PT Benefits Enrollment - Human Resources - Carnegie Mellon University

Benefits Enrollment for New Part-Time Faculty and Staff

As a new part-time, benefits-eligible employee, one of your first tasks is to enroll in your benefit options and complete the paperwork required of new employees. This page includes the processes required by the Benefits Office to enroll you in the university's benefit programs.

Medical, Life Insurance and AD&D Benefits:

As a new benefits-eligible employee you must enroll or opt-out of health care, life insurance and/or AD&D benefits coverage for yourself and your eligible dependents no later than 30 days from your hire date. To enroll or opt-out of coverage:

  1. Review the Benefits Workbook for Domestic Part-Time Employees [pdf]
  2. Connect to HR Connection. (Enter your Andrew User ID/Password to authenticate, then enter your date of birth [mm/dd/yyyy] as your HR Connection password.) Follow the prompts to select your benefits in each category.
  3. If you are in a same- or opposite-sex domestic partnership, review the Domestic Partners of Part-Time Faculty and Staff Registration Packet [pdf] and complete any of the appropriate forms. You cannot use HR connection to process benefits for your partner until the registration form has been submitted and accepted.
  4. If you are enrolling a spouse/domestic partner or dependent children in your coverage, documentation that proves your relationship must be submitted within 30 days of their enrollment date, or they will be removed from your coverage.

Retirement Benefits:

If you work at least 1,000 hours in an employment year, the university contributes to a 403(b) retirement plan account on your behalf at no cost to you. You are automatically enrolled in the university’s plan (with no waiting period) in an age-appropriate TIAA-CREF LifeCycle fund. You can, at any time, change the TIAA-CREF default enrollment. 

Regardless of your eligibility for university contributions, you can also enroll in a Tax-Deferred Annuities Plan (TDA), where you contribute your own money to a retirement option. University and personal contributions can be invested in a variety of TIAA-CREF or Vanguard annuities and mutual funds.

To enroll in an TDA or to change your default university enrollment:

  1. Review the Enrolling in Your Carnegie Mellon Retirement Benefits [pdf] overview.
  2. Access the retirement carrier websites or enrollment guides to research their funds and products:
  3. Complete the appropriate university and carrier enrollment forms:
If you don't enroll in or opt-out of benefits within the 30-day enrollment period, your benefits coverage will be defaulted.
  • Medical: none
  • Rx: none
  • Life Insurance: Basic (1 x salary)
  • AD&D Insurance: none
  • Retirement: age appropriate TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Fund (if/when eligible)
  • Supplemental Retirement Account: no contributions

default benefits plan