Author: demeuses

Celebrate UWGB’s Amazing Student Employees During National Student Employment Week – April 14 – 18th

UWGB Shines Brighter Thanks to 750+ Student Employees!

National Student Employment Week is upon us (April 14-18th), and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the incredible impact UWGB’s student employees have on our campuses. Their dedication fuels our University every day!

Show Your Appreciation: Share the Spotlight!

The Career Planning Team wants to help supervisors and teams showcase their gratitude. We’re collecting short video messages, photos with words of appreciation, or any creative way you’d like to say “Thank you!” Send your submissions to stcareer3@uwgb.edu by April 11th. We’ll light up our social media with these amazing shout-outs all week long! Watch for the posts and share them on your pages, too!

Beyond Social Media: More Ways to Celebrate!

  • Write a personal thank-you note.
  • Create a celebratory sign for your workspace.
  • Offer a small token of appreciation.

Looking for inspiration? Check out this list.

Let’s make this National Student Employment Week one to remember for our phenomenal student workforce!

2024 Wisconsin Retirement System Statement of Benefits in the MyUW Portal

2024 Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) Statement of Benefits as of January 1, 2025, are now available for employees in the MyUW Portal.

The statement includes 2024 earnings and service, retirement benefit projections (if vested), separation benefit, death benefit, and employee and employer contributions.

View Your Statement

Go to my⁠.wisconsin⁠.edu, click on the Benefits and Well-Being tile, and in the left side bar select WRS Statements of Benefits. ]

Resources
The Universities of Wisconsin WRS Statement of Benefits page (https://⁠www⁠.wisconsin⁠.edu/ohrwd/benefits/ret/wrs/wrs-statement-of-benefits/) has additional resources including:

  • Introductory letter with important information about the statement
  • How to Read My Statement of Benefits (ET-7365) information document
  • Understanding Your Annual Statement of Benefits video and webinars

WRS Beneficiary Reminder

Be sure to review the beneficiaries listed on your WRS Statement of Benefits and if a beneficiary is not listed complete a Beneficiary Designation Form.

Death benefits are paid according to the most recent beneficiary designation form on file with the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) prior to your death. Your beneficiary does not automatically change due to a life event, such as divorce or marriage.

If you do not have a beneficiary designation on file, death benefits will be paid according to the statutory standard sequence in effect on the date of death.

Review the Beneficiary Information page (https://⁠www⁠.wisconsin⁠.edu/ohrwd/benefits/beneficiary/) for more information on how to add, change, or remove beneficiaries.

Questions

If you have questions about your statement after reviewing available resources, reach out to your Benefits Contact (https://⁠www⁠.wisconsin⁠.edu/ohrwd/benefits/contact/).

Sincerely,

Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources

Income Continuation Insurance: Premium Change and Annual Coverage Update

Income Continuation Insurance Benefits
Income Continuation Insurance provides replacement income if you become ill or injured and are unable to work due to disability. Benefits are based on 75 percent of your gross salary up to a maximum benefit of $7,500 per month (75 percent of $120,000). Benefit payments begin after you meet the elimination period or use up to a maximum of 130 days of accrued sick leave, whichever is longer.

New Income Continuation Insurance premium rates and coverage amounts will be effective April 1, 2025 and will be reflected on your April 3, 2025, paycheck.

  • Premium Rates: Premium rates are decreasing.
  • Coverage Level: Coverage levels will be updated.

How Your Premium Amount is Determined
Your Income Continuation Insurance premium amount is based on these factors:

  • Premium rate
  • Your 2024 eligible earnings *
  • For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees: The elimination period you elected.
  • For University Staff: Your unused sick leave balance as of December 28, 2024.

* If you experienced a furlough, temporary work reduction, or an unpaid leave of absence during 2024, your eligible earnings may be impacted and in turn impact the amount of your ICI benefit if you were to become disabled in 2025 and request to use ICI.

How to Estimate Your Monthly Income Continuation Insurance Premium
Employees enrolled in Income Continuation Insurance who want to estimate the change in premium should:

  • Log on to my.wisconsin.edu and click on the Benefits and Well-Being tile.
  • Review your Benefit Enroll Confirmation to confirm your Income Continuation Insurance coverage.
    • For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees obtain your elimination period.
    • For University Staff use the Absence Balances tipsheet to obtain your sick leave balance at the end of 2024.
  • Visit the Benefits Premiums web page, select Income Continuation Insurance from the list and open the Income Continuation Premium Calculator.
    • For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees enter your Annual Earnings, Percent FTE (percent time worked), and Elimination Period.
    • For University Staff enter your Hourly Rate, Percent FTE (percent time worked), and Premium Category (based on your year-end sick leave balance).

The Universities of Wisconsin contributes towards the cost of your Income Continuation Insurance coverage. For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees the contribution begins after you have more than one year of state service and varies based on the elimination period you elect. For University Staff the contribution varies based on your premium category.

Questions
Review the Income Continuation Insurance web page and Benefits Premiums web page for more information. If you have questions after reviewing the web pages, reach out to your benefits contact.

 

Source: Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources

State Group Life Insurance: Premium Change and Annual Coverage Update

New State Group Life Insurance premium rates and coverage levels change effective April 1, 2025, and will be reflected on your April 3, 2025, paycheck.

  • Premium Rates: Premium rates are increasing for most age categories. Premium rates for Spouse and Dependent coverage remain unchanged.
  • Coverage Level: Coverage levels will be updated.

How Your Premium Amount is Determined
Your State Group Life Insurance premium amount is based on these factors:

  • Premium rate
  • Your highest calendar year of eligible earnings
  • Your age as of April 1 each year
  • Your elected coverage level(s)

How to Estimate Your Updated State Group Life Insurance Premium
Employees currently enrolled in the State Group Life Insurance Program, and who want to estimate the change in premium, should:

  • Log on to my.wisconsin.edu and click on the Benefits and Well-Being tile.
  • Review your Benefit Enroll Confirmation to confirm your coverage level(s) (State Group Life-Basic, Supplemental, Additional, and Spouse & Dependent)
  • Visit the Benefits Premiums web page, select State Group Life Insurance from the list, and follow the instructions to calculate your estimated monthly premium.

The Universities of Wisconsin contributes towards the cost of your State Group Life Insurance Basic and Supplemental coverage. You pay the full cost of Additional and Spouse/Dependent coverage.

Questions
Review the State Group Life Insurance web page and Benefits Premiums web page for more information. If you have questions after reviewing the web pages, reach out to your benefits contact.

Source: Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources

The How, What and Why of Happiness With Sonja Lyubomirsky

UW-Superior Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being welcomes you to join their Spring 2025 Virtual Speaker Presentation: The How, What and Why of Happiness: The Science of Interventions Aimed at Increasing Well-Being with Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Tuesday, April 15th 4:30pm – 6:00pm

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

Happiness not only feels good; it is good. Happy people are more productive, creative, resilient, socially connected and healthier, with stronger relationships and higher incomes. In this presentation, Sonja Lyubomirsky will describe research revealing when and why practices like expressing gratitude, acts of kindness and engaging in more social interactions work “best” to increase happiness and how simple activities can transform us into happier and more flourishing individuals.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Sonja Lyubomirsky (AB Harvard, summa cum laude; PhD Stanford) is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of the best-selling The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, published in 39 countries. Her research on increasing happiness through gratitude, kindness and connection has earned numerous honors, including the AAAS Fellowship, an Honorary Doctorate, the Diener Award for Outstanding Midcareer Contributions in Personality Psychology, the Christopher Peterson Gold Medal, a Positive Psychology Prize and the Faculty of the Year Award (twice). She lives in Santa Monica, California, with her family.

For more information and the link to register, please visit this site: Summary – The How, What, and Why of Happiness: The Science of Interventions Aimed at Increasing Well-Being

Summer Prepay Insurance Premium Deductions

Summer prepay insurance premiums are deducted from spring paychecks to cover the cost of continuing insurance coverage through the summer months (i.e. contract break) and are in addition to regular biweekly insurance premium deductions.

Faculty, academic staff, limited appointees, student assistants, and employees-in-training will have summer prepay insurance premium deductions if:

  • Their academic (9 month) or annual (12 month) contract does not include work during one or more summer months; and
  • They are expected to return to benefits eligible employment on or before the start of the fall semester; and
  • They are eligible to maintain insurance coverage through the summer months.

The summer prepay insurance premium deductions will occur on all paychecks received in March, April, and May. Employees scheduled to have summer prepay deductions will receive monthly emails with estimated prepay deduction amounts.

Review the Universities of Wisconsin Employee Benefits Summer Prepay Insurance Premiums web page for information on:

  • Which insurance plans have summer prepay deductions.
  • The summer prepay deduction timeline.
  • How life events (employment or family status changes) may affect deductions.

If you have questions after reviewing the web page, reach out to serviceoperations@uwss.wisconsin.edu

 

Reminder: March 31 Deadline To Submit 2024 Flexible Spending Account Claims

To be reimbursed from your 2024 Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you must have eligible expenses from the 2024 calendar year. Submit and substantiate your eligible expenses by March 31, 2025.

An FSA reimburses you for certain out-of-pocket expenses with tax-free dollars. Since these are spending accounts, the money should be spent. Eligible expenses include:

  • Medical (post-deductible only if you were also in the HDHP and HSA)
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Dependent Day Care

How to Submit Eligible Expenses for Reimbursement

Submit your eligible expenses for reimbursement electronically by using the Optum Financial mobile app or Optum website. Remember to include the required IRS supporting documentation with your submission. Optum will contact you directly for additional information, if necessary.

Carryover Reminders

Some of the unused funds in your Health Care FSA may be eligible to carry over from 2024 to 2025 based on the balance in your 2024 Health Care FSA on March 31, 2025. The carryover process will occur around April 15, 2025.

  • Unused funds less than $50 will be forfeited if you did not re-enroll for the 2025 plan year
  • Unused funds greater than $50 and up to $640 will carry over from 2024 to 2025
  • Unused funds greater than $640 will be forfeited

The IRS does not allow carryover for the Dependent Day Care FSA.

More Information

For questions about your claims, eligible expenses, or your payment card, contact Optum at (833) 881-8158.

For general information, review the Universities of Wisconsin Employee Benefits FSA web page.

Annual Mandatory Training Campaign Begins March 1st

On March 1, 2025, employees will start receiving emails related to the mandatory training courses that they are required to take during the month of March.

Recurring courses facilitated by UW-Shared Services include Information Security Awareness (required annually), Sexual Harassment (Title IX) (required every three years) as well as FERPA (newly required every three years). This is the first year FERPA is being required to be completed during the Mandatory Training Campaign. If you have not already completed the FERPA training through UW Shared Services, it will be required in March. Invitations for these courses will come from serviceoperations@uwss.wisconsin.edu.

Campus Security Authority (CSA) and Responsible Employee (RE) training will be the only training facilitated by UW-Green Bay Human Resources via Instructure Canvas (notifications@instructure.com) with the subject line “Course Invitation”. This training is only required of individuals who have been designated through their position description and/or provide advisement to a student organization.

Individuals who completed any of the above required training(s) in January or February 2025, will not be required to take the training until March 2026.

Assigned trainings are required to be completed by March 31, 2025, in accordance with SYS 1293, Mandatory Employee Training. Both SYS 1293 and the UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy indicate that in order for an employee to be eligible for any compensation adjustment, including pay plan, they must be in compliance with all required trainings by the deadlines noted in UW policy.

For questions about Mandatory Employee Training please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 or serviceoperations@uwss.wisconsin.edu for the UW Shared Services trainings.

Employee Assistance Program & Resources

The Office of Human Resources understands that many employees (and their families and friends) may be dealing with a great amount of uneasiness and stress at this time. Our office is committed to providing resources to both employees and supervisors to support well-being.

For a one-stop-shop for all resources available to employees involving Mental Health Support please check out our Mental Health Support – Benefits & Wellness – Human Resources webpage.

Acentra provides live monthly webinars on a wide variety of topics. Join their next webinar – Increasing Mental Toughness – on Wednesday, February 12th at 12:30pm. The monthly webinars are recorded, uploaded to Acentra’s website and available to view at your convenience. Please visit this blog post for an extensive list of their upcoming webinars.

Below is a list of important resources that can be utilized at any time:

Employee Assistance Program

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Employee Assistance Program is a free, confidential service which can provide support for both personal and work-related concerns. Employees have access to confidential, completely private, 24-hour, 7-days-a-week counseling and online services.

EAP services are provided through Acentra:

Phone: (833) 539-7285

Website: sowi.mylifeexpert.com. (Username: SOWI).  Employees will need to create an account to access the EAP resources online.

Additional information pertaining to the resources available through the EAP may be found on the EAP Services and Resources Flyer.

State Group Health Insurance Program

Employees enrolled in State Group Health Insurance may utilize a number of resources through their health insurance carrier, including services directly by the primary care physician or specialist. Services provided are intended to treat mild to severe symptoms for various health and well-being topics. The cost of services are covered based on the employee’s health insurance plan design. There may be out-of-pocket costs for using services through this program.  Employees should contact their primary care physician or health insurance carrier for additional information.

Well Wisconsin Program

Employees enrolled in State Group Health Insurance are eligible for resources through the Well Wisconsin Program.  Certified WebMD Health Coaches are available for confidential one-on-one conversations to support mild symptoms for various health and well-being topics. Services are employer-paid, there is no cost to employees for using services through this program.  Services are administered by WebMD, the Well Wisconsin Program administrator. Contact WebMD at (800) 821-6591 or access their resources online at webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin.

Mental Health Resources: