Section VI: Benefits

401 Medical Insurance

The Centre College Employee Health Care Plan is a self-funded PPO and a High Deductible Health plan (HDHP). Coverage is available with the payment of a premium that is determined annually and shared between the employee and the College. A preferred provider network of doctors and hospitals reduces costs. Please refer to the Summary Plan description, located on CentreNet.

402 Flexible Spending Account

All regular employees who work a minimum regular schedule of 20 hours per week may elect to deposit pre-tax payroll deductions into an account to pay for eligible medical expenses, and/or dependent care expenses.

403 Health Savings Account

For those employees enrolled in the HDHP, you are eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA). HSAs allow you to save for current and future expenses by setting aside tax-free dollars into an account to pay for eligible medical, dental and vision expenses. Unused funds will remain in your account and roll over year to year.

404 Catastrophic Sick Leave Donation Policy

This program provides an opportunity for employees to donate some of their accrued sick or PTO days to assist a fellow employee affected by a catastrophic illness or injury. Voluntary donation of leave time is used by employees who have exhausted their leave balances and have a serious, long-term catastrophic (at least 20 consecutive workdays) illness or injury affecting them or an eligible family member. Employees may utilize this benefit two times within a five year period when approved by the Manager, Senior Staff representative and Human Resources.

Any Centre College employee may donate accrued leave days (100% sick days and PTO) to any other eligible Centre College employee, subject to the following conditions (and completion of the appropriate form):

• The person (s) receiving days must have used all of their own accrued sick and PTO days. They must be approved to receive donated leave time due to a catastrophic illness or injury of the employee or of a member of the employee’s immediate family, which qualifies for leave under FMLA and which will require the employee’s absence for a period of at least 20 consecutive workdays. Evidence from a medical professional may be required. The number of days an employee may receive shall not extend beyond the duration of that employee’s FMLA leave.
• Donated days must come from existing accrued days and not days that an employee might anticipate losing at the end of the year.
• There is no restriction on donating PTO days. Employees wishing to donate 100% sick days must maintain a minimum of 40 days in that account. (60% sick days are not available to be used under this program).
• The employee receiving donated leave days must first sign an appropriate agreement and release.
• Days would be donated on an “as needed” basis.
• Coercion or intimidation to donate is strictly forbidden.

405 Short Term Paid Sick Leave

Eligibility

Full time regular staff (maintains a regular schedule of 35 or more hours per week) earn sick leave coverage at a rate of one day a month at full pay (100%) and one day a month at (60%) of pay for each month actively at work, up to a maximum of 65 days in each account.  The 60% of pay will be referred to as Short-Term Disability (STD).

Part time regular staff (those who are regularly scheduled to work 17 ½ hours or more per week) will earn sick leave coverage at a rate of ½ day a month at full pay (100%) and ½ day a month at 60% of pay for each month actively at work, up to a maximum of 65 days in each account.

Accrual

Employees accrue their sick leave at the conclusion of each month worked.

The use of PTO days, FMLA or sick days will be considered as “workdays” for the purpose of this policy and sick days do not accrue during periods of unpaid leave.

The amounts accumulated will be calculated and maintained in the Human Resources Department. An individual’s PTO and sick time may be found on the Human Resources Web page, under Employee Resources.

An employee’s sick pay account may not contain more than 130 days total (65 days at 100% pay and 65 days at 60% of pay), at the end of each calendar year.

Newly hired employees become eligible to accrue sick leave coverage after 3 months of continuous employment. Those 3 months will be counted as follows: (example) – if an employee starts March 15th – the month of March is not counted, April, May and June would be counted as the 3 full months of continuous employment. The first day accrued will be July 31st in this example.

