New To Benefits
WELCOME TO DARTMOUTH!
The Dartmouth community includes faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds, with a variety of needs and interests. So, our Human Resources team works to provide inclusive, competitive, and flexible benefits options that offer something for everyone, along with the tools and resources you need to make the best decisions for both your personal needs and budget.
New Employee Orientation (NEO)
You will receive an email inviting you to attend Dartmouth’s New Employee Orientation (NEO) program within your first 30 days of benefits eligibility. NEO information can be viewed live over Zoom at a specified time, where you can ask questions of the presenter, or by watching a series of video on-demand presentations. It’s important that you participate! If you have not yet received this email, please contact Human Resources at 603-646-3411 or at Human.Resources@dartmouth.edu.
Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to make changes to your benefits for the upcoming caldendar year. Employees who are new to Dartmouth between October 27, 2025 and December 31, 2025 will need to complete two separate benefit enrollment events, one for the remainder of calendar 2025 (New Hire event), and another for the 2026 calendar year (Open Enrollment event). You can elect different benefits in each calendar year.
If hired in 2025:
Click here for the steps you'll need to follow to enroll in your Health & Welfare benefits. If hired in 2026, simply skip the 2025 instructions.
FlexOnline
FlexOnline is the name of Dartmouth's Online benefits enrollment system where you will enroll in benefits and will make changes to benefits each year during the annual open enrollment period.
For more information on FlexOnline please visit here.
To access FlexOnline click on the ACCESS YOUR FLEXONLINE BENEFITS HERE icon, located in the left hand column of this screen. This icon can be found throughout the Benefits website. You will then use your single sign on NetID and password to log in.
Learn about each Benefit
It is important that you take some time to learn about each of the benefits offered by Dartmouth. We have created a number of tools to help you find information and learn about each benefit.
Benefits Guide -The Benefits Guide is designed to provide a full overview of all benefits available to you, based on your employment category.
Benefits Website-The Benefits website provides detailed information about each available benefit offered, how the benefit works, how to file claims, cost and plan information and other important information.
Wellness Benefits-As a new benefits eligible employee, you will need to elect a wellness benefit in FlexOnline within 30 days of becoming eligible. There is no cost to you for these benefits. View your wellness benefit options
Enrolling in Benefits
You will have thirty (30) days from the date that you become benefits eligible, to make your benefit elections in the FlexOnline benefit enrollment system. Otherwise, you will be automatically enrolled into a selection of basic level benefits (as determined by your employment category), including Dartmouth's Cigna Choice Fund medical plan with employee only coverage. If you do not waive or change this coverage election, You will be responsible for the cost of this medical plan for the remainder of the calendar year.
Click here to see what basic level benefits you will be auto-enrolled into, if you do not complete your new hire enrollment, within 30 days.
Even if you do not want medical coverage through Dartmouth, you must actively log into FlexOnline and WAIVE medical coverage within the specified 30 day enrollment window.
Hired October through December?
If you are hired or become benefits eligible between October 1st and December 31st,
you will need to complete two enrollments. One as a new hire for benefits in 2025
and another for the calendar year 2026. Once you complete your new hire enrollment
window, you will then be prompted to then complete your 2026 Open Enrollment window.
It is important that you complete BOTH enrollments.
Open Enrollment
Dartmouth's annual benefits open enrollment period is a 15 day window that occurs at the end of October/early Novemer each year.
Information is sent to employees via Dartmouth email and USPS before, during and after
open enrollment. Please watch carefully for these important communications.
Eligibility
Who is Eligible for Benefits?
• Employees who are regularly scheduled to work at least half of the normal full schedule, at least nine months each year.
• Regular Benefits Eligible employees working less than full time receive pro-rated benefits according to their percentage of working full-time.
• Temporary employees and regular employees working less than half time are not eligible for benefits.
The amount that you pay in premiums is affected by the number of hours you work as well as the amount of annual salary received. This is important to know when you are considering a change in hours or full time equivalency (FTE). If you have a change in your assignment, please check with your Supervisor or reach out to the Benefits Office to see if your benefits will be impacted.
When Do Benefits Begin?
Benefits start on your date of hire, the date that your employment status becomes benefits eligible, or the date of your mid-year qualifying life status event. If you incur expenses prior to enrolling, simply ask your provider to have the bill mailed to you, and once the ID card is received call the providers office with your ID card information and ask them to resubmit the claim.
