As the winter holiday season approaches, questions often come up regarding the appropriateness of displays regarding religious holiday symbols. To assist you in determining what is permissible on university property, including employee offices and cubicles, please refer to UPS Operational Policy GEN 16 and the additional guidance provided by UW System legal regarding Display of Christmas Trees and Religious Holiday Symbols on Campus.
Happy Holidays to all!
To those of you who have already given, congratulations we are nearly to our 2017 goal! If you haven’t had the chance to participate there is no better time than now! We are nearly to our goal and with just a $1 a pay period contribution you can help ensure we meet that goal by the end of the month! Remember the campaign ends on November 30th so there is only one day left to give! Donate Today, Don’t Delay!
If every person eligible to participate in the campaign donated just $1 a pay check for a year we would raise over $698,000! While $1 a pay period may not seem like a lot to you, collectively it can mean a world of difference to those in need!
The SECC Statewide is a workplace giving campaign that offers you the opportunity to donate to one or more of the more than 400 charities that participate via payroll contribution, check or cash. Giving through your work place is as easy as ever!
Not sure how much to give? See below for what $1 a pay check can do:
Again, it’s quick and simple! I encourage you to log in and consider making a contribution because every dollar really does make a difference.
The campaign runs through November 30th. If you have questions or would prefer paper materials, please call 608.256.1066.
To make your pledge online (please note, the online tool is only for state employees who work outside Dane or Milwaukee counties):
ETF has updated the face-to-face learning opportunities schedule to include dates into the spring of 2018. These include benefit fairs, benefit presentations and group retirement appointments scheduled in your area of the state.
View the face-to-face learning opportunities schedule for your area.
If you have any questions please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions.
Employees will not have access to their online timesheet, earnings statements and other related documents and services during a UW Human Resources System (HRS) outage that will occur on Sunday, December 3rd from 6:00 a.m. to Noon. This outage is due to system maintenance. The following self-service features that employees access through the My UW System portal will be unavailable during this outage:
This HRS outage will also affect currently posted recruitments, as applicants will not be able to get into TAM (Talent Acquisition Manager) to apply for positions during this time on Sunday morning.
Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.
Due to preparation for the 2018 program year, the StayWell wellness portal will not be available after December 23, 2017 through early January 2018.
Continue working on your health goals
Try one or more of the confidential StayWell services available to you through December 22, 2017, like Self-Directed Coaching, the Mindfulness Series and more. For more information on the resources available, log in to wellwisconsin.staywell.com.
Watch for 2018 program information
Information on the 2018 Well Wisconsin Program will be coming to you in January. Watch your mail for your Well Wisconsin Program brochure which will contain all the details on earning your 2018 incentive.
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.
Additional Contributions
Find out how making additional contributions to your WRS account can potentially increase your retirement. This webinar also provides examples of how contributions grow over time with interest, how to pay additional contributions (payroll deduction or direct pay), etc.
Choosing When to Retire
This webinar will focus primarily on choosing your optimal termination and WRS benefit effective dates. The focus will include not only the “December versus January” decision, but also how retirement timing at any point during the year can affect your retirement annuity amount and other employee retirement benefits as well.
Beneficiary Designations-What Happens to My Account When I Die?
Do you have a beneficiary designation on file with ETF and does it reflect how you’d want your WRS death benefits paid? This webinar reviews the importance of having a beneficiary designation on file and keeping it updated as life events occur. We’ll also review the process of how to correctly complete a designation form, what it means if you do not have one on file with ETF, and how to request a copy of your current form.
Retirement Annuity Options
Choosing a WRS annuity option is one of the most important decisions you will face. This webinar will cover all of the WRS annuity options and help you understand them so that you can make an informed decision. We will also explain the important differences between a beneficiary and a named survivor.
Please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program can help employees pay off their student loans. This program forgives the remaining balance on qualified federal loans after borrowers have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer, such as the University of Wisconsin System. Further information can be found at the Department of Education website at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.
There are a number of federal income-based repayment plans, including the Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (PAYE) and the Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE), both of which has monthly payments of ten percent of discretionary income (the difference between your annual income and 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size). Whether the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is right for an individual can vary. A student loan borrower needs to work for ten years in a public service qualifying employer to receive the loan forgiveness benefit. Therefore, for many borrowers, the standard 10-year repayment option may be the best option and examining the total cost of different federal repayment options can be helpful.
The above information was provided by the UW-System Office of Academic and Student Affairs.
The Department of Education recommends that if you would like to qualify for this program now or in the future, you would complete the Employment Certification form as soon as possible. You would complete sections 1 and 2 of this form, as well as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness fax cover sheet (https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/publications/voe-uws-pslf-request.pdf), and fax or mail (don’t email due to the confidential information on the form) the forms to the UW-Service Center.
As the end of 2017 approaches, make sure your current address is up-to-date for W-2 Tax Form distribution and take time to read about important reminders for your 2018 Benefit enrollments.
In late January 2018, your 2017 W-2 Form will be sent via U.S. mail to your mailing address as listed in the MyUW portal. If you do not have a mailing address, your W-2 will be mailed to your home address. If neither address is in the MyUW portal, your W-2 will be mailed to your office address.
To ensure your W-2 Form is sent to your preferred address, follow these steps:
Changing your address in the portal will not change your address for all of the benefit plans in which you are currently enrolled. For instructions on how to change your address for your benefit plans visit: Change in Name or Address.
In addition to the hard copy W-2 Form that you will receive, an online copy of your W-2 Form will be available in late January in the MyUW portal Payroll Information module in the Tax Statements tab.
If you have questions, contact your human resources office.
In observation of the Thanksgiving holiday, the campus will be closed Thursday, November 23 and the following offices will be closed Friday, November 24. All offices will resume normal operations on Monday, November 27th.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and joyous Holiday season!
Forms for University Staff employees who are eligible for the Annual Leave Conversion Option (also known as banked leave or sabbatical) are now available on our My UW System Portal, under the Time and Absence section, Leave Reports tab. Please click on the “2017 Banked Leave Report” link to open the form, and then print it.
Here is a link to the Vacation Policy, showing when University Staff employees are eligible to bank vacation hours (page 5): https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/download/policies/ops/bn1.pdf
Page three of these instructions shows how to check your paid leave balances.
Please contact the Payroll & Benefits office at 920-465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.
