AUGUST 2007 - EMPLOYEE
FOCUS
Employee Focus Idea Contest
We received two great Employee Focus
newsletter ideas published in this month’s
newsletter.
Anja Wells from Political Science suggested
a “Who’s Who” similar to the monthly
spotlight in the Business Newsletter. “It
would be great to see other faces and be
able to read a little bit about what other
people do in their departments. Who knows,
we might learn a better way of doing things
by hearing what others do.”
Check out the Who’s Who this month!
Nominate
a colleague to be September’s Who’s Who and
give some well deserved recognition.
Click here to nominate
now!
Denisse Vargas Sioss from the Institute for
Urban Education submitted the following
suggestion, “Since this is the time to think
about benefits selection and such, please
have an article in the August issue about
staff benefits of UH amenities, in
particular, the Health Center and the Rec
Center.”
See this month’s article on Campus
Recreation!
Both Anja and Denisse will be receiving $10
flex dollars for their ideas.
Submit ideas or to be published in September’s
Employee Focus to
scarter@uh.edu
by August
24th. If your idea is published, you’ll
receive ten flex dollars applied to your
CougarOne Card.
Who's Who on Campus
 Who:
Anja Wells
Department Business Administrator
Years of UH Service:
7 ½ years
Department:
Political Science
How to Contact Me:
713.743.3897 or
ajwells@uh.edu
Where to Find Me:
447 PGH
When to Call Me:
For any administrative/business issues
involving Political Science.
A Helpful Hint:
We use an excel spreadsheet to reconcile our
monthly Leave Accrual Balance (LAB) report.
I would love to pass this on to anyone
struggling with their report.
What I Like Best About My Job:
I love to help people grow and learn as
individuals and as employees. This usually
involves working in groups to problem-solve.
To nominate a colleague to be September’s
Who’s Who submit by August
24th.
Click here to nominate
now!
Benefits Fair Winners
The Benefits Fair was a great success!
Thanks to all who supported the effort by
attending. Congratulations to Sandra
Medellin of Business Services. Sandra won
the iPod that was donated to the event by
TIAA CREFF.
Click here
to view the other winners.
If your name is on the
list and you have not claimed your prize,
bring your ID to the Administration &
Finance Customer Service Center located in
room 325 of McElhinney Hall.
Prescription Drugs $50 Deductible
Employees with UH health insurance have a
$50 deductible per plan year (September 1 to
August 31) before the plan begins to cover
drug costs. Only eligible prescription drug
purchases count toward the $50 deductible.
The $50 deductible applies to you and each
covered dependent. For example, if you have
three dependents, you and your dependents
would each have a $50 deductible making your
family’s total deductible $200.
Deductible example
If your initial plan year prescription drug
purchase is a Tier 1 prescription at a
retail cost of $40, you will pay the entire
$40 as part of the $50 deductible. Should
you need to refill this prescription, you
will pay $10 to complete the deductible and
$10 as your co-payment. The plan will pay
the balance.
Prescription Drug Co-payments
TexFlex Grace Period Extended
The current Tex Flex grace period has been
extended to November 15, 2007. This
additional time has been added to allow
participants to spend their 2007 account
contributions. (The grace period extends the
time you have to use your account money. The
plan year runs from September 1, 2006 –
August 31, 2007. The grace period allows for
an additional 2 months and 15 days to
exhaust your Flex account balance.)
You are encouraged to file your claims as
your expenses are incurred. Any paper claims
for expenses you have during the 2007 plan
year must be postmarked no later than
December 31, 2007 in order to be processed.
Additionally, your claim must be for
eligible expenses and include all proper
documentation. If you submit a claim
postmarked by December 31, 2007 that is
incomplete, it will not be processed and the
remaining unused balance will be forfeited.
Pre-Enrollment in TexFlex Will Be Automatic
The Board of Trustees approved a change in
ERS rules that will make participation in
TexFlex easier for plan year 2008. Current
TexFlex participants will be automatically
re-enrolled for plan year 2008 with the same
elections they had in plan year 2007.
Participants who want to enroll in TexFlex
or cancel participation in the Tex Flex
program must do so during open enrollment.
The TexFlex program enables employees to use
tax-free money for health care and day care
expenses. Employees can enroll in one or
both accounts - Flexible Spending
Account-Health Care and Flexible Spending
Account-Day Care – and choose to get a
PayFlex™ Debit Card to pay for eligible
expenses.
