Benefits
Insurance
For policy coverage and eligibility details, please call 800-762-8505 or visit the “Student Blue” portal of Blue Cross/Blue Shield: www.bcbsnc.com/content/studentblue. (Here is a guide for navigating the portal.)
Note: Coverage begins the first of the month following the month of hire and ends the last day of the month of appointment (does not extend for 30 days).
For those Postdocs with insured spouses, their monthly premium will be an additional $453.30. The monthly premium to cover children will be an additional $461.60 (the child rate does not depend on the number of children enrolled). The monthly premium to cover family (spouse and child/ren) will be an additional $914.90.
If a spouse and/or children are not currently insured under this plan, the Postdoc may add them with an effective date of July 1, 2023, during the open enrollment period (July 1 through July 31).
Find more information about what the Student Health Center fee covers here.
Other Resources & Benefits
NEW! Counseling and Psychological Services: Postdocs enjoy the same access to CAPS that graduate students do, including group therapy and one-on-one appointments.
Parental Leave For Postdoctoral Fellows
Post-Doctoral Fellows are entitled to take up to six (6) weeks of leave immediately following the birth or adoption of a child. This policy recognizes that supporting a post-doctoral fellow is a shared responsibility between the PI, the Department, the College, the Graduate School, and the Division of Research.
While this policy recognizes the protections afforded to pregnant women under Title IX, the policy goes beyond the legal protections to ensure that, in cases where a parent is a postdoctoral fellow at UNC Charlotte, that parent has the option to take leave.
This policy does not attempt to cover every circumstance related to parental accommodations. Rather, this policy should be seen as the baseline for accommodations. Principal Investigators are encouraged to be creative and flexible when accommodating post-docs.
The goal is to:
- Provide funding and staffing to ensure that the research can continue during the leave period;
- Enable the postdoc to take paid parental leave without losing their position.
Process:
Advanced planning is important so that research obligations can be met by the PI.
Post-docs seeking to take parental leave should:
- discuss and create a plan with the PI mentor at least eight (8) weeks prior to leave to ensure that progress on the research continues during leave.
- submit a parental leave request form (coming soon!)
The PI should:
- If the Post-doc is grant-funded, the PI will proactively work with the Division of Research to determine if grant funding can be used to pay the salary during leave. If that is not possible, the Division of Research will consult with the Graduate School to identify funds.
- If a PI has specific, research-related deadlines that fall during the planned leave, the PI should discuss these needs with the Division of Research to determine if temporary funding for another individual might be available. Hiring a temporary replacement is not always possible, given the deep expertise that might be needed. Advanced planning will help minimize impacts in these situations.
Retirement Plans: Enrollment in 403(b) and 457(b)
Postdoctoral scholars subject to FICA are eligible to participate in the UNC System Voluntary 403(b), the North Carolina 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan, or the UNC System 457(b) Retirement Plan. More information here.
Vacation and Sick Leave
As temporary employees, postdocs will not accrue vacation or sick leave. However, the University recognizes that postdocs will likely work non-standard hours in the course of their duties, and faculty supervisors may make appropriate arrangements for compensatory leave per the specific working conditions.