PART-TIMERS

Adjunct faculty: Don’t forget to claim your medical insurance stipend by the end of the semester

by Jessica Silver-Sharp, AFT 1493 Secretary

You may not be aware that every SMCCD adjunct faculty member who will complete 40% or more of a full-time load (6/15 FLC) in the District can receive reimbursement for as much as $1,505.00/semester for medical insurance premiums paid out of pocket to California licensed health plans. The most important caveats are that you must have purchased health insurance yourself (not through your spouse or partner’s plan) and these premiums cannot have been paid or reimbursed by another employer.

In recent years, with plenty of hard work, AFT has been able to increase this stipend by an impressive 300%. While adjunct faculty still cannot participate in the district’s health care benefits program, the stipend should make a considerable difference.  For this reason, AFT wants to make sure all eligible adjuncts are aware that the process for filing a claim for reimbursement is very straightforward. Officially, we are talking about the Adjunct (Part-Time) Faculty Medical Reimbursement Program, which is also the name of the form you’ll submit to HR by December 31st.  You can download the form from the District SharePoint site.

If you’re new to the lingo of FLCs and even health benefits, you’re not alone. Many of our new part-time instructors are. HR representative George Sampior will patiently explain what you need to know. He responds to inquiries in a timely manner. He even answers his phone! Your AFT chapter chairs and reps can also support you if you have questions or run into an obstacle.

To make sure I understood the process clearly, I called Mr. Sampior for answers to common questions:

Q: Which months are applicable?
A. For this semester, it’s July 1 – December 31.
Q: Do I need to work 40% at just one campus?
A: No, multiple assignments in our District can total 40%.
Q: How do I know if I’m at 40%?
A: Mr. Sampior will calculate the total for you if you’re unsure.

So here’s what to do:

Mark your calendar to submit your form by December 20th. (In case anything goes wrong, you still have until December 31st!)

Fill out your Form and dig up, request, print or download your canceled check or paid insurance statements for any months between July and December, 2019.

Drop by your campus library and use the free scanner to submit your form and proof of payment documentation to sampiorg@smccd.edu.

If you don’t receive confirmation, check in with Mr. Sampior at (650) 358-6744.

To receive reimbursement through direct deposit, complete the ACH form from the District SharePoint site and submit to Victoria Lin in Accounts Payable at linv@smccd.edu. (If you already submitted one in the past there is no need to submit another one. Please note, Payroll Direct Deposit and ACH Direct Deposit are NOT the same.)