Author: Jolene Truckenbrod

June 30th Deadline to use Carryover Vacation and Holiday Hours

The deadline for Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees to use carryover vacation, personal and floating legal holiday hours is June 30, 2022. Schedule and use this leave by June 30, 2022, or it will be lost.

Paid leave is granted to Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees in annual basis appointments on a fiscal year basis (July 1 – June 30).

Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees

Paid Leave Type Year Granted Deadline to Use
Personal Holiday July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022  (2021-22 Fiscal Year) June 30, 2022
Floating Legal Holiday Hours December 25, 2021
January 1, 2022		 June 30, 2022
Vacation Hours July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021  (2020-21 Fiscal Year) June 30, 2022

University Staff Employees

As a reminder, paid leave is granted on a calendar year basis.

  • Personal Holidays granted January 1, 2022, must be used by December 31, 2022.
  • Floating Legal Holidays (January 1, December 24, December 31, 2022) must be used by December 31, 2022.
  • Vacation carryover from 2021 must be used by December 31, 2022.

Resources:

UW System Policies:

Source: UW System Human Resources

Mental Health Support Available Through Employee Assistance Program

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides employer-paid mental health and other well-being resources for UW System employees and their household family members.

Mental health is a critical part of overall health. Everyone faces challenges in life that may impact their mental health. If life challenges are making it difficult for you to cope, how do you know if what you are experiencing is anxiety or depression? When is it time to get professional help? Are you turning to drugs or alcohol to help you cope?

Don’t wait to reach out for mental health support. Contact the EAP today for help.

The EAP is available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year to help you connect with a counselor either in-person or virtually to discuss your concerns. Household family members are also eligible for counseling. EAP counseling is confidential and solution-focused with the goal of bringing measurable improvement to the situation.

Grief and Loss Support: Grief and loss are difficult emotions that most everyone experiences. The past few years have been especially difficult. Your EAP can help you work through the emotions that may be causing you distress.

Financial Support: Financial struggles can be a significant source of stress. EAP financial advisors can address your specific concerns and help you determine solutions for managing your financial situation. Take advantage of this free service.

Daily Living Support: Stress associated with daily life can be overwhelming. Whether you’re looking for a cleaning service, realtor, new gym, dog walker, day care options or a moving company, contact the EAP. The EAP will conduct a search and present their findings to you so you can evaluate your options.

Legal Support: Seeking legal advice can be time consuming and expensive. Through the EAP, you have access to creating wills, and a free 30-minute legal consultation with an attorney with expertise in your matter. If you choose to retain the attorney, there will be a 25% reduction in the hourly rate.

Resources: The EAP webpage includes contact information and resources.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Earn your $150 Well-Being Incentive

If you are enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance program, you may earn a $150 well-being incentive through the Well Wisconsin program, administered by WebMD.

To earn the incentive, complete a health assessment, a health check and one well-being activity by October 14, 2022.

The Well Wisconsin program provides tools and resources to help you set well-being goals, track your progress, and stay motivated toward earning your incentive.

Start Earning Your Incentive with WebMD

  • Login or create an account on the WebMD ONE website or
  • Download the Wellness at Your Side mobile app through the App Store or on Google Play (code: SOWI)

The WebMD ONE website and Wellness at Your Side mobile app is where you will track your progress toward earning the well-being incentive.

Privacy: Your privacy is important. Whether you are completing the health assessment, health check or speaking with a WebMD health coach, WebMD is committed to protecting your privacy. Watch the privacy video for additional information.

Review the Well Wisconsin Program web page to learn more about the program.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Telemedicine: Get Medical Care Fast

Would you like to seek basic medical care from the comfort of your own home? The telemedicine services in the State Group Health Insurance Program may allow this option.

What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine, also known as telehealth, is the remote, virtual diagnosis and treatment of patients. This means you may be able to access non-urgent medical care through video chat or a virtual house call. Through telemedicine, a doctor may recommend treatment, prescribe medication, or tell you to see a doctor in-person (based on your symptoms).

By using telemedicine, you may receive care quicker and it may be less expensive than an office or urgent care visit.

Preparing to Use Telemedicine:

1. Watch the Get Medical Care When You Need It Fast video to help you determine if telemedicine will meet your needs.

2. Review ETF’s Telemedicine Options web page to learn about the different types of telemedicine.

3. Prepare for setting up telemedicine services from your health insurance carrier (such as, downloading a mobile app).

    • Login to your health insurance carrier’s online portal or
    • Contact your health insurance plan carrier by calling the phone number on your health insurance plan ID card.

4. If applicable, download the mobile app.

5. Complete the Get Ready For Care worksheet to help you plan for when telemedicine will not meet your needs (for example: primary care physicians office, urgent care facility).

Source: UW System Human Resources

WRS Webinars in June

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. To avoid connectivity issues during webinars, we highly recommend using Google Chrome as your web browser.

Annuity Options

When you get your retirement estimate, you’ll see that there are many options for receiving your retirement benefit. You can choose to receive the payment for your life or extend it beyond your life to your loved ones. The choice is yours. We’ll discuss how each option impacts the size of your payment and affects your loved ones.

By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Define and explain annuity, annuitant, beneficiary and named survivor.
  • Compare the different annuity options.
  • Find resources with more information.
  • Identify the next steps for you to choose an annuity option.

Tue, June 7, 2022 11:00 am – 11:30 am
Wed, June 15, 2022 6:00 pm -6:30 pm
Thu, June 30, 2022 1:00 pm -1:30 pm

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/8663209767750215180

Buying Service

You may increase your retirement benefit by buying service if you have worked for:

  • Other government employers.
  • The WRS and taken a separation benefit.

We will discuss:

  • The types of service you can buy.
  • How and when you can buy service.
  • An online tool that lets you see how much buying service can increase your retirement benefit.

Wed, June 8, 2022 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Tue, June 14, 2022 11:00 am – 11:30 am
Thu, June 30, 2022 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/8001580844759445003

Variable Fund

Does putting money in the Variable Fund make sense for you? You and your employer put money in to your WRS account to save for your future. The money in your account is then invested to increase your savings. By default, your money goes into the Core Fund, but you can choose to put half your money into the Variable Fund.

By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Define Variable Trust Fund and explain how it works.
  • Analyze how the Variable Fund can affect your retirement benefit.
  • Elect to join or cancel the Variable Fund.

Wed, June 1, 2022, 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Mon, June 20, 2022 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Tue, June 28, 2022, 11:00 am – 11:30 am

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/3875115904739080976

Preparing for Your Retirement

Planning to retire in the next 5 years? Then this webinar is for you. Learn about your WRS benefits and the retirement process.

By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Explain how the WRS retirement benefit works.
  • Recognize eligibility and prepare to apply for benefits.
  • Identify the different types of annuity options.
  • Prepare for health and life insurance changes in retirement.
  • Find additional resources

Wed, June 15, 2022 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Tue, June 28, 2022 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

To register, go to: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/2592441029449835020

Important Information for the End of the Semester

ATTENTION SUPERVISORS OF STUDENT EMPLOYEES

 This post contains information on:

  • Student Rehire Process
  • Important dates for graduating seniors and students not continuing
  • Summer ACA hours limitations
  • Federal Work Study balance reports
  • Summer Work Study
  • Posting a position in Handshake
  • Earnings Statements & W-2 Form

Student Rehire Process
It’s time to have a conversation with your student employees about their plans to continue working for Summer 2022 and/or Academic Year 2022-2023. Student supervisors received an email with current student appointments and will provide updated information to our office.

GRADUATING OR STUDENTS NOT CONTINUING

The last day of work for graduating seniors and those not returning for the Fall Semester is May 13, 2022. This applies to all student employees, work study or regular. If your student employee is graduating or will no longer be enrolled, you may have the option to hire them as a University Staff Temporary (UST) employee. All UST requests have to be approved by leadership before hire. Please contact Human Resources with any questions about this process.

Other Important Dates

  • July B Pay Period (7/3/22-7/16/22): Student Hours Limit of 20 hours for these two weeks
  • Wednesday, September 7, 2022: First day of classes for the 2022 Fall Semester

SUMMER ACA HOURS LIMITATIONS

As a reminder, the Student Payroll Calendar outlines weekly hour limits. During summer break, starting on 5/22/22, departments may allow students to work up to 40 hours per week. As outlined on the calendar, the July B payroll (7/3/22-7/16/22) does have a weekly limit of 20 hours. Note that the 25-hour per week limit for the academic year resumes with the August B payroll period on 8/21/22.

FEDERAL WORK STUDY (FWS) BALANCE REPORTS

These reports are sent bi-weekly via email to students with an FWS award. This email contains FWS amounts and balances. Ask your FWS student employee(s) to provide you with these emails as a way to monitor award balances. Monitoring FWS balances will assist you when scheduling hours and help avoid exceeding a student’s FWS award.

SUMMER WORK STUDY

Limited Work Study funding is available for students that complete a summer financial aid application at www.uwgb.edu/financial-aid/forms/summer.asp. Please note: Students do not need to be enrolled in summer courses to be eligible for Work Study funds; however, students must maintain adequate enrollment for Fall 2022. As always, changes in credit load may impact financial aid eligibility. Summer Work Study will begin on May 22, 2022. Academic Year Work Study will begin on August 28, 2022.

ADVERTISING OPEN STUDENT POSITIONS

Open positions should be posted in Handshake. There is an Employer Help Center that can address many questions you may have about using the system. Please contact the Student Employment Office (studentemployment@uwgb.edu) with any questions.

EARNINGS STATEMENTS & W-2 FORM

Earnings statements are available to all current student employees through access to the My UWGB Portal at http://my.uwgb.edu and can be accessed at any time, from any computer that has an internet connection. To login, the student will need to select UW-Green Bay, and then enter their UW-Green Bay user ID and password. Access to the portal is tied to employment, thus, if employment ends, so will access to the portal.

2022 W-2 Forms will be sent to the student’s home address, and a copy will be available in the portal at the end of January 2023. Please have your students review their personal information on the portal. If the address listed is incorrect, please have your student change it in the portal. If you need further assistance, notify payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu.

 QUESTIONS?

  • Student Employment Office (in Financial Aid) studentemployment@uwgb.edu
    • Student employee concerns and questions
    • Part-time student employment opportunities
    • Off-campus employment through Work Study
  • Human Resources hr@uwgb.edu
    • Student employment eligibility
    • Appointment setup/details
    • Employment paperwork
    • My UWGB Portal access
  • Payroll and Benefits payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or payroll@uwss.wisconsin.edu
    • Timesheets and hours
    • Payroll processing or earnings statements

WRS Webinars in May

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. To avoid connectivity issues during webinars, we highly recommend using Google Chrome as your web browser.

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.

Wed, May 5, 2021 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Fri, May 14, 2021 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Thu, May 20, 2021 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Thu, May 27, 2021 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4030756165475866127

Additional Contributions

Looking to increase your WRS retirement? Learn how Additional Contributions can increase your WRS retirement benefit.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

  • Define additional contributions.
  • Identify how additional contributions increase your retirement fund.
  • Arrange to make additional contributions to your WRS account(s).
  • Find and use ETF resources to calculate your additional contribution amount.

Mon, May 3, 2021 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Tue, May 11, 2021 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Mon, May 17, 2021 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Thu, May 27, 2021 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8087148129945512461

Understanding Your Annual WRS Statement of Benefits

Your annual Statement of Benefits shows you the current state of your WRS account. Not sure about something on your statement? Watch this webinar with your statement in hand. We’ll walk you through each section.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

  • Explain the purpose of the Statement of Benefits (ET-7365).
  • Analyze the sections of your Statement of Benefits.
  • Interpret your retirement benefit calculations.
  • Find resources for more information.

Fri, May 7, 2021 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Wed, May 12, 2021 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2789840744542886411

WRS Effective Rates and Annuity Adjustments

Each year you may see changes to the amount of your retirement payment. We’ll discuss why and how these changes happen.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

  • Define WRS effective rate and annuity adjustment.
  • Explain how the Core Trust Fund and Variable Trust Fund effective rates are calculated.
  • Explain how the Core Trust Fund and Variable Trust Fund annuity adjustments are calculated.

Thu, May 6, 2021 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Mon, May 10, 2021 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Wed, May 12, 2021 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Thu, May 27, 2021 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/6452814252490226444

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.

Learn in a way that fits your schedule. Attend this presentation in a live webinar!

Thu, May 13, 2021 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Wed, May 26, 2021 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Fri, June 11, 2021 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Mon, Jun 21, 2021 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Wed, Jul 14, 2021 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Wed, Jul 28, 2021 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2273159340156240144

WRS Statement of Benefits Available

The Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) Statement of Benefits as of January 1, 2022, is now available on the My UW portal for employees covered by the WRS in 2021.

To view your statement, log in to the My UW portal. On the Benefit Information tile, click Launch full app, and then click on the ETF WRS Statements of Benefits tab.

Your statement includes 2021 earnings and service, retirement benefit projections (if vested), separation benefit, death benefit and employee and employer contributions.

Resources

Important Beneficiary Reminder

It is recommended that you 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 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.

To add, change or remove beneficiaries complete a Beneficiary Designation form (ET-2320) or Beneficiary Designation-Alternate form (ET-2321) and mail the completed form to ETF.

Questions?

If you have questions about your statement after reviewing the available resources, contact payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu.

Source: UW System Human Resources