Benefits

Full-time administrative employees qualify for health insurance after completing 1 month of employment; part-time employees qualify after 90 days; and instructors qualify after 90 days of employment. Upon eligibility, you initially have 31 days from your eligibility date to enroll. Once the period of initial eligibility has passed, you may enroll during open enrollment in November (for January participation), within 31 days of a qualifying event (including birth, adoption, loss of coverage, marriage, and divorce). For more information, please contact Benefits at hrbenefits@sva.edu.

SVA provides medical coverage to full- and part-time administrative staff who have met eligibility requirements. Employees may elect coverage for a spouse, children, or domestic partner. SVA offers two plan choices through Cigna HealthCare: Integrated Open Access Plus and a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).

You can contact Cigna at 800-244-6224 or log onto their website at cigna.com. The college’s prescription plan is managed by Express Scripts, and can be contacted at 800-334-8134.

If you wish to cancel your insurance, proof of new coverage and a formal request in writing must be submitted, if the request is outside of the open enrollment period in November. Email the documentation and any questions to hrbenefits@sva.edu.

Yes, SVA extends medical and dental plan eligibility to domestic partners of full- and part-time administrative staff and faculty. Employees who wish to provide coverage for their partners must provide documentation of their domestic partnership, which may include registration of the partnership if they live in a state that provides for such registration.

• At least 18 years of age and mentally competent to sign the required affidavit
• Sharing the necessities of life, living together, and having an emotional and financial commitment to one another for a minimum of 12 consecutive months
• Neither is currently married nor legally separated from someone else

Employees who meet these qualifications may submit an enrollment form for medical and/or dental coverage for their partner along with:

• A completed and notarized Declaration of Domestic Partnership
• A completed Declaration of Domestic Partnership for Benefits Eligibility
• Two forms of documentation as evidence that the partners are committed to one another (Examples: joint-tenancy lease, jointly-held mortgage, joint checking account, bills or driver’s license showing the same address, an insurance policy or will indicating the partner as a beneficiary, or a copy of a registration certificate)

To learn more about domestic partnership requirements, costs, and enrollment contact hrbenefits@sva.edu .

Upon leaving SVA, you may extend your health insurance for up to 18 months through COBRA. Please note that COBRA coverage is considerably more expensive than the normal insurance premiums; therefore other benefit options such as the Healthcare Exchange should be considered.

Please contact a member of Benefits at hrbenefits@sva.edu for more details about electing COBRA.

This document explains the privacy practices SVA follows with respect to our group health plan. It explains how medical information is used, when additional authorization is needed, and your rights under the regulations.

Click here to view the PDF.

There may be times SVA will require written authorization to use your health information. When will that be? Anytime you request SVA to intercede on your behalf and personal health information is used. Some examples include, but are not limited to, disputing a claim, checking the status of claim payment, applied deductible inquiries, etc. This form will be used to obtain that authorization.

Click here to view the PDF.

Continuing Coverage Through COBRA

Employee Rights under Benefit Plans

Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage Options and Your Health Coverage

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Mental Health Parity

Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act

Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Summary of Benefits and Coverage

Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act

Coordination of Benefits

Eligible employees are encouraged to enroll in the 401(k) plan during any of our quarterly enrollment periods (January, April, July, and October). Quarterly information sessions are conducted to assist you in understanding plan provisions and contribution options.

You may enroll in the plan by following the information below.

To enroll for the first time:

Go to the Voya Enrollment Center
To log in to the site you will need the following information:
Plan Number- 559685
Verification Number- 55968599

When you leave SVA you have three different options with respect to your 401(k) plan: you may keep your investments in the SVA plan continuing earning interest; you may rollover your investments to another plan; or you may receive a distribution. A member of Human Resources/Benefits will explain all the options to you in detail upon departure.

Voya provides participants with a loan balance the option to pay back the remainder of their loan after they have left SVA via automatic account debits. If arrangements are not made the remaining amount of the loan will be treated as a distribution for federal and state income tax purposes. You will have to claim the amount of the loan distribution as earned income and, if you are under 59 1/2, will also have to pay a penalty for early withdrawal equal to 10% of the amount of the distribution.

Full-time administrative employees are eligible for 4 personal days from February 1st to January 31st of each year. Should you begin employment at SVA after February 1st, your eligible days will be prorated based on your start date.

All part-time employees are eligible for 2 paid personal days each year. Please contact Payroll at: payroll@sva.edu to find out the exact amount of time you are eligible to receive.

Note: Personal days do not carry over.

SVA’s vacation policy is based on an employee’s years of service, and calculated accordingly with the anniversary of hire.