Procedures

1. An employee who suffers an illness that will result in an absence from work, must notify their supervisor at the beginning of their normal work schedule. Evidence of illness, in the form of a physician’s statement or through other methods, may be requested by the immediate supervisor at any time. If evidence satisfactory to the college is not promptly received, sick pay benefits may not be paid.
2. Use of 100% Sick Leave - Earned sick days may be used for the following reasons:
   • the illness of the employee and their child(ren);
   • scheduled/ approved medical/dental appointments for employee and their child(ren). Employees should minimize the amount of time away from work, with regards to medical/dental appointments. For example, try to schedule appointments at the very beginning or end of a work shift;
   • birth of a child, or placement of a child with you for adoption or foster care;
   • in the event of a serious health condition of a spouse/domestic partner and/or parent ordinarily as defined under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In extraordinary cases where the spouse/domestic partner (as defined on page 53), or parent could not provide self-care as provided for under the FMLA, but does not meet the more than 3-day requirement of FMLA, the employee could utilize one to two days of sick leave. (An example would be someone having outpatient surgery and may need transportation on the date of treatment);
   • in the event of a serious health condition, as defined under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) above for whom the staff member has power of attorney;
   • in the event of a serious health condition, as defined under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) above for the employee’s mother-in-law and father-in-law;
   • qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse/partner, child, or parent is on active duty or has been called to active duty status in support of a contingency operation as a member of the National Guard or Reserves;
   • you are the spouse/partner, child, parent or next of kin of a covered service member with a serious injury or illness.

    

3. Any individual who is off for more than three (3) or more days needs to contact Human Resources no later than the third day of absence to determine if the absence falls under FMLA leave and if so, appropriate paperwork can be completed.
4. During an extended period of illness, accrued sick days at 100% of pay, will be paid first. After 100% days have been exhausted, an individual may, following a 5 day waiting period, access their short-term disability. For pay purposes, an individual may use PTO days during that waiting period.
5. Sick days may only be taken in ¼, ½, ¾, or full day increments. (Note: Conversion of 60% days into 100% days – e.g. convert five 60% days into three 100% days, will not be permitted).
6. It is expected that employees will make every attempt to build up their sick days to cover a long-term illness. These should not be considered as extra “vacation” or “personal” days. Abuse of the sick leave time may lead to disciplinary action.
7. To receive sick leave pay, hourly employees sick time must be listed as sick days on the employee’s timecard and approved by their supervisor.
8. Salaried staff should enter their sick time through CentreNet, located behind the Staff tab and then via the Time Entry/Approval link.
9. Accrued sick days are not paid out when an employee terminates from the College.

406 Workers’ Compensation

All staff members are protected under Workers’ Compensation legislation. This benefit covers accidental injuries or occupational illnesses that are caused by, arise out of, or occur in the course of the employee’s employment at the College. All work related injuries must be reported immediately to the employee’s supervisor who will promptly report the incident to the Human Resources department. Accident reports should be completed and submitted to the Human Resources Department within 24 hours.

407 Life Insurance

The College provides group term life insurance coverage of one and one-half times the employee’s basic annual salary. An employee may, at their own expense, purchase additional life insurance.

408 Social Security

In addition to the legally required deduction from the employee’s pay, the College contributes a matching amount to the Social Security and Medicare fund. Social Security benefits may be paid for death, disability, and retirement. Claims must be filed with the Social Security Administration.

409 Total Disability Income Assurance

After 180 days of certified total disability, eligible, approved, employees may receive up to 60 percent of their base salary during the defined period of disability.

410 Basic Retirement Account

For eligible employees, the College contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of the employees base wages on a per pay period basis to a fund which provides a number of investment options directed by the employee.

411 Supplemental Retirement Account

The SRA is an annuity designed for those who want to set aside a tax-deferred fund in addition to the amounts that may be accumulating under the Centre College retirement plan.

Penalty free withdrawals are permitted in only a few cases (i.e. for retirement after age 59 ½ ). You should consult your personal tax advisor, regarding any tax related matters.

412 Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance for attendance at Centre, at other Kentucky state colleges, eligible State of Kentucky technical colleges, colleges participating in the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) tuition exchange program, or those under the Tuition Exchange, Inc. program is available after completion of five years of employment, and other eligibility requirements are met.

Part-time employees are eligible for some tuition benefits. Please see a Human Resources representative for details.

Scholarships at the ACS schools or through the Tuition Exchange, Inc. are competitive and not guaranteed. An eligible dependent must meet admission requirements of the institution they are applying to.

A maximum of two (2) children per family will be eligible to participate.

Any financial aid assistance received by a dependent, whether or not based on need, shall be deducted from the above award by Centre College.

The maximum award will cover the equivalent of the normal four-year undergraduate period. 

The plan does permit dependents of previously eligible employees who are deceased, retired as defined by the college or qualify for the College's LTD plan and have completed at least 10 years of service as a full-time employee of the College to participate in the tuition benefit plan (as amended in 2010). 

