Employee Benefits

Medical Insurance

Fisher offers three medical insurance plan options:

• High Deductible Health Plan
• Simply Blue Hybrid Plan
• Blue EPO Plan

Fisher’s medical insurance plans, administered by Excellus BCBS, offer comprehensive hospitalization and outpatient services. These plans utilize BCBS’ vast national BlueCard network of providers, ensuring you have access to quality healthcare wherever you are. Prescription drug coverage is administered by CVS/Caremark with over 60,000 participating pharmacies including CVS, Wegmans, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Fisher provides a generous contribution toward the cost of coverage with your cost based on which plan and tier of coverage you select and your salary (refer to the Benefits Guide [pdf] for details). 

Health Savings Account

If you are enrolled in the High Deductible Health Plan, Fisher will make an annual contribution to an HSA of either $550 for individual coverage or $1,100 for family coverage (pro-rated during your first year of employment). You may also choose to make voluntary HSA contributions up to the annual IRS maximum (including Fisher’s contribution).

Dental Insurance

Fisher offers two dental insurance plan options:

• High Plan
• Low Plan

Fisher’s dental insurance plans are through Excellus BCBS and cover most preventative, diagnostic, and basic and major restorative services. The percentage of covered services paid depends on which plan you are enrolled in, with both plans paying 100% for preventative services. The High Plan’s annual maximum benefit is $1,500 per person with an additional $1,000 lifetime orthodontia benefit per child.  The Low Plan’s annual maximum benefit is $1,000 per person.

Fisher contributes $100 per year toward the cost of coverage with your cost based on which plan and tier of coverage you elect (refer to the Benefits Guide [pdf] for details).  

Vision Insurance

Fisher’s low-cost vision insurance plan is through VSP Vision Care. The plan includes low copayments for vision exams and lenses and an annual allowance for frames and contacts. You can go to any vision care provider you choose; however, your out-of-pocket costs may be lower if you go to a VSP network provider. 

Flexible Spending Accounts

Fisher offers two FSA options:

• Healthcare FSA
• Dependent Care FSA

Participation in FSAs enables you to pay certain out-of-pocket medical, dental, prescription drug, vision, and dependent daycare expenses with pre-tax dollars. The advantage of this program is that your designated amount is deducted from your gross pay each pay period before taxes. By lowering your gross wages, you pay less tax on the money that you earn. You may choose to make voluntary FSA contributions up to the annual IRS maximum.

Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

Fisher provides basic life insurance and AD&D, each equal to one times your annual base salary up to a maximum of $160,000, at no cost to you. AD&D is paid when death is due to an accident, or it pays a partial benefit for severe injuries sustained as a result of an accident. You may also purchase additional life insurance with AD&D for yourself and your family.

Voluntary Benefits

Fisher offers a number of voluntary benefits, including:

• Critical Illness
• Accident Insurance
• Identity Theft Protection

Employee Assistance Program

Fisher’s EAP provides free, confidential, professional counseling and assistance to help employees and their families resolve problems that affect their personal and professional lives. 

Fisher provides a 403(b) Retirement Plan with a generous University contribution through the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). All employees (except student employees) may participate in the plan immediately upon hire. You may contribute from 1% to 75% of your pre-tax base compensation to the plan up to annual maximum dollar amounts determined by the IRS each year.

If your salary deferral is at least 2%, you will automatically receive an 8% contribution from Fisher once you have met the plan’s eligibility requirements. Fisher’s contribution typically begins after six months of full-time employment. If you were participating in another employer’s 403(b) Plan immediately prior to being hired by Fisher on a full-time basis, the six-month waiting period is waived once supporting documentation is provided to Human Resources. Employees who work less than full-time are eligible for Fisher’s contribution when they have satisfied the plan’s hours of service requirement. Fisher’s contribution is 100% vested, meaning you immediately have full ownership of these contributions. 

Fisher offers several educational assistance plans to support personal and professional development and foster life-long learning experiences. Beginning with the semester following one year of service, full- and part-time employees, their spouses, and their dependents (as defined by policy) can receive full tuition remission for undergraduate credit courses at Fisher.

Beginning with the semester following one year of service, full-time employees may also be eligible to receive full tuition remission for graduate credit courses at Fisher based on program availability.

The Employee Handbook [pdf] describes additional details and eligibility requirements for tuition remission. Fisher also participates in a tuition remission program with Nazareth University and the National Tuition Exchange program.

Holidays

Fisher provides eligible employees with ten paid holidays each year. The University’s President may also designate additional holidays, typically between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Vacation

12-month full- and part-time staff employees who are scheduled to work at least 17.5 hours each week and 12-month faculty accrue vacation each pay period based on their position and length of service.  Vacation accrual begins with your first paycheck. 

Paid Absence (staff)

Fisher offers paid absence, which provides time off with pay for those who are occasionally absent from work due to their own or a family member’s illness/injury or certain personal reasons beyond their control. Full- and part-time staff employees who are hired to work at least 17.5 hours per week, begin to accrue paid absence with their first paycheck up to 12 days during each full anniversary year of service to a maximum of 55 days.

New York State Paid Sick Leave (faculty & part-time coaches)

Fisher offers paid sick leave, which provides time off with pay for those who are occasionally absent from work due to their own or a family member’s illness/injury or certain personal reasons beyond their control. Full- and part-time faculty and coaches begin to accrue sick leave with their first paycheck, equal to one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum accrual of 56 hours each calendar year.

Short-Term Disability (staff)

Short-term disability is an income protection benefit that provides eligible staff employees with 60% of their base pay if they are unable to perform their jobs because of a non-work-related injury or illness (including pregnancy and childbirth). Fisher provides this benefit at no cost to you. 

Faculty Medical Leave (full-time faculty)

Faculty Medical Leave is an income protection benefit that provides eligible faculty with 100% salary continuation if they are unable to perform their jobs because of a non-work-related injury or illness (including pregnancy and childbirth). Fisher provides this benefit at no cost to you. 

Family Medical Leave Act (staff and faculty)

Employees are eligible for FMLA leave if they have been employed by Fisher for 12 months and have worked 1,250 hours or more during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave.  FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 52-week period when qualifying family or medical circumstances require a leave of absence.

New York Paid Family Leave (staff)

PFL provides leave to eligible employees to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or prepare for a family member’s call to active military service. PFL provides 12 weeks of paid job-protected leave within a rolling 52-week period. The PFL benefit is 67% of average weekly earnings, up to a weekly maximum. 

Long-Term Disability

Fisher provides LTD insurance to you at no cost.  LTD benefits begin after 180 days of disability if the insurance carrier approves. In general, LTD benefits are 60% of your annual base salary up to a maximum monthly benefit of $7,500.