2015 AST CORPORATION SUMMARY OF BENEFITS

Health Insurance Cafeteria Plan

AST provides regular full-time employees and their eligible dependents a cafeteria plan for
medical, dental, vision, disability and voluntary life insurance. This plan allows each employee to
pick and choose the right coverage. ASTs cafeteria plan provides a fixed amount of benefits
credit $725 per month. Any unused benefit credit has a cash equivalence of $0.50 to each $1.00
benefit credit up to a maximum of $250/month will be added to employees pre-tax earnings.
Employees can also purchase benefits over their benefits credit amount from their pre-tax
earnings thereby reducing their taxable income.
Medical Plan
The medical insurance is covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. AST offers HMO (Illinois
only) PPO and Health Savings Account plans. Significant restrictions and benefit maximums may
apply; therefore, employees should carefully review the specific details of this plan in the BCBS
Insurance Plan booklet included in the benefits package. You can also receive more information
about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois at their web site: www.bcbsil.com. You may also search
whether a particular practitioner/medical specialist participates in various plans available to AST
employees at the above-mentioned website. A vision discount is provided with the BCBSIL.
Dental Plan
The dental insurance coverage is a Preferred Provider Organization plan with Delta Dental
Insurance Company. This dental plan provides a variety of benefits and allows you and your
family to use any dentist or specialist you choose. Benefits are paid after any applicable
deductible has been met, up to the annual maximum. Claim payments may be made to you or
your dentist, whichever you prefer, unless benefits have been assigned to the provider. To
locate a dentist near you, go to www.deltadentalil.com.
Vision Plan
The vision insurance coverage is a network of doctors through Eye Med Vision Plan. The vision
plan includes co-payments on exams and the purchase of eyeglasses, contact lenses, sunglasses
and other prescription eyewear when provided by Eye Med doctors. Eye Med is available for
you and your dependents covered by your vision plan. To locate an Eye Med doctor near you,
go to www.eyemedvisioncare.com.
Disability (Short & Long Term)
Short and long-term disability insurance is provided by the SunLife Insurance Company.
Short-Term Disability - Basic Benefits
Benefit Duration
Benefit Percent
Elimination Period
Accident
Sickness

24 weeks
60% of base salary, tax exempt up to $1,500 maximum per week
Continuous days of disability before this plan pays benefits
benefits commence the 15th day
benefits commence the 15th day

Long-Term Disability - Basic Benefits

Benefit Duration
Definition of Disability
Elimination Period
Max. Monthly Benefit

AST Summary of Benefits

Social Security Normal Retirement Age, ADEA.

Extended Own Occ. with Zero Day Residual Benefit.
180 continuous days of disability before this plan pays out benefits. Total
disability not required.
$10,000

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Voluntary Life
Regular full-time employees may voluntarily elect for additional life insurance. Voluntary life
insurance is provided by SunLife Insurance. Employees may enroll for up to the lesser of 5 times
his/her salary or a maximum of $750,000 (in increments of $10,000). Employees may enroll
spouses 100% of the employee benefit up to the maximum of $500,000.
Long Term Care
AST employees have the option to select Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance with UNUM Insurance.
LTC is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care to people who have a
chronic illness or disability. Long-term care helps meet health or personal needs. Most longterm care is to assist people with support services such as activities of daily living like dressing,
bathing, and using the bathroom. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community,
in assisted living or in nursing homes.
Basic Life and AD&D
AST provides a basic term life insurance and an Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
insurance for regular full time employees through SunLife Insurance. This coverage pays the
beneficiary $100,000 in case of accidental death or dismemberment.
Emergency Travel Assistance & Identity Theft Protection
AST provides emergency travel assistance services with one phone call and provided through
Emergency Travel Assistance with Assist America. When traveling for business or pleasure, in a
foreign country or just 100 miles or more away from home, you and your family can count on
getting help in the event of a medical emergency. You also have the support of the powerful
Identity Theft Protection program through Assist Americas SecurAssist Identity Protection
Program.
Employee Assistance Program
The EAP is part of ASTs benefit package and provided through ComPsych. It allows you to speak
to someone confidentially about any type of personal concern that may be impacting your work
or personal life. An EAP Administrator will take your call and get some background information
from you. He or she will then arrange a time for a counselor to talk to you in depth about your
concern. The EAP administrator will assess the nature of your problem and offer suggestions
concerning the best way to resolve the problem.
VPI Pet Insurance
AST is offering pet insurance with Veterinary Pet Insurance. You may enroll in the plan and you
will be billed by VPI directly. AST employees will get the benefit of discounted group rate based
on the location. Plans are designed by veterinarians to provide best reimbursement for your
premium dollar. All VPI medical plans cover chronic and recurring conditions that are not preexisting at enrollment at no extra charge. Accepted by every vet, everywhere.
Profit Sharing/401(K) Plan
AST has established a 401(k) profit sharing plan to provide employees the potential for future
financial security for retirement. To be eligible to join the 401(k) savings plan, an employee must
be 21 years of age or older and in a class of employees eligible to participate in the Plan.
Enrollment is open Jan 1st and July 1st of each year for eligible employees. You may contribute to
the AST 401 (k) plan up to 25% of your annual compensation or the legal maximum amount for
the fiscal year. AST has a match based on the following schedule (both AST and the employees
contributions are vested immediately):
AST Summary of Benefits

