OAR 715-012-0005: Reimbursement of Part-Time Faculty Healthcare Premiums

(1) For the purpose of this rule, “health care benefits” means medical, dental, and vision benefits. (2) Not earlier than seven calendar days prior to the close of a fiscal quarter, a public institution of higher education shall submit to the Commission, in a form established by the Commission, a request for reimbursement of expenses incurred for the purpose of paying employee-only insurance premiums in such quarter for health care benefits for part-time faculty eligible for such benefits pursuant to ORS 350.355. (3) The request for reimbursement shall include only actual premium costs for health care benefits paid by the institution, not to exceed 90% of the total premium costs for coverage of any individual employee. (4) The public institution of higher education may not request reimbursement for: (a) administrative or other non-premium costs associated with providing health care benefits to eligible employees. (b) Dental or vision benefit costs incurred by the institution for benefit periods that begin prior to the commencement of the 2023-2024 academic year. (5) Premium costs paid by a public institution of higher education that meet the requirements of this rule are eligible for reimbursement only if they are paid by such institution following an annual determination of part-time faculty member eligibility. (6) It shall be the sole responsibility of the public institution of higher education to determine employee eligibility for health care benefits pursuant to ORS 350.355. (7) In addition to the form established by the Commission, the Commission may request supplemental information required to verify appropriate reimbursement amounts. (8) In the event the monies available in the Part-Time Faculty Insurance Fund are insufficient to fully reimburse all institutions in a given quarter, the Commission shall provide prorated reimbursements. The Commission shall calculate prorated reimbursements on the basis of the total reimbursement requests received by the end of the second month following the close of the given quarter. Subject to available appropriations and applicable law, the Commission may later provide payment for the remainder of a reimbursement request, or for reimbursement requests received after a proration calculation has been made, in a subsequent quarter.