Thank you to Jane Lehman of Prevea for sharing interesting information about biometric measurements! We learned about cholesterol HDL, LDL, and triglyceride numbers, as well as glucose and blood pressure measurements. She cautioned us to take our BMI number with a grain of salt, and shared practical ways we can improve our numbers, and more importantly, our health! Please click here to view her Power Point presentation.
Employees participating in the State Group Life insurance program will have their coverage level and premium updated effective April 1, 2016.
For Faculty/Academic Staff/Limited Appointees (paid monthly), the premium update will be reflected on the April 1, 2016 paycheck. For University Staff (paid bi-weekly), the premium update will be reflected on the April 1, 2016 paycheck.
State Group Life Insurance coverage level and premium are based on a participant’s highest calendar year of Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) earnings (typically the prior year’s earnings) and age as of April 14. The 2016 premiums are available at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/life/sgl/.
Please contact the Benefits Office at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions.
If you were enrolled in the Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care and/or Dependent Day Care FSA) in 2015, you have until the end of the run-out period to submit claims and documentation for eligible expenses incurred during the period of January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. The run-out period ends on March 30, 2016.
The IRS allows up to $500 Health Care FSA funds to be carried over to the following year. If you have a Health Care FSA balance remaining in your 2015 account in excess of $500, the IRS requires that the excess be forfeited if not filed by 3/30/16. There is no carryover feature for Dependent Day Care FSA—these funds must be used for services incurred by December 31, 2015.
Please remember that the IRS requires appropriate documentation when submitting a claim. All medical, dental and vision claims must include the following:
There are multiple ways in which you can submit your 2015 claims to TASC. Please note that the instructions below are specific for submitting 2015 claims during the run-out period, NOT 2016 claims.
1) File a claim online
2) File a claim via fax or mail
P.O. Box 7511
Madison, WI 53707-7511
3) File a claim using the Mobile App
If you have unsubstantiated claims for the 2015 plan year, you must submit additional documentation to validate the ‘unsubstantiated’ claims. Review your account activity and other claims to confirm that all expenses were approved by TASC and no additional documentation is needed to validate an expense. You may do this by logging on to your account at www.tasconline.com, and clicking on “View Needed Documentation.” If unsubstantiated claims are unresolved by March 30, 2016, wages may be garnished.
Do not wait until last minute to send. All claims and documentation must be received by TASC by 3/30/16.
For questions contact 1customercare@tasconline.comor TASC Customer Service at 1-844-786-3947 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST).
Source: UW System Administration
Based upon compliance requirements for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), changes have been made to UPS Operational Policy: GEN 20 on Student Employment which went into effect January 1, 2016.
The updates to the Student Employment Policy include:
We have worked through the effects to our campus, including changes in the hiring and payment for student lump sum employees and the monitoring of weekly hour limits for all student employees. We will go through the updated policy and new procedures regarding student employment during the scheduled forums:
(Please note each session will be limited to 15 attendees.)
All forums will be held in the Conference Room on the 7th floor of the Cofrin Library, CL 735.
Due to required changes in student employment and payroll procedures, anyone supervising students is required to attend. These will be the last three sessions offered so you must register and attend.
*If you have already attended a session at the end of January/beginning of February, you do not need to attend again.
Please RSVP using this link for the date and time you are able to attend. Thank you.
If you are an academic (9-month) employee and will be returning to UW employment in the fall of 2016, or you are an academic (9-month) employee with a summer appointment, you will have additional insurance premiums deducted from your April 1, April 29 and/or June 1 paychecks to continue your insurance coverage through the summer months. These additional insurance premiums, taken along with your regular monthly insurance deductions, are referred to as ‘summer prepay deductions.’
You must be expected to return for the fall semester, or you must continue employment in a summer service/summer session appointment to have insurance coverage continue during the summer contract break. Insurance premiums cannot be taken from summer service or summer session appointment earnings. If an employee is working Summer Session(s) or Summer Service, the insurance premium deductions will have to be taken prior to this appointment via summer prepay deductions, or must be paid through direct payment by the employee.
If your anticipated fall 2016 employment status changes after you have already had additional insurance premiums deducted, you may receive refunds for these additional deductions. If you will be terminating employment, and you will not be returning in the fall, contact your Benefits office immediately. They will assist you in determining your employment termination date and the date your insurance coverage will end.
If you anticipate that you will experience any other status change; marriage, adoption, divorce, etc., please contact your Benefits office immediately so you are informed about the impacts to your insurance benefits.
IMPORTANT: The chart below illustrates insurance premiums deducted for an employee scheduled to return to UW employment in the fall of 2016, or who has a summer appointment and is then terminating. Most employees will have deductions taken according to the chart below. Your Benefits office will determine your specific appointment, any summer employment, your fall return date, or your end date, and if your deduction schedule will vary from the schedule below.
2016 Summer Prepay Deduction Schedule
How Summer Prepay Deductions Appear on Your Earnings Statement
Summer prepay deductions will appear as a lump sum amount on earnings statements. All deductions taken pre-tax (most medical-related premiums and a portion of State Group Life premiums) will be added together under the name ‘Prebtx’ and all deductions taken post-tax (most life insurance premiums) will be added together under the name ‘Preatx.’
Regular benefit deductions for the month will continue to be listed under the plan name. These deductions are typically taken on a pre-tax basis. If you have one extra deduction for each plan, there will be a total listed under Prebtx on each earnings statement impacted by the additional deductions. NOTE: ‘Prebtx’ stands for before tax or pre-tax and ‘Preatx’ stands for after tax or post-tax.
IMPORTANT: To verify accuracy, please review your earnings statements to ensure that your insurance deductions are accurate for your situation. If insurance premiums are not collected through the summer prepay deductions process, you will be billed for premiums. In this case, you must remit timely premium payments to continue your insurance coverage.
If you have questions, please contact the Benefits office at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu.
University Staff Professional Development Committee and Academic Staff Professional Development Programming Committee invite all university employees to join them on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 in the Kress Events Center’s special Events Room from 2-4 p.m. for “Adventures in Team Building” presented by UW System colleague, Ed Richmond. Ed serves as Campus Activities & Recreation Coordinator at UW-Stevens Points. This session will create a positive and fun learning environment through team building exercises. Participants can expect to delve into issues facing higher education and receive takeaways on how to help your specific department communicate more effectively and do more, with less. Because of the team building focus, working teams are encouraged to attend together! Individuals will also gain useful takeaways and have opportunities to meet colleagues from across the university!
Registration is appreciated by March 15, 2016: http://uwgreenbay.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cvBNrVVhktAlPtr
Questions may be directed to the chairs of USPC and ASPDPC, Teri Ternes (ternest@uwgb.edu) or Jena Richter (richterj@uwgb.edu)
A free program of valuable services is available to all active, WRS-eligible, UW employees. The LifeSuite program offers travel assistance, legal services, beneficiary financial counseling and legacy planning services. Please note that Beneficiary financial counseling is only available if you are enrolled in the State Group Life Insurance program. You do not have to enroll in the Lifesuite program, it is offered free of charge.
Travel Assistance is available to all active UW employees and their eligible family members. Travel Assistance provides 24/7/365 travel assistance services when traveling 100 or more miles away from home. Services include, but are not limited to, medical professional locator services, interpretation services, assistance in cases of lost luggage and arranging transportation or a traveling companion. For more information, visit the LifeSuite Travel website or call 1-855-516-5433 in the U.S. or Canada. From other locations, you can call collect to +1 (415) 484-4677.
Legal Services are available to all UW employees (active or retired), as well as their eligible family members. The program provides access to over 22,000 attorneys nationwide for consultation on simple wills, estate planning and other legal issues. If an attorney in the network is retained, there is a 25% discount on services. Contact Ceridian at 1-877-849-6034 or visit the LifeWorks website (username: lfg password: resources).
Beneficiary Financial Counseling is available to beneficiaries who receive at least $25,000 in State Group Life claim benefits. Counseling resources are provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) and are designed to help families make sound financial decisions at a difficult time. Beneficiaries will receive notification of this service upon payment of a State Group Life claim.
Legacy Planning Services are available to all UW employees (active or retired), as well as their eligible family members. The program provides access to online information designed to help individuals and families work through end-of-life issues when dealing with the loss of a loved one or planning for their own passing. These resources are available at the Legacy Planning Services website.
Source: UW Service Center
TIAA-CREF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING SESSION – April 7-8, 2016.
TIAA-CREF is offering individual and confidential counseling sessions where you can discuss your financial situation with a TIAA-CREF consultant. A representative will be available to help you achieve your financial goals by investing in financial solutions.
Please see the attached flyer for more information about the TIAA-CREF sessions at UWGB. To schedule a consultation with representative Chad Stein, call 1-800-732-8353 Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or register at www.tiaa-cref.org.
