Employee Benefits & Retirement
Insurance Benefits
Western Oregon University, through the Public Employees Benefit Board, (PEBB) offers a comprehensive benefit plan for eligible employees and their families. This plan includes core benefits of medical, vision, dental, basic life insurance, as well as several optional benefits. Employees with other group medical or dental coverage may elect to opt-out of the medical and dental plans and receive limited cash back. You may also decline benefits entirely. See Employee Benefits Overview page for more information.
Retirement Benefits
We offer two retirement pension plan options depending on your employment type. Classified employees will automatically be enrolled in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) after 6 full months of service in a qualifying position. Unclassified employees are eligible to participate in the PERS retirement plan or choose to participate in the Oregon Public Universities Optional Retirement Plan (OPURP) after 6 full months of service in a qualifying position. If you were previously enrolled in PERS or the OPURP programs you may be eligible for contributions upon hire. All employees may choose to supplement their pension by choosing to participate in a voluntary retirement savings plans. You may participate in the tax-deferred compensation plan 403(b) or the Oregon Savings Growth Plan 457(b). See Retirement page for more information.