s termination the Postdoctoral Scholars/Visitors Services in the Office of Human Resources will request the appointing division office to report any unused vacation, the dollar value of which will be paid to the departing scholar.
Caltech postdoctoral scholars at JPL are entitled to seven and one-half-days of vacation after six months of service; thereafter, vacation will accrue at the rate of one and one-fourth day per month, but not beyond a total of fifteen days for each twelve months of service. It is the postdoctoral scholar’s responsibility to arrange with his or her sponsor to take all of the vacation time due to him or her during his or her current appointment period.
Caltech has 10 paid holidays a year, along with several floating holidays offered by the Institute. Click here to see the full Caltech holiday schedule.As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Sick Leave accrues at the rate of one day a month, or twelve days a year. Accrued, unused sick leave not used in any year may be carried forward to and used in subsequent years. Unused sick leave will not be paid at termination.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Health and Dependent Care Spending Accounts
Postdoctoral Scholars may elect to make voluntary pre-tax contributions to a health or dependent care spending account (HCSA). The money you direct Caltech to set aside for your spending account is not subject to federal or state income taxes, or social security tax. You may use monies in these accounts to pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars.
Postdoctoral scholars may also elect to make voluntary pre-tax contributions to a Dependent Care (Day Care) Spending Account (DCSA). The money you direct Caltech to set aside for your spending account is not subject to federal or state income taxes, or social security tax. You may use monies in these accounts to pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars.
These accounts essentially allow you to pay for dependant care (day care) and health care expenses tax free. However, you must make sure to file claims for all of the money you deposit, or you will not get it back. You can choose to set aside any dollar amount between $200-$5000, and the Institute will deduct it from your paycheck. Click here for more highlights on these types of accounts.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Caltech Retirement Plan
Participation in the Caltech Retirement Plan is automatic for an eligible Postdoctoral Scholar who completes two years of service and whose salary is subject to FICA taxation.The Institute will contribute 5% of their salary that is subject to FICA* taxation to this retirement plan. The participant elects how to invest these funds and will be eligible to receive their account balance after termination of employment from the Institute. Refer to the Benefits Handbook for more details regarding this plan under the Retirement Section 7, page 7.2.
*Federal Income Contributions Act (FICA) taxes are also known as "payroll taxes" as in Social Security and Medicare.
Tax Deferred Annuity Supplemental Retirement
Caltech offers opportunities for voluntary 403(b) retirement savings called Tax Deferred Accounts (TDA). You may choose from either or both of the two investment companies, Fidelity Investments or TIAA CREF.You can enroll or make changes to your plans or contribution amount at any point during the year. Contributions** are deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis and are invested in the TDA account(s) of your choice. There is no minimum contribution required, but there is a maximum contribution limit per year. Refer to the Benefits Handbook for more details regarding this plan under the Retirement Section 7, page 7.18.
**Fellowship stipends distributed by Caltech are not considered "salary" eligible for pre-tax contributions.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm
Travel Accident Insurance Plan
All Institute employees are automatically covered by Travel Accident Insurance beginning on their date of hire. The coverage begins when you leave your residence or regular employment site, whichever occurs last, to travel on Institute business. You are not covered when traveling between home and work on a daily basis.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your Postdoctoral Scholar Specialists, Fran Manley and Renee Soriano, with any questions about these subjects.
Please note that this section only summarizes a portion of the Caltech benefits package. For complete details on any of the above sections, please see the main benefits section at: http://hr.caltech.edu/Benefits/default.htm