2005 CUA BENEFITS

Other Benefits Considerations

Metrochek Program

The Metrochek program is a transportation benefit paid through pre-tax funds.  By participating in this benefit, employees who regularly use public transportation to commute to work may purchase up to $100 worth of Metrochek vouchers per month on a pre-tax basis.   Metrochek vouchers may be purchased in $20 increments.  An employee may begin, change or end participation in the program at the beginning of any month by completing a Metrochek Salary Reduction Authorization form. This form is available online at http://humanresources.cua.edu/forms/salaryreduction.doc.  Since the inception of the plan, response has been very positive, with more than 150 CUA employees participating. 

Tuition Assistance

As a reminder, if you, your spouse or your dependent child by birth or adoption is planning to enroll for Spring 2005 classes, now is a good time to consider completing your Tuition Assistance application.  The application has been revised and the most up to date version of the form (revised 08/02) may be found on the Human Resources web site at http://humanresources.cua.edu/forms/tuitionapp2003.doc. Please dispose of any old versions of the form. Only tuition assistance applications submitted on the current version of the form will be considered for approval.  Requests submitted on prior versions of the Tuition Assistance form will be returned to the applicant without consideration.  The deadline for submission of Tuition Assistance forms for the Spring 2005 semester is January 19, 2005. The Office of Human Resources will not accept tuition assistance applications for the Spring 2005 semester submitted after January 19, 2005.  Tuition assistance benefits will not be approved retroactively.

Liberty Mutual Group Savings Plus

The Catholic University of America and Liberty Mutual, one of the nation’s largest insurers, have teamed up to offer you a program called Group Savings Plus®.  This program affords you the opportunity to save money on your personal automobile and homeowner/tenant insurance.

Group Savings Plus benefits include the following:

• A money-savings group discount on auto, homeowner/tenant insurance
• Convenient payment options with no interest or service fees
• Round-the-clock claims service
• 24-hour emergency roadside assistance
• Individualized service from licensed insurance professionals

Group discounts, coupled with other premium reductions for things such as multi-car, multi-policy, safe driver, passive restraints and anti-theft device discounts could result in substantial savings for you and your family.  Everyone’s savings may differ and some offers are subject to individual eligibility.  To determine if a particular program could be beneficial to you and to determine how much you could save, you will need to speak directly with a Liberty Mutual representative.  You may obtain additional information by either calling our representative Darell Rector at 1-800-442-0329, or taking advantage of Liberty Mutual’s on-line “Liberty Quotes” system, available through the Human Resources website at http://humanresources.cua.edu/automobile.cfm.

CUA Retirement Plan (Administered through TIAA-CREF)

The University strongly encourages employees to set financial goals and plan for retirement, and many employees revisit their retirement savings decisions during the Annual Open Enrollment period, in anticipation of the coming tax year.  The retirement plans established for eligible employees are administered by TIAA-CREF, the largest private pension plan in the United States.  TIAA-CREF administers retirement plans at more than 11,800 colleges, universities and non-profit organizations.  Regular full-time and part-time employees who are at least 26 years old and who have completed at least one year of service at the University must participate in the Plan.  Eligible employees may elect to contribute 0.0 percent, 2.5 percent, and 5.0 percent of their pre-tax incomes to their retirement plan.  The University will match your contributions with 5.0 percent, 7.5 percent, or 10.0 percent respectively.  Eligible employees may also elect to participate in the Group Supplemental Retirement Annuity (GSRA).  The University does not match GSRA contributions.  There is no minimum age or years of service requirement to participate in GSRA.

Employees wishing to make a change to their retirement savings elections should forward a completed Authorization for Salary Reduction form to the Office of Human Resources.  This form is available at http://humanresources.cua.edu/forms/salaryreduction.doc, and changes may be made at any time during the year.  You are not required to take any action at this time if you do not wish to make any changes to your retirement savings elections.