The incredible benefits you have are a result of your colleagues working together to ensure that resident physicians can provide the highest quality care possible and improve their working conditions.
Join CIR now. We’re stronger together.
Open Enrollment: From December 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024 you have the opportunity to add eligible dependents, update your demographic information, as well as make changes to your dental plan. The effective date of your new update(s) will be January 1, 2024. For more details, click here.
Your Benefits:

Additional Benefits, including Patient Care Trust Fund & other grants & reimbursement forms.
Your Contract:
- $10,000 annual housing allowance
- $1,400 annual education stipend
- $500 PGY 1 “welcome bonus” ($1,900 for annual education stipend in first year)
- $3,900 annual Chief Stipend
- $300,000 QI Research Fund
- 3 meals a day at home institution
- $27/day for meals on rotation
- $125,000 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion fund
Questions about your contract?
Contact: Margaret McLaughlin
mmclaughlin@cirseiu.org | (213) 219-4099
Important Links:
HIPAA Notice of Special Enrollment Rights
Latest Communications:
+ Mental Health Resources
- CA Mental Health Suicide Prevention Resources
- California Mental Health Hotline: 866-903-3787
- CA Peer-Run Warm Line: 855-845-7415
+ Personal Information
- Membership Form
- Domestic Partnership Application (both same-sex and opposite-sex partners are eligible) – To add a partner, download an application and return a notarized copy, along with all requested documentation, to the Plan office. You must also complete an Update Form below.
- Affidavit – If you cannot locate the marriage certificate or birth certificate(s), you can submit this affidavit in its place. The affidavit must be notarized.
- Update Form – To add new dependents to your plan. Requests to add dependents must be received within 30 days of qualifying event (birth/adoption or marriage), and you must attach requested documentation.
- Opt-Out Benefits Form – Please fill out this form if you would like to remove yourself and/or your dependent(s) from the CIR Benefits Plan.
Membership Form, Update Form, Domestic Partnership Application, Opt-Out Form
+ Benefits
+ Vision
+ Supplemental Benefits
- Supplemental Major Medical Claim Form – Now available through the Member Portal
- Supplemental Dental Benefit Claim Form – Now available through the Member Portal
- FAQs
+ Employee Assistance Program
The WorkLife Matters Employee Assistance Program: offers services to help promote well-being and enhance the quality of life for you and your family. View details.
Connect to a counselor for free support services: 1-800-386-7055 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Visit ibhworklife.com and login to “For Employees & Members” (password: wlm70101).
Questions? Email: eapcounselor@ibhcorp.com.
Vision, Supplemental Benefits & Employee Assistance Program. Supplemental Major Medical and Supplemental Dental now available through the Member Portal.
+ Disability
For purposes of our disability benefits, “disabled” means you can no longer perform the duties of your occupation due to accidental bodily injury, sickness, or a related medical condition, including pregnancy or childbirth. You must also be under the care of a licensed provider as defined by the state in which you work.
- Disabled Health Premium Reimbursement
- Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits Claim Form
- Coverage begins on the eighth (8th) day of your disability. The maximum benefit payable is 70% of your weekly salary, up to $875 per week, for up to 26 weeks. See the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for more details.
- If you are going out on a disability leave, contact your employer as soon as possible.
- Long-Term Disability (LTD) Benefits Claim Form
- The LTD plan pays you $3500 per month. LTD benefits typically start if you are still disabled after 26 continuous weeks. For detailed information on Long-Term Disability see the Guardian Certificate.
- Rivetti Financial Disability Coverage
- As a resident, you are eligible to apply for Specialty Specific disability insurance at discounted rates. There is also no medical screening required to qualify. You are only eligible for this plan during your residency, so act now and don’t wait.
+ Education
- Professional Educational Benefit (PEB) Claim Form – Now available through the Member Portal – reimburses costs associated with books, board exams, medical licensure fees, dues, subscription, journals and mobile electronic medical devices. Items that can be used for both personal/non-work purposes AND work/training purposes are NOT eligible for reimbursement, such as:
- Accessories
- Calling and/or Service Plans
- Cameras
- Desktop Cameras
- Data Service Plans
- eBook Readers
- Insurance
- Software (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Upgrade Fees
- QI Benefit – Participants are eligible for up to $3,000 in reimbursement per plan year (July 1-June 30) to cover expenses related to attend a U.S. patient safety event. You must submit at least 6 weeks prior to the conference date.
