4.02 / Eligibility of Adjunct Faculty for Employer-Provided Health Insurance

Effective: October 21, 2014

  1. Purpose

    The purpose of this statement is to set forth University policy with regard to eligibility of adjunct faculty members for health insurance benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

  2. Preamble

    The Affordable Care Act requires that employers establish reasonable standards for determining the number of hours of service by adjunct faculty, including other hours that are necessary to perform the adjunct faculty member's duties, such as class preparation time.

  3. Policy

    1. Adjunct faculty will be considered to spend two and one-half (2 1/2) hours of service (preparation, grading, etc.) for every one (1) credit hour taught. The total hours shall be entered when processing the Electronic Personnel Action Form (ePAF).

    2. Circumstances may warrant a calculation based on hours not represented in the credit hour value. This includes but is not limited to those who teach applied courses, courses involving observation of students in the field, or adjuncts who teach classes without an assigned credit hour value. In this case the appropriate calculation shall be approved by the appropriate department chair and Provost's Office and entered into the ePAF. At no time shall this calculation be less than a credit of two and one-half hours (2.5) of service for every one (1) credit hour taught.

  4. Implementation

    This policy shall be included in the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual and shared with appropriate constituencies of the University.

    Academic Affairs shall have primary responsibility for publication, dissemination and implementation of this University policy.