Jolene Truckenbrod – Page 53

October Wellness Webinar: Understanding Health Values

By now, you’ve participated in your health screening as part of the Well Wisconsin incentive program. Join us to learn more about what the numbers mean and how you can maintain or improve them for your overall health and well-being.

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Location: Cofrin Library, 7th floor, room 735

No need to RSVP – just mark your calendar to join us, and bring your lunch!

You could also participate in this webinar at your workstation if you prefer – please visit wellwisconsin.staywell.com and go to Webinars to register.

Wellness webinars highlighting various health and well-being topics will take place the 3rd Wednesday of each month. All webinars will be recorded and available to Well Wisconsin Program participants on the wellness portal after the event date.

To access the wellness portal, you must be an employee, retiree, or enrolled spouse/domestic partner enrolled in the State of Wisconsin or Wisconsin Public Employers Group Health Insurance Program.

Flu Shot Clinic

Fight the flu this season by getting your annual flu shot! The Well Wisconsin Program is offering a flu shot clinic during our Benefits & Wellness Fair. Flu shots are free and voluntary for all site employees who are enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program.

Date: Thursday, October 5, 2017

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location: University Union, Phoenix Rooms

The shot will vaccinate against the four most likely causes of flu illness during the upcoming season, including the H1N1- strain of influenza.

The vaccine is not preservative free and is not recommended for the following individuals:

Those allergic to eggs or egg products
Those who are sensitive to the mercury-based preservative thimerosal
Those who have an active neurological disorder
Those with a fever, acute respiratory or other active infection or illness

If you are pregnant, you should receive the vaccine directly from your physician.

Pre-registration required. No walk-ins, cash payments or insurance payments accepted. To register for your flu shot appointment, log into the StayWell wellness portal at wellwisconsin.staywell.com and click on Programs, then Learn More on the Flu Shot Clinics box, and then Register Now. Scroll through the list of available clinics and look for the October 5th clinic at UWGB and click Register. Then select your preferred time, and complete the registration process. Last, you will receive a confirmation email.

For more information about the flu shot, visit: cdc.gov/flu.

What if I am not able to make the flu shot clinic offered by the Well Wisconsin program? The UW-Green Bay Counseling and Health Center offers flu shots to employees at a cost of $25, which can be paid by cash or check. You can call them at ext. 2380 to schedule an appointment. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and you should have your Campus ID card ready when you call to schedule your appointment.

Please contact us at wellness@uwgb.edu or ext. 2203 if you have any questions about the Flu Shot clinic.

Benefits Open Forums

What insurance benefits changes are coming for 2018? You are invited to attend an open forum to learn more about how your insurance benefits will change in 2018. We will discuss how to make changes to your benefits during the Annual Benefits Enrollment Period (October 2 to 27, 2017). We are excited to introduce Alex, the new online personalized benefits counselor, at these forums. Both forums are optional for benefits-eligible employees to attend, and we will cover the same material at each forum.

Tuesday, October 3rd
3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Christie Theater
Wednesday, October 4th
10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Christie Theater

No need to RSVP, just mark your calendar to attend! Please contact Human Resources at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or ext. 2930 if you have any questions.

See What You Know About Fruits and Veggies

Whether you heard it from your parents, your doctor, a government agency, or any number of media outlets, you are most likely familiar with the fact that fruits and vegetables are good for you. Here’s your chance to show the world (or just yourself) how much you know about the health benefits of produce.

Questions

1. True or false: When a fruit or vegetable has a vivid color that means it’s not as good for you.

2. When you’re prepping fruits and vegetables to eat, which of these precautions should you take to ensure they’re clean and won’t make you sick?

A. Wash your hands before handling produce
B. Rinse produce with warm water—even if you don’t eat the skin or peel
C. Cut away bruised or damaged areas before eating
D. All of the above

3. Which of these is not a proven health benefit of eating fruits and vegetables?

A. It boosts your mood.
B. It strengthens your immune system.
C. It improves your hearing.
D. It improves your psychological health.

4. True or false: It’s possible that eating fruits and vegetables helps prevent cell damage in your body.

Answers

1. False. In fact, vivid colors mean the produce is full of chemicals like carotenoids and flavonoids, which contain good-for-you antioxidants.

2. D—All of the above. If the produce has a firm skin, you should use a scrub brush to clean it.

3. C—It improves your hearing. Sadly, this hasn’t been found. But you should still eat a lot of produce, because the other three health benefits have been proven.

4. True. The antioxidants that are prevalent in produce might help combat a process in your body that triggers cell damage.

Article from The StayWell Company, LLC

Well Wisconsin Incentives Are Taxable

All incentives paid to participants of the group health insurance programs are considered taxable income to the group health plan subscriber and are reported to your employer for tax purposes. Health information, including responses to the health assessment, are protected by federal law and will never be shared with your employer.

If you are covered under the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance program, you are eligible for a $150 incentive to complete a health screening and assessment. Depending on your health plan, you may also be eligible for financial reimbursements for wellness related expenses such as gym memberships, fitness classes, the cost to participate in Community Support Agriculture (CSA) programs and rewards for participating in health or wellness programs or challenges. You can learn more information about the benefits available to you through the StayWell website (https://wellwisconsin.staywell.com/).

Per guidance from the federal government and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), these benefits are classified as taxable fringe benefits. This means that any financial incentive you receive from the program is taxable income for state and federal tax purposes.

What this means for you:

Throughout 2017, financial incentives will be reported by your employer as a taxable wage and will be subject to applicable withholdings and taxes. You will see withholdings for incentives issued in the current calendar year reflected on your earnings statement. This will include incentives issued to your eligible family members.
If your incentive was already received, and you are paid on a bi-weekly basis, you will see the tax withholding on your August 31st paycheck. If your incentive was already received, and you are paid on a monthly basis, you will see the tax withholding on your September paycheck. The November earnings statements would include tax withholding for incentives issued through the October 20, 2017 deadline.
Withholding will include 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare and may include withholding for federal and state taxes, depending on the number of exemptions you claimed on your W-4.
Federal regulations require the payroll center to receive financial data regarding incentives issued to employees and their covered family members. Your health information is protected by federal privacy regulations and is not shared with your employer.
These taxable fringe amounts will be processed with the code: XHW (Tax Fr – Health/Wellness) earnings code.

Even with the federal government’s tax regulations, eligible employees are able to receive substantial financial rewards for using the wellness incentives offered by the State of Wisconsin and participating health plans.

Please contact Human Resources at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

Shop in Season

Megan Noltner joins Human Resources team

The Human Resources Office is pleased to announce that Megan Noltner will be joining our team on Monday, August 21st in a temporary appointment as a Payroll & Benefits Specialist this fall while Kimberly Sipiorski is on maternity leave. Megan will assist with advising employees on their benefits during the Annual Benefits Enrollment period, processing payroll, and will help with other human resource related projects. Megan earned her bachelor degree from UW-Stout and has over three years of human resources experience. Her most recent position was an Assistant Director of Human Resources for Marcus Hotels & Resorts in Milwaukee. Megan and her family recently relocated back home, and we are excited that she will be joining our team. Please join us in welcoming Megan to UW-Green Bay!

If you have any payroll or benefits questions, please continue to contact us at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390.