Full-time employees become eligible for paid vacation time after they have completed 5 months of employment, and thereafter, according to the schedule below:

5 months: 3 days
6 to 12 months: 1 additional day for each month of work
1st through 3rd year of employment: Two (2) weeks
4th through 6th year of employment: Three (3) weeks
7th through 14th year of employment: Four (4) weeks
15th year of employment and the following: Fifth (5) weeks

*Each yearly cycle must be completed.

Part-time Employees become eligible for paid vacation time after they have completed 24 consecutive months of employment, and thereafter, according to the schedule below:

2nd through 3rd year of employment: Two (2) weeks
4th through 6th year of employment: Three (3) weeks
7th through 14th year of employment: Four (4) weeks
15th year of employment and the following: Fifth (5) weeks

*Each yearly cycle must be completed.

Note: Vacation days are calculated based on your regular weekly part-time schedule. In other words, an employee regularly scheduled to work 21 hours would earn 42 hours of paid vacation per benefit year, if employed for 2 years.

Employees who take vacation time “in advance” of having “earned” it, and terminate their employment before the end of their anniversary year may owe the College vacation pay.

We encourage employees to use their available vacation days. Vacation days offer you the opportunity to reset and provide a level of self-care.

Vacation requests should be submitted to your supervisor and/or Department Head/Chair at least two weeks in advance via SVA’s timekeeping system Kronos. This procedure helps to avoid conflicts with other employees in the department and assures adequate coverage during vacation periods.

*Departments may require more advance notice due to the time of year, size of the department or the nature of the position.

Please Note: Vacation days must be taken in the year in which they are earned. However, if an employee is unable to use their full allotment of days prior to the next accrual year, they have 90 days after their new allotment begins to use them or the days will be lost.

You can do so by logging into the Kronos timekeeping system located on the MyID dashboard.

You may view your available days by logging into the Kronos timekeeping system located on the MyID dashboard. If you have questions regarding your available days, please contact for assistance payroll@sva.edu.

Below you will find SVA’s current Administrative Sick Time Policy.
click here.

Below you will find SVA’s current Faculty Sick Time Policy.
click here.

Below you will find SVA’s current Parental Leave Policy
click here.

SVA encourages a healthy work/life balance and therefore offers employees a generous holiday leave schedule, vacation time, and personal days. As an employee of SVA, you are afforded these benefits for your well-being, but it is your responsibility to honor the guidelines to request leave as outlined in the Administrative Handbook. Please make sure to give advance notice for Vacation/Personal Leave so that the department can do its best to accommodate and approve your request. Also, be aware that certain departments have workloads and staffing needs that vary throughout the year and that leave requests are always subject to supervisor and departmental approval.

If for some reason you are in need of additional leave beyond that provided to you, the College may consider granting you a personal leave of absence without pay. Again, this is at the discretion of your supervisor and department head as well as Human Resources. This type of request must be made in writing and with advance notice. If granted, you are required to return to work on the originally scheduled return date or be considered to have voluntarily resigned from your employment (extensions of leave will only be considered on a case-by-case basis). As for your benefits, they will continue, but the premiums will remain your responsibility and can be paid timely throughout your absence or recouped by the College upon your return. Lastly, your annual performance evaluation/salary review date will be adjusted depending on the length of the absence.If you have any questions about taking leave, please refer to your Administrative Handbook and/or discuss the matter with your immediate supervisor. In addition, you can consult a member of the Human Resources staff.

TransitChek is an employee benefit program that enables you to deduct, on a pre-tax basis,
funds to pay for part or all of your monthly mass transit commuting and parking expenses. Individual savings will vary, but by using your pre-tax salary for commuting and parking, you can save yearly by paying less taxes. If your commute exceeds the pre-tax spending limit, you can set aside funds on a post-tax basis for the additional expense. (Please note, spending limits are determined by the IRS annually.)

How do I sign up for TransitChek?
To sign up, you will need to download and complete the TransitChek Commuter Benefits Participation Form and return it to the Benefits Department at hrbenefis@sva.edu. Once you are enrolled you will need to register online. Click this link for registration and order instructions.

How can I cancel and/or make changes to my TransitChek benefit?
You will need to log into your account and select the options “change” and/or “stop” for the benefit you are enrolled in. For assistance, please contact Customer Service at 877-924-3967.

To sign up for TransitChek, log on to the secure online website at wageworks.com or call the toll-free enrollment service at 1-877-924-3967, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. You must complete a TransitChek Payroll Deduction Authorization form and return it to Benefits. For more information please contact Benefits at extension 2640.

If you would like to CANCEL TransitChek, you can log onto the website at wageworks.com or call the customer service hotline at 1-877-924-3967.
If you want to make other changes, you must call the customer service hotline at 1-877-924-3967.

