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Life Insurance

Adjunct faculty members on Active Status who have taught at least three (3) credit hours in the prior academic year, and are in Active Status may participate at no cost to the adjunct faculty member in life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance coverage based upon rank as follows:

“Conversion rights” shall apply upon an adjunct faculty member’s separation from employment.

For active adjunct faculty during the Spring semester, life insurance coverage continues through August 31 of the calendar year in which the Spring semester they taught ended. For active adjunct faculty who teach during the Fall semester, life insurance coverage continues through January 31 of the calendar year following the end of the semester they taught.

Short Term Disability

The University provides eligible part-time faculty members, working in New York State, with Short-Term Disability insurance and coordinates with New York State disability in the event you are unable to perform the duties of your job because of illness, injury, or pregnancy. The University’s current Short-Term Disability carrier is Reliance Matrix.

Short-Term Disability begins on the eighth consecutive calendar day of absence, including weekends and holidays. Provided that your claim continues to be medically certified by your physician and Reliance Matrix benefits are payable for up to 26 weeks within a 52-week period. The current maximum payment amount is $170 per week.

**26 weeks within a 52-week period is the combined maximum duration of the following leaves: Short-Term Disability, New York Paid Family Leave, Workers’ Compensation disability leave.**

Reliance Matrix is responsible for administering claims, and for managing the medical case with a focus on expediting your successful and healthy return to work.

Reporting a Short Term Disability Claim Beginning on September 1, 2024

Please contact the University Benefits office, on or before your first day of absence, to discuss the expected duration of your disability leave. In addition, please contact Reliance Matrix at 1 (877) 202-0055, to file a short-term disability claim. To ensure that your claim is processed in a timely manner, please contact Reliance Matrix no later than your seventh consecutive calendar day of absence. Please ensure that your supervisor is notified as well.

• Reliance Matrix - How to File a Leave of Absence or Disability Claim (PDF)
• Reliance Matrix Poster – How to File a Short-Term Disability or FMLA Claim (PDF)
• Employee Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF)

Family and Medical Leave

Part-Time employees are generally not eligible for Family and Medical Leave. Employees are eligible if they have worked for 91��Ƶ for at least one year, for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months, and if at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles. If you believe that you are eligible for Family and Medical Leave, please contact the University Benefits office, at benefits@pace.edu, or (914) 923-2828, for verification. (If you are eligible for Family and Medical Leave, and a Short-Term Disability claim is medically certified, it will also count as time taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act.)

Employee Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF)

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New York State Paid Family Leave

**26 weeks within a 52-week period is the combined maximum duration of the following leaves: Short-Term Disability, New York Paid Family Leave, Workers’ Compensation disability leave.**

New York State Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) provides eligible employees with wage replacement during time away from work to:

1. Bond with the employee’s new child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth, or the first 12 months after the child’s placement for adoption or foster care with the employee.
2. Provide care for a family member with a serious illness. The definition of family member includes a biological or legal relationship and in “loco parentis” in definitions of child and parent. These include:
   • spouse/domestic partner
   • child (no age limit)
   • parent and parent-in-law
   • siblings (including biological siblings, adopted siblings, stepsiblings and half-siblings)
   • grandparent of employee
   • grandchild (child of employee’s child)
3. Participate in “qualifying exigencies” as defined in federal Family and Medical Leave Act due to a spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent’s active duty military service or notice of a call or order to active duty. Qualifying exigencies include:
   • attending certain military events
   • arranging for alternative childcare
   • caring for a military member’s parent who is incapable of self-care when the care is necessitated by the member’s covered active duty
   • addressing certain financial and legal arrangements
   • attending certain counseling sessions
   • attending post-deployment reintegration briefings

PFL may be taken on a continuous or intermittent basis (in full-day increments only).

If an eligible employee experiences an event that qualifies for leave under both Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) and New York Paid Family Leave (PFL), both leaves will run concurrently.

PFL does not apply to an employee’s own serious health condition.

Reliance Matrix - How to File a Leave of Absence or Disability Claim (PDF) – for PFL claims that begin on or after September 1, 2024

Employee Benefits on PFL

All benefits will cease during periods of continuous PFL, during which the employee is not receiving salary continuation through the University.

PFL Benefit Amount and Payment Schedule

In 2024 the PFL benefit is 67% of the employee’s Average Weekly Wage, not to exceed 67% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage, for a maximum of 12 weeks. The New York State Average Weekly Wage in 2024 is $1,718.15. As such, 67% will be a maximum of $1,151.16 per week.

In 2025 the PFL benefit is 67% of the employee’s Average Weekly Wage, not to exceed 67% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage, for a maximum of 12 weeks. The New York State Average Weekly Wage in 2025 is $1,757.19. As such, 67% will be a maximum of $1,177.32 per week.

Employee Contributions

Beginning January 1, 2024, the NY PFL rate will be reduced to 0.373% of gross wages per pay period. This means that an employee's 2024 annual deduction will not exceed $333.25.

For a newly hired employee, the deduction will begin immediately with his or her first paycheck.

Eligibility

• Full-time employees: If an employee works a regular work schedule of 20 or more hours per week, he or she is eligible to apply for PFL after 26 consecutive weeks of employment.
• Part-time employees: If an employee works a regular work schedule of less than 20 hours per week, he or she is eligible to apply for PFL after working 175 days (actual work days regardless of number of hours worked per day).

This policy does not apply to students, independent contractors, consultants, and other non-employees.

Waiving PFL Coverage

An employee can only opt out of Paid Family Leave if he or she does not expect to work for the minimum amount of time required for eligibility. If an employee meets this criteria and wishes to opt out, he or she may do so by completing a PFL waiver (PDF). A waiver of family leave benefits may be filed when:

• An employee’s schedule is 20 hours or more per week, but he or she will not work 26 consecutive weeks; or
• An employee’s schedule is less than 20 hours per week and he or she will not work 175 days in a 52 consecutive week period.

The PFL Waiver form must be returned to the University Benefits office.

Please note that if an employee waives coverage:

• The deduction will cease on the first payroll following receipt of the PFL Waiver form. Deductions already processed will not be refunded.
• And subsequently becomes eligible for New York PFL, he or she will be subject to retroactive premium payments from January 1st of the calendar year in which he or she became eligible.

How to File a Claim that Begins on or after September 1, 2024

Employees must provide at least 30 days advance notice to the University Benefits office, when possible.

Please contact Reliance Matrix at 1 (877) 202-0055 or access , to file a PFL claim telephonically. You can also view the Reliance Matrix - How to File a Leave of Absence or Disability Claim (PDF) for more information.

In addition, please contact the University Benefits office, at (914) 923-2828 or at benefits@pace.edu, so that we can ensure that your claim is handled appropriately.

Please access the site for further information.

You may also access 91��Ƶ's New York State Paid Family Leave policy (PDF).

Workers Compensation

**26 weeks within a 52-week period is the combined maximum duration of the following leaves: Short-Term Disability, New York Paid Family Leave, Workers’ Compensation disability leave.**

Workers' Compensation is insurance that provides cash benefits and/or medical care for workers who are injured or become ill as a result of their job.

91��Ƶ contributes fully towards this benefit. Weekly cash benefits and medical care are paid by 91��Ƶ’s University’s insurance carrier, State Insurance Fund, as directed by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. The Workers’ Compensation Board is a state agency that processes the claims and determines, through a judicial proceeding, whether the claim is justified and how much will be awarded.

It is important that you or someone acting on your behalf report any injury on the job within 24 hours to your campus Security Office. Notify the University Benefits Office as well of the incident. It is equally important that your supervisor or department chair be advised of the incident. Responsibility for claiming compensation is on the injured employee. All incidents are to be reported to the Security Office no matter how minor they appear to be. The Security Office then must immediately complete an Incident Report and investigate the incident. The University can refuse to compensate an employee if the incident is not reported in a timely manner.

In addition, injured employees should seek outside medical attention for work related injuries or illnesses. Worker's Compensation claims can be denied if an injured employee is not diagnosed/treated by a physician that is Board Certified.

Benefits Disclaimer

_{The HR/Benefits website is intended only to provide information for the guidance of 91��Ƶ employees. The writers of the content have exercised their best efforts to ensure accuracy of the information, but accuracy is not guaranteed. If there are any discrepancies between the information on the website, verbal representations and the Plan documents, the Plan documents will always govern. The information is subject to change from time to time, and the University reserves the right to change or terminate these Plans at any time. The information contained on the website is not intended to replace the plan documents, nor is the information in any way intended to imply a contract.}

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