What is Dartmouth's Plan Year?
Dartmouth's benefits run on a calendar plan year, from January 1st through December 31st. Some benefits are prorated based on your start date or benefits eligibility date.
What is my Benefit Employment Category?
Your employment category determines what benefits you are eligible for. Contact your Supervisor if you are unsure of which employment category you fall in to. Be sure to check medical rates and benefit eligibility any time you change benefit categories.
• Exempt – Includes Faculty (visiting or tenure track), Research Staff (Research Associate C, Research Scientist, Research Analyst and Research Engineers) and Exempt Staff (salaried staff). These employees are exempt from over-time pay, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Non-Exempt – Refers to employees who are paid by the hour and are not exempt from over-time pay, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. This includes Non-Exempt Staff, Non Union Service Staff and IATSE union members. This does not include SEIU union members.
• SEIU* – Refers to Dartmouth employees who are members of the Service Employees International Union. SEIU members are paid by the hour and are not exempt from over-time pay, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Research Associate B (RAB) – Refers to grant or Dartmouth-funded employees (other than those on certain kinds of training grants) with an appointment of greater than nine (9) months and less than three (3) years. RAB's are exempt from over-time pay according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Research Fellow – A post-doctoral trainee on a NRSA or T32 training grant with an appointment of at least nine (9) months and less than three (3) years. Research Fellows are exempt from over-time pay, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. These employees are paid with non-taxable wages.
*All other union employees fall into the Exempt or Non-Exempt employment category, based on their pay frequency.
Cost of Benefits
Monthly Premiums
Use the Benefits Cost Estimator tool, at any time, to determine your monthly medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long term disability, and supplemental plan rates. You will need to know your annual base salary and FTE to use the calculator. This information can typically be found on your original offer letter. but you can also ask the Benefits Office for your FTE and Employment Category.
Cost Estimator Tool: dartgo.org/benefits-cost-estimator
Price your Medications
Understanding your out of pocket costs for medications, can be important part of determining which medical plan to choose. To determine the monthly (or 90 day supply) cost of your medications, Express Scripts has provided a "Price a Medication" tool at http://www.express-scripts.com/Dartmouth. Here, you can find out how much a medication would cost under each medical plan.
NOTE: If the tool returns a high cost under the HDHP plan, the medication may be eligible for assistance under the PillarRx copay assistance program at little to no cost.
Choosing a Medical Plan
Dartmouth offers a number of medical plan options from which to choose, ranging from a plan with a lower deductible with copayments for office visits to a high deductible health plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). Choosing a plan can be overwhelming.
Emma is a decision making tool, found within the FlexOnline benefit enrollment system that can help you with the decision making process. By entering information about your family's anticipated medical servicecs during the year, ask Emma will make a medical plan recommendation for you, ranking each plan from least to most cost effective. Feel free to try out different scenarios when using the ask Emma tool. To use ask Emma, simply click on the "Start with Audio" button, when prompted while electing benefits in FlexOnline.
NOTE: Emma does not add in the amount that Dartmouth contributes toward a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) when enrolling in the Cigna Choice Fund or High Deductible Health Plan with HRA option. You will need to subtract that amount from Emma's estimated total annual cost.
Dependents & Event Verification
Who can you cover on your benefit plans?
You can cover your legal spouse, biological, children (ages 0-25) and any children for whom you are the legal guardian. These dependents can be covered under your medical, dental, vision, dependent life and voluntary benefit plans.
Dependent Verification
When adding dependents to your medical and dental insurance plans, you will be required to upload verification of dependents. This may include copies of a birth certificate for dependent children and a marriage license when adding spouses.
Event Verification
When making changes to your benefits during the middle of a plan year due to a qualified life event, you may be required to upload proof of the event. Foreign documents must be translated and notorized.
If you are unsure of your event date, or if you are having trouble obtaining your documents, please make sure that you reach out to the Benefits Office a soon as possible.
Making Changes to your Plan(s)
Once you have made your annual enrollment, whether as a new hire, or during open enrollment, you may not make changes to most of your benefits until the following plan year. For more information on when you can make changes to your benefits please visit our "Life Event Changes" website.
Understanding Payroll Benefit Deductions
Understanding payroll deductions can be confusing. We have put together a document to help answer all of the most commonly asked questions that we receive about payroll deductions.
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