Category: Payroll & Benefits

The 2024 Annual Benefits Enrollment (ABE) period is September 25 – October 20, 2023. This is your annual opportunity to enroll in or make changes to most of your benefits. Changes made during ABE are effective January 1, 2024.

Plan now so you are ready for the enrollment period.

UW System Human Resources is hosting virtual presentations to review the upcoming benefit changes and actions you may need to take. Presentations are scheduled for:

• • Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm
  • Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 9:00 am
  • Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 12:00 pm

Registration is not required. To attend a session, click on the link above. To save the link to your Outlook calendar create a ‘New Appointment’ and copy and paste the link for the session you want to attend to the appointment.

The presentations will be approximately 45 minutes. You will have an opportunity to submit questions during the presentation (excluding personal health information). A recording of the presentation will be available on the ABE web page (following the first presentation).

UW System Human Resources

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:

• UW System Employee Benefits website Legal Holidays web page
• UW System Administrative Policy 1211: Personal Holiday and Legal Holiday Administration

Source: UW System Human Resources

The State Group Health Insurance premiums will be increasing in 2024.  The annual medical deductible for the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and Access HDHP have increased to comply with federal requirements:

• • Individual: increased to $1,600
  • Family: increased to $3,200

Premium changes will be effective January 1, 2024. More information pertaining to the State Group Health Insurance program can be found on the UW System Annual Benefits Enrollment website.

 

The Annual Benefits Enrollment (ABE) period is September 25 – October 20, 2023. This is your opportunity to enroll in or change your benefits and/or dependents for the upcoming calendar year. Changes made during ABE are effective January 1, 2024. Below are the highlights for 2024.

State Group Health Insurance
The plan designs (health plan and high deductible health plan), copayments, and coinsurance will remain the same.

The annual deductibles for the High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) will increase to $1,600 for individual coverage and $3,200 for family coverage to remain compliant with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) minimum deductible requirement.

Group Health Cooperative (GHC) of South Central Wisconsin will split into two separate networks starting January 1, 2024.

• • GHC of South Central Wisconsin Dane Choice* will include current in-network providers in Dane County.
  • GHC of South Central Wisconsin Neighbors is a new plan that will cover in-network providers in Columbia, Grant, Iowa, Sauk, Jefferson, Juneau, and Lafayette County.

*If you are currently enrolled in a plan with GHC of South Central Wisconsin as the carrier, you will default to GHC of South Central Wisconsin Dane Choice with the same dependents for 2024 unless you make a change during ABE.

All other health insurance carriers will continue to be offered for 2024. Employee premium information will be available prior to ABE.

Uniform and Preventive Dental Insurance Plans
These plans provide coverage for preventive dental services, most basic dental services, and orthodontia services (up to age 19). Employee premiums for the Preventive Plan will increase. Employee premium information for Uniform Dental will be available prior to ABE.

Supplemental Dental Insurance Plans
The Select and Select Plus plans provide coverage for major and restorative dental services. The Select Plus plan covers orthodontia services for children and adults. Employee premiums for the Select Plan will decrease. Employee premiums for the Select Plus Plan will increase.

Vision Insurance Plan
The vision insurance plan provides coverage for an annual eye exam and materials (contacts and/or glasses). Employee premiums will remain the same in 2024.

Accident Insurance Plan
This plan provides a lump sum payment to you for specific injuries due to an accident. This plan includes an accidental death & dismemberment component. Employee premiums will decrease in 2024.

Pre-tax Spending and Savings Accounts
Below are the annual contribution maximums for 2024.

• • Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): $3,050 (increase)
  • Dependent Day Care Account: $2,500 or $5,000 (depending on tax filing status)
  • Parking & Transit Accounts: $300 per month (increase)
  • Health Savings Accounts: $4,150 for individual coverage; $8,300 for family coverage (increase)

The Healthcare FSA carryover limit will increase to $610. The Parking & Transit Account carryover is unlimited. To be eligible for Healthcare FSA and/or Parking & Transit Account carryover from 2023 to 2024, you must:

• • Have a minimum balance of $50 in your account at the end of the run-out period (March 31, 2024) OR
  • Enroll for the 2024 plan year with a minimum contribution amount of $50 (in each account if you enroll in multiple accounts)

Carryover does not apply to the Dependent Day Care Account. All remaining funds in your Health Savings Account roll over year to year.

Next Steps
Most institutions will host onsite benefits fairs during ABE as a resource to help you understand the benefits for 2024. Check the benefits fairs schedule to see if your institution will be hosting a benefits fair. Then, mark your calendar to attend!

Watch for emails in September for more information about ABE and actions required.

Source: UW System Human Resources

If you have a child in college that you cover as a dependent on your State Group Health Insurance plan, here are some tips about their coverage.

• • If they attend school within your health plan’s service area, they should seek care only from in-network providers unless they need Emergency Room or Urgent Care services.
  • If they attend school outside your health plan’s service area, Urgent Care and Emergency Room services will be covered by your health plan as in-network.

After an Urgent Care or Emergency Room visit, in most cases, your child must return to your health plan’s service area for follow-up care.

Since most plans only provide coverage for services when they are in-network, it is important that you plan for the possibility of your child needing care.

For additional information, including mental health services, review the College Students and Health Benefits article.

Source: UW System HR

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

• To check for missing Leave Reports, review the Missing Leave Reports tipsheet on the Time and Absence Help page.
• Sick leave policy: UW System Administrative Policy 1212 (formerly BN 3) Sick Leave (section 6.G.III. and VII.1)

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

Source: UW System Human Resources

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