Explore the benefits available to you. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support your personal health, well-being, and retirement needs, now and in the future.
Watch the 2024 USG New Hire Benefits Orientation or attend an online USG Benefits Orientation by registering via one of the links below:
We know that USG benefits are important to you and your family. They offer financial protection, valuable resources, peace of mind, and comfort — and we hope you make the most of them.
In this section, you will find information to help you understand what benefits are available to you, who you can cover and how to enroll.
Regular employees working 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in the USG healthcare or voluntary benefits plans. Employees working 20 hours or more per week must enroll in a mandatory retirement plan. Even if you don’t work 30 hours or more, USG offers a number of benefits and programs that you and your eligible dependents can participate in. See the eligibility chart below for more details.
For more details about each plan, review the Comparison Guide or review each plan page, by clicking the benefit name in the eligibility chart below.
| Benefit | Regular (30 hours or more) | Regular (20-29 hours) | Regular (less than 20 hours) | Temporary (30 hours or more) | Temporary (20-29 hours) |
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| Healthcare | x |
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| Dental | x |
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| Vision | x |
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| Life Insurance $25K Basic, Supplemental, Spouse, Child, and AD&D Life | x |
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| Disability Short Term and Long Term Disability | x |
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| Flexible Spending Account (FSA) | x |
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| Health Savings Account (HSA) | x |
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| Employee Assistance Program (EAP) | x | x |
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| USG Well-being Program* | x | x | x | x | x |
| Supplemental Coverage Accident Plan, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness | x |
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| Identity Protection | x |
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| Pet Insurance | x | x | x | x | x |
| Purchasing Power | x | x |
| x |
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| Perks at Work | x | x |
| x |
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| 529 Plan to College Plan | x | x | x | x | x |
| Mandatory Retirement Teachers Retirement or Optional Retirement Plan | x | x |
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| Supplemental Retirement 403(b) and 457(b) | x | x | x | x | x |
* Live events and campus programming are available to all USG employees and retirees. However, only employees enrolled in a USG healthcare plan are eligible to earn USG Well-being credits.
When you elect coverage for yourself, you may also cover your eligible dependents, which include:
If you have an IRS qualified life event, you are required to provide proof of relationship documentation in order to add your dependents to your coverage. Your coverage will not become effective until the documentation is reviewed and approved.
| DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP | DOCUMENTATION NEEDED |
|---|---|
| Your legal spouse | Must provide two (2) of the documents listed below: Marriage certificate Joint tax return within the last 2 years Joint utility |
| Your natural, adopted, or stepchildren, up to age 26 | Must provide one (1) of the documents listed below: Birth Certificate Adoption/legal guardianship documents |
| Your disabled child(ren), over the age of 26 with proof of disability | Note: For disabled dependents enrolling in the healthcare plan, the child must be disabled prior to age 26 in order to be eligible for coverage. |
Mid-Year Change: If you are adding a dependent due to a qualifying mid-year event, documentation must be received within 30 days of the enrollment change.
USG Company Couples and Dependents: Spouses who are both USG employees or who may have dependent children employed by USG, may NOT have duplicate coverage under any plan by covering each other under separate enrollments. Also, children of both USG employed spouses may NOT be covered twice under both parents’ plans.
Visit OneUSG Connect and select Manage Benefits for a complete list of requirements.
You have 30 days from your date of hire or date of eligibility to enroll in your healthcare and voluntary benefits. If you do not elect benefits within your first 30 days, you will not have coverage and your next opportunity to enroll will be during the next Open Enrollment period, unless you experience a qualifying life event.
With a few exceptions, your coverage will become effective the first day of the month following your hire or eligibility date (unless you become benefits-eligible on the first of the month, in which case your coverage would begin immediately, rather than on the first of the following month).
Because your contributions to your FSA, HSA and Critical illness cannot be retroactive, they will become effective the first of the month following the date of your election.
If you are an exempt (salaried) employee who works 20 hours or more per week, you must enroll in one of USG’s mandatory retirement plans: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) Plan or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), within 60 days of your date of hire or date of eligibility. If you are a nonexempt (hourly) employee, you will automatically be enrolled into the TRS plan.
You may enroll in a 403(b) or 457(b) voluntary savings plan at any time during the year.
The date your mandatory retirement coverage becomes effective depends on the plan you elect. If you enroll in TRS, your coverage is effective on your date of hire. If you enroll in ORP, your coverage will be effective the first of the month following your election. Once you make your selection, your decision is irrevocable.
See the retirement section for comprehensive details and enrollment instructions.
USG wants to help you get started with planning for your retirement. Your needs and goals are unique to you, so it is important to start planning right away.
USG offers two retirement plan options, based on your employment status:
If you are a nonexempt employee (paid hourly) working 20 or more hours a week, you are automatically enrolled in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS).
If you are an exempt (salaried) employee working 20 or more hours a week, you can choose either the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). If you don’t enroll in the ORP within your first 60 days of employment with USG, you will automatically and irrevocably be enrolled in the TRS plan.
Ways to save more: You may also choose to contribute to the 403(b) or 457(b) Plan or both, which provide options for deferring pre-tax (and in some cases after-tax) income for retirement savings. What chiefly distinguishes the plans is how the plans consider and penalize withdrawals.
Supplemental 403(b) and 457(b) plan elections can be made at any time during the year. Contributions will begin as soon as administratively possible.
For detailed information on how the 403(b) Plan and 457(b) Plan work, review these guides:
To enroll in healthcare benefits, visit OneUSGConnect.usg.edu, select Manage My Benefits.
* If you elect ORP, you must choose your retirement provider and select your investment options. Please allow one business day for the system to update after your initial election.
After your initial benefit elections, you can only change your benefit elections during each Open Enrollment period, unless you experience a qualifying life event, as defined by IRS Section 125 guidelines. The most common life events are listed below:
Changes to your existing coverage must be consistent with the qualifying life event. If you have a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, birth of a child, divorce), any eligible benefit updates must be completed within 30 days of the life event. You must also provide documentation within 30 days to support the proof of the status change and/or applicable dependent status.
In most cases, your coverage will begin the first calendar day of the month following the qualifying life event, unless your qualifying event occurs on the first calendar day of the month or if your event is birth/adoption. In these two instances, your coverage will be effective the date of the event, except for spending accounts and critical illness.
To make a mid-year change to your benefits, visit OneUSG Connect and select Manage My Benefits and click the Change Your Coverage tile. Or call OneUSG Connect - Benefits Call Center at 1-844-587-4236, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern time.