Evidence of Insurability Deadline August 31st
If you plan to add long- or short-term
disability coverage or increase your life
insurance election, you are required to
complete and submit proof of insurability.
The deadline for submitting completed EOI is
August 31. You must submit your completed
proof of insurability form directly to Fort
Dearborn Life for both life and disability
coverage. (if you receive your EOI approval
after open enrollment ends August 17 you can
still contact HR Benefits within 30 days of
your approval notice to have the coverage
added.)
Bluecard Worldwide®
This benefit is available to you when you
travel or live outside of Texas or the
United States. This program allows you and
your covered dependents to receive the
benefit of discounts that other Blue Cross
and/or Blue Shield Plans have negotiated
with participating providers of that state
or country.
Remember, in order for you to benefit from
these discounts, the participating providers
must file your claims for you.
For information on contracting providers and
hospitals outside Texas or the United
States,
• Call BlueCard Worldwide at (800) 810-BLUE,
OR
•
Click here
for online information (select
Traditional/Indemnity Network)
How BlueCard Worldwide works
Participating providers have agreed to:
• File your claims; and
• Not bill you the difference between what
they bill and their negotiated rate.
When you’re traveling or living outside of
Texas or the United States and require
medical care, all you need to do is follow
these easy steps:
Step 1: Remember to carry your most current HealthSelect ID Card.
Step 2: Call BlueCard Access at (800)
810-BLUE (2583) to identify participating
providers and hospitals. (You can use the
toll-free number outside of the U.S. by
using an AT&T
Direct® Access Number.)
Step 3: Go to the nearest participating
provider or hospital in your location and
present your ID card.
Step 4: If necessary, call Blue Cross and/or
Blue Shield for preauthorization of
inpatient
admissions. Refer to your ID card for the
phone number for preauthorization. It
differs
from the BlueCard Access number.
Step 5: Your provider or hospital will file
your claims for you and you will be required
to pay any applicable deductibles, copayments or coinsurance.
Carry your ID card abroad, and we’ll take
care of the rest
By using a participating hospital, you will
only need to pay for out-of-pocket expenses
(non-covered services, deductibles,
copayments and coinsurances). BCBSTX will
take care of the rest, and will send an
Explanation of Benefits to your home.
TIP: You can search for contracting
providers with BCBS plans in other states by
clicking
here
(select Traditional/Indemnity Network)
Making the Most of Your Benefits
Steps to out-of-area benefits
Step 1: Call any provider, preferably a BCBSTX ParPlan provider and tell the
provider that you have HealthSelect
coverage.
Step 2: See the provider. Show your HealthSelect ID card. The provider will
treat you and may recommend further
treatment, hospitalization, and/or surgery.
Step 3: Preauthorize the treatment, if
necessary.
Step 4: If you use a non-ParPlan provider,
you may have to file the claim yourself.
Step 5: You will receive an Explanation of
Benefits (EOB) from BCBSTX.
TIP: Locate a provider and verify that they
are accepting new patients before you
travel. Once you have returned, file your
BCBSTX EOB with the provider’s statement for
future reference.
Leave Balances
Why Should I Monitor My Leave?
According to Policy, employees are
responsible for tracking their own leave
balance and ensuring that leave is available
when taken. If an employee takes leave that
is not available, it can result in unpaid
leave or even termination.
Employees are also limited to how much
vacation time they may carry through to a
new fiscal year depending on years of
service. If an employee’s vacation balance
surpasses the maximum hours they are able to
carry forward, the hours above the specified
maximum will transfer to their sick leave
balance. Sick leave is not as flexible as
vacation. Sick leave is also not paid out to
the employee upon termination or retirement.
The university provides paid vacation for
benefits-eligible employees. Full-time (100
percent FTE) employees earn vacation hours
according to the following schedule:
|
Years of State
Employment |
Hours Accrued Per
Month |
Maximum Hours
Carried Forward to Next Fiscal Year |
| Less
than 2 years |
8 |
180 |
| at
least 2 but less than 5 years |
9 |
244 |
| at
least 2 but less than 5 years |
10 |
268 |
| at
least 10 but less than 15 years |
11 |
292 |
| at
least 15 but less than 20 years |
13 |
340 |
| at
least 20 but less than 25 years
|
15 |
388 |
| at
least 25 but less than 30 years
|
17 |
436 |
| at
least 30 but less than 35 years
|
19 |
484 |
| at
least 35 years or more |
21 |
532 |
Part-time employees
(less than 100 percent but at least 50
percent FTE) earn pro-rated vacation hours.
