July 2006 InfoGator

FICA Alternative Plan for OPS employees underway

The FICA Alternative Plan for non-student OPS employees was implemented in January 2006.

“Since implementation, we have received many positive comments about the plan from employees,” said Paula Fussell, associate vice president for Human Resource Services. “Recently, we have received a number of telephone calls from new employees enrolled in the plan and from employees who have separated from the plan and would like to receive a distribution from their account.”

In response to those questions, University Benefits and Retirement has compiled the following additional information.

New Employees
When a new eligible OPS employee is appointed, he or she will be enrolled in the FICA Alternative Plan automatically. Once his or her first contribution is received by BENCOR, a welcome letter and an enrollment form will be mailed by BENCOR to the employee’s home address. It is important that the employee complete this form and return it to BENCOR since it identifies beneficiary information and investment choices.

Existing OPS Employees
When an employee moves from a student to a non-student OPS job, in most cases that employee will be subject to FICA. As a result of the change in the FICA status, the employee will be enrolled in the FICA Alternative Plan. The employee will receive a welcome letter and enrollment form after the employee’s first contribution is received by BENCOR.

Distributions/Withdrawals
Distributions can be made to an employee one month after the date of separation. This will allow time for the employee’s final paycheck to be processed. (Please note that distributions received by employees under 55 years of age will be subject to an additional 10% tax from the IRS). Plan balances may also be rolled over to an IRA or other eligible retirement plan upon separation with no IRS tax penalty. Employees transferring from OPS to a TEAMS or Faculty position are treated as if they are separated for distribution purposes.

Additional information about withdrawals and copies of the enrollment and distribution forms are available on the HRS web site at www.hr.ufl.edu/benefits/ficaalternative.htm

Updated employer's costs for grant/contract funded positions in FY 2006-2007

The University of Florida provides a competitive benefits package to all salaried employees. To help with year 2006-2007 budget planning, the Office of Human Resource Services has prepared a list of employer costs for benefits and retirement as well as federal and state mandated charges that are incurred with all payroll activities.

View the list online

Download the PDF version of the list

Employer rates to change for the state’s Basic Life Insurance plan and Executive Service State Disability plan

As a result of 2006 legislative changes, effective July 1, 2006, the employer monthly contribution rate for Basic Group Life will slightly increase to $.1243 per $1,000 of the employee-calculated benefit coverage. Rates for Executive Service employees will be $.1577 per $1,000. The rate increase applies only to the employer contributions, with no change to the employee’s rates.

Additionally, effective July 1, 2006, the employer monthly contribution rate for the State-Sponsored Group Disability Insurance plan for Executive Service employees will decrease slightly to $.07 per $100 of the employee’s regular rate of pay.

The new employer rates for both plans will be reflected on the July 7, 2006, paycheck. Questions? Contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-1225 (SC 622-1225) or benefits@ufl.edu.

Update provided about ePAF and HR security

With the implementation of ePAF, most HR actions are now exclusively addressed through the ePAF process. These actions include all hires, changes to current jobs (i.e. – salary changes), leaves of absence, terminations, and Additional Pay. Training is required (Hiring and Additional Pay, course number PST210) prior to having ARS requests approved for the new role of UF_EPAF Department Admin, and training is encouraged for the role of UF_EPAF Level 1 Approver.

As a result of the new ePAF roles, the UF_HR Manager/Department Admin and UF_HR Level 1 Approver roles have been modified so that they no longer can enter or edit information in Job Data or Additional Pay. However, these roles retain other capabilities, including updating of Personal Information and viewing Job Data and Additional Pay. The role of UF_HR View/Inquiry may be of assistance for those with a need to view Job Data and/or Additional Pay information, but who do not have access to either of these two HR roles just referenced.

The role of UF_HR Department Hiring will still be needed for access to recruiting activities to include creating and approving a requisition and related applicant flows. This role also is needed for position actions.

Departments: Authorizations for additional university employment expired June 30

Approval for additional university employment--also known as dual employment--is based on the fiscal year, so any existing authorizations expired on June 30. If departments have extra state compensation commitments that extend into the new fiscal year, they must complete a Request for Approval of Additional University Employment (HR-600) form and submit it to Classification and Compensation, 4th Floor Stadium West, P.O. Box 115002.

Please contact Kim Schares, associate director for Classification and Compensation, at 392-4621 (SC 622-4621) or kim-schares@ufl.edu with questions.

Spaces available for GED classes this fall

If any employees in your area have ever considered completing their high school education, UF’s GED program can help them! The program has enabled more than 20 UF employees to graduate over the past three years.

The fall schedule of classes for the University of Florida’s GED program begins in mid-August. The GED classes are taught by a licensed instructor and meet two mornings a week for a total of four hours per week. GED participants work at their own pace to best meet their learning needs in the areas of math, science, reading, writing, and social studies. There is no cost to attend GED classes, and the time spent in class is considered time worked.

Graduates of the GED program gain confidence and improve their interpersonal skills, in addition to becoming more effective communicators and efficient employees. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that graduates can become eligible for promotional opportunities within their departments and across campus. GED completion serves as a financial incentive for prospective students and provides departments with qualified candidates for higher positions. This in turn can help keep morale high while limiting the cost associated with training external candidates.

Employees who wish to participate should complete a GED Program Registration Form ( http://www.hr.ufl.edu/forms/education/ged.pdf) and submit it to Training and Organizational Development at P.O. Box 115006 or by fax at 392-1055 (SC 622-1055).

For more information, please visit www.hr.ufl.edu/ged or contact Jennifer Blades in Training and Organizational Development at 392-4626 or jennifer-blades@ufl.edu.

Make sure to read these important articles in the regular edition of the InfoGator:

Achieve… skills, knowledge, leadership: Registration for fall training opens August 7

A workers’ compensation alert: Hot weather can cause health emergencies

Employee Education Program information sessions offered in July

Retirement Special Pay Plan educational sessions - enroll today!

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