Benefits

       Faculty and officers of research holding full-time, regular salaried appointments are eligible to participate in the University’s benefits programs for officers which include assistance for medical, dental and vision care, flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance, work-related travel insurance, retirement and meeting educational costs of their children. In general, part-time faculty, and Barnard College and Teachers College faculty, are not eligible for these benefits.

       The University provides certain benefits to the spouses and qualified children of eligible officers. See dependent eligibility.

       Due to IRS restrictions, new officers must enroll in the University’s medical, dental, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and long-term disability plans within 31 days of the start of their appointments in order to have benefits under these programs for the calendar year. Departments and schools must inform new faculty of these requirements in their offer letters.

       Changes in most benefits can be made only during Open Enrollment, the three-week period that usually falls during the month of November, for the following calendar year. If an officer has a Qualified Life Status Change event, such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, divorce, or loss of coverage, the officer must make the changes related to their qualifying event through the Columbia University Benefits Enrollment System (CUBES) within 31 days of its occurrence. Find more information on Qualified Life Status Changes.

       The terms of the University’s benefits programs are governed by their respective plan documents, which are frequently updated. Visit Columbia University Human Resources for accurate and up-to-date details pertaining to benefits.

       Information is available on:

• Health and Welfare Benefits
• Tuition Benefits
• Retirement and Financial Planning
• Workplace Essentials, including life changes (birth, adoption, surrogacy), work time, and leaves
• Retiree Benefits

       Full-time postdoctoral clinical fellows and postdoctoral research fellows not receiving salary are eligible to participate in a medical plan that includes vision and prescription coverage, a dental plan, basic life insurance, and certain tuition benefits. Information on the benefits available to postdoctoral fellows as well as the enrollment and contribution payment process may be found on the Human Resources website. Full-time postdoctoral research fellows are entitled to a medical leave of absence for the period surrounding the birth of their child and are eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave at full salary under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Unit between the University and the Columbia Postdoctoral Workers-UAW Local 4100. Under the New York State Paid Family Leave Law, they are eligible for 12 weeks of partial paid leave to bond with their child. The specifics of these leaves and how they interact are described in the Leaves section.

Next Section: Work/Life and Schooling Resources