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January 2015

Employee Contribution %
1.0% of annual salary
2.0% of annual salary
3.0% of annual salary
4.0% of annual salary
5.0%+ of annual salary

AST % Match
1.0% of annual salary
2.0% of annual salary
3.0% of annual salary
3.5% of annual salary
4.0% of annual salary

Vested
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Section 125 Plan

AST offers regular full-time employees to participate in a voluntary Flexible Spending Account
and/or Dependent Care Account through Flexible Benefits. You may elect to deduct on a pre-tax
basis up to $2,550/annually for the Flexible Spending Account or $5,000/annually for Dependent
Care Account ($2,500 for each parent filing separately) to be reimbursed for the following nontaxable benefits:

Deductibles or coinsurance not covered by your health insurance plan, or other nonreimbursed medical expenses
Dependent Care costs

Section 132 Plan

AST offers regular full-time employees to participate in a voluntary Section 132 Transportation
Plan through Flexible Benefits. You may elect to deduct on a pre-tax basis up to $250/monthly
for parking expenses and $130/month for public transportation costs.
Performance Based Bonus
AST may offer an annual performance based bonus to regular full time employees. The
performance-based bonus is not entitlement and the existence of this program in no way
guarantees that a bonus will be paid out to any/all regular full time employees every year. The
performance-based bonus is dependent on your productivity and accomplishments and ASTs
performance in the marketplace.
Referral Bonus
AST will pay you a bonus of $2,500 if we hire a candidate you refer for employment once that
person works as a regular full time employee for 90 days. This bonus is contingent upon both
the employee and their referral continuing employment through this period.
Presentation Bonus
AST will pay you a bonus of $1,000 if you submit a conference abstract and it is accepted by the
conference.
Overtime
AST pays overtime to both exempt and non-exempt employees depending on the project. The
overtime is paid on a regular time basis (base salary rate) on a calendar month basis and must
be approved by your manager. Comp time may accrue in lieu of overtime and must be
approved by your manager.
Educational Reimbursement
AST will provide upon its discretion, education assistance to regular full-time employees who
have completed at least six calendar months of service. Upon completion of individual courses
and upon submission of original receipts, employees will be reimbursed for up to a maximum of
50% of the total cost incurred.

AST Summary of Benefits

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Training and Development

AST provides you training by experts in their technical and functional areas so that it increases
your productivity, assists your movement to other positions with greater responsibility and
helps you make greater impact on ASTs business. Employees are encouraged to take a
minimum of one week of formal/informal training each fiscal year.
Relocation
AST will provide assistance to eligible employees who are requested by AST to relocate to other
customer/project sites in the U.S. in accordance with the terms of this policy. The relocation
assistance covers: hotel accommodations, car rental/taxis, gas, and meals for the first week in
the new area as per the guidelines in the ASTs Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy;
airline tickets for the employee and all eligible dependents; moving expenses for household
items.
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Regular full time employees of AST, accrue 15 days of PTO per year for the first three years of
employment (prorated by the length of employment during each year). After three years with
AST you accrue 20 days of PTO per year (prorated by the length of employment during each
year). PTO covers vacation, sick and bereavement leave.
Sabbatical Leave
AST regular full-time employees are eligible for a 4-week paid Sabbatical Leave after completing
7 full years of continuous full-time employment with AST.
Holidays
AST offers regular full time employees nine paid holidays a year. Seven of these are scheduled
and two are floating holidays. Detail of these holidays is provided in the employee handbook.
Jury Duty
AST reimburses a regular full-time employee the difference between his/her straight-time
wages for hours scheduled to work and jury duty pay. An employee must present written
evidence of the amount received as jury pay. Meals, travel, parking and other related expenses
incurred by the employee relating to jury duty are not reimbursed.

AST Summary of Benefits

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January 2015