Benefits Fair 2008


The department of Human Resources would like to invite you to join us for our upcoming annual Benefits Fair. The Benefits Fair is a great opportunity for faculty and staff to meet with the vendors who provide our benefits and learn more about how to use our various services.

Human Resources staff will be on-hand to answer your questions.

The department of Human Resources would like to invite you to join us for our upcoming annual Benefits Fair. The Benefits Fair is a great opportunity for faculty and staff to meet with the vendors who provide our benefits and learn more about how to use our various services.

Human Resources staff will be on-hand to answer your questions.

Help UH Go Green
 
2 drawings and 2 chances to win!

The payroll office will be holding two drawings for iPod 1G shuffles for all employees that help UH “go green” by choosing direct deposit and electing to stop receiving paycheck advice stubs every pay period. Small choices made by UH employees will significantly impact resources and time at UH while promoting a paperless campus that is environmentally friendly.

All employees that have elected to stop receiving paycheck advice statements will be eligible to win an iPod shuffle at the Human Resources Benefits Fair to be held on July 29th. The payroll office booth will have computers available at the fair to assist employees as they make their elections through PASS.

In addition, any employee that initiates a new direct deposit or elects to stop receiving their paycheck advice statements during the months of July or August are eligible to win a second iPod shuffle to be awarded on August 31st.


Why should I choose Direct Deposit?

• Better and faster access to your pay.
• Employees immediately eliminate check-cashing fees that they may have historically paid to access their wages each payday.
• Employees are not required to go to their worksite to pick up paychecks on days off or during vacations.
• Access to your pay 24 X 7, even when you go on vacation.
• Lost or stolen paper paychecks take longer to replace.
• Employees experience increased safety and security associated with not having to physically carry their entire pay on their person, in cash, after cashing their paycheck.
• Trips to wait in line to cash paper paychecks at banks or check cashing establishments become unnecessary.
• Wages can be accessed via 24-hour ATM networks.
• Employees help decrease the remote chance of not being paid timely due to unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters, that can impact the delivery of paper paychecks.

• Exposure to identity theft decreases as the likelihood of personal information ending up in the wrong hands is eliminated when paychecks and pay statements are no longer issued to employees on paper.
• Employees can access all information about every paycheck 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week through PASS.
• Employees can print only those statements they need and can view them all.
• It helps UH become more “green” and paperless.
• It saves UH resources from printing and distributing.

• You will get two new HealthSelect cards sent to your home: a medical card from Blue Cross and Blue Shield to show at your doctor’s office and a prescription drug card from Caremark to show at your pharmacy.
• You can still go to your local pharmacy. You will need to show your new prescription drug ID card to your pharmacist so you pay the right amount.
• You will continue to fill any new or mail order refill prescriptions with Medco through August 31. Caremark will start filling new mail service prescriptions on September 1.
• If you have refills left on a mail service prescription after August 31, your refill information will transfer from Medco to Caremark on September 1. For example, your doctor prescribes you a new medication in July. Your doctor writes you the initial prescription, plus three 90-day refills. You order the first 90-day supply through Medco’s mail order service. That leaves you with three refills that would transfer to Caremark on September 1. To order those refills, you would need to contact Caremark since Medco will no longer have your refill information.
• Your drug card comes in a welcome kit with more information, including the telephone number for Caremark’s San Antonio customer service center dedicated to HealthSelect participants.
  

• Two-week supply of prescription medicines
• Two-week supply of nonperishable/special dietary foods. Buy plenty of nonperishable foods, because there won’t be any refrigeration.
• Drinking water/containers: 1 gallon per person per day for two weeks. It’s also a good idea to sterilize the bathtub and fill it with water just before the storm.
• Flashlights and batteries for each member of the family
• Portable radio and seven sets of batteries
• First-aid book and kit, including bandages, antiseptic, tape, compress, non-aspirin pain reliever and anti-diarrhea medication
• Mosquito repellent and citronella candles
• Two coolers (one to keep food and one for fresh ice)
• Plastic tarp for roof/window repair, screening, tools, nails, etc.
• Water purification kits (plain chlorine tablets and iodine)
• Infant necessities (medication, sterile water, diapers, ready formula, bottles)
• Clean-up supplies (mop, buckets, towels, disinfectant)
• Camera and film
• Non-electric can opener
• Extra batteries for camera, portable television and lamps, etc.
• Plastic trash bags
• Toilet paper, paper towels and pre-moistened towelettes, eating utensils, masking tape and Zip-Loc bags to keep valuables safe from water 
• Axe or hatchet
• Life preservers (especially for children)

If you evacuate, you also should take:

• Pillows, blankets, sleeping bags or air mattresses
• Extra clothing, shoes, eyeglasses, raingear, etc.
• Folding chairs, lawn chairs or cots
• Personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.)
• Quiet games, books, playing cards and favorite toys for children
• Important papers (driver’s license, special medical information, insurance policies and property inventories)

Precious commodities before and after a storm:

• Gas/propane
• Cash (if power is out, banks may be closed, checks and credit cards may not be accepted, and ATMs may not be operational)
• Charcoal, wooden matches and grill
• Ice

• Update your phone number, mailing address, and email address.
• Update your dependent's and beneficiary's personal information (we need your beneficiary's date of birth and Social Security number to promptly pay benefits.)
• View a summary of your current benefits; and
• Update your benefits during Summer Enrollment or after experiencing a qualifying life event (QLE), such as marriage or divorce.

The ERS OnLine Login is located at the top right corner of the ERS website.

For User ID or password assistance, call ERS in Austin at (512) 867-7711 or (877) 275-4377 toll-free.




Catering On Cullen

To Our Valued Customers,

In response to your tremendous feedback and suggestions we are proud to announce the addition of a new secure payment system in our CaterTrax on-line ordering site. Beginning immediately you will be able to enter your credit card or p-card information in a secure environment that promises both ease of mind and convenience. Then, after the event is over, and only after it is over, your payment will be processed and your invoice will be available for you to view. Furthermore you will be able to review your payment history at any time. Brand new, easy, and secure. One more way we are trying to bring you the best possible catering experience. Whether you are familiar with our site or curious about what we have to offer, we invite you to visit us at https://uhcatering.catertrax.com.


Thank you,

Your Friends at Catering On Cullen

Food Drive Food For Thought 

The A&F Administrative Services Department will be hosting a food drive and bake sale from Monday, July 14th through Friday, August 1st in their McElhinney offices (325 McElhinney). They ask that their fellow Coogs help out our thousands of hungry neighbors by coming by to drop off non-perishable, nutritious food items and check out their bake sale goodies.

Collection Dates:
July 14th – August 1st (M-F), 8-5

Bake Sale Dates:
July 14th   (Mon)
July 18th   (Fri)
July 25th   (Fri)
August 1st (Fri)

On any given day an estimated 35,000 people go hungry in Houston. This year, with food costs soaring and gasoline in the stratosphere, the dog days of summer are shaping up to be more dire than in previous years.

In a recent article in the Houston Chronicle the Houston Food Bank said anecdotal evidence from pantries and other agencies on new, first-time users of food assistance shows that there are more folks in need this year, and their needs are more acute. As a result, the Houston Food Bank is running low on food.

Children bored at home this summer? Looking for a family or rotary club activity? Volunteers are the Food Bank’s biggest need. Most food is donated, and much of it needs a lot of processing before it can be distributed. When there aren't enough volunteers, donations have to be turned down. Visit the Houston Food Bank website to learn more about volunteering: http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/.

JULY CALENDAR