Transitioning Benefits
If you're transitioning from one congregation or UUA-affiliated employer to another, or if you are retiring, we want to help you ensure that your benefits transition seamlessly.
Action Steps
- Review the benefits you may have carried under your old employer.
- Be aware of the number of "gap" days between end of old employment and beginning of new employment.
- Talk to your new congregation or UUA-affiliated employer about what benefits they offer.
- Agree about the benefits you will carry and how they will be funded.
- Complete the Benefits Change Form and report your benefit transition
- To enroll in new benefits, complete the Benefit Enrollment Form.
The forms must be completed within 30 days after your official start date at your new congregation. For example, if your start date is August 1, the form must be received by OCSF on or before August 30.
UUA Health Plan
The UUA Health Plan, offered through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, offers consistent coverage everywhere in the United States.
Are you currently enrolled in Health insurance through the UUA?
- Check on the details of coverage with your new congregation to ensure they participate in the UUA Health Plan.
- If your congregation participates in the UUAHP, your coverage will be moved seamlessly to your new congregation and you and your dependents will use your current ID cards.
- Some congregations have other plans in place. If your new congregation does not allow participation in the UUA Health Plan, your coverage will be terminated on the last day of the month you end working at your old congregation.
- If your new congregation does not already participate in the UUA Health Plan and you and they agree to continue your coverage, your congregation must complete an Employer Subscription Agreement
- Your rate will change based on your new home zip code. Check your new rate with our Rate Calculator.
- Your employment change is considered a Qualifying Event, so you will have 30 days from your start date at your new congregation to make changes to your coverage (add dependents, change plan, etc.) or enroll in new coverage.
Are you NOT currently enrolled in the UUA Health Plan:
- Please review our Plan Details and decide if the UUA Health Plan is the right plan for you in your new location.
- If your new congregation participates in the UUA Health Plan, please complete the Benefit Enrollment Form to enroll. Check with your new congregation to find out what your effective date of coverage will be as it will depend on the Subscription Agreement your congregation has in place with the UUA.
- If your new congregation does not participate in the UUA Health Plan, they may choose to offer it to you and in that case your congregation must complete an Employer Subscription Agreement.
Retirement Plan
The Unitarian Universalist (UU) Organizations Retirement Plan enables transitioning employees to easily continue their retirement plan savings while serving different UU entities throughout their employment.
Once you begin with the UU Organizations Retirement Plan at a participating UU employer, you may bring your Plan with you to a new UU entity if they are also a participating employer.
If your new UU employer is not participating in the Plan and you would like your Retirement Plan to continue, please have your employer reach out to retirementplan@uua.org.
Life, Long term Disability, and Dental insurance
The Unitarian Universalist Group Insurance Plans (UUGIP) offer five types of coverage: Life/Accidental Death & Dismemberment (Life/AD&D), Long-Term Disability (LTD), Accident Indemnity, Hospital Indemnity, and Dental coverage through Guardian.
If you are currently not enrolled in these plans, review the details of coverage associated with each benefit, and agree with your new congregational-employer about participation in the plans and funding of the premiums. Then submit enrollment via the Benefit Enrollment Form. Enrollment for the Group Insurance Plans must be completed within the first 60 days of hire.