Military Leave Benefits

Dartmouth College

Military Leave Benefits Synopsis

All current or potential employees are protected under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and will be afforded rights at least equal to or greater than the protections provided under federal and applicable state law.

Annual Leave Length

For the first 10 days of military service performed in the fiscal year, the employee will receive full Dartmouth pay. (Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement may have moredetailed compensation guidelines stipulated in their contracts.) If an employee is on extendedactive duty, the College pays the difference between an employee’s military and Dartmouth pay,if his or her Dartmouth pay is higher. 

Health and Other Insurance Policies

An employee may continue health insurance coverage for him- or herself and his or her dependents up to a maximum of 24 months while he or she is on military leave. Employee contributions for health coverages, including the flexible spending account, can continue to be taken from the employee's paycheck on a pre-tax basis while the employee is on the Dartmouth College payroll.  If the employee discontinues coverage while he or she is on military leave, the coverage will be reinstated upon his or her return to employment. If the employee was injured or has an illness aggravated by the period of military service, the obligation to cover that employee falls under the government health plan, not the College-provided plan. Life insurance coverage is not available during military leave.

Reemployment

Retirement Benefits

Employees who return to their jobs will not be considered to have had a break in service for the purposes of retirement plan participation, vesting, and accrual of benefits. This applies to the defined benefit and 401(a) defined contribution retirement plans. Dartmouth will not make contributions to the retirement plan while the employee is deployed on military service, but the College will make up any contributions attributable to the employee’s period of service unless it is impossible or unreasonable to do so, and then the College will make the contributions as soon as practicable. The vesting of employment rights occurs on re-employment. Thus, if the employee does not seek to be re-employed by Dartmouth, then the College is not responsible for those obligations.