Fellowship/Assistantship Transitions and the Impact on Benefits
PURPOSE OF GUIDELINES
Increase the awareness and understanding of the impacts on benefits when a graduate student transitions from a fellowship to an assistantship and vice versa to minimize unintended or unexpected outcomes. Graduate student's access to medical benefits is impacted when transitioning on and off a Graduate Fellowship and/or Graduate Assistantship. This document is intended to serve as a tool for graduate students plus graduate staff, faculty, and administrators seeking to better understand policies that govern access to benefits in addition to the impacts that these transitions have on benefit options, start dates, responsibility for cost of premiums, and waiting periods.
BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY
Texas A&M Graduate Student Fellows
Per Section 1601.1021 of the Texas Insurance Code, Texas A&M Dissertation, Avilés-Johnson, IDP Merit, Pathways to the Doctorate, NSF-GRFP, and NIH-IMSD fellows, and recipients of GREAT Program Supplemental funding are eligible to participate in a Texas A&M University System insurance program. And, per the respective fellowship guidelines, fellows qualify for reimbursement of medical insurance premiums.
The maximum reimbursement for medical insurance premiums for Texas A&M graduate student Dissertation, Avilés-Johnson, IDP Merit, Pathways to the Doctorate, NSF-GRFP, and NIH-IMSD fellows, and recipients of GREAT Program Supplemental funding enrolled in a TAMUS insurance program is equivalent to the cost of the employer contribution for the same premium category on the A&M Grad Plan. The above-mentioned fellows, participating in a non- TAMUS insurance program are eligible for reimbursement for the cost of medical insurance at an amount up to the cost of the employer contribution for the employee only premium category on the A&M Grad Plan.
The maximum reimbursement for medical insurance premiums for Texas A&M graduate students on other external fellowships or training grants is dependent on the fellowship/grant funding guidelines.
Texas A&M international graduate students will automatically have the System Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP) added to their student account at the start of each semester. If the international student qualifies for reimbursement, the reimbursement will be posted to the student’s account.
Texas A&M Graduate Students Employed in a Benefit Eligible Assistantship
- Job Title: Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT), Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL), Graduate Assistant Researcher (GAR), Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching (GANT)
- Percent Effort: 50% (20 hours / week)
- Annual Work Period: Minimum 4.5 Months
POINTS OF CONTACT FOR BENEFIT ELECTIONS AND QUESTIONS
1. Benefit Options
- TAMUS Insurance Program – A&M Grad Plan
- Academic Health Plan (AHP) – System Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP)
2. Benefit Coverage Start Date
- Fellowship start date or within 31 days of fellowship start date
3. Responsibility for Cost of Premiums
- Graduate student fellows are responsible for the full cost of premiums, but they may qualify for reimbursement of premiums per the fellowship guidelines.
4. Enrollment Process
- Graduate students employed by Texas A&M University or Texas A&M Health Science Center will complete the fellow’s insurance enrollment process found on the HROE Fellows Benefits Benefit webpage to enroll in the A&M Grad Plan or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP. Graduate students in the College of Engineering and Texas A&M Experiment Station will complete the Engineering Graduate Student Fellow Benefit Enrollment form or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP. Graduate students employed by the College of Agriculture and AgriLife will contact their benefits POC for enrollment in the A&M Grad Plan or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP.
- International graduate students will automatically have the SSHIP added to their T&F statement at the start of each semester. If international graduate students choose to enroll in the A&M Grad Plan, it is imperative they work with Benefits Services to ensure all actions are processed prior to the semester’s SSHIP waiver deadline. Enrollment after the SSHIP waiver deadline may result in the student being charged for duplicate coverage. International students cannot have a break in coverage.
5. Waiting Period
- Graduate students transitioning onto a fellowship will not incur a 60-day waiting period as there is no state contribution.
