Author: Jolene Truckenbrod

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSFL) program can help employees pay off their student loans.  If you’re employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for the PSLF program.  The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on direct loans after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan while working full-time for an eligible employer, such as the University of Wisconsin System.  Please check out the Department of Education website for details at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.

To be considered for PSLF, start by submitting a PSLF form to UW-Shared Services for processing.  Please visit this webpage to access the PSLF form and instructions for submission:  Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program (wisconsin.edu).  Here is a link to DocuSign, if needed: https://account.docusign.com/.

Questions? Please email serviceoperations@support.wisconsin.edu.
* Never attach PSLF paperwork with Social Security Numbers to an email.

Deadlines to Use Floating Legal Holidays

This year, Sunday, December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve) and Sunday, December 31, 2023 (New Year’s Eve) are floating legal holidays which eligible employees must use by the deadline.

A floating legal holiday occurs when a legal holiday falls on a Sunday, and the following Monday is also a legal holiday. The Sunday legal holiday will be available for eligible employees to use as floating legal holiday. Eligible employees are granted eight hours of floating legal holiday (prorated, if part-time).

  • University Staff employees must use these floating legal holidays by December 31, 2023, the end of the calendar year in which they were granted. If floating legal holidays are not used, they are lost and cannot be carried over into the new calendar year.
  • Academic Staff and Limited appointees must use these floating legal holidays by June 30, 2024, the end of the fiscal year in which they were granted. If floating legal holidays are not used, they are lost and cannot be carried over into the new fiscal year.

The UW System will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2023, and Monday, January 1, 2024, to observe these legal holidays.

Resources:

Source: UW System Human Resources

October 13th is Well Wisconsin Incentive Deadline

Earn your $150 Well Wisconsin Program incentive* by completing a health assessment, health check, and one well-being activity by October 13, 2023.

    1. Health Assessment: Log into the WebMD website and answer the assessment questions online. The assessment will take approximately 10-15 minutes.
    2. Health Check: Choose from the options below to complete this requirement:
      • Biometric Screening: Check the WebMD website for clinics located near you.
      • Health Care Provider Form: Report your height, weight, and blood pressure from a visit with your health care provider. Your health care provider does not need to sign this form.
      • Preventive Dental Exam: Get a dental cleaning and report it through the WebMD website.
      • Health Coaching Call: Discuss your current health with a WebMD health coach, set well-being goals and explore solutions to help you attain your goals.

3. Well-being Activity: Select a WebMD activity, complete it, and report it through the WebMD website.

Once you have earned your incentive, you can choose to receive your gift card electronically or mailed to the address you have on file with the UW System.

* You and your spouse are eligible to earn the $150 Well Wisconsin Program incentive if you are enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance Program.

To learn more, review the UW System Well Wisconsin Program web page.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Annual Benefits & Wellness Fair

Mark your calendar to attend the Annual UW-Green Bay Employee Benefits & Wellness Fair!

When: Thursday, September 28, 2023

Time: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

Where: University Union Phoenix Room, Green Bay campus

Please stop by to talk about your benefits and wellness to get helpful information as you consider options for the Annual  Benefit Enrollment period.  We’ll have refreshments too!  This year’s Annual Benefits Enrollment period is September 25th to October 20th.

Representatives from the following organizations will be looking forward to talking with you during the fair:

  • Common Ground (Health Insurance)
  • Dean Prevea (Health Insurance)
  • Network (Health Insurance)
  • Robin by HealthPartners (Health Insurance)
  • UnitedHealthcare (Health Insurance for Retirees)
  • Optum (Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts)
  • Securian (Life Insurance)
  • Zurich (Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance)
  • HealthChoice (Long-Term Care Insurance)
  • Fidelity (Supplemental Retirement Program)
  • TIAA (Supplemental Retirement Program)
  • Wisconsin Deferred Compensation
  • Edvest College Savings Plan
  • Kepro (Employee Assistance Program)
  • WebMD Well Wisconsin Program
  • UW-System Benefits Counseling
  • UW-Credit Union
  • UW-Green Bay University Recreation
  • UW-Green Bay Wellness Committee
  • UW-Green Bay Office of Sustainability
  • UW-Green Bay Safety & Environmental Management

Questions? Please contact us at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.