- QI Training & Education Application
- QI Training & Education Reimbursement Form (For those who have been previously approved for this benefit)
- Opportunity to learn a new language with Rosetta Stone
Professional Education Benefit (PEB) claim form now available through the Member Portal
+ Student Loan Consultations
Rivetti Financial offers Student Loan Consultations to CIR members at a discounted rate:
- Receive individualized advice regarding your student loans
- Complete analysis of your federal and private loans
- Analysis of different repayment plans (Standard, IBR, PAYE, REPAYE)
- Assistance selecting appropriate repayment plan
- Projections of future payments and forgiveness
- Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
- Refinancing suitability analysis
- Introductions to competitive refinancing lenders
How to sign up:
- Verify your CIR membership to receive the discount code
- Go to the registration form
- Complete the registration form and upload your documents
- Schedule a date and time
- Pay the discounted consulting fee
Once the registration is complete, we will analyze your loans and request any additional information or documents from you if necessary. We will call you on the day and time of your consultation to conduct a review of your student loans with you.
Consultations are conducted either by phone or through computer screen sharing if you are a visual learner (similar to a webinar).
+ COBRA
What is COBRA continuation coverage?
COBRA continuation coverage allows you to choose to continue and pay for group health benefits provided by CIR for up to 18 months after your termination date.
Who is eligible?
You and your dependents covered under the Plan on the day before you terminated from your employer. You will receive a COBRA notice mailed to the address we have on file. This notice has important information about your rights related to continued health care coverage in the House Staff Benefits Plan.
COBRA Election forms:
Your COBRA Election includes Vision and Supplemental Major Medical and Dental. Please select the Election form (also includes the COBRA Credit Card Authorization Form) that applies to you:
- Individual: COBRA Notice / Election & Payment Form
- Family: COBRA Notice / Election & Payment Form
You have up to 31 days from your date of termination to apply for continued disability coverage with Rivetti:
COBRA Continuation Coverage and election forms
+ LA Gap Insurance
Now available through the Member Portal
As you start your residency program with LAC + USC Medical Center, please be aware that there is a 90-day waiting period after you start your employment before your employer-sponsored healthcare coverage begins.
Your employer-sponsored healthcare coverage will start at the beginning of September if you enroll during your orientation in June or July.
You can purchase healthcare coverage for the gap period
- If you purchase COBRA coverage from your former insurance carrier or a form of GAP coverage to cover yourself and/or your family during this 90-day waiting period, the CIR/SEIU House Staff Benefits Plan will reimburse you up to $500 for the 90-day window that you did not have LAC + USC Medical Center employer-sponsored healthcare coverage.
- In order to receive the reimbursement, you will need to fill out the LA GAP Insurance Claim Form and provide:
- A copy of the COBRA notice and proof of COBRA coverage payment, or
- The GAP policy statement, and a copy of the GAP policy payment receipt.
+ Appeal & Claim Reprocess
- Appeal Claim Form – Complete this form if your claim was denied in whole or any part or if you disagree with the decision that was made.
- Claim Reprocess Form – Complete this form if your claim was denied and you are able to provide additional information.
Member Portal
Now accepting claims for the Professional Educational Benefit (PEB), Supplemental Major Medical, Supplemental Dental, and LA Gap Insurance, with more benefits coming soon.
Please stay tuned, as paper checks are still being issued until the ACH has been implemented.
+ First Time Users
Click the REGISTER button above to get started.
User Details – Enter the following criterions to register:
- Enter Member ID (starting with 900/901) or Last 4 of SSN
- Enter First Name, then Last Name
- Enter Date of Birth (slashes not necessary)
- Click Next
- System navigates to Create Your Password step
- Create New Password and Confirm Password
- Select terms and accept the terms and conditions
- Terms and Conditions box will appear
- Click Submit
- Click Next
- Click Send Authorization code button
- Sent to user registered primary email ID
- Enter code (did not receive code, check box to skip email verification)
- Click Finish
System will display confirmation message and navigate to login page. You will receive a welcome email to the registered email address on file.
+ Already Registered
Click the SUBMIT CLAIM button above to open the Member Portal. Then:
- Click on the Login (top right) -> The Member Portal Login section appears
- Enter User Name and Password (created during registration)
- Verification email will appear if skipped during registration
- Click send Authentication code
- Click “I already have a code”
- Enter code sent via registered email address
- No code, request new code
- Click Submit
- Enter code sent via registered email address
Communications details will appear if first time logging into Member Portal:
- Update address/contact information if required.
