Providing great benefit choices to you and your family is one of the many ways UCAR supports the physical, financial, and emotional well-being of the people who make our organization successful. We also provide access to the tools and resources you need to make benefit decisions with confidence and help you and your family live a healthy lifestyle.
Scroll down to learn more about our benefits, or click on the links below to download a detailed booklet about the benefit plans UCAR offers.
Health and Wellness
At UCAR, our flexible benefits program provides employees and their dependents, including domestic partners and their children several options for medical coverage and great opportunities for tax savings.
You can choose from several medical plans including a Health Savings Account when you enroll in our Cigna high deductible health plan. The Cigna high deductible health plan offers a national network with a wide range of providers in most states. In some states, including Colorado, you will have access to the Kaiser Permanente HMO network of doctors and providers. You may also enroll in dental and vision plans as well as the tax advantage health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
Our Employee Assistance Program offers free and confidential counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal or work-related issues affecting mental and emotional well-being.
- Negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts for UCAR's Cigna plan. This link leads to the machine readable files that are made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed- amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.
Financial Security
The UCAR retirement plan is a 403(b) plan provided by TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association). TIAA offers a wide variety of investment options as well as one-on-one financial counseling at no charge to you.
UCAR contributes 10% of your gross pay every pay period. All employees contribute 5% of their gross pay through a pre-tax deduction with the ability to contribute an additional amount up to the IRS limit. All contributions are 100% vested on day one.
UCAR's FAMLI Leave Plan and long-term disability plan replaces all or a portion of your income when you are unable to work due to a disabling illness or injury.
UCAR-paid life insurance policy has a cash benefit of 1.5 times your annual salary in addition to a $50,000 AD&D policy.
Paid Leave Plans
We understand the need for employees to take time off to relax, recharge, and refresh. Most full-time new hires accrue 20 days of personal time off their first year of employment. That amount increases to 26 days at year two and 32 days at year eight. Unused days carryover from year to year up to a maximum of 432 hours.
In addition to the personal time off, employees receive two weeks of sick leave each year. You can use the sick leave for your own personal illness or to care for a sick family member.
Education Leave is available for employees receiving benefits under UCAR's Tuition Assistance Program (see below). Employees may take the equivalent of five course hours per week to attend a class not offered outside of work hours, not to exceed 156 hours per year.
UCAR provides10 paid holidays per year.
Parental Leave
UCAR’s Parental Leave Plan provides 12 weeks of paid leave (16 weeks in the case of pregnancy complication or childbirth complication) to care for and bond with a new child within the first year after birth, or foster placement, or adoption. Parental Leave is paid at 100% of an employee’s wages. All employees are eligible for paid Parental Leave.
Eligible employees may take paid Parental Leave for the birth (natural or surrogacy) or adoption of a child, or the placement of a foster child by a birth or non-birth parent, to care for a new child, and to bond with a new child.
Parental Leave aligns with the requirements of FAMLI Leave, but offers employees an additional 12-16 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child in addition to and separate from all other eligible FAMLI leave reasons.
Resources for Employees and Families
UCAR employees and employees with families are eligible to participate in a variety of programs designed to assist with work-life balance.
UCAR employees can save 10% on standard weekly tuition at KinderCare Learning Centers, Champions before and after school programs, and participating KinderCare Child Care Centers.
UCAR provides resources for back up childcare and elder care as well as other family and parenting resources.
Tuition Assistance
The UCAR Tuition Assistance Program is a generous benefit intended to assist eligible employees in maintaining and improving, through formal education and training, the professional and technical skills necessary for their future job advancement.
Commuter Benefits
UCAR offers a number of commuter benefits that vary by location. For employees in the Denver/Boulder area, UCAR provides a company-paid Eco Pass to ride free on any local, express, or regional bus or light rail.
Additional commuter benefits include a pre-tax deduction option that can be used for qualifying public transportation. In Boulder you will have access to our free shuttle service and our Grab and Go Bike Sharing program.
Additional Perks
Onsite cafeterias offer a 10% discount for employees.
Flexible work arrangements are possible based on position.