Staff Handbook

Separation Other Than Retirement

Resignation

Required Notice

If you resign, you are required to give your supervisor at least two weeks’ notice. A letter of resignation should be submitted. If you do not give the required notice, you forfeit vacation pay for your unused vacation accumulation.

Layoff and Severance Pay Plan Eligibility

To be eligible for severance pay, you must have completed one year of continuous, regular employment at NYU at the time of layoff.

Notice

You will be given as much notice of a permanent layoff as possible, but not less than two weeks notice. If two weeks notice is not given, you shall receive one day's pay in lieu of notice for each day less than ten working days that notice was given, with a maximum of two weeks pay. This payment is in addition to any severance pay or bumping rights to which you may be entitled.

Severance Pay

You will receive one-half of one week’s pay for each full year of service up to a maximum of 13 weeks.

Tuition Remission

Your individual entitlement ceases at the end of the semester in which you are laid off.

If you have completed less than three years of continuous, full-time, regular NYU employment, entitlement for your spouse or registered domestic partner and dependent children continues for one semester beyond the one in which you were laid off. If you have completed three or more years of continuous, full-time, regular NYU employment, your spouse or registered domestic partner and children’s entitlement continues until they complete the degree program in which they are enrolled at the time of your layoff.

If you have completed 10 or more years of continuous, full-time, regular NYU employment, children under college-age at the time of layoff will be eligible for four years of Tuition Remission toward completion of a bachelor’s degree when they reach college-age.

No Severance Pay

You are not entitled to severance pay if you leave the University under the following conditions:

• Voluntary resignation
• Discharge for cause
• Disability covered by Workers’ Compensation or New York State Disability Insurance
• Retirement

Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment insurance is a New York State Department of Labor program. All determinations of eligibility are made by the Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance Division, according to the New York State Unemployment Insurance Law. For more information, go to http://www.labor.state.ny.us or call 1-888-209-8124.

When you file your claim, indicate the following in the employer’s section:

New York University
Division of Human Resources — Office of Employee Relations
7 East 12th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003

ID Cards and Keys

You are required to return your ID card, office keys and any other office property to your supervisor by or on your last day of work.

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Vacation

If you have completed six months of NYU employment, you will be paid for any unused vacation days which you have accumulated during the current academic year (starting September 1) as well as any unused vacation days from the prior year which you were authorized by your supervisor and policy to carry over. If you resign, you must give two weeks’ notice or forfeit vacation pay.

Personal Days

Unlike vacation, you are not paid for any unused personal days you leave. No personal days may be taken during your last two weeks of NYU employment.

Eligibility for Continuation of Benefits

Health and Dental Coverage

Your health and dental coverage provided by the University (the NYU Point-of-Service Plan or an HMO; the Dental Assistance Plan) ceases at the end of the month in which you terminate employment, unless you take action to continue coverage.

Unless discharged for cause, you may continue health care coverage through either COBRA continuation or conversion. Both are explained below. You may also extend your participation in the Dental Assistance Plan through COBRA.

• COBRA Continuation of Health and Dental Coverage: Under federal law (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA), if you leave the University before retirement for any reason except misconduct, you may continue your NYU group health and dental coverage for yourself and/or your family members (who were covered by the plan on the date of your separation) for a specific period, which is usually 18 months, when you terminate employment. You will be charged 102% of the full group rate premium for the type of plan you select (coverage for yourself only, or for yourself plus your spouse or one dependent child, or for your family). You also have the right to choose between the NYU Point-of-Service Plan and an HMO during any open enrollment period which falls in the continuation period under COBRA. You will receive notification of your continuation options under COBRA when the Benefits Office receives the paperwork finalizing your separation.

When your health care continuation coverage under COBRA ends, you may convert to an individual (non-group) policy, which will be issued by the insurer (United HealthCare) or the HMO which provided you with coverage during the continuation period (see Conversion of Health Care Coverage, below).

For more information, request a copy of Your COBRA Rights: Continuing Your Coverage, available from the Benefits Office.

• Conversion of Health Care Coverage—Rather than electing COBRA continuation coverage, or when COBRA continuation ends, you may elect to convert to an individual (non-group) policy, which will be issued by the insurer (United HealthCare) or the HMO that provided you with coverage immediately prior to termination of employment. Because such policies generally offer more limited coverage at a higher cost than the NYU group coverage offered under COBRA, it makes sense to continue your coverage under COBRA if you are eligible. A conversion kit will be mailed to you when the Benefits Office receives the paperwork finalizing your separation (and if you continued coverage through COBRA, at the end of your COBRA continuation period).

Consult the Summary Plan Description of each plan for details regarding when group health and dental coverage ends.

Group Life and AD&D Insurance

You can convert from the University’s Group Life Insurance Plan to an individual term life insurance policy without needing evidence of insurability, if you apply within 31 days after your separation date. You pay the full cost of this insurance. A conversion kit will be mailed to you when the Benefits Office receives the paper work finalizing your separation. Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage ceases at the end of the month in which you terminate employment.

Supplemental Life Insurance

You may convert your Supplemental Life Insurance Plan to an individual term life insurance policy without needing evidence of insurability, if you apply within 31 days after your separation date. A conversion kit will be mailed to you when the Benefits Office receives the paperwork finalizing your separation.

Pension and Social Security

See Staff Pension Plan and Retirement Savings.

Tuition Remission

Whether or not tuition remission benefits continue depends on the circumstances under which you leave the University, as described below:

Resignation or Termination
Entitlement for you, your spouse or registered domestic partner and your dependent children ceases on your separation date. You may arrange to pay prorated tuition for the remainder of the semester.

Layoff (due to job abolishment)

Your Entitlement

If you are laid off, your individual entitlement ceases at the end of the semester in which you are laid off.

Entitlement for Your Spouse and Children

• If you are laid off when you have completed 10 or more years of continuous, full-time NYU employment, entitlement for your spouse or registered same-sex domestic partner and dependent children continues until completion of the degree program(s) in which they are enrolled at the time of layoff. Children under college-age at the time of layoff will be eligible for four years of tuition remission toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree at NYU when they reach college-age.
• If you are laid off and have completed three or more years of continuous, full-time NYU employment, entitlement for your spouse or registered same-sex domestic partner and dependent children continues until completion of the NYU degree program(s) in which they are enrolled at the time of layoff.
• If you are laid off before completing three years of continuous, full-time NYU employment, entitlement for NYU tuition remission for your spouse or registered domestic partner and dependent children continues for one semester beyond the one in which you are laid off.

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