- Click Submit
- System updates address information on member record
To submit for reimbursements, please see steps below
- Top menu Click Benefits
- Select Reimbursement Type and Employer
- Read the claim submission rules and instructions then Click Continue
- System will display the Claim Form
- Enter all required information and attach proofs (supporting documents) as required
- Click Submit
- Reimbursement claim will be submitted to the Benefit Funds Office
- You will receive an email confirmation of your submission
- Claims are processed between 7 to 10 business days
+ Advantages
- You will be able to easily update contact information as needed.
- The Member Portal streamlines the application process by automatically linking to your member and employer details so that you won’t have to enter them on each application. Based on the login information provided, the system will automatically load the applicable reimbursement claim forms.
- The proof needed for each expense submitted will be tied to the expense line itself. This will reduce the number of denials from the Fund Office for lack of proof-of-submission and decrease wait time for payments.
- The claims processing time will decrease. Checks will be mailed out faster than they have been under the old system.
- The rules and guidelines for the reimbursement type are listed on the form’s first page to help you understand what’s allowed and required.
- You will be able to easily submit claims through the browser on your desktop computer, cell phone, or tablet.
- You can take a picture from your device and upload it for proof of payment.
- Coming soon: “View Balance” – view payment information for your individual benefits.
- Coming soon: “My Messages” – communicate with the Benefits Office directly through the Member Portal.
Please note: the “View EOB” (Explanation of Benefits) option will be hidden for claims that were processed prior to going live with Member Portal registration.
Regional Vice Presidents:
- Sameen Ansari, Family Medicine Harbor UCLA Medical Center
- Mahima Iyengar, Med/Peds
Los Angeles General – USC Medical Center
Delegates:
- Katie Ferguson, Emergency Medicine
- Yuhung (Holy) Chou, Pediatrics
- Gregory Gorraiz, Psychiatry
- Shea Nagel, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics
- Briah Fischer, Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Amitha Kapyur, Internal Medicine
- Andrea Soto López, Medicine-Pediatrics
- Simone Montgomery, Dermatology
- Shaunpaul Jones, Medicine-Pediatrics
- Saif Azam, Radiology
- Derrick Lock, Radiation Oncology (alternate)
- Vidyadhari Karne, Pathology, Anatomic & Clinical (alternate)
Subcommittees:
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee
This committee manages our new $125,000 with the purpose of recruiting and supporting underrepresented individuals in medicine. This committee will also support the creation and implementation of diversity, inclusion, and anti-racist curriculum.
Safety Committee
This committee manages our new $20,000 safety fund. This year, we’ll figure out how to best disseminate these funds to residents to improve safety at the hospital.
Quality Improvement Committee
This committee manages our $300,000 QI Fund by reviewing grant proposals. We have funded dozens of incredible research projects which have led to the enhancement of patient care at the hospital and in our community.
Patient Care Fund Committee
Every department is invited to send 1-2 representatives to decide how we utilize our $1.21 million Patient Care Fund. This fund can be used to purchase medical equipment for County hospital.
Meals Committee
We are in the process of advocating for an elimination of meal caps at Keck Hospital. Join our committee to help us make important improvements to our meal money.
Childcare Committee
We are in the process of advocating for better access to childcare at County. Join our committee to help us make improvements to childcare access.
Gym Access Committee
We are in the process of advocating for access to a gym at County. Join our committee to help us work with the hospital in creating a gym for residents.
To join a subcommittee, please contact your organizer, Margaret McLaughlin: mmclaughlin@cirseiu.org | (213) 219-4099
Additional Benefits
Reimbursement Forms
CIR Conference, Publishing, and Poster reimbursement form &
QI Conference reimbursement form
Grants & Scholarships
Quality Improvement (QI/PS) Grant: application form
Bio-Statistician Consultation: submission form
Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship: application form
Patient Care Trust Fund
Looking to Improve Patient Care? LAG/USC and Harbor-UCLA has one of the oldest and largest Patient Care Funds, with LA County contributing $1,210,000 and $980,000 respectively. Click here to apply or for more information.
Member Discount Program
CIR Members are entitled to a number of discounts on services. Learn more.
Attention: In compliance with HIPAA regulations, we are moving to a new, secure email portal. Please use benefits@cirbenefitfunds.org to send secure emails to the Benefits Office.