Benefits

If you have to be absent from campus for professional reasons for more than seven (7) days, you will need to notify your department chair and secure the appropriate approvals. 

Faculty do not accrue hours toward either sick leave or vacation credits. As academic-year employees that render service during the entire academic year, i.e., nine months, faculty do not render service during the summer period. It is assumed that faculty will pace themselves so as to balance their personal needs and their obligations to teach and conduct research. Absences due to short-term illness can usually be covered through consultation with the department chair; leaves for major illness are covered by medical leave policies (APM 710).
 

Please reference Academic Personnel’s page on Family Friendly Policies for more information.

Childbearing faculty who have at least a year's service with the University are eligible for up to eight (8) weeks of paid childbearing leave. Parents of any gender may request up to a year's parental leave without pay for the purpose of caring for a child (Red Binder VI-4). New parents may also be eligible for "Active Service - Modified Duties," a paid status that allows for some reduction in workload (Red Binder VI-5).
 

For every quarter a faculty member works at least 50% time in an eligible title, they accrue credit toward sabbatical leave. Faculty are eligible to take a quarter's sabbatical leave at full pay after nine (9) quarters of qualifying service, or a leave at fractional pay after only six (6) quarters of qualifying service. Many combinations of qualifying service, number of quarters on sabbatical, and percentages of salary are possible. Details on sabbatical leave may be found in Red Binder VI-2. For amplification of the sabbatical leave policy, talk with the department chair, business officer, or Academic Personnel.
 

UC offers employees a wide choice of medical plans. Some have lower premiums; others provide more flexibility in the doctors and hospitals employees can use. All of the plans offer comprehensive benefits, including medical and behavioral health office visits, hospital services, and prescription drug coverage. To help you choose, visit the UC's website on comparing medical plans.

If employees are eligible for Full benefits, they may choose between two dental plans: Delta Dental PPO and DeltaCare USA, which is similar to a medical HMO, with a network of dentists. UC pays the full cost of either plan for an employee and their family. Additionally, employees eligible for Full benefits will have the full cost of vision insurance premiums covered by UC for the employee and their family. Visit UCnet's webpage on Health Plans for more information.

Please note that you only have 31 days from your first day at work (or first day in an appointment that makes you newly eligible for benefits) to enroll in your health and welfare benefits. Enroll online by signing in to UCPath.

When it comes to choosing retirement benefits, employees have two options - Pension Choice or Savings Choice. The sooner an employee enrolls, the sooner they will start receiving UC contributions (and service credit under Pension Choice). Visit UCnet's webpage on retirement benefits to learn more about these two options. All employees have 90 days to choose a primary retirement benefit; the enrollment window closes once you submit a choice. If you do not choose a primary retirement option, you will automatically be enrolled in Pension Choice at the end of the 90-day period.

Please note that you may not change your enrollment if you have chosen or are placed in Pension Choice.

UCSB Human Resources has a comprehensive list of resources available to employees in the following categories: financial wellbeing, physical + environmental wellbeing, social + emotional wellbeing, and workplace wellbeing. Visit their page on Wellness Resources for more information.

The myfamily.ucsb.edu website provides a centralized location for employees to find information and resources regarding youth, elderly, and family services. The website is a collaborative effort between the Academic Senate Council on Faculty Welfare, the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, Human Resources, and Public Affairs and Communications.

The resources listed on myfamily.ucsb.edu highlight services found at UCSB, as well as outside the University in the surrounding communities. Please note that the University does not recommend or endorse any particular non-University resource on the website.