Your First-Year Benefits Checklist: What SCPMG Associate Physicians Need to Know
You just started at SCPMG. You survived orientation. You have a badge, a schedule, and a stack of paperwork that could double as a doorstop.
Some of that paperwork matters more than you think.
Your first year as an associate comes with a handful of decisions that will follow you for the rest of your career at Kaiser. Miss a deadline or skip a form, and you could be leaving serious money on the table or, worse, locking yourself out of benefits you can't get back.
Your Keogh Election Is the Big One
The Keogh Plan is basically a second retirement account on top of your 401(k). You don't contribute to it as an associate; that starts when you make partner. But you have to decide now whether you want in.
Here's the catch: Once you decide, you can't change your mind. Ever.
You have 180 days from your hire date to make the call. If you elect to participate and later wish you hadn't, too bad. If you skip it and later realize you want it, too bad. The election is irrevocable.
You'll pick a contribution level: 0%, 25%, 50%, 70%, or 100% of the contribution percentage SCPMG sets each year. The higher you go, the more money flows into your Keogh once you're a partner. But it also means less take-home pay down the road.
There's no universally right answer. It depends on your financial situation, how long you plan to stay at SCPMG, and how much liquidity you'll need. But whatever you decide, make sure you actually decide. Don't let the deadline slip by while you're buried in patient charts.
For a deeper dive on how to think about this election, see our full Keogh guide, “A Retirement Decision SCPMG Physicians Only Get to Make Once.”
Max Out Your 401(k) While You Can
Here's something many new associates don't realize: You have more room to save in your 401(k) right now than you will once you make partner.
The IRS caps your total retirement contributions — 401(k) plus Keogh combined — at $72,000 for 2026 (or $80,000 if you're 50 or older). As an associate, your Keogh isn't active yet. That means the entire $72,000 is available for your 401(k).
Once you make partner, your Keogh contributions start eating into that space. If you were planning to use traditional after-tax contributions to max out your savings — the strategy sometimes called a "mega backdoor Roth" — now's the time to do it.
You can contribute anywhere from 1% to 75% of your earnings, split across traditional pre-tax, Roth, and traditional after-tax buckets. If that sounds like a lot of options, it is. But the short version: If you can afford to save aggressively, your associate years are an optimal time to do it.
The HSA Is a Stealth Retirement Account
If you were hired on or after January 1, 2021, you're on the HSA-Qualified High Deductible Health Plan. No choice in the matter. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Yes, the HDHP has a higher deductible: $1,700 for single coverage and $3,400 for family coverage. But it unlocks access to a health savings account (HSA), which is one of the best tax-advantaged accounts out there.
Think of it this way: Contributions go in pre-tax, the money grows tax-free, and withdrawals for medical expenses are tax-free. Triple tax advantage. If you're young and healthy and don't expect big medical bills, you can treat it like a retirement account: Contribute the max, invest it, and let it ride.
SCPMG kicks in $1,150 for single coverage or $2,300 for family coverage on your behalf. The total IRS limit for 2026 is $4,400 (single) or $8,750 (family), plus an extra $1,000 if you're 55 or older. You own the account. Unused funds roll over. And you keep it forever, even if you leave Kaiser.
One quirk for associates: SCPMG's contribution shows up as taxable earnings on your paycheck, but you can deduct it when you file your taxes. Partners get it deposited directly into their HSA. Same benefit, slightly different mechanics.
Elect Long-Term Disability — It's Not Automatic
You're automatically covered by short-term disability as an associate. If you get sick or injured and can't work, short-term disability kicks in after a couple of weeks and pays about half your base earnings for up to six months.
But here's the thing: Long-term disability is a separate election. It doesn't happen automatically for associates. If you want coverage for disabilities that last longer than your short-term disability benefit, you have to sign up, and an ideal time to do it is within 31 days of your hire date.
Why 31 days? Because if you enroll during that window, you don't have to answer health questions. Wait longer, and you'll need to go through underwriting.
Long-term disability pays up to $20,000 a month and generally lasts until age 65. You can also add supplemental coverage through Unum if you want more.
Nobody likes thinking about disability insurance. But your ability to earn an income is your most valuable asset, especially this early in your career. Protecting it is worth the five minutes of paperwork.
Life Insurance: You Have Some, You Can Add More
You automatically get Permanente Provided Life insurance at no cost. The amount depends on how long you've been at SCPMG, starting at 1x your base compensation and going up to 3x after 15 years. The max is $2 million.
If you want more coverage, you can buy Voluntary Life insurance, up to 6x your base compensation or $2.5 million, whichever is less. The catch: If you enroll within 31 days of eligibility, you can get up to 2x your base compensation without answering health questions. Wait longer, and you'll need evidence of insurability.
Spouse and domestic partner coverage is available too, in $50,000 increments up to $500,000.
Designate Your Beneficiaries
This one takes five minutes and gets forgotten constantly.
Your 401(k), your Keogh (if you elected it), and your life insurance all have beneficiary designations. If you don't fill them out — or if you fill them out and then get married, have kids, or get divorced — your benefits might not go where you want them to go.
Log in to Schwab for your retirement accounts and the SCPMG Physician Portal for your life insurance. Update your beneficiaries. Then set a calendar reminder to check them once a year.
You've Got Support If You Need It
First-year residency was hard. First-year practice is hard in a different way. SCPMG has resources if you need them.
The Physician Assistance Programs offer free, confidential counseling. SupportLinc (800-950-0879) connects you with a licensed clinician 24/7 — by phone, text, or app — for up to five sessions per issue, at no cost. It's available to your family members too. Kaiser's Internal PAP (877-801-5751) offers up to five sessions per issue as well.
You also have Concierge Services (877-608-0045) to help you navigate your benefits, and 24/7 virtual care through Kaiser telehealth (833-574-2273) when you're the one who's sick.
Know What's Coming
Some benefits don't kick in until you make partner, like the Early Separation Program (an early retirement option between ages 58 and 65) and the Common Plan (a pension-like benefit that kicks in after 10 years of service).
Partners also get automatic long-term disability enrollment and a different short-term disability program called the Compensation Continuance Program.
You don't need to do anything about these now. But it helps to know they exist, especially when you're thinking about the long game.
Your Checklist
Make your Keogh election before the 180-day deadline.
Enroll in the 401(k) and decide on your contribution strategy.
Set up your HSA and consider maxing it out.
Elect long-term disability within 31 days of hire.
Consider Voluntary Life insurance within 31 days.
Designate beneficiaries for all accounts.
Set up your flexible spending account (FSA) if you're using one.
One More Thing
SCPMG's benefits are complicated. That's not a criticism. It's just the reality of working for a large organization with multiple retirement plans, insurance options, and physician-specific programs.
If you want help sorting through it, that's what we're here for. We work with SCPMG physicians at every stage, from brand-new associates trying to figure out their Keogh election to partners mapping out their exit strategy.
Give us a call at (909) 296-7977 or visit evermont.com to set up a conversation.
Keep building your future.