College of the Mainland (COM) provides insurance and retirement programs to full-time, benefits-eligible employees.

Insurance Benefits

Our state insurance benefits are provided by the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS). ERS manages insurance benefits for employees and retirees. Employees are eligible for the following insurance benefits:

After initial enrollment, employees are able to add or make changes to their insurance benefits during our Summer Annual Enrollment period or within 30 days of a qualifying life event (e.g. marriage, divorce, birth of a child, job change, etc.). Summer Annual Enrollment dates are announced to the campus in early summer. If you have a qualifying life event, please contact Human Resources at 409-933-8269 within 30 days of your qualifying life event.

Retirement Programs

Employees must participate in one of two mandatory retirement programs: Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) or Optional Retirement Program (ORP), available to certain eligible positions.

Voluntary retirement programs – 403(b) Tax Deferred Annuity Plan and/or 457 Deferred Compensation Plan- are available through approved vendors. Please contact Human Resources at 409-933-8269 for assistance.

COM employees do not participate in the federal Social Security program, with the exception of the Medicare Tax portion.

Paid Leave Benefits

  • Holiday Leave
  • Sick Leave – All full-time employees 8 hours per month
  • Vacation Leave – All full-time, non-faculty, employees – 8 hours per month
  • Personal Business Leave – 24 hours per fiscal year
  • Sick Leave Bank – optional program

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA provides eligible employees with 12 weeks (480 hours) of unpaid leave for an employee’s serious health condition, birth/adoption of a child and care of a child after birth, an employee’s eligible family member with a serious health condition, a qualifying exigency for active military duty or to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty.

An eligible employee is one who has been employed for at least 12 months and worked at least 1,250 hours immediately preceding the commencement of leave.

To initiate an FMLA claim, contact FMLASource at 877-GO2-FMLA (877-462-3652) or visit the online portal, www.fmlasource.com. If you are new to the online portal, you will need to register.

Resources:

Employee Assistance Program

UTEAP provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all full-time COM employees and their dependents. Through the EAP, you can access free, convenient, and confidential services. The services include short-term counseling, crisis management, legal and financial advice, identify theft services and assistance with work/life matters. Please review the EAP brochure to learn more. You can contact UTEAP at 1-800-346-3549 or www.mylifevalues.com.

Worker’s Compensation

COM worker’s compensation coverage provider is the Texas Association of School Boards Risk Management Fund (TASB), which is a member of the Political Subdivision Worker’s Compensation Alliance (Alliance). For emergencies, an injured employee may go to the nearest emergency room. Otherwise, all other treatment must be from an Alliance in-network provider. For an Alliance provider search, please visit www.pswca.org and select “Find a Provider”.

If you experience an on-the-job injury or illness, please contact the Campus Police to file a Personal Injury Report at 409-933-8403 (for non-emergencies) or 409-933-8599 (for emergencies).

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

If you or your children are eligible for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and you’re eligible for health coverage from your employer, your state may have a premium assistance program that can help pay for coverage, using funds from their Medicaid or CHIP programs. You can find more information about related to CHIP on the Medicaid website or the US Department of Labor website.

HIPAA Privacy Notice

The Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) Summary Notice of Privacy Practices is available for your review.

College of the Mainland is an E-Verify Employer

Resources