Onsite Health Screening

Time to register for your onsite health screening!

A free health screening* event has been scheduled for employees (and spouses) who are enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program.

At an onsite screening, you’ll learn your measurements for blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol (HDL, LDL and total), triglycerides and glucose, and be in and out in 20 minutes. Register today!

  • LOCATION:  Phoenix Room # 2114, Sheboygan campus
  • DATE: Thursday, September 14, 2023
  • TIME: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
  • Unfortunately the Sheboygan screening event has been cancelled due to not meeting the minimum number of participants.
  • LOCATION:  University Union, Phoenix Rooms, Green Bay campus
  • DATES:  Wednesday, September 20, 2023
  • TIME:  8:00 am to 1:00 pm

Please register at webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin by clicking Benefits, and then Get Started on the Biometric Screening card.

Earn your $150 Well Wisconsin Incentive

Complete three activities by October 13, 2023 to earn the $150 Well Wisconsin incentive.

  1. Get a health screening or complete another health check option (ex. dental exam or coaching session).
  2. Complete the health assessment at webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin – it takes about 10 minutes and is mobile and tablet friendly!
  3. Complete a well-being activity (ex. complete a challenge, listen to two Well Wisconsin pod casts, etc.).

For more information on the Well Wisconsin Program or to complete your activities, log in to webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin­­.

*The Well Wisconsin incentive program is a voluntary program available to employees, retirees and spouses enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program, excluding Medicare Advantage participants who have incentives available through their health plan. The Well Wisconsin incentive will automatically be issued to eligible participants upon completing the applicable activities. All wellness incentives paid to participants are considered taxable income to the group health plan subscriber and are reported to their employer, who will issue a W2. In some cases, the Wisconsin Retirement System acts as the employer. Retirees, continuants and their spouses will have some taxes withheld from the incentive amount earned.

Submit Leave Reports

Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees (who have or had an active leave-eligible appointment) must submit monthly leave reports for each appointment, whether or not leave is used. Employees are required to report leave on or before the day the leave is taken, or if no leave is taken, to enter a “No Leave Take” at the end of the month.

Missing leave reports must be submitted by September 30, 2023 for fiscal year July 2022 through June 2023.

Failure to submit leave reports will result in a permanent reduction of sick leave hours. Even one unsubmitted leave report will reduce an employee’s sick leave balance resulting in less sick leave available to use if needed.

Long term, a reduction of sick leave hours will result in fewer hours available for the Sick Leave Credit Conversion Program which allows employees to pay for health insurance in retirement.

How do I Know if I have Missing Leave Reports?

Employees with missing leave reports receive email reminders every two weeks listing their missing reports. Employees may also check for missing leave reports at any time in the My UW portal.

Resources

Questions? Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Review Your Beneficiary Designations

When was the last time you reviewed your beneficiary designations?

Naming a beneficiary allows you to transfer a financial interest to a specific person after you have passed away. If you do not remember who you have listed as your beneficiary, or you have experienced a life event such as a marriage, divorce, or birth of a child, review and submit updated beneficiary designations.

The most recently dated beneficiary designation on file at the time of your death is binding for the payment of any proceeds. If a beneficiary is not designated, benefits will be paid according to plan provisions (not your will).

Here is a list of the plans that have benefits payable to beneficiaries:

  • State Group Life Insurance
  • Individual & Family Life Insurance
  • UW Employees, Inc. Life Insurance
  • University Insurance Association Life Insurance
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
  • Accident Insurance (accidental death & dismemberment component of the plan)
  • Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)
  • UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP)
  • Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457 Program

To see which benefit plans you are enrolled in, log into the My UW portal and follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Benefit Information tile and click Launch full app.
  2. On the Summary tab, review the Coverage column to see which plans you’re enrolled in (waive indicates you are not enrolled).
  3. Click Next to see additional plans.
  4. Review the plans you are enrolled in that have benefits payable to beneficiaries.