1. Benefit Options
- TAMUS Insurance Program – A&M Grad Plan
2. Benefit Coverage Start Date:
| Coverage Start Date | Time Period to Enroll |
| Date of hire/initial eligibility | 7 days from date of hire/initial eligibility date |
First of the month following date of
hire/initial eligibility | End of month in which you are hired/initially eligible |
Employer contribution eligibility date (first
of the month after our 60th day of employment) | 31 days from date of hire/initial eligibility |
3. Responsibility for Cost of Premiums
- Graduate student employees are responsible for the full cost of premiums for any benefit elections with a start date prior to 1st day of the month after the 60-day waiting period.
- Employer contribution begins 1st day of the month after the 60-day waiting period.
4. Enrollment
- Graduate students will work with their Benefits POC to discuss benefit election options. The graduate student should tell their Benefits POC they are transitioning off a fellowship.
- International graduate students will automatically have the SSHIP added to their T&F statement at the start of each semester. If international graduate students choose to enroll in the A&M Grad Plan, it is imperative they work with Benefits Services to ensure all actions are processed prior to the semester’s SSHIP waiver deadline. Enrollment after the SSHIP waiver deadline may result in the student being charged for duplicate coverage. International students cannot have a break in coverage.
5. Waiting Period
- If the graduate student chooses a benefit start date after the date of hire, the graduate student may have a break in benefits coverage.
1. Benefit options
- TAMUS Insurance Program - A&M Grad Plan
- Academic Health Plan (AHP) – System Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP)
2. Benefit Coverage Start Date
- Fellowship start date or within 31 days of fellowship start date
3. Responsibility for Cost of Premiums
- Graduate student fellows are responsible for the full cost of premiums, but they may qualify for reimbursement of premiums per the fellowship guidelines.
4. Enrollment
- Graduate students should tell their employing department and their Benefits POC that they plan to transition to receiving benefits as a graduate student fellow. This is imperative so that the necessary Workday actions can be processed timely.
If there is a gap in the time period from the graduate student’s assistantship termination date and their fellowship start date, their Benefits POC will discuss available options for coverage during the gap period. Reimbursement for premiums during the gap period are dependent on the fellowship criteria.
- Graduate students employed by Texas A&M University or Texas A&M Health Science Center will complete the fellow’s insurance enrollment process found on the HROE Fellows Benefits Benefit webpage to enroll in the A&M Grad Plan or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP. Graduate students in the College of Engineering and Texas A&M Experiment Station will complete the Engineering Graduate Student Fellow Benefit Enrollment form or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP. Graduate students employed by the College of Agriculture and AgriLife will contact their benefits POC for enrollment in the A&M Grad Plan or contact Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP.
- Graduate students should tell their Benefits POC if they plan to return to a benefit eligible assistantship following the end date of their fellowship.
- International graduate students will automatically have the SSHIP added to their T&F statement at the start of each semester. If international graduate students choose to enroll in the A&M Grad Plan, it is imperative they work with Benefits Services to ensure all actions are processed prior to the semester’s SSHIP waiver deadline. Enrollment after the SSHIP waiver deadline may result in the student being charged for duplicate coverage. International students cannot have a break in coverage.
5. Waiting Period
- Graduate students transitioning onto a fellowship will not incur a 60-day waiting period as there is no state contribution.
1. Benefit Options
- Academic Health Plan (AHP) – System Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP)
2. Benefit Coverage Start Date
- Consult the Academic Health Plan SSHIP Enrollment page for semester specific information about policy effective dates.
3. Responsibility for Cost of Premiums
- Graduate student fellows are responsible for the full cost of premiums.
4. Enrollment
- International graduate students will automatically have the SSHIP added to their T&F statement at the start of each semester. International students cannot have a break in coverage.
- Domestic graduate students not wishing to remain on benefits need to contact their Benefits POC to confirm the last date of coverage.
- Domestic graduate students wishing to remain on benefits need to contact their Benefits POC to confirm their last date of coverage and Academic Health Plans (AHP) to enroll in the SSHIP. It is imperative these students communicate with their Benefits POC their intent to enroll in the SSHIP so that their termination date of their benefits as a fellow aligns with their SSHIP benefit start date.
5. Waiting Period
- N/A
To view the full guidelines as a pdf, click here.
