Benefits

Montgomery College’s benefits program includes health, dental, and vision coverage; a Health Savings Account for the high-deductible health plan; Flexible Spending Accounts for health care and dependent care; basic and optional life insurance; short-term and long-term disability coverage; and a group legal plan. We participate in the Maryland State Retirement System, and all full-time employees are required to make a statutory retirement plan election, and we also offer supplemental retirement account 403(b) and 457(b) plans with a variety of vendors. The College also offers tuition waivers for credit courses and a robust employee wellness program. All full-time and part-time budgeted employees (and their legal dependents) are eligible to participate in the group health plans tuition waiver benefits. The employee and the College share the cost of the health, dental, and basic life insurance coverage.

Please view the Benefits and Time Off Overview (PDF, ) for additional information.

ALEX Virtual Benefits Counselor

You can also consult the online benefits counselor tool, ALEX new window new window, to help you consider which options best meet your needs. ALEX may provide estimates or suggestions for your benefits based on the information you provide. ALEX does not offer legal, tax, or financial advice or make your final benefits elections; you should fully review all of your benefits plans before making your final election decisions in Workday new window.

ALEX, Your Virtual Assistant

Open Enrollment

Montgomery College benefits plans run on a calendar year. We offer an annual open enrollment period in the fall for the subsequent year, typically beginning mid-October and ending the first week of November. Eligible employees may make changes to their benefits elections without a qualified life event for the next year. All benefits changes are made in Workday. new window

Enrolling in Coverage and Qualified Events

Please note that if you are enrolling for the first time, you need to complete your enrollment through Workday new window within 30 days of your hire date. 

Qualified Life Events (QLEs) are major life changes that occur midyear, outside the Open Enrollment period. It is the employee’s responsibility to make changes to benefits within 30 days of the event in Workday new window, which includes providing required documentation to support the QLE. Examples of common qualified life events that may allow a mid-year change to benefits, and the acceptable documentation required to substantiate the change, include but are not limited to the following:

• Birth or Placement for Adoption (hospital birth record or birth certificate, legal paperwork showing date of adoption)

• Marriage (marriage certificate, not the license)

• Divorce (copy of divorce decree showing effective date)

• Death of a Dependent/Spouse (copy of death certificate)

• Dependent/Spouse gains coverage from new job (copy of offer/benefits letter/email from new employer indicating date benefits will start)

• Dependent/Spouse loses coverage from job (COBRA notice/email or letter from former employer indicating date benefits will end)

• Dependent/Spouse’s Open Enrollment period (Open Enrollment materials showing the date benefits will take effect)   

Dropping Coverage

COBRA coverage is a temporary extension of coverage that applies in certain situations when a loss of health coverage would otherwise occur. The right to COBRA coverage was created by federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. All new hires will receive a COBRA letter from a third-party vendor regarding their eligibility to keep coverage if their eligibility changes or if they separate from the College. This a legal requirement and no action is required. Any employee leaving the College will also receive a COBRA letter reiterating an employee’s rights to keep coverage under the law at their own expense. If you have questions about COBRA, contact the HR Benefits Team new window. 

Some benefits vary depending on which type of position you have at the College. Locate your position type to review your benefits plans.