If your employment at Rutgers is terminated, you will need to consider important information about:
- Continuing Health Insurance Coverage
- Continuing Life Insurance Coverage
- Long Term Disability Insurance Coverage
- Managing Retirement Accounts
- Paid Time Off
- Claiming Unemployment Benefits/Form BC-10
- Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
- Rutgers Federal Credit Union Membership
Continuation Health Insurance Coverage
- Effective January 2, 2020: Medical, dental and prescription drug coverage will terminate at the end of the month the termination of employment occurs. Example: employment termination date is January 29th, insurance coverage will end on January 31st.
- University Human Resources will send COBRA information when notified of employment termination.
Continuation Life Insurance Coverage
- Life insurance coverage continues for 31 days after termination of employment date
- Conversion without medical exam is available and the application for conversion must be submitted within 31 days of termination of employment
Long Term Disability Insurance Coverage
PERS/PFRS/Federal Retirement Plans:
- UNUM - Voluntary Long Term Disability Insurance is available for members of PERS/PFRS in Administrative, Professional, or Supervisory titles and members of the Federal Retirement Systems: Coverage ends on the date of termination
- A conversion privilege, without medical exam, is available and an application for conversion is required within 31 days of termination of coverage.
ABP:
- Long term disability coverage ends on the date of termination
- No conversion privilege
Managing Retirement Accounts
PERS/PFRS
- If you have more than ten years of service and are vested, you may apply for deferred retirement.
- If you lose your job through no fault of your own, you may leave the account open for up to ten years. Contact the Division of Pensions and Benefits at 609-292-7524 for more information .
- If you have less than ten years of pension service, you may leave your account open for up to two years.
- You have the option of withdrawing your pension contributions and ending pension membership. To do so, complete an Application for Withdrawal.
ABP
- If you are vested, you do not have to withdraw funds until you are age 70-1/2.
- If you are vested and choose to withdraw funds, you are considered retired and may not enroll in a New Jersey State pension plan again.
- If you have participated in ABP for less than twelve months, you will receive only your own contributions and earnings, but will not receive Rutgers’ contributions.
Contact your state-authorized investment carrier for more information:
- Equitable 1-866-752-0072
- Empower (formerly Mass Mutual) 1-848-248-4875
- VOYA Financial 1-877-873-0321
- MetLife 1-732-623-5700
- TIAA 1-800-842-8412
- AIG 1-800-448-2542
- Empower (formerly Prudential) 1-855-652-2711
Paid Time Off
- Any unused vacation days, including days accrued, will be paid at the time of termination
- Unused sick leave, AL, and PH days will not be paid at termination.
Paid-Time Off At Separation Calculation Report Available
These reports can be provided to anyone separating from the University.
Employees or ARS administrators may request a projection of available paid time off to be earned and/or paid prior to separation of employment. Please provide the following information in an email request to ARS@HR.RUTGERS.EDU:
- Full Employee Name and email address
- Department or Unit (also OrgID, if known)
- Projected Date of Separation
- Any future planned scheduled time off prior to separation
- ARS administrator name and email address
All requests should be made prior to the employee’s last day of attendance, and at least 1 calendar month prior to separation date. A summary report will be provided to the requestor within 7 days.
Claiming Unemployment Benefits/Form BC-10
- Form BC-10/Unemployment Form Required
- The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development mandates that all employers, including Rutgers, issue Form BC-10 (Instructions for Claiming Unemployment Benefits) to employees who are separated from employment. In the past, the state did not require employers to give Form BC-10 to employees who were laid off for fewer than seven days. However, as a result of recent state legislation (L. 2011, c. 87), Form BC-10 must be given to any employee who becomes unemployed for any reason, whether the unemployment is permanent or temporary. The new law also requires that employers provide separated workers with the following additional information on Form BC-10:
- Date the worker becomes unemployed.
- Recall date, in cases where the employment separation is temporary.
- Notification that the employee may lose some or all benefits if a claim is not filed in a timely manner.
- You must make certain that all sections of the form, including those required by the new legislation, are completed before it is issued to the employee. The form is available for download here. If you have any questions about the use of the form, please contact University Human Resources at 848-932-3020.
- Unemployment insurance benefits may be available for you when employment is terminated through no fault of your own.
- Faculty and staff may be eligible. Students, including teaching assistants, graduate assistants, post docs, and fellows are not eligible.
- The benefit provides up to 60% of the average weekly wage for up to 26 weeks.
- (a weekly maximum of $713 applies in 2020).
- Claims should be filed as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Claims can be filed online or by contacting a regional Reemployment Call Center: Union City (serving Northern New Jersey) 201-601-4100 - Freehold (serving Central New Jersey) 732-761-2020 - Cumberland (serving Southern New Jersey) 856-507-2340
- Unemployment FAQs
For more information, visit the NJ Department of Labor website.
Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
- All faculty and administrative staff and their immediate families are eligible for free, confidential comprehensive counseling and referral services through the Rutgers Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP).
- FSAP provides 24-hour service for crisis and emergency contact.
Credit Union Membership
Notify the Rutgers Federal Credit Union in writing of your change of status, providing updated address information. For additional assistance, contact the Rutgers Federal Credit Union.