Benefits

What benefits are available to faculty members?

Faculty appointed for 50% (half-time) or more AND for 4.5 months or longer are eligible for the following:

The A&M Care Health Insurance includes an annual Free Wellness Exam, 2nd Opinion Service, MDLive (Virtual Doctor’s Visits), and a 24-hour Nurse line.  Also provided with the A&M Care plan is The Express Scripts Prescription Program

Additionally, employees may enroll in vision, dental, life, dependent life, accidental death & dismemberment, long-term disability insurance programs, and flexible health care and daycare spending accounts.

Does TAMU-CC have any Wellness Programs?

Yes.  We offer a wide range of programs and discounts including the use of the Dugan Wellness Center.  Programs include:  Walk For Wellness, Free Fridays, Wellness Punch Pass, Islander Rewards, Work-Release Time, and Mental Health and Financial Wellness classes.

When am I eligible for benefits?

You are eligible on day one of employment, but you will not receive any employer-paid premiums until you have satisfied a waiting period.  System Regulation 31.02.02 http://policies.tamus.edu/31-02-02.pdf and state law determines the date on which an employee is eligible to receive the state contribution toward insurance premiums.  The state contribution is the portion of your insurance coverage premiums that the University pays for you. 

  • New faculty members are eligible for the state contribution on the 1st of the month following the 60th day of employment. (Examples of common appointment periods and their employer date are listed below.)

    • For faculty with an appointment hire date of September 1st, the employer contribution will begin on November 1st.

    • For faculty with an appointment hire date of January 1st, the employer contribution will begin on March 1st.

    • For faculty with an appointment hire of date January 16, the employer contribution will begin on April 1st.

What if I need coverage on day one of employment?

New faculty members can start their benefits on the date of hire or their employee contribution date.  If the new faculty member wants to start benefits from their hire date, they must contact the Human Resources Benefits Office. The coverages you choose are automatically set to begin on your employer contribution eligibility date (hire date), you will have to pay the total premium until your employer contribution eligibility date.

What is the employer contribution?

This is an amount provided by the state legislature for your health insurance premiums. Unless you are transferring with no break in service from another Texas state agency or Texas institution of higher education, you will begin receiving a monthly employer contribution the first of the month after your 60th day of employment. 

Retiring with University Benefits

When am I eligible to retire with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi insurance benefits?

If you were hired by the A&M System in a benefits-eligible position after August 31, 2003, you are eligible for the employer contribution towards retirement when:

  • You are at least age 65 and have 10 years of TRS or ORP service credit or your age plus years of service equal at least 80, and you have 10 years of service credit, and

  • 10 of those years of service are with the A&M System, or you have a combined total of 10 or more years with the A&M System, UT System, and ERS, and the A&M System has the same amount of service as the other highest System, and A&M is your last employer, and

  • You have an intact TRS or ORP account.

    • An intact TRS account (is one that) has not been withdrawn.

    • An ORP account is a 403(b) account containing funds that can be tied to your Texas ORP account. The 403(b) account must meet the vendor’s minimum balance requirement.  An IRA is not a 403(b) account).