Staff Development

Centre recognizes that the skills and knowledge of its employees are critical to the success of the College. The Staff Development Benefit is designed to balance both the needs of the institution and to encourage personal development through a formal education.

Centre will provide educational assistance to all eligible employees who have completed (1) year of service in an eligible employment classification. To maintain eligibility, employees must remain on the active payroll and be performing their job satisfactorily (i.e., current satisfactory evaluation and no disciplinary documentations within the previous 12 months in their personnel file) through completion of each course. Employees in the following employee classification (s) are eligible for educational assistance:

*Regular full-time employees who maintain a regular work schedule of at least 35 hours per week during the academic year.

An individual course or courses must be a part of a degree, licensing, or certification program and must be related to the employee’s current job duties or a foreseeable-future position in the organization in order to be eligible for educational assistance. The Vice President/Sr. Staff member responsible for the area the individual works in must approve the course (s) along with the immediate supervisor. All requests must normally be made one year in advance for budgeting purposes. If the College has a large number of requests for the Staff Development benefit in any given year, the College may prioritize those requests submitted based on relevance of the course to the job, and length of service to the College. The employee should not presume approval until they have received official notification from the Human Resources department. A limit of one course per semester/two per academic year will be approved at a time.

Upon successful completion with a minimum grade of a “C”, the College will reimburse for one-half the cost of the course up to a maximum of $1,500.00 per fiscal year. Only the cost of the course will be considered for reimbursement; fees and books will not be covered. Employees should contact the Human Resources office for paperwork to complete should they wish to seek tuition assistance. While educational assistance is expected to enhance the employee’s performance and professional abilities, Centre cannot guarantee that participation in formal education will entitle the employee to any advancement, a different job assignment, or pay increases.

413 Paid Time Off (PTO)

PURPOSE: To establish a paid time off benefit that will provide compensation during periods of absence that could be used for personal business, trips, rest or other activity not covered under other policies such as sick leave, jury leave, bereavement, etc. and to support the College’s goals to attract and retain quality employees.

PTO days for regular full-time employees (those who maintain a regular schedule of 35 or more hours per week) are accrued in accordance with the table below, at the end of each month worked. PTO does not accrue during periods of unpaid leave.

Maximum “banked” days = 40 days at end of calendar year.

Part-time employees who work at least 17 ½ hours per week are eligible for PTO on a prorated basis. Employees working less than 17 ½ hours per week, as well as, temporary and seasonal employees shall not be eligible for paid time off benefits. Part-time staff employees will earn PTO at the following rates:

Maximum “banked” days = 40 days at end of calendar year.

Regular full-time salaried employees – Regular base salaries are continued during periods of approved paid time off.

Regular full-time hourly employees – Weekly approved paid time off is determined by multiplying the straight-time hourly rate by the numbers of hours normally scheduled in a regular workweek up to a maximum of 40 hours.

It is the responsibility of each department head to schedule both the timing and length of PTO in an orderly manner so as not to interfere with the function (s) of a particular work area. An employee is encouraged to schedule their PTO well in advance with their department head. All attempts will be made to grant PTO requests. However, the College reserves the right to approve or disapprove PTO requests depending upon the needs of the department.

The College strongly discourages an individual to utilize any PTO days off prior to accruing those days. A request made would require the supervisors advanced approval. The supervisor may approve or deny the request based upon the needs of the department, the employee’s work performance, and the length of service. Maintaining a negative balance on PTO days or being “off” without time available should not be a regular practice and will lead to disciplinary action. At no time, should an employee have a negative balance at the end of the calendar year.

An employee is expected and encouraged to take their earned paid time off each calendar year. A maximum of 40 days may be “banked” at the end of each calendar year. Paid Time Off that is “banked” may be scheduled at a later date or paid upon separation from Centre College employment, at the discretion of the College. The maximum days to be paid at termination will be 25 days for all employees.

Paid time off (PTO) and holiday pay will not be paid for the same day. If a college holiday falls during a period of PTO, that day will be charged to holiday pay.

Any PTO days that were approved by the supervisor and taken, but not earned or “banked,” will be deducted from a terminating employee’s final pay.

If employment ends, you or your beneficiary will be paid for any earned unused PTO time up to a maximum of 25 days. When determining payment for PTO at termination, fractional days will be rounded to the nearest whole number (example: 12.49 days = 12.50 days).

