Connect with a member of the benefits team
Curious who the UA Benefits team is?
The UA Benefits team is made up of four UA employees:
- Tammy Kancir, Benefits Specialist
- Claire Harper, Benefits Specialist
- Elaine Ramos, Benefits Specialist
- Jenn Clapp, Benefits Manager
You can reach all of us by emailing ua-benefits@alaska.edu or calling (907) 450-8242. You can also meet with one of our Benefits Specialists to go over general benefit questions or to help you understand and/or prepare for retirement.
Fun fact!
All our contact information is at the bottom of every news article (scroll to bottom
of this article and see the information in italics) and at the footer of every benefits
newsletter that is sent out under "Stay Up To Date!"
General Benefits - Tammy Kancir or Claire Harper
A meeting with Tammy Kancir or Claire Harper is a great place to start if you have
a general benefits question and would like to meet with someone rather than call or
email our department. Below is a high level overview of what may be discussed during
one of these meetings. The list is not exhaustive, so, if you would like to discuss
something not listed below, please schedule a meeting and let Tammy or Claire know.
- Provide a high level overview of your current benefit coverages including:
- Medical, dental, vision, pharmacy
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions and vendors
- Life insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
- Retirement enrollment and vendors (although, in-depth questions on retirement should be directed to Elaine Ramos, see below)
- Direct you to the correct vendor if you have specific issues that need to be addressed (i.e. we can direct you to Premera for an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from a recent doctors appointment)
- Provide you with a temporary card from Premera or direct you on where to print this card yourself
- Provide instructions on how to locate and use your VSP benefit (VSP does not provide cards like Premera does)
- Direct you to TouchCare for personal health care questions including billing assistance, finding an in-network provider, scheduling appointments, understanding a recent bill, etc.
Retirement - Elaine Ramos
A meeting with Elaine Ramos to discuss retirement can come in handy for all employees
- whether you are new to the university, checking in mid-career, or planning your
retirement. Below is a high level overview of what may be discussed during one of
these meetings. The list is not exhaustive, so, if you would like to discuss something
not listed below, please schedule a meeting and let Elaine know.
- Review your specific retirement plans
- If you are not sure what retirement plan you are in, or you can log into and click on the "Benefits" drop down menu on the Employee Dashboard
- Review vesting for the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) and UA Pension Plan as well
as how to access your account information
- Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and Teachers Retirement System (TRS) are managed through the State of ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Division of Retirement and Benefits. If you are enrolled in one of these plans and need to check on vesting or account access, we will need to redirect you to the DRB at 1-800-821-2251.
- Understand the different retirement plan options that are available to you as a UA employee and who to speak with for direct account questions or financial assistance
- Contribution levels to each of your retirement accounts
- Ways you can increase your retirement contributions via a voluntary 403(b) (both pre-tax
and Roth options are available)
- Don't know what a voluntary 403(b) is? Or what "pre-tax" or "Roth" means and the difference between the two? !
- Locating forms to start, increase, or decrease your voluntary 403(b) contributions
Emailed via benefits newsletter on 7/29/2025.
Contact Benefits: (907) 450-8242 | ua-benefits@alaska.edu | schedule one-on-one time