Research Foundation Regular Employees

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The Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) offers an array of benefits to eligible employees. These benefits can add an exceptional value to your employment.

Open Enrollment Dates

The open enrollment period for health benefits, voluntary short-term disabiliity insurance and Flexible Spending Accounts is Nov. 1 — Nov. 30, 2022.

Make your changes online at www.rfsuny.org/selfservice. Changes will take effect January 1, 2023.

Please be sure to retain a copy of your confirmation statement when completing your enrollment.

How To Enroll In Your Benefits

Download RF SUNY Benefits Bulletin

RF SUNY Self Service

Download the Employee Self Service Guide

The RF Employee Self Service portal is where you can manage most of your employment tasks online. Start by setting up your account:

  1. Go to account set up
  2. Using the RF ID Number you were given when you were employed, create a password

The Research Foundation Employee Self Service portal offers many features:

  • Ability to quickly and accurately do tasks online, such as:
    • Enroll for benefits
    • Enter dependents and beneficiaries
    • Update your contact information
  • Easy access to your direct deposit payslips, paycheck stubs, tax forms and current benefits enrollment

Your Benefits

Medical,Dental,Vision Flex Spending Retirement Disability Life Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

A flexible spending account (FSA) is a powerful financial tool that can help you save money by allowing you to pay for eligible dependent care or health care expenses with pretax dollars. Your contribution to an FSA will reduce your taxable income, but the money set aside into each account can only be used for health care or dependent care expenses.

PayFlex manages our flexible spending accounts.

Claims

PayFlex
844-729-3539
www.payflex.com

Your flexible spending account enrollments need to be renewed every year during open enrollment.

Health Care FSA

You may set aside up to $2,550 each year on a pre-tax basis to pay for health, dental, and vision care expenses that are not covered by insurance. Eligible expenses include deductibles, copays, and over-the-counter medications (when prescribed by your doctor).

If you work at least 50 percent full-time, you can enroll in Health Care FSA.

Dependent Care FSA

You may set aside up to $2,500 or $5,000 each year (depending on your tax filing status) on a pre-tax basis to pay for dependent care expenses. Eligible expenses include child day care, adult day care (if you’re caring for an elderly parent), preschool, and summer day camps.

IRS documentation

To claim the income exclusion for dependent care expenses on IRS Form 2441 (Child and Dependent Care Expenses), you must be able to identify your dependent care provider.

If an individual provides your dependent care, you will need their Social Security number for identification. If an establishment provides your dependent care, you will need its Taxpayer Identification number.

Research Foundation Subsidy

The Research Foundation provides an annual subsidy to help pay for your dependent care expenses under the Dependent Care flexible spending account. The amount is based on your annual Research Foundation income as follows:

Dependent Care Subsidy
If you annual salary is:
The Research Foundation's contribution is:
Over $70,000 $300
$60,001 - $70,000 $400
$50,001 - $60,000 $500
$40,001 - $50,000 $600
$30,001 - $40,000 $700
Up to $30,000 $800

If you work less than full time, the contribution will be based on your full-time equivalent, annualized salary. For example if you work half time and earn $30,000, your full-time equivalent salary is $60,000.

Sean O'Brien.

Sean O'Brien

RF Benefit Services

Phone: 716-645-4485

Email: sobrien2@buffalo.edu

Zachary Jenney.

Zachary Jenney

Manager

Research Foundation Benefit Services

Phone: 716-645-4439

Email: zjenney@buffalo.edu

Manage Your Benefits

After you've made your initial benefits selections, whether you have declined any of our coverage options or not, there are some special circumstances in which you can make changes to your pretax benefits. For your health insurance, and dental insurance you will need a qualifying event to make changes without penalty. You may change your vision care coverage anytime during the year.

A qualifying event is a change in your status or your dependent’s status that permits a change to be made in pretax health insurance elections outside of the annual Open Enrollment period. The change in status must result in a gain or loss of coverage or coverage options. The election change must be consistent with the change in status, and must be made within 60 days of the event. To make changes to your benefits any time other than open enrollment you will need to submit an RF Benefits Enrollment Form to the benefits team along with supporting documentation of your qualifying event. (e.g. birth certificate, marriage license, statement of loss of insurance)

You have 60 days from the day of any qualifying event or special enrollment period to submit the necessary documentation.

You may also make changes to your health insurance, dental insurance, vision care coverage, and flexible spending accounts during open enrollment for the following plan year.