At a minimum, PTO may be taken in ½ day units.

Hourly staff PTO must be noted on the bi-weekly timecard and approved by the supervisor. Salaried staff should submit their PTO through CentreNet, behind the Staff tab and then via the Time Entry/Approval link.

414 Dental

Two dental options are available for the employee to voluntarily elect. The differences within the two plans are the network, the percentages covered for minor services, the maximum covered each benefit period and the orthodontic lifetime maximum. 

415 Holidays

The following holidays are currently observed by the College:

*Memorial Day, may on occasion be replaced by a floating holiday – depending on the academic calendar.  A total of 13 holidays are paid annually between September 1st and August 31st.  In addition, the College is closed between Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Floating holidays in any given year (Sept-Aug), will be prorated based on an individual’s hire date. For example, if we have a total of four floating holidays, and an individual is hired between September – January, they will receive four available floating holidays. Those hired February – May will receive two of the floating holidays. Anyone hired from June 1st through August 31st, will not receive any floating holidays.

416 Bereavement Leave Pay

All full-time regular salaried and hourly employees are eligible for approved bereavement leave.

Immediate family includes the following relatives of eligible employees:

While the number of paid days off is not specified, normally a maximum of three days are granted. The employee’s responsibilities in regard to funeral arrangements, travel time, etc., may be considered in authorizing paid time off. However, all time off must be approved, in advance, by the employee’s supervisor.

An employee’s regular base pay, as determined by the College, will be continued for scheduled work time missed during authorized time off.

Hourly staff bereavement leave should be shown on the timecard covering the days of work missed during their loss. Timecards must be approved by the supervisor.

Salaried staff should submit their bereavement days through CentreNet, located behind the Staff tab then via the Time Entry/Approval link.

If the employee wishes to have visitation and/or funeral information sent out to the campus, they should notify their supervisor and/or Human Resources. Information will be sent out for the following relatives: (spouse/partner, children, parent and in-laws).

417 College Facilities and Athletic Events

All staff members will be admitted free of charge to all regular season Centre home athletic events. College athletic facilities may be used by employees when open and not in use by students or other priority activities.

Employee I.D. cards are required for admission. Employee I.D. cards are issued in the Student Life Office. Employee dependents may also be admitted free with a dependent identification card obtained from the Student Life Office. In order to use certain athletic facilities, dependents must meet certain age requirements, defined by the athletic department. Dependents, in this case, are defined as it relates to the Centre Dependent ID card and includes the employee’s spouse or domestic partner of the same or opposite gender, and any children of the spouse or partner. Children include biological child(ren), stepchildren, children legally placed for adoption and legally adopted children. Employees should complete the Dependent ID Request form, located on CentreNet. The form is electronically sent via email to Stephanie Franklin. You will be notified via email when the information is set up and the dependent may go to Student Life to have their ID card made. Hours for dependent ID’s are 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

418 Cowan Commons Dining Hall

All staff are invited to purchase economical and nutritious meals at the students’ dining hall. These are provided at a reduced rate to all employees and their dependents. Three meals per weekday are normally served during the school year with two meals daily on the weekend.

419 Norton Center

The College schedules some of the most talented and well-known U.S. and international artists and entertainers at the Norton Center each year. Subscriptions to these outstanding events are available to employees at discounted prices.

420 Library Privileges

Regular staff members are encouraged to use the materials, services, and facilities of the library. The library is available free of charge and all of the normal rules regarding the return of checked out materials, etc. must be followed. Books and other appropriate resources may be checked out with the use of your employee I.D. card. All regular circulation rules that apply to students also apply to employees.

421 Employee Assistance Program

The College maintains an Employee Assistance Program. The phone number is 800-865-1044. Employees and their dependents may contact this service directly for assistance with a variety of problems including depression, alcoholism and drug dependency, as well as other conditions. Employees may contact this service for up to eight visits per situation, at no initial cost to the employee and all contact is totally confidential between the employee and the Employee Assistance Program.

422 The Centre Bookstore

The College bookstore is located downtown on the corner of Main and Third Street in the former Hub store. In addition to textbooks, the College bookstore maintains an inventory of trade books, clothing with the College logo, greeting cards, gifts, and office supplies. Certain employee discounts may apply to specified purchases.