Students with Dependents

UCSF Family Services

UCSF Family Services’ mission is to support UCSF faculty, staff, students and trainees in their parenting and caregiving journey. We offer a wealth of services, resources and information to meet the various and diverse needs of UCSF families.

Family portal for UCSF families

Make sure to bookmark myfamily.ucsf.edu, a centralized resource for anyone in the campus community who has dependents or who is planning to have a family. Information includes child care, child and youth programs at UCSF and in the Bay Area, elder care resources, lactation/nursing accommodations and breastfeeding services, nutrition, special needs, and  more.

UCSF Family Services Resources

Childcare options

Student Resources

Parental leave

Under the California Pregnancy Disability Leave laws, GSRs are entitled to unpaid leave for up to four months per pregnancy and/or reasonable accommodation for pregnancy disability, childbirth, and related medical conditions. Read more about leaves of absence.

Lab safety considerations related to pregnancy

Students who are pregnant or who thinking about having a baby, especially those who work in a lab setting, should consult the following resources.

If you have questions, please contact your department safety advisor. If you are unsure who that is, look them up by building on the Environmental Health and Safety website or call the EH&S office at 476-1300. 

Childcare Reimbursement

Academic Student Employees (ASEs/GSRs) and non -represented PhD students may be eligible for childcare reimbursements. Review eligibility guidelines at the link above.

ASE/GSR Child Dependent Health Premium Benefit Program

The University of California’s Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) and Academic Student Employees (ASEs) represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) are eligible for a remission for their child dependents through a program established in the ASE/GSR collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between UC and the UAW. 

GSRs and ASEs employed in a qualifying appointment(s) are eligible to receive a 100% premium remission for child dependents enrolled in UC SHIP, provided the GSR/ASE’s income exceeds the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold as specified in the collective bargaining agreement.

If the GSR/ASE has a spouse, and their combined household income does not exceed twice the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold, the employee is eligible for the child dependent premium remission.

Eligibility

For this program, eligibility is as follows: 

  1. The GSR/ASE is eligible to receive a health insurance premium remission under the CBA through a GSR/ASE appointment, or through a combination of GSR and ASE appointments.
  2. The GSR/ASE is a registered graduate student with GSR/ASE appointment(s) totaling 25% or more of full-time for a given term in a State-supported or Self-Supporting Program.
  3. The GSR/ASE’s income exceeds the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold. 
    • If the GSR/ASE has a spouse, and their combined household income does not exceed twice the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold then the employee is eligible for the child dependent premium remission.
    • Information about Medi-Cal eligibility can be found here: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Medi-Cal/Pages/qualify.aspx
  4. The GSR/ASE enrolls eligible child dependents in UC SHIP.  Eligible child dependents are defined by UC SHIP plan regulations.

The CBA is the controlling document, and this program overview is not meant to replace or contradict the language that is contained in the CBA or applicable University policy and is not a substitute for reviewing contract articles carefully. The GSR/ASE is responsible for determining and attesting to eligibility. Please contact Mary Bradley, [email protected], for information on how to apply, to request the attestation form, and for additional program and procedure information.

DepCare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for Students with Payroll Appointments

The DepCare FSA for students with a GSR or TA payroll appointment allows you to pay for eligible expenses for the care of your child/children or eligible adult dependent(s) on a pretax basis. As a result, your salary is reduced before taxes are assessed, and you pay less in taxes. The DepCare FSA for academic student employees is designed to serve the academic student employees (ASEs) represented by the UAW as well as non-represented academic student employees, including GSRs and TAs.

The way Depcare FSA works is simple:

  • Complete the enrollment form
  • Email the form to [email protected]
  • The contribution amount you choose is taken from your pay each month
  • You pay your dependent care expenses as usual
  • You submit a claim form and copies of your dependent care receipts to Wex 
  • Remember, you forfeit any money you don't use. So, do calculate your contributions carefully!

Read more about this benefit on the website of the UC Office of the President.