Reappointment and Extension (EHRA Non-Faculty & Students)
Extending a permanent EHRA non-faculty appointment (contract) for a limited period of time (e.g., six months or less) prior to either finalizing a reappointment or non-reappointment decision may be accomplished with the relevant administrative approvals. These are not considered reappointments since they are continuing the length of the existing contract and do not represent a new term of employment and therefore a new contract period.
A justification explaining the reason for the proposed extension will be required by EHRA Non-Faculty Human Resources and such extensions should not be used on a routine basis. Appropriate uses include a situation where a department is awaiting word on whether a grant or funding source will be renewed or where a manager has an employee relations situation and is consulting with the next-level approval authority, Human Resources and/or University Counsel and additional time is needed prior to deciding on a term reappointment.
Temporary employees do not have a fixed contract term and therefore are not to be processed as reappointments in the same way as permanent employees. However, departments may use and communicate scheduled end dates for temporary appointees to represent the date the appointment is expected to conclude based on the needs of the hiring department and the availability of the employee.
Although a temporary appointment is “at-will” and subject to discontinuation at any time for any reason, all temporary appointments processed in ConnectCarolina require a Scheduled End Date. The date entered is only for planning purposes and under normal circumstances should not exceed a one-year period. Another contract letter will only be required when the initial contract letter is no longer applicable (e.g., if there was a specified projected end date within the contract letter and it has passed or will pass prior the end of the extension period). If the initial contract letter is not available in the employee’s Action History, please submit it via the “Add File Attachment” option prior to submitting the Extension action in ConnectCarolina.
An at-will employee in their first year of service who is being converted to a term appointment must be given a minimum of 30 days written notice of this change. An at-will employee with two or greater years of service is due a 90-day written notice of this change. The reappointment letter template provided here serves as the required written notice of this change when delivered sufficiently in advance to meet the applicable notice requirement.
Likewise, a term appointee being converted to at-will status must be given 90 days’ notice if their current term is from two to five years. One-year term appointees, including those in successive one-year terms, are not due any formal notice but a 30-day courtesy notice is recommended. Note that term appointments may only be extended to EHRA Instructional or Research employees and not Senior Academic and Administrative Officers (SAAOs).
I-9 and Employment Eligibility Verification (EEV) procedures must be completed for each new hire to the University and depending on the specific circumstances, for employees changing from one employment status to another.
Questions about EEV and I-9 procedures may be directed to the EEV Unit in the Office of Human Resources (919-962-0985).
Note that I-9 and EEV forms and supporting documentation are not submitted through ConnectCarolina or to the EHRA Non-Faculty HR unit. All such information is sent directly to the EEV Specialists.
If a current permanent UNC-CH employee is reappointed or extended at a different FTE level, the employee’s benefits may be affected. The reappointing or extending department should be aware of and discuss the benefits impacts of any FTE change with the affected employee prior to the reappointment or extension to avoid any later misunderstandings regarding benefits eligibility. The following summarizes significant benefits issues related to employee FTE level:
Health Insurance
The University’s contribution towards health insurance premiums ceases for permanent employees when FTE falls below the .75 FTE level. Below .50 FTE (less than half-time), the employee also loses eligibility to participate in the State Health Plan entirely although an optional 18-month COBRA continuation period is available during which the employee must assume the full cost of coverage.
State Retirement (TSERS or ORP)
Below .75 FTE (less than three-quarter time), the permanent employee is no longer eligible to participate in the State or University retirement plans including the associated University contributions. It should also be noted when the employee’s FTE falls below this level, the applicable mandatory employee retirement contribution deductions to these plans also cease. Employees can continue to participate in the University’s optional 403b supplemental retirement savings plan but this plan does not feature any University contributions.
Vacation & Sick Leave Accrual
Below the 1.0 FTE level (less than full-time), the permanent employee’s annual and sick leave accrual is pro-rated based on the FTE level. Below the .50 FTE level, the permanent employee is not eligible for any leave accrual and any unused leave must be paid out at appointment end. Leave payout should be accomplished by a lump sum payment action in ConnectCarolina following processing of the applicable Job Change action.
Other Benefit Programs
Eligibility for various other University benefit programs for permanent employees are reduced or cease at the .75 and .50 FTE levels respectively. The benefits portion of the Human Resources web site may be consulted for specific eligibility information for each individual benefit or a Benefits Specialist can be contacted for assistance.
Note: Temporary employees are not eligible for University benefits such as annual leave, sick leave, NCFlex or mandatory retirement (Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System and Optional Retirement Program). However, the University does now offer health coverage under the Affordable Care Act to all eligible temporary employees.
If the reappointing/extending department or the affected employee has questions regarding the benefits impacts of a reappointment at a different FTE level, the department’s Benefits Specialist should be consulted in the Office of Human Resources. The affected employee should be encouraged to make contact with a Benefits Specialist prior to the implementation of the FTE change.