Administrative staff and faculty are eligible to take classes at SVA (Continuing Education, Non-degree seeking, and Degree-seeking), tuition free. Staff and faculty are also eligible to participate in the Arts Abroad program focusing on intensive study in an international setting. Refer to the appropriate policy on the Forms page in the HR section of MySVA for details and eligibility requirements.

Full-time administrative employees who have completed 12 continuous months of employment are eligible to apply for tuition assistance to further their education at another accredited institution. Courses must be related to the functions of our business and must be taken to help you grow in your current position. An overview of the Tuition Assistance plan as well as an application are located on the Forms page in the HR section of MySVA

Full-time administrative employees qualify for dental insurance after completing 1 month of employment; part-time employees qualify after 12 consecutive months; instructors qualify after one year of employment. Once you are eligible, you may initially enroll within 31 days of your eligibility date. Once the period of initial eligibility has passed, you also have the option to enroll during open enrollment in November (for January participation), within 31 days of a status change (including birth, adoption, marriage, and divorce), or within 31 days of the loss of primary coverage. For more information, please contact email your inquiry to hrbenefits@sva.edu .

Our dental insurance company is Cigna. You can reach them at 800-997-1654 or log onto their website at cigna.com. If you need a list of participating dentists, click on the Find feature.

If you are an administrative staff member, Human Resources will give you an information package prior to your initial eligibility date. If you are an instructor, HR will mail you an information package prior to the open enrollment period in November for January participation. For more information or to receive an information package, please email your inquiry to hrbenefits@sva.edu .

For the most updated premium costs for administrative staff, please refer to the open enrollment booklet for the corresponding year.

For the most updated premium costs for administrative staff, please contact the Benefits Supervisor at 212-592-2691.

Please submit a request for insurance cancellation in writing to the Benefits Supervisor. You may do so via via fax at 212-592-2628 or via email to hrbenefits@sva.edu.

To find an in-network Cigna dentist, refer to the online provider directory at cigna.com Be sure to search under dentists.

The School of Visual Arts extends dental coverage to eligible employees’ domestic partners who meet the School’s definition and criteria as described below:
Domestic Partners as defined by SVA:
Two unrelated individuals who are both at least (18) years of age and mentally competent to sign the required affidavit; who have shared the necessities of life, lived together, and have had an emotional and financial commitment to one another for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months; and who are neither married nor legally separated from someone else.
Required Documentation:
Completion, by both partners, of a Declaration Of Domestic Partnership which must be notarized; two (2) forms of documentation as evidence that the partners are committed to one another.
Examples: Joint-tenancy lease, jointly held mortgage, joint checking account, bills, or driver’s licenses showing the same address, an insurance policy or will indicating partner as beneficiary or a copy of a registration certificate filed with those cities or states recognizing domestic partnerships.

Upon leaving SVA, you may extend your dental insurance for up to 18 months through COBRA. Please note that COBRA coverage is considerably more expensive than the normal insurance premiums. Please contact a member of Human Resources for more details about COBRA election.

Liberty Mutual’s Auto and Home Insurance Discount Program provides discounts of up to 10% off auto and up to 5% off home or renters insurance. For more information and a free, no-obligation rate quote, please visit libertymutual.com/svaemployees, or contact a SVA dedicated representative at 212-459-1300 x6418 if you live in NY, or 212-480-2455 x54489 if you live in NJ.

Verizon’s Wireless Employee Discount Program provides up to a 12% discount on monthly service fees and additional discounts. Employees with existing accounts and those signing up for the first time are eligible to receive the discounts. To register your employee discount, please visit verizonwireless.com/discounts, and enter your SVA email address. If you need additional information, please contact our dedicated representative at (212) 353-4576 or e-mail Jermaine Johnson.

Visit the Museum Benefits Page for a list of benefits available to you through SVA.

Any employee of the School of Visual Arts may purchase select computer equipment at substantial savings through the Campus Store, on the web at svacampusstore.com.   In addition, administrative staff and faculty that have successfully completed six months of employment are eligible to apply for an interest-free Campus Store computer loan.  Loan repayment may not exceed one year.  Applicants for a loan must get a quote from Campus Store for the exact amount of their purchase and complete a Loan Request form to be submitted to Human Resources for approval. Feel free to contact the SVA Campus Store directly for details. 

Any employee with a loan at the time of departure must pay the balance in full via payroll deduction, or the online payment portal.

SVA employees can purchase discounted movie passes for $11 each (AMC) and $9.50 each (Regal) that can be used at any AMC Loews Theater or Regal Theater. Passes can be purchased between 10am and 6pm, Monday through Friday at the SVA Campus Store, located at 207 E. 23rd Street. To use the passes, just present the ticket at the Box Office. There is a limit of four passes per person.