Retirement Special Pay Plan begins this month

This is just a reminder that the University of Florida will be implementing a Special Pay Plan administered by BENCOR on November 29, 2006. Employees separating from the University and receiving sick or vacation leave payments of $2,000 or more will be automatically enrolled in this program. Educational Sessions were held during the months of August through October. Materials from these sessions and additional information about the program are available at the following web site: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/benefits/specialpayplan.htm

December Personal Leave days to be used December 26 through 31

On December 1, all TEAMS employees and 12-month Academic Personnel will be credited with four personal leave days to be used during the period of December 26 to December 31 when the University is closed for the holidays.

UF vice presidents—working with their deans, directors, and department chairs—will determine which TEAMS employees and 12-month Academic Personnel should be deemed “essential” personnel and are, therefore, required to work during this period. Twelve-month Academic Personnel and TEAMS employees unable to use all or a portion of their four personal leave days during the scheduled period may use the personal leave days at another time from December 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007.

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TEAMS employees are eligible to cash out up to 16 hours of vacation leave — regardless of FTE — during the pay period of November 17 to November 30, provided 40 hours of vacation leave remain on balance after the end of that pay period. If you are eligible and choose to participate, you will receive the cash-out payment in your December 8 paycheck.

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Vacation leave conversion for TEAMS, eligible Academic Personnel, and USPS employees

According to UF leave policies, TEAMS employees and eligible Academic Personnel (those Academic Personnel who earn vