Benefits at a Glance

Sussex County Community College currently offers full-time employees and their eligible dependents health coverage through the NJ State Health Benefits Program (SHBP). The SHBP allows eligible employees the choice of a Preferred Provider Organization, with two options known as NJ Direct10 and NJ Direct15 (administered for the SHBP by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey), and two HMO plans – Aetna HMO and CIGNA Healthcare.

There is a waiting period of two months following the employee’s full-time date of hire before SHBP coverage begins.

Eligible employees may waive medical benefits and receive a yearly stipend of up to $1,500.

Benefits

Bereavement Leave
The college will provide eligible full-time employees up to five working days of leave with pay in cases of death of an immediate family member. Immediate family member will be defined as spouse, domestic partner or civil union partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, mother-in-law, and father-in-law.

Personal Days
The College provides three personal days per year to regular, full-time employees. Accrual of emergency days only occurs while an employee is on a paid status.

Jury Duty
The college shall provide paid leave for any full-time College employee summoned for jury duty

Sick Days
The college provides 12 sick days per year to all full-time, non-faculty regular employees and ten sick days per year to all full-time regular faculty members. Accrual of sick time will occur only while an employee is on a paid status.

Short Term Disability

Part-time and full-time employees may be eligible to receive short-term disability benefits for non-work related illness or injury which results in an absence from work of more than seven consecutive calendar days. Benefits begin on the eighth consecutive day of disability and continue for related absences up to a maximum of 26 weeks. Weekly benefit amounts are equal to two-thirds of the eligible employees average weekly wage up to a weekly maximum benefit amount which is determined by the State of New Jersey.

Long Term Disability

Employees who are enrolled in either pension plan (PERS, ABP, DCRP) may be eligible for long-term disability benefits. Long-term disability benefits may begin after an eligible employee has been totally disabled for a period of 26 consecutive weeks.

The College currently offers regular full-time employees and their eligible dependents dental insurance through DELTA Dental of New Jersey.

Coverage for eligible employees becomes effective on the 1st of the month following 2 months of continuous full-time employment.

Full-time Employess

Full-time who are enrolled in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)and who carry both non-contributory (employer paid) and the contributory (employee paid) portions of group life insurance, may be eligible for a total death benefit equal to three times the base salary received in the twelve months preceding death. Employees may convert this group life insurance to an individual policy, within 31 days of termination of their employment by directly calling the Prudential Insurance Company.

Regular full-time employees under the age of seventy who are enrolled in the Alternate Benefit Program (ABP) may be eligible for a death benefit equal to three and one-half times the last twelve months of base salary on which pension contributions are based. Employees age seventy and over may be eligible for a death benefit equal to one-half of the last twelve months of base salary on which contributions were based. Employees may convert this group life insurance to an individual policy, within 31 days of termination of their employment, by directly calling Prudential Insurance Company.

Part-time  Employees

Part time employees enrolled in the DCRP may be eligible for life insurance in the amount of l.5x the annual base salary on which DCRP contributions were based.

As a participant of the NJ Division of Pension and Benefits, the college offers three Pension plans to eligible employees.

Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)

This is a defined benefit plan which requires both employee and employer contributions. Employee contribution is 5.5% of base salary on a tax-deferred basis. Employer contributions are actuarially determined each year to insure adequate funding. Vesting is granted in PERS after 10 years of participation or attainment of age 60.

Who is eligible?
All full-time employees who are in a position which does not require a baccalaureate degree must enroll in PERS unless exempt from enrollment because they are already receiving a pension from another NJ retirement fund. Part time employees with a pre-existing PERS account may be eligible to remain in PERS; please consult Human Resources for full details.

Alternate Benefit Program (ABP)

This is a defined contribution plan which requires both employee and employer contributions. Required employee contributions are set by state law at 5% of base salary (tax deferred) and employer contributions are set by state law at 8% of base salary, up to a maximum employer contribution of $11,280 per calendar year. Vesting is granted in ABP after 1 year of participation.

Who is eligible?
All full-time employees who occupy a position which requires a baccalaureate degree and all adjunct faculty must enroll in the ABP.

DCRP (Defined Contribution Retirement Progam)

Part time employees w ho will earn $5,000 per year may enroll in the DCRP, which is administered by Prudential. Employees who enroll must contribute 5.5% of their base salary on a tax-deferred basis, and the employer contributes 3% of their base salary. Eligible employees who choose to waive enrollment in the DCRP will not be eligible to rescind their waiver and later enroll in the DCRP while employed with Sussex County Community College.

The college currently offers regular full-time employees and their eligible dependents prescription insurance benefits through (SHBP). The Employee Prescription Drug Plan is offered through Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and administered by OptumRX.

There is a waiting period of two months following the employee’s full-time date of hire before SHBP coverage begins.

Part-time employees who have a minimum of five years of continuous service to the College will receive straight time pay for a portion of the time the College is closed during the period between Christmas and New Year’s. The hours paid to the eligible employee will be calculated according to a formula determined by the college.

During inclement weather, all part-time employees who report to work will receive a minimum of two hours of regular wages in the event the College is closed due to such weather conditions after the part-time employee commences work but prior to the completion of the two hours of work.

Full-time employees and their eligible dependents may enroll, at no tuition cost, in any credit or non-credit course offered by Sussex.

A regular part-time employee, which shall be defined as an hourly, non-student, employee who has been working for at least six months at Sussex County Community College may take up to three credit courses/seminars per fiscal year tuition free.

Vacation

The College provides paid vacation days to all non-faculty full-time, regular employees who work on a twelve month schedule. Regular non-faculty full-time employees will accrue either 12 or 22 vacation days per fiscal year, depending upon the employees job classification at the college. Employees originally accruing 12 vacation days will increase their annual accrual in accordance with the following schedule:

Years 1-2 = 12 vacation days
Years 3-6 = 16 vacation days
Years 7-9 = 19 vacation days
 Years 10+=22 vacation days

Accrual of vacation time will occur only when an employee is on a paid status.

Holiday

The College will observe certain state and federal holidays. Holidays are determined by the action of the Board in conjunction with the adoption of the College Annual Calendar. Full-time employees who are actively employed on the day of the holiday are granted time off with pay. Generally, the College is closed for the following holidays:

Thanksgiving Day Memorial Day
Christmas Day Fourth of July
New Year’s Day Labor Day
Martin Luther King Day

All College employees are fully protected by Worker’s Compensation Insurance. For more information visit the Worker's Compensation webpage.