Human Resources

Special COBRA Election Period for Dependents: Covered dependents of employees can also elect COBRA continuation coverage for a period of up to 36 months if the loss of insurance is caused by such things as:

• Death of the employee;

• Divorce, legal separation or the termination of a Domestic Partnership

• Loss of dependent child status ( child’s 26^th birthday)

Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)

If you were enrolled in the Bowdoin College Health Plan and your annual salary was $41,700 and under you were eligible for a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) through the College. This account will end as of the 1^st of the month following your terminate date. Eligible expenses must be incurred prior to or on your termination date. If you elect COBRA continuation coverage for the Bowdoin College PPO Health Plan your HRA account will be reinstated through the end of the calendar year as long as you maintain your COBRA coverage at least through the end of the calendar year. 

Medical and/or Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts  (also known as Flexible Spending Accounts)

You can also elect to continue your Health Care Reimbursement Account through COBRA for the remainder of the calendar year. Eligible expenses must be incurred prior to or on your termination date. It is important to understand that should you elect COBRA, your monthly contributions will be made on an after-tax basis. With this in mind, if you have enough receipts to allow you to claim the funds already deducted from your pay prior to your termination date, you may decide not to elect COBRA continuation coverage. If, however, you anticipate difficulty in claiming funds already withdrawn from your pay and you anticipate future expenses within that same calendar year, this may be a way to extend the period of time during which you may incur eligible expenses.

You have up to 60 days from your termination date to elect COBRA for your Health Care Reimbursement Account. If the election form is completed and returned to Human Resources within the 60 day window, your coverage is reinstated retroactively to the date it ended. If elected, monthly billing information will be sent to you by the College.

COBRA applies only to "health plans" (including medical, dental, vision, and medical reimbursement account plans). It does not apply to your Dependent Care Reimbursement Account. For a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, however, you can continue to submit daycare expenses incurred during the remainder of the calendar year.

Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance

Coverage for Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance ends on your termination date. You can apply to continue the basic life insurance and/or any employee or dependent supplemental life insurance coverage(s) you had in place by “porting” your coverage. To “port” your basic and/or supplemental life insurance coverage, you must complete a portability application for The Hartford Life Insurance Company and return it to them with payment for the 1^st three months within 31 days of your termination of employment. Portability rates are based on the amount of insurance and your age and will be included along with the portability application.

An individual (employee or spouse/domestic partner) is not eligible to continue group life insurance if he/she has reached their Defined Retirement Age as established by the Social Security Administration.

The combined limit on basic and supplemental life insurance eligible for portability is $250,000.

Short and Long Term Disability Insurance

This is no option to continue Short Term Disability Insurance. Coverage ends for both Short Term and Long Term Disability Plans on your termination date.

If you have been covered by the College’s Long Term Disability Insurance for at least 12 months prior to the end of your employment, you may be eligible to convert the plan and become insured under The Hartford Group Long Term Disability Conversion Policy. Information and an application to apply for a quote to convert your long term disability coverage will be sent to you at the time of your termination. If interested, you must complete the application for conversion of long term disability insurance and return it to The Hartford within 31 days of your termination date.

Retirement Plans

While working at Bowdoin you may have received contributions from the Bowdoin College 401(a) Retirement Plan with Fidelity Investments and/or you may have made contributions to a Supplemental 403(b) Retirement Account through American Century, Fidelity Investments and/or Vanguard.

Once your employment has ended, you may decide to leave the funds where they are or you may decide to transfer the funds (then or at a future date) possibly to an IRA or to your future employer’s retirement plan (if allowed by their plan). You may also decide to withdraw part or all of the funds as cash, although you would be required to pay taxes on the withdrawal and a penalty for early withdrawal if applicable.

To discuss your options and/or to initiate a transfer/withdrawal, please contact the appropriate retirement carrier listed above. They will provide you with the paperwork. When the paperwork is complete, please forward it to Human Resources to verify that your employment with the College has ended.

Vacation and Sick Time Balances

Any accrued but unused vacation time will be paid to you automatically in your last paycheck from Bowdoin.

There is no cash value to any accrued but unused sick time. If you are an hourly paid employee, you may decide to donate half of your remaining sick time balance to the Support Staff Emergency Sick Time Bank at the time of your termination of employment.