GA Health Insurance Costs

Please see the email below from Provost Haggerty regarding budgeting of Graduate Assistant (GA) Health Insurance on sponsored projects.  GeauxGrants was updated January 2, 2024, to include GA Health Insurance calculations on the Budget tab.  The Office of Sponsored Programs’ Budget Worksheets and Proposal Toolkit webpages include updated budget and budget justification templates. 

GeauxGrants Quick Reference Guides for budgeting beginning January 2, 2024, for both named and to be hired (TBH) Graduate Assistants can be found on the GeauxGrants HelpDesk. 

 

Dear Deans and Department Heads:

This memorandum documents LSU’s policy concerning graduate assistants (GAs) health insurance premium charges. Please ensure that faculty in your college, department, or unit are aware of this policy.

With the start of the fall 2023 semester, the university pays 75% of the total health insurance premium cost for GAs who meet the eligibility criteria listed in the Student Health Insurance Initiation Plan (June 26, 2023). 

Effective January 2, 2024, all new, continuation, and supplemental proposals with project budget periods beginning or going beyond July 1, 2024 must include health insurance costs as reflected in the table below for each GA, provided the charge is not disallowed by the funding agency. These amounts represent 75% of the health insurance premium.

*Amounts are subject to change each fiscal year

**The proportionate share of the premium should be budgeted for GAs assigned to more than one project.  

GA health insurance premium costs are to be budgeted within the fringe benefits budget category and are subject to indirect (facilities and administrative/F&A) costs. 

This policy applies to LSU institutions in Baton Rouge (LSU A&M, AgCenter, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center) employing graduate assistants. The allocation of the health insurance premium cost will apply to all assistantship types paid on restricted funds including but not limited to gifts, auxiliaries, sales and services, and other restricted in addition to unrestricted self-generated and direct appropriation (e.g., Vet Med, Law Center, and Laboratory School) accounts beginning July 1, 2024.

Questions related to application of charges in proposals should be directed to the respective institutional sponsored programs office: LSU, Darya Courville, osp@lsu.edu; LSU AgCenter, Michelle Miller, mmiller@agcenter.lsu.edu; PBRC, Kelly Pitre, Kelly.Pitre@pbrc.edu.