STATE OF CONNECTICUT
NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER

INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM

August 10, 2007

I. INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Section 5-259c, part-time professional staff of the state system of public higher education are eligible to participate in the state employee medical plan provided they pay the entire cost of the premium for such coverage. Part-time professional staff become eligible for state subsidized coverage under CGS Section 5-259 if they meet or exceed the eligibility requirement of half-time or 0.5 full time equivalent (FTE). For the purpose of this memorandum, 0.5 FTE means teaching nine or more credit hours in aggregate per semester across multiple State of Connecticut university/college systems.

II. BACKGROUND

Adjunct faculty hired to teach nine credits in aggregate across multiple State of Connecticut college/university systems have been unable to obtain state subsidized coverage as a result of separate and distinct bargaining unit contracts and a limitation in the ability of the HR systems to track and coordinate adjunct faculty employment across the college/university systems. Adjunct faculty teaching nine credits within a single college/university system have not encountered this difficulty.

III. DISCUSSION

Effective with the 2007 fall semester, in an effort to address the issue indicated in Section II, the Comptroller, pursuant to the authority granted under CGS Section 5-259, will reimburse adjunct faculty hired to teach nine or more credit hours in aggregate per semester across multiple State of Connecticut university/college systems for the state share of health insurance premium costs, subject to the following conditions:

1. The adjunct faculty member must be enrolled in one of the state's health insurance plans.
2. All adjuncts covered by this memorandum eligible for reimbursement will pay premiums via the Benefits Billing system.
3. Premiums will not be deducted via payroll.
4. Bills must be paid on time; failure to pay on time will result in the forfeiture of the entire reimbursement for that semester.
5. The adjunct faculty's active primary job, as indicated in the Core-CT system, will be used to determine all effective dates for the purpose of this program.
6. Premium reimbursement will be based on the plan and class of coverage determined to be in effect by applying the rules currently used for rank and file State employees for new hires and terminations.

1. The new hire date will be the hire date for the semester for the primary job. The termination date is the date the semester ends in the primary job. The Comptroller's Retirement & Benefit Services Division (RBSD) will rely on the hire/semester begin/end date provided by the college/university carrying the primary job. For example, if the hire date is August 15th and the termination date is December 15th, the adjunct is entitled to a State share reimbursement for October, November and December.
2. Subsequent to January 1, 2008, the beginning date for adjunct faculty qualifying for and receiving reimbursement in the immediately preceding spring or fall semester and the current semester (in other words, qualifying for and receiving reimbursement in consecutive fall and spring semesters) will be the first day of the first month immediately following the hire date rather than the first day of the second month immediately following the hire date for the current semester. For example, if the hire date is January 15th and the termination date is May 15th, coverage for such an adjunct is effective during the months of February, March, April and May. Therefore, the adjunct is entitled to a State share reimbursement for February, March, April and May.

7. Reimbursement is for whole months only.
8. Reimbursement is for the spring and fall semesters only.
9. The college or university with the active primary job where benefit enrollment is effective will be responsible for the collection and balancing of premium payments and reimbursements.
10. Colleges and universities will provide a report in MS Excel format (required file layout attached) after the beginning of the semester once all courses have been established and staffed.
11. The RBSD will identify adjuncts with an aggregate total of nine credits or more using the data provided by the colleges and universities.
12. RBSD will provide the colleges and universities with a report of the adjunct faculty with an aggregate total of nine credits or more and enrolled in health insurance coverage at their institution along with a report to assist with premium reconciliation.
13. Colleges and universities will reconcile, verify and certify that all required premium payments have been made by the adjunct faculty listed in the aforementioned report, that such payments were deposited in the Core-CT Financial System in accordance with the instructions in Comptroller's Memorandum 2004-3a and that they are therefore entitled to a reimbursement.
14. The funding source is the State health insurance appropriation. If the number of participants exceeds a reasonable number, the Comptroller reserves the right to charge the appropriate institutions.
15. Reimbursement payments will be made once per semester after the end of the semester via vendor check. Direct deposit is not available.
16. Barring any unforeseen administrative issues the Comptroller will issue the reimbursement payments within 30 days after the end of the semester.
17. No interest will be paid for any reimbursements.
18. Vendor checks will be mailed to the address listed in the employee's personal data page as the "HOME" address. The employee is responsible for informing the agency human resource office of their current address.
19. Effective with the 2007 fall semester, adjunct faculty covered by this memorandum who are eligible for state-subsidized active health insurance coverage shall become eligible for retiree health insurance coverage only after serving ten (10) or more years (five (5) years for those transitioning immediately to retirement at age 62 or older) of actual state service while eligible for state-subsidized active health insurance coverage and becoming eligible for benefits under a state-sponsored retirement system. Retirement Division Memoranda titled "Retiree Eligibility for State-Sponsored Health Insurance," dated April 15, 1993, and "SEBAC V - Tier II Five Year Vesting; Reference Chart for Pension Benefits under Tier I, Tier II and Tier IIA," dated July 9, 1997, do not apply to this group of employees and future retirees.
20. The Comptroller's Office has been advised that these benefits are not granted pursuant to negotiations or any collective bargaining agreement. These health benefits are being extended to the adjunct faculty as the result of an administrative decision by the Comptroller pursuant to her authority in Section 5-259 of the general statutes.

IV. CONCLUSION

Questions related to this memorandum may be directed to the RBSD's Central Benefits Unit at (860) 702-3535. Employees with questions must contact the college or university human resources departments where they are employed.

Sincerely,

Thomas C. Woodruff, Ph.D.
Director, Retirement & Benefits Services Division
Office of the State Comptroller

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