The UW System Beneficiary Information web page provides information on how to designate a beneficiary for each benefit plan. Some plans allow you to update your beneficiary designations online while others require a signed paper form. If a plan you are enrolled in requires a paper form, print the applicable beneficiary form(s) from the Beneficiary Information page, and mail the completed forms directly to the address listed on the form.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Banking Unused Vacation Hours

Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees with a 12-month appointment have an annual opportunity to bank unused vacation after completing 10 or more fiscal years (July 1 through June 30) of continuous service. The deadline to bank unused vacation allocated in fiscal year 2022-23 is September 30, 2023.

(Please note that the option to bank vacation for University Staff is available in December.)

Vacation and carryover balance hours that are eligible to be banked may be viewed beginning July 1. Instructions for viewing your leave balances and banking unused vacation are available in the Banked Leave Conversion Tipsheet.

How Much Vacation Can You Bank?

Years of Continuous Service          Hours That Can be Banked *
First 10 Years                                        0
10 to 25 Years                                       40
25 Years and Over                               80

* The amount of vacation that can be banked is prorated for part-time employees.

There is no limit to the total number of hours (balance) that can be retained in your Banked Leave account. Once vacation is banked the hours do not expire.

When Can Banked Leave Be Used?

With your supervisor’s approval, banked leave hours may be used whenever you are allowed to use paid leave.

What If You Terminate Employment?

Unused banked leave hours will be paid to you at your wage rate at termination.

Resources

Source: UW System Human Resources

Submit Leave Reports by June 30, 2023

Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees (who have or had an active leave-eligible appointment) must submit monthly leave reports for each appointment, whether or not leave is used. Employees are required to report leave on or before the day the leave is taken, or if no leave is taken, to enter a “No Leave Take” at the end of the month.

Missing leave reports must be submitted by June 30, 2023 for fiscal year July 2022 through June 2023.

Failure to submit leave reports will result in a permanent reduction of sick leave hours. Even one unsubmitted leave report will reduce an employee’s sick leave balance resulting in less sick leave available to use if needed.

Long term, a reduction of sick leave hours will result in fewer hours available for the Sick Leave Credit Conversion Program which allows employees to pay for health insurance in retirement.

How do I Know if I have Missing Leave Reports?

Employees with missing leave reports receive email reminders every two weeks listing their missing reports. Employees may also check for missing leave reports at any time in the MyUW portal.

Resources

Source: UW System Human Resources

UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program Counseling Sessions and Webinars Available

As a UW System employee, you are eligible for the UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) – a voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan administered by UW System specifically for UW employees.

In the UW 403(b) SRP, there are two record keepers to choose from—TIAA or Fidelity. Both record keepers offer the same 18 best-in-class choice of mutual funds, and each also offers a guaranteed interest option and access to a brokerage window. You decide how much to save, which of the fund options to invest in, and whether to contribute on a pre-tax and/or Roth (after-tax) basis. You can start, change, or stop your deductions at any time.

Individual Counseling Sessions
To help you better understand how the UW 403(b) SRP works and the options available to you, UW System is offering individual counseling sessions. No matter where you are in life—just getting started or planning for retirement—a session with a financial consultant can help you create a plan for your goals.

These one-on-one counseling sessions are a free service available to participants in the UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) as well as those considering participation. Counseling sessions are open to all employees, and you are not obligated to open an account with a provider.

TIAA Individual Counseling Sessions
Schedule an appointment at tiaa.org/public/support/contact-tiaa/consultations-seminars or call 1-800-732-8353, weekdays, 8 am to 8 pm (ET).

Fidelity Individual Counseling Sessions
Schedule an appointment at fidelity.com/atwork/reservations or call 1-800-642-7131. For on-demand help, utilize the Call Now button in the appointment search scheduler.

Live and On-Demand Webinars
Whether you are a current contributor to the 403(b) or looking for more information, check out the Live and On-Demand Webinars available to all UW employees. The on-demand webinar: SRP: Investing in Your Financial Future: Intro to the 403(b) Program is a good resource for new enrollees.

Additional Resources
Additional resources are available on the UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program web page.

Source: UW System Human Resources