EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Dental Plan Overview

As of 2008, MIT is providing two dental plan choices through Delta Dental Plan:

The MIT Comprehensive Dental Plan. If you participate in this plan, you are covered for preventive, basic restorative, and major restorative dental services-and, starting in 2008, children through age 18 are covered for orthodontia.
The MIT Basic Dental Plan. This new plan provides preventive and basic restorative services only-at a lower cost.

Who Is Eligible

You are generally eligible for dental coverage if you (1) work at least 50% of the normal full-time schedule in your department, laboratory or center; (2) are appointed to work at MIT for at least nine months; and (3) are paid by MIT. You are also eligible if you meet the above criteria and you have a visiting appointment or if you are a student in a cooperative education program working at MIT.

The following titles are not eligible: consultants, contractors, affiliates, teaching or research assistants, honorary lecturers, post-doctoral trainees, people paid by MITemps and members of the armed services assigned to MIT.

To view benefits for Postdoctoral Fellows see Postdoctoral Fellow Benefits.

If you are a member of a collective bargaining unit, all the provisions of the Plan are subject to the terms of your collective bargaining agreement.

Benefit

Your dental plan pays all or part of the expenses for the following necessary dental services and supplies, provided your dentist participates in the Delta Dental Plan:

MIT Comprehensive Dental Plan and MIT Basic Dental Plan
- Preventive services-to detect or prevent tooth decay or other oral diseases. These types of services are usually received during a routine dental check-up.
- Basic restorative services-to restore or remove diseased or damaged teeth, treat oral diseases, and repair dentures, bridges, crowns, inlays, and onlays.
MIT Comprehensive Dental Plan only
- Major restorative services-to install dentures, bridges, crowns, inlays, and onlays, to replace missing teeth, or to restore severely damaged or diseased teeth. Services requiring the use of gold are also included.
- Orthodonia is covered for children through age 18 under the MIT Comprehensive Dental Plan. Adult orthodontia is not covered.

Dental Plan Comparison Chart As of January 1, 2008
	The MIT Basic Dental Plan	The MIT Comprehensive Dental Plan
Deductible	None	$50 per covered member for Type 2 and Type 3 services
Preventive (Type 1)	100% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges Exams, cleanings	100% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges Exams, cleanings No deductible
Basic Restorative (Type 2)	80% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges Filings, extractions, root canals	80% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges after annual deductible Filings, extractions, root canals
Major Restorative (Type 3)	No Coverage	50% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges after annual deductible Dentures, bridges and crowns. An endosteal implant is covered to replace one missing tooth.
Orthodontia through age 18	No Coverage	50% of usual, customary, and reasonable charges
Annual Maximum	$1,500 per covered member	$1,500 per covered member
Orthodontia Maximum	N/A	$1,500 per lifetime, not subject to deductible

For more information on MIT's Dental Plan, visit http://www.deltamass.com/.

Participating and Nonparticipating Dentists

Your costs for the plan may be less when you visit a dentist who participates in the plan's network. Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts insures the plan. Participating dentists have agreed to accept Delta Dental's allowance for services and treatment and provide an additional 5% discount. If you go to a non-participating dentist, the plan generally pays 80% of the benefits shown in the table above. For example, the plan will pay 80% of the 70% coverage for usual, customary, and reasonable charges for Basic Restorative Services. In addition, to receive the 5% discount, you will need to show the non-participating dentist your Delta Dental Plan identification card. To find a participating dentist, visit http://www.deltamass.com/find_a_dentist/.

Coverage Tiers

When you enroll, you indicate who will be covered under the plan. Regardless of your dental plan choice, you may choose from among four tiers of coverage (the same as offered under the medical plans):

Individual-if you only need to cover yourself
Employee + Spouse (or Spousal Equivalent)
Employee + Child(ren)-a great option for single parents or when a spouse/spousal equivalent has another source of coverage
Family

Notes:

See information on domestic partner/spousal equivalent coverage.
Unmarried dependent children may be covered until the end of the calendar month they turn age 25 (unless they are disabled) as long as they are not eligible for coverage through another employer-sponsored dental plan.

Cost

You and MIT share in the cost of your dental coverage. If you enroll in coverage, your share will be paid with before-tax dollars that are deducted each pay period. Your cost depends on the level of coverage that you choose, as well as your employment category. For details on rates, please see the rate chart.

Enrollment

You may enroll in the dental plan within 31 days of your date of hire or appointment, or within 31 days of when you first receive your Welcome Packet, whichever is later. When you enroll, you may elect coverage as of your date of hire or the first of the month following your date of hire. The Benefits Office must receive your enrollment within this 31-day period or you will generally need to wait until the next annual open enrollment period. Open enrollment for most benefits is held each fall.

Identification Cards

If you wish to request a new or additional ID card, you may do so at http://www.deltamass.com. You can also download a print copy of your card right from your computer.

Changes

In exchange for allowing you to pay your premium with before-tax dollars, Internal Revenue Code regulations do not allow you to cancel or change your dental coverage outside of the open enrollment period, unless you have an allowable change in family or employment status. Your benefit change must be consistent with your family status or employment status change. See the list of allowable status changes. If you do have an allowable change in family or employment status, you must contact the Benefits Office within 31 days to make any corresponding benefit changes. Your change will be effective on the date of the allowable event.

This information is intended to be a summary of the Plan. The Plan document (available as a PDF) contains all the details. If there is a conflict between this summary and the Plan document, the Plan document will control.

MIT expects to continue the Plan as a benefit to employees, but reserves the right to change or terminate the Plan should this become necessary or advisable.

Forms and Publications