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Benefits

Benefits Guidebook at Swarthmore | Benefits Eligibility Date | Continuing Benefits If Your Employment Status Changes

Swarthmore College is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our community members and their families. We are proud to offer a comprehensive, high-quality suite of benefits designed to meet the diverse needs of our exceptional faculty and staff by offering a variety of meaningful and flexible choices at a fair and equitable cost. 

You are considered benefit eligible if you have a regular position of 0.50 FTE (full time equivalent) position or greater.  If you are unsure of your FTE status, please ask your supervisor or Human Resources. 

Swarthmore College offers generous paid time off programs for benefits eligible staff members, including holidays, vacation, and sick leave benefits. In addition, Swarthmore offers a wide range of benefit plans for benefit-eligible staff and their dependents, including:

  • Healthcare coverage (Medical, Dental, Vision)
  • Domestic Partner Coverage
  • Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Life Insurance
  • Salary Continuation (Short Term Disability)
  • Long Term Disability
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan
  • Tuition Grant Program
  • Tuition Reimbursement Program
  • Group Legal Program
  • Pet Insurance

Benefits Guidebook at Swarthmore

The yearly Benefits Guidebook contains  a general overview of Swarthmore’s benefit programs, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and voluntary benefit plans. More specific information is provided in a Summary Plan Description (SPD) for each benefit program; SPDs are available upon request from Human Resources and distributed annually. The SPDs are the actual plan document for each benefit program providing the official language that prevails if questions arise. Please be aware that plan offerings may change year to year and most plan elections are made during the open enrollment period. 

Benefits Eligibility Date

Benefits eligibility is determined by your date of hire or transfer into a permanent or limited term position with a 0.50 FTE or greater. If you are hired on the first day of the month, benefits are effective immediately. Otherwise, benefits begin the first day of the following month.

Continuing Benefits If Your Employment Status Changes

If your employment changes from a status where you have been eligible for benefits to a status where you are no longer eligible for benefits, you may be able to continue your healthcare coverage at your own cost through COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act). You may also be able to convert other insurance coverage to individual policies at your own cost depending upon the provisions of the benefit plan. For more information, contact Human Resources.