The following types of employees are eligible for state and supplemental insurance benefits: 

• Full-time faculty and staff, including those on research grants and time-limited positions, working 30+ hours per week.
• Full-time variable-hour employees eligible under the ACA, averaging 130+ hours per month or 30+ hours per week.
• Part-time FTE faculty and staff working at least 20 hours per week.
• Part-time FTE research grant and time-limited faculty and staff working at least 20 hours per week, as stated in their offer or reappointment letter.
• Temporary employees working 30+ hours per week in a single position.
• Temporary employees in multiple positions are evaluated for eligibility based on their earliest hire date and annually.
• Temporary employees in multiple positions with the same hire date totaling 30+ hours

PEBA establishes eligibility requirements for spouses and dependent children. Review these rules before completing your enrollment.

Spouses

If you are married, you must list your spouse as a dependent, even if you are not enrolling them in coverage. A spouse eligible for coverage as an employee of USC or another PEBA-participating employer cannot be covered as your dependent and must enroll or decline coverage based on their own eligibility. If your covered spouse becomes eligible through a PEBA-participating employer, you must remove them from your coverage within 31 days.

Listing your spouse does not enroll them in coverage; it documents your marital relationship for enrollment purposes.

Children Under Age 26

Eligible children may remain on a parent's health, dental and vision coverage through age 25, regardless of student status. A child who is also eligible for PEBA benefits through employment may choose dependent or employee coverage but cannot combine the two across insurance programs. If both parents are PEBA-eligible, only one parent may cover the child under the same plan.

Children Age 26 and Older

Dependent eligibility generally ends at age 26, with coverage ending the first of the month following the child's 26th birthday. An exception may apply for an incapacitated child.

Incapacitated Children

Coverage may continue beyond age 26 for an unmarried child who meets PEBA's requirements for incapacitation, dependency and continuous coverage. Incapacitation generally must be established within 31 days of the child's 26th birthday using the Incapacitated Child Certification and required supporting documentation. PEBA makes the final eligibility determination.

Questions? Contact your campus HR-Benefits Office with questions about dependent eligibility or enrollment. For additional information, refer to PEBA's Insurance Benefits Guide. Coverage is governed by the applicable State Health Plan Plan of Benefits and insurance contracts. 

All paid employees, except student employees, are eligible for state retirement benefits. 

Certain employees may opt out of state retirement by electing non-membership. Election of non-membership must be exercised within 30 days of initial eligibility.  If election of non-membership is not exercised within the 30 days, or if no retirement program is selected within the 30 days, you  will be automatically enrolled into the SCRS or PORS (whichever is applicable) retirement system, which is irrevocable. 

If you are not sure about your retirement eligibility, please contact your Campus Benefits Office [pdf].

Employees transferring from another PEBA-participating employer cannot make changes to state retirement or insurance benefits unless a special eligibility situation occurs simultaneously with the transfer to the university.

Transfer employees and their previous employer must complete the USC Transfer Employee Form [pdf]. 

If you have previous employment with a South Carolina state agency or South Carolina school district, please complete the USC Employment Verification Form. This completed form will assist us in determining your state service date, as well as calculating your appropriate annual leave accrual rate.

Employees who have retired from the University of South Carolina may be subject to additional requirements including a rehire waiting period, retirement system contribution requirements, insurance benefits, and earnings limitations.

If you retired from the University of South Carolina, or any other state agency, please review our guidance for retirees returning to work and HR Policy 2.02 [pdf].