As an Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) staff member, you have many opportunities for advancement and

Transcription

1 Staff Benefits

2 As an Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) staff member, you have many opportunities for advancement and growth. The Laboratory provides an excellent package of employee benefits, including medical, dental, life, accident, and disability coverage. Numerous educational and recreational programs are available to all staff members who wish to participate. In addition, APL offers exceptional benefits for your retirement years.

3 Professional Growth APL actively encourages you to stimulate your professional growth through participation in the activities of the scientific community and offers assistance with the following: Publication of papers in professional journals Attendance at professional society meetings Active participation in the work of professional societies Attendance at weekly Laboratory colloquia addressed by eminent scientists Use of the thousands of online books and journals accessible to all APL staff as well as use of the information research service of the Information Group

4 f A Package of Flexible Benefits APL s distinctive flexible benefits program allows you to choose certain types and levels of medical, dental, life, legal services, and disability benefits with before-tax and after-tax dollars. The program also includes two tax-free spending accounts for qualified health care and dependent care expenses. Your benefits fall into three categories automatic, personal, and legislated. Automatic Each eligible staff member automatically receives the following benefits, fully paid by the Laboratory: all types of leave, pension plan contributions, $50,000 of life insurance, short-term disability coverage, accidental death insurance, and travel accident insurance coverage. Automatic benefits also include educational assistance, recreational programs, and an employee assistance program. Personal You have a choice of various personal benefits that allow you to tailor a program to meet your individual needs. You may obtain these benefits with tax-free credits provided yearly by the Laboratory or with your own before-tax and after-tax dollars. If you do not elect to use all of the credits to obtain the benefit options, you may convert those credits to additional taxable pay. APL offers the Allegiance Open Access Plus (OAP) medical plan. With this plan, you are able to choose between two levels of coverage each time you seek medical care.

5 Covered services from designated providers are covered at a higher level, often with small copayments; covered services received outside of the designated provider network are covered at a lower level after a deductible amount is satisfied. You can choose from two dental plan options to cover preventive, diagnostic, and restorative services for you and your eligible dependents. Through a variety of personal benefit options, you may opt for higher coverage levels than the automatic levels provided by the Laboratory for life, long-term disability, and accidental death insurance. APL s benefits program also includes flexible spending accounts that allow you to pay for qualified medical and dependent care expenses with before-tax dollars, as well as a prepaid legal services plan. Legislated These government-mandated benefits include Social Security, unemployment insurance, and workers compensation.

6 Educational Assistance You are encouraged to participate in formal courses of study relevant to your Laboratory career. To help promote your career growth at APL, the Laboratory provides educational assistance through the Part-Time Study Program (PTSP). Numerous schools within an hour s drive of APL s main campus offer a wide variety of career-related educational programs. Some of the local area colleges and universities attended by APL staff include: American University Bowie State University Capitol College Catholic University of America Georgetown University Howard University The Johns Hopkins University JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health JHU Krieger School of Arts & Sciences JHU Whiting School of Engineering Loyola College University of Maryland In addition, APL supports educational opportunities through online degree and certificate programs offered at most of the above institutions.

7 The Johns Hopkins University offers courses at APL that lead to master s degrees with direct application to Laboratory tasks: Applied and Computational Mathematics Applied Biomedical Engineering Applied Physics Bioinformatics Computer Science Electrical and Computer Engineering Environmental Engineering, Science, and Management Information Assurance Information Systems Engineering Materials Science and Engineering Mechanical Engineering Systems Engineering Technical Management APL s educational facilities include well-equipped laboratories for computing and optics/photonics. The computing facilities include Sun UNIX servers, x-terminals, workstations, and personal computers. Remote access to the servers is also available. Additional information can be found online: Scholarship Program Dependent children of all regular full-time and part-time APL staff members (with at least 5 years of service at the Laboratory) are eligible to apply for college tuition scholarship grants. The scholarships are awarded competitively on the basis of SAT/ACT scores and high school academic records.

8 Leave Benefits The Laboratory believes that leave is an essential part of its benefits program. Vacation Staff Level Years Employed Vacation Days Each Year* Maximum Vacation Carryover at End of Year Supporting and Associate days 40 days 50 days Senior days 40 days 50 days *This schedule is prorated if you work part-time. Holidays New Year s Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day Day after Thanksgiving Christmas Day The Laboratory also offers one personal day each year to cover any type of absence. Sick Leave The APL medical leave program is a combination of three components: medical leave, short-term disability, and long-term disability. Medical leave consists of 7 days each year to be used for illnesses of short duration, occasional doctor and dentist appointments, and the care of sick family members. This schedule is prorated if you work part-time. Up to 7 days of unused medical leave may be carried over to the following year. Short-term disability benefits cover continuous absences of more than 5 days, and long-term disability benefits cover absences of more than 6 months. Other Leave Leave may be granted for jury duty, military duty, continuing education, or a death in the immediate family.

9 Retirement The Laboratory believes that planning for your retirement is vitally important. APL will therefore contribute to the retirement plan $2 for each $1 that you contribute, up to a maximum Laboratory contribution equal to 8% of your pay. In addition, APL will contribute an amount equal to 2.5% of your pay, regardless of your level of participation. If you wish, you can elect to make tax-deferred contributions prior to becoming eligible for the Laboratory contributions effective the beginning of the first pay period after your date of hire. You become eligible for Laboratory contributions after 12 months of service and may join the plan on the first day of the following pay period. You are vested in the plan immediately. The retirement plan has options designed to provide investment flexibility, a wide range of payout choices, and the ability to defer taxes on all contributions and earnings. APL Federal Credit Union The Credit Union provides a convenient way for you to save or borrow money. Savings and loan repayments may be made by payroll deductions. In addition, checking accounts, credit cards, automatic teller machines, and direct payroll check deposit are available. In The Zone The APL In The Zone Health Improvement Program offers a variety of activities throughout the year, including health challenges, online seminars, and a wellness assessment. Staff members have the opportunity to earn $150 more in FlexCredits to use for the following calendar year s benefits by participating in wellness activities and earning a sufficient number of Wellness Points.

10 Recreation The APL Recreation Office provides convenient on-site shopping and special services such as faxing and notary; offers discount tickets to amusement parks, ski resorts, and select local attractions; and hosts various special events and trips. The Recreation Office also sponsors clubs, such as the African American Culture Club, Astronomy Club, Exercise Club, Fitness Club, Musical Arts Club, Softball League, Tennis Club, and Basketball Club. Offering You Our Best The Laboratory s comprehensive benefits program gives you the opportunity to select from among a wide variety of choices while providing a core level of benefits for all eligible staff members.

11 This booklet summarizes the various programs offered by the Laboratory. Upon joining APL, you will receive more detailed information. If inconsistent or ambiguous information is discovered in this booklet, the corresponding legal documents and contracts will govern.

12 APL is located midway between Washington and Baltimore, with convenient access to major highways and local attractions. See our Visitor s Guide for more details. To Frederick Baltimore 32 Columbia JHU/APL Laurel 95 Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Silver Spring N 495 Reagan National Airport Wash., DC 495 For more information, contact: College Recruiting Employment or visit us on the web at: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, as well as other applicable laws, and values diversity in its workforce