Category: General

Update Your Address by January 5, 2018 for W-2 Tax Form Distribution

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:

  1. Log in to the MyUW portal for UW System institutions.
  2. Launch the Personal Information module to view your current mailing and/or home address. If the address you prefer for W-2 Form distribution is not displayed, update your mailing and/or home address.
  3. To update your address, click on the Update my Personal Information link in the Personal Information module. For instructions on updating your address: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/help/personal-information.php
  4. If you want to update your office address, you must contact your human resources office.
  5. Update your address by the January 5, 2018 deadline in order for your W-2 to be mailed to the address you prefer.

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.

Notice of Thanksgiving Holiday Office Closures

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.

  • Student Life
  • Pride Center
  • Disability Services
  • Counseling and Health Center – Available for on-call consultations
  • American Intercultural Center
  • Dean of Students
  • Dean’s Offices
    • Austin E. Cofrin School of Business
    • College of Science and Technology
  • Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement
  • University Archives
  • Phoenix Athletics Offices
  • Marketing and University Communication
  • Business and Finance
  • Purchasing
  • Chancellor’s Office
  • Weidner Center

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and joyous Holiday season!

Annual Leave Conversion Forms Available for University Staff

BankedLeaveFormForms 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.

  • Part 1 – Review that the appropriate option box is checked.
  • Part 2 – Enter the number of vacation hours that you would like credited to your banked leave in the top row (A), and/or the number of vacation hours you would like paid out in the second row (B).  Please note that you must enter whole numbers, not partial hours (ex. 32 hours – not 32.75 hours).
  • Sign and date the form, and submit it to Human Resources by Friday, December 8, 2017.

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.

Important Year End Leave Information for University Staff

As we near the end of the 2017 calendar year, University Staff employees are reminded to review their leave balances.

Vacation Carry Over
Normally, vacation time must be used within the calendar year during which it is earned.  Employees may carry over any unused earned vacation into the following calendar year.  Any vacation carried over from the previous calendar year must be used by December 31 of the following calendar year.

The Human Resources System (HRS) will automatically take any vacation absences entered first from carry over balances before taking from the current year’s allocations.

Compensatory Time
Compensatory time is able to be carried into the following calendar year if approved by the immediate supervisor.  If carried over, unused compensatory time must be used by April 30th of the following year or it will be paid out on the pay period that includes May 1st.

Personal and Legal Holidays
Personal and Legal holiday hours may not be carried into 2018 and if not used by December 31, 2017, will be forfeited.

We have two floating legal holidays this year, for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.  Your legal holiday balance includes both observed and floating legal holidays.  The remaining observed legal holidays this calendar year include Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You can take your available “Legal Holiday Balance-YTD” and subtract these two observed legal holidays to see if you have any floating legal holiday hours left to use.

Annual Leave Conversion Option (Banked Leave or Sabbatical)
Forms for employees eligible for the Annual Leave Conversion Option will be available soon on your My UW System Portal, under the Time and Absence section, Leave Reports tab.  We will post a notification when these forms are available.

Please note that the above information applies to University Staff positions, not Academic Staff, Limited, or Faculty positions.

How do I check my paid leave balances?  Please review page three of these instructions.

Please contact the Payroll & Benefits office at 920-465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.

ETF Learning Opportunity Update — Cleveland Presentation

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Know Your Benefits: WRS Employee Benefits Seminar in Cleveland

Attend a Wisconsin Retirement System employee benefits seminar and come away with a greater understanding of your WRS benefits and how they work. These one-hour evening presentations, hosted by the Department of Employee Trust Funds in cities throughout Wisconsin, are designed for all members, especially those who are within five years of retirement. Topics covered include the retirement process itself, return-to-work rules, the Core and Variable Trust Funds, beneficiary designations, purchasing service, how “life events” affect your benefits, and much more. Questions are encouraged – stick around for the Q&A session afterward!

 

WRS Employee Benefits Seminar

Wednesday, November 8

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

Lakeshore Technical College

Centennial Hall, Room L177

1290 North Avenue, Cleveland 

 

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

 

Employee Spotlight: Karen Dalke

Karen-Dalke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Karen Dalke

Position at UWGB: Senior Lecturer

Summary of what you do: Teach classes in anthropology, sociology, public and environmental affairs along with human-animal research focusing on mustangs of the American West.

How long have you been employed: Since 2004

Brief history of employment with UWGB: Started as an ad-hoc, had a year as an instructor, then became a lecturer and then promoted to Senior Lecturer

Three words that describe you: Organized, hard-working, creative

Personal interests: Non-human animals, jogging, and travel

 

Any favorite line from a movie?

“Let’s be independent together” (Rudolph)

Are you messy or organized?

Organized

Best vacation you’ve been to?

South Africa

Describe what you were like at age 10.

Introverted and loved reading books.

Do you have a favorite quote?

The earth would be nothing without the people, but the man would be nothing without the horse. “Author Unknown.

Favorite travel spot? 

Anywhere with a preference for France.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?

It doesn’t matter as it would be pretty short.

If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be? 

Dalai Lama

If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

TOAST

If you were an animal what would you be?

Wild dog

If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?

It Ain’t Been Easy

If you were to write a self-help book, what would the topic be?

Resilience

If your house was burning down, what’s the one non-living thing you would save?

My passport

Least favorite Food?

Coconut

Motto or personal mantra?

I’m just peachy!

Top 3 life highlights?

Going to France at 16, getting married, finishing my PhD on wild mustangs

What advice would you give to recent new hires?

Study the culture of the university before trying to change it.

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

Doing field research

What book did you read last?

Harold and the Purple Crayon

What did you want to be when growing up?

Veterinarian

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Spare time?

What is an ability you wish you had?

Better coordination

What is the first concert you attended?

Blue Oyster Cult

What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?

An indoor riding arena

What is your favorite meal?

Toast

What is your favorite movie and book?

Great Expectations

What is your favorite sport?

Tennis

Hidden talent?

Very good with animals.

What’s on your bucket list?

I do not believe it bucket lists. Do things when you have the opportunity

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?

Madagascar or Mongolia

Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) Webinars Offered in November

etf

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.

  • Mon, Nov 6, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • Thurs, Nov 9, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Mon, Nov 13, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
  • Wed, Nov 29, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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.

  • Fri, Nov 10, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • Wed, Nov 15, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
  • Tues, Nov 21, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Thurs, Nov 30, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

How to Use ETF’s Online Retirement Calculator

ETF’s online retirement calculator, one of the most-used tools on our website, allows you to calculate an unofficial projection of your WRS retirement benefit at any point in the future. This webinar will cover where to find and how to use the calculator, specific information required for data entry (e.g., desired retirement date, spouse or partner’s birthdate, etc.) and how to interpret the results. There will be time at the end of the webinar to ask specific questions on this topic.

  • Thurs, Nov 2, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Wed, Nov 8, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • Thurs, Nov 16, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  • Thurs, Nov 30, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Variable Fund

In this webinar we will discuss the Variable Fund – what it is, how it differs from the Core Fund, and the effect participation in this fund may have on your retirement benefit calculations. We will also discuss how to elect to participate in the Variable Fund, how to cancel Variable participation, and the impact the timing of these decisions may have on your Wisconsin Retirement System benefits.

  • Mon, Nov 6, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
  • Tues, Nov 7, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Mon, Nov 20, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Thurs, Nov 30, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

 

 Register for a webinar

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

SECC Statewide Annual Campaign

 

SECC

 

The Statewide Employees Combined Campaign (SECC) annual workplace campaign is officially underway! You can make a pledge anytime between now and November 30, 2017.The SECC Campaign is available for state and university employees outside of Dane, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. SECC raises money to support a wide range of charities doing important work like protecting our natural resources, providing health services and research, defending civil and human rights, and preventing violence.

 

To make your pledge:

  • Go to seccstatewide.wi.gov
  • Choose the link that corresponds with your employment
    • University
    • State
    • Retiree
  • Login or register following the instructions online
  • Find out more information about the charities available to support
  • Follow the instructions on the website to complete your pledge

 

The CHOICE is yours…

   You decide:

  • How you want to give – choose payroll contribution, cash or check.
  • Where your dollars go – when you designate your gift to specific charities, only the charities you choose will receive money from you.

Pick from more than 300 state, national and international charities.

 

Check out a list of common questions and concerns.

Learn more about the impact of your gift.

 

Thank you for your work as an employee of the State of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin system! State employees have a great impact on the quality of life for all citizens of Wisconsin every day at work and then by giving back through the Statewide SECC campaign.

Need to choose a new health plan for 2018? Here are some helpful tips!

 

The following health plans are no longer available for 2018: ABE

  • Anthem Blue Preferred Northeast
  • Arise Health Plan
  • Health Tradition Health Plan
  • Humana Eastern
  • Humana Western
  • UnitedHealthCare of Wisconsin

If you were a member of one of these plans you will need to choose a new provider for 2018.  Not sure where to begin? Explore plan designs and benefits offered by using the interactive tool, Alex.  After determining what plan design is best for you, explore ETF’s state health plan map to see which health plans are available in your area and review the plan’s provider directory to determine if your doctors are covered.

Once you’ve decided, visit the MyUW Portal to submit your elections today!

Not sure where to begin and need some additional guidance? Visit one of the Benefit Open Lab Sessions to talk to a benefits counselor and get your questions answered!

Interested in all the plan changes for 2018? Click here to view the 2018 update presentation highlighting plan changes.