Health Benefits

Southern Oregon University is committed to offering a benefits package that provides employees with options to choose the appropriate coverage to help manage health and wellness. PEBB (Public Employees’ Benefit Board) is the labor-management board that designs, contracts and administers benefits for the state of Oregon employees, which SOU is a part of.

HEALTH BENEFITS ELIGIBILITY

Employees that are benefit eligible work over 90 days at half-time or greater. Any other form of eligibility would come from notification from the Benefits Officer, such as qualifying for health benefits coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Irregular instructors or faculty members may qualify for health coverage if working over 8 ELU’s in one term, which is typically equivalent to a half-time position.

Employees have 30 days from their date of hire to make benefit elections. If no elections are made after 30 days, that employee would be considered a Decline. Eligible employees that Decline benefits may enroll during our annual Open Enrollment period the month of October, which take effect January 1 of the coming plan year. 

Eligible dependents include a spouse or domestic partner (review requirements and documents needed for domestic partnership) and any dependent children. PEBB reviews dependent eligibility and will contact members who enroll a spouse/partner or children under their plans for documentation proving the dependent is eligible. Review PEBB's dependent eligibility information here. 

ENROLLING IN HEALTH BENEFITS

Newly hired or newly eligible employees may enroll online or complete the Enrollment Form and submit to HR before the end of your first 30 days. Benefits always take effect the first of the following month after enrollment is received. Aside from your initial enrollment, you can adjust your benefit elections yearly during PEBB’s annual Open Enrollment, which is the whole month of October. Open Enrollment requires all benefit eligible employees to (1.) go into the PEBB system to re-save their benefits or make needed changes AND (2.) go into their medical provider's website to complete the HEM (Health Engagement Model), a required health questionnaire (Opt-Outs go to the Providence Choice website to complete the HEM only if they anticipate enrolling in a medical plan). Completing Open Enrollment gives you a $17.50 incentive in your monthly paycheck; not completing Open Enrollment will raise your deductible up to $300 a year and PEBB will assume you are a tobacco user and that you have other group coverage, charging you higher rates and fees. New employees get the benefit of a low deductible and completing Open Enrollment in October will continue a low deductible into the following plan year.

Explore SOU’s benefits package with the resources below: