Author: sipiorsk@uwgb.edu

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) vendor FEI will be offering a webinar to all UW-Green Bay employees.

Most working parents were already juggling a lot before the pandemic. Now many are supervising at-home learning while still trying to stay connected with customers and colleagues. Even those employees without children are finding it challenging to strike the right balance between work, social connection and self-care. In this session we’ll look at some of the challenges, review basic self-care strategies and discuss helpful tips for navigating the new work-life normal.

• Thursday, December 3, 2020
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER HERE

 

Source: FEI

The Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Limited Purpose FSA allow participants to pay certain out-of-pocket expenses with tax-free dollars. Since these are spending accounts, the money is intended to be spent. This article is a reminder for participants to use their FSA money and to substantiate claims timely. Remember, eligible expenses include:
•Medical (post-deductible only for the Limited Purpose FSA)
•Dental
•Vision

Eligible expenses must be incurred by December 31, 2020. These expenses must be submitted and substantiated by March 31, 2021.

How to Pay for Eligible Expenses
Once eligible expenses have been incurred, determine how to pay for them. Until December 31, 2020, in most situations, the payment card from the FSA administrator, ConnectYourCare (CYC) will work at the point of sale or service. Here are the options to submit FSA claims manually and/or substantiate claims after the payment card has been used:

•Mobile App Flyer: Use your mobile device camera to submit claims through CYC’s mobile app.
•CYC Portal: Login to your CYC account to submit claims online.
•FSA Reimbursement Claim Form: Download a claim form and submit to CYC via fax or mail.

Provide Information Timely to Substantiate Claims
For efficient processing, include appropriate IRS required supporting documentation with your claim(s) submission by March 31, 2020. CYC will contact participants directly when additional information is needed.

Review your account on the CYC Portal to see if you have claims to substantiate.

Failure to provide documentation to CYC when requested may require repayment by the employee. Repayment is done by deducting money from the employee’s paycheck on an after-tax basis. Claims should be substantiated by December 31, 2020 to avoid repayment.

Health Care FSA Carry Over Reminder
Up to $550 of unused funds in a Health Care or Limited Purpose FSA will carry over into the following year (even if you do not enroll in the FSA for the following year). You will have access to your carryover funds on/around April 15, 2021.

For questions about your FSA including eligible expenses, claims and/or your payment card, contact CYC at 1-833-881-8158 or service@connectyourcare.com.

For general information review UW System Employee Benefits website.

Source: UW System Human Resources

The IRS recently announced the 2021 contribution limits for the UW Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) 403(b) Program and the Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457 Program. Both contribution limits will remain the same as 2020 limits.

In 2021, employees may contribute a basic maximum of $19,500 to the TSA Program. Employees age 50 and over can contribute an additional $6,500 for a total of $26,000. These same limits apply to WDC.

If you have 15 years or more of service with the UW System and have contributed less than an average of $5,000 per year over your UW System employment, you may have an additional “catch-up” opportunity with the TSA Program. Contact Human Resources for more information.

Both pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) contributions count towards the annual limits. Note: Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are a type of retirement account separate from the TSA and WDC Programs and have separate limits.

To increase (or decrease) your TSA deduction for 2021, login to the My UW Portal. Launch the Benefits Information tile. On the bottom of the screen, click on “Update TSA Deductions” to make your change. You can also submit a TSA Salary Reduction Agreement to your human resources office.

If you are enrolling for the first time, you can use the EZ Enrollment Form or set your account up online (or paper application) with the provider(s) of your choice and then fill out the Salary Reduction Agreement.

For questions on the TSA program, visit the TSA website or contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu.

To change your WDC contribution call the WDC office at (877) 457-9327 or access your account at the WDC website. The WDC website also has information about enrolling in the program. WDC changes must be made with Empower, the third-party WDC plan administrator.

Source: UW System Human Resources

The University Insurance Association (UIA) Life Insurance annual premium of $24.00 will be deducted from October monthly earnings, paid October 30, 2020.

Participation in the UIA Life Insurance plan is a condition of employment for UW System Faculty/Academic Staff/Limited Appointment (FA/AS/LI) employees. Additionally, eligible employees must meet the minimum monthly salary threshold which is $2,822 for the 2020-2021 plan year. The minimum monthly salary threshold is determined each year and is based on 45% of the average instructor’s salary for the previous year.

Once an employee becomes eligible for coverage, eligibility will continue for the full plan year. Employees must re-qualify for eligibility each year.

Note: The plan is moving to a calendar year. To make this transition, the 2021 plan year will run from October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. Beginning in 2022, the policy year will be January 1 to December 31, with coverage effective January 1 of each year.

For more information about the plan, including coverage levels, visit the UW System Employee Benefits website.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Interim President Thompson recently approved the interim policy action SYS 1200-06, Interim: University Staff Vacation and Personal Holiday Carryover, in which University Staff may carryover unused 2020 vacation carryover and personal holiday hours into 2021:

• Any personal holiday hours earned in calendar year 2020 by university staff may be carried over, without limitation, into calendar year 2021. Hours carried over by university staff under this interim policy must be used by December 31, 2021.
• Any unused vacation time carried over from calendar year 2019 into calendar year 2020 may be carried forward one additional calendar year. Vacation carried over in this manner must be utilized by December 31, 2021.

All vacation carryover hours and personal holiday hours will need to be used by December 31, 2021.

Please contact Human Resources at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

ETF is offering a series of 30-minute, live, interactive webinars designed to increase your understanding of Wisconsin Retirement System benefits. Individuals can also ask questions at the end of these sessions. Visit ETF’s webinar page to learn more about any of the following sessions.

5 Basic Steps to Your Retirement

Thinking about retiring in the next 12 months? We’ll walk you through the process. You’ll learn how to:

• Choose a termination date.
• Request a retirement estimate.
• Read the retirement estimate.
• Schedule a retirement appointment.
• Submit a retirement application.

Nov 10, 2020 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Nov 19, 2020 12:30 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Nov 24, 2020 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Choosing When to Retire

Did you know that when you retire can change how much money you get in retirement? We’ll discuss how retiring throughout the year can change your retirement benefit. We’ll also answer one of the most common questions we receive: “Should I retire in December or January?”

Nov 4, 2020 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Nov 11, 2020 12:30 p.m. – 1:00p.m.
Nov 23, 2020 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Nov 25, 2020 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

How to Use ETF’s Online Retirement Calculator

Curious about how much money you’ll get during retirement? Our most-used online tool, the retirement calculator, lets you see how much money you may get in the future. We’ll discuss:

• How to get to the calculator
• What information you’ll need handy when using the calculator.
• How to use the calculator.
• What the results mean.

Nov 4, 2020 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Nov, 18, 2020 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Nov 20, 2020 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Preparing for Your Retirement

Planning to retire in the next 1-10 years? Then this webinar is for you.

We’ll discuss:

• The money you and your employer have put towards your retirement account.
• How your retirement account grows through investments.
• When you can retire.
• Options for receiving your retirement benefit.
• Rules you must follow if you return to work after retiring.
• What happens to your account after you die.
• Changes to your health and life insurance in retirement.

Nov 18, 2020 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Variable Fund

Does putting money in the Variable Fund make sense for you? Learn what the Variable Fund is and how it is different from the Core Fund, and how it affects your retirement benefit.

Nov 6, 2020 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Nov 12, 2020 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Nov 18, 2020 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Nov 19, 2020 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Click here to register for an event: https://etf.wi.gov/events

 

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is a federal emergency leave program that provides paid sick leave, prorated for up to two weeks based on average hours worked and is in effect until December 31, 2020.  For the Fall Semester, student employees are eligible for this benefit.  There are two different federal programs providing paid leave under the FFCRA:

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA)
• Emergency Family & Medical Leave Expansion (EFMLA)

In order to qualify for paid leave under these programs, student employees must be unable to telework and meet one of the following reasons:

1. The student employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a diagnosis
2. The student employee is subject to a quarantine or isolation order or has been advised to self-quarantine
3. The student employee is caring for an immediate family member who has a diagnosis of COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a diagnosis
4. The student employee is caring for an immediate family member who is subject to a quarantine or isolation order or has been advised to self-quarantine
5. The student employee is caring for a son or daughter if the school the child attends is closed or if daycare is unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions
6. The student employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the US Secretaries of Treasury and Labor

Student supervisors with a student employee who is unable to work (remotely or on campus) due to any of the COVID-19 related reasons above, are advised to have the student complete the Student FFCRA COVID-19 Leave Request and submit it to payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu.

Student employees are only eligible for the emergency leave provisions if they have a qualified COVID-19 reason as outlined above.  If the student is not scheduled to work or there is no work for the student to perform, they are not eligible for emergency leave.

Upon receipt of a request, Human Resources will work with the supervisor and student to determine eligibility and processing of emergency leave through payroll.

Please contact HR at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

The Annual Benefits Enrollment (ABE) period is September 28 – October 23, 2020. ABE is your annual opportunity to make changes to most of your benefits unless you have a qualifying life event. Changes made during ABE are effective January 1, 2021.

Reminders:

• Review your current benefits and visit the ABE website for 2021 benefit changes.
• Confirm that the doctors, clinics and hospitals you currently use will still be in-network in 2021 for the plan you select.  You may view a list of providers by using the Health Plan Search on ETF’s website.
• The following benefit plans require that you enroll each year to participate.  If you would like to participate in one of these plans, you will need to enroll/re-enroll through online benefits enrollment:
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s)
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) is required each year you are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan
  • State Group Health Opt-Out Incentive
• You may decide to enroll in, change, increase, decrease or cancel coverage for the plans listed below.  For some plans you can add or remove dependents.
  • State Group Health Insurance
  • Uniform Dental
  • Preventative Dental Insurance
  • Supplemental Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • AD&D
  • Accident Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Health Savings Account

Use the My UW Portal to make your elections online:

1. Log into the My UW Portal
2. Go to the ‘Benefits Information’ module
3. Click on the ‘Enroll now’ link

Don’t miss your chance to enroll in or make changes to your benefits for 2021! All benefit elections must be submitted by 4:30 p.m., Friday, October 23, 2020.

Have questions or need assistance?  Register here for a 15-minute appointment with a benefits specialist or contact HR at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions.

There will be no change to the dental plans or premiums for 2021.  Delta Dental will continue to be the plan administrator.  If you are currently enrolled in 2020, you will automatically be enrolled for 2021 coverage.  If you need to make changes to your coverage for 2021, you will be able to do so through the online Self Service enrollment through the My UW Portal.

Review the Dental Comparison Chart and Dental Brochure for additional information.