How Do I Review My Leave Balances
1. Log on to PASS.
2. Click on Benefits.
3. Click on Leave Balances.
4. The Leave Balances page appears. Review
your leave activity and balances for the
current period.
5. If you would like to see your Leave
Balance for a different period, enter that
date.
6. Click Go.
Human
Resources Quiz
Congratulations to Deborah Brougher,
Deborah’s name was randomly chosen from all
the employees who submitted the correct
answers to the July HR Quiz. Deborah
selected the $10 Starbucks Gift Card as her
prize.
Correct Answers for July HR Quiz:
1) University of Houston’s benefits open
enrollment begins on July 23, 2007 and ends
on ______?
O) August 17, 2007
2) Human Resources Benefits Department is
located on the third floor of which
building?
M) McElhinney Hall
3) The official University of Houston’s
Colors are ___________ and Albino White.
T) Scarlet Red
4) To update/change benefit elections during
open enrollment Employees will log onto the
______Website.
E) ERS
5) University of Houston’s Benefits Fair
will be held on this date __________.
C) July 18, 2007
6) University of Houston’s Benefits Fair
will be held at the __________.
S) UC Underground Den
7) UH Main Campus policies and procedure can
be found on the ________ website?
R) MAPP
8) For more information about UH benefits
employees can go to __________.
U) www.uh.edu/
Human Resources is C U S
T O M E R
- Centered Human Resources Quiz – July 2007
Gear Up for Mandatory Training
The Mandatory Training Period for all
employees will begin September 4th. This
means that on September 4th all employees
will receive e-mails, notifying them that
they have been enrolled in the following
classes in WebCT:
Fraud and Ethics
Secure our Systems
Employee Discrimination
Exempt staff, full-time faculty and
non-exempt staff with purchasing
responsibilities will receive e-mails
notifying them to complete the FY07
Consulting and Related Party Disclosure
course.
You will be required to complete these
courses by December 31, 2007. Information on
course completion will be provided on a
monthly basis to the College/Division
Administrator and Division Vice President.
If you experience any problems or have
questions about these courses, you can
contact the Customer Service Center at
3-3988.
Employees who have specialized roles at the
university will also receive notifications
on September 4, 2007 to complete the
following courses:
Cash Security ProceduresCash Deposit
and Security Procedures
Petty Cash/Change Fund
Credit Card Data Security
Credit Card Accounting
Travel Card Business Office
Travel Card Cardholder
P-Card Business Office
P-Card Cardholder
You will be required to complete these
courses by December 31, 2007. For courses
not completed by December 31, 2007,
employees may lose privileges or access
associated with the above activities.
Information on the above course completion
will be provided on a monthly basis to the
College/Division Administrator and Division
Vice President. If you experience any
problems or have questions about these
courses, you can contact the Customer
Service Center at 3-3988.
Campus Recreation Free Trial Membership
Faculty and Staff are eligible for a 14 day
FREE trial membership with the Department of
Campus Recreation. The trial period begins
Saturday, August 18th and ends Friday,
August 31st. To sign up, employees must
bring their Cougar 1Card ID to the Welcome
Desk in the
Campus Recreation and Wellness
Center.
For more information,
click here.
 My Safe Campus
The University uses the My Safe Campus
program, an on-line and telephone hotline,
for university employees to report fraud and
non-compliance with external rules and
regulations. The hotline is open 24-hours a
day, seven days a week. Individuals who use
My Safe Campus can choose to remain
anonymous, if they wish. To report fraud or
non-compliance
click here or call 1.800.716.9007.
UH Child Care Center Alumni
The University of Houston Child Care Center is looking for UHCCC Alums. We are
hosting an Alumni Dinner in our courtyard on September 14th, 2007. If you, your
children or grandchildren attended UHCCC please join the UHCCC Alumni
Association today at no cost.
Click
here to sign-up now and to view a Save the Date announcement.
August
CALENDAR
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