Benefits – CALS Administration

University Staff Leave Schedule Change

Beginning January 1, 2025, University Staff employees will begin the transition to receive vacation and personal holiday hours on a new schedule.

To move to the new leave schedule, University Staff will go through a one-time transition period from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025. After this transition period, the new leave schedule becomes effective.

How To Prepare…

Visit OHR’s Webpage- Click here to visit OHR’s comprehensive webpage with information including:

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Paid Benefitsexpand_more

Questions about health insurance, dental insurance, or any of the benefits employees pay to participate in? This is the place for you!

Benefits 101 – Training for new Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) employees including information on enrollment, plan options, WRS, and supplemental plans.
eBenefits – Used during the Annual Benefits Enrollment (ABE) period for current employees and for new hires during their first 30 days if they did not have prior service.
Benefit Premiums – Premiums are deducted from twenty four paychecks a calendar year or the first two paychecks each month.
UW Madison Benefits Services (Main website)
- New UW Employee Information
Unique Situations
- UW-Madison Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP): Domestic Students, International Students, or International Scholars
- J-1 Scholars Insurance Requirements and Appointment Timeline Guidance

Leave Benefitsexpand_more

Need to take some time away? Here are some resources to help.

Paid Leave Benefits (Vacation, Personal Holidays, Sick Leave, and Legal Holidays)
Unpaid Leave Benefits (Leave of Absence, FMLA, Catastrophic Leave, and Military Leave)
Additional medical leave and accommodations information

Free Benefitsexpand_more

Check out some of the resources free to UW-Madison employees.

Campus Lactation Rooms – Listing of “lactation friendly” locations across main UW-Madison campus
Employee Assistance Office – Counseling and consultation provided at no cost to UW–Madison faculty, staff, graduate student employees, significant others, and family members
- LifeMatters – Free, confidential 24/7 telephone access to professional counselors and personal/professional resources
Ombuds Office – Impartial, confidential resource for employees to discuss workplace concerns
Employee Discounts

Administrator Resourcesexpand_more

Here are some tools to help our administrators.

UW Madison Benefits Services (Main website)
- Administrators Portal (Division & Department Administrators Directory)
Recruitment Materials
- University Staff (2024)
- Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Term (2024)
Benefits Eligibility Decision Table – Contact CALS HR to determine benefits eligibility for employees with prior WRS service.

Benefit Summaries
- 2024 Benefit Summary for University Staff Employees *with an expectation of continued employment, including Project & Temporary
- 2024 Benefit Summary for Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees Covered by the Wisconsin Retirement System
- 2024 Benefit Summary for Graduate Assistants, Post-Doctoral Appointees and Short-Term Academic Appointments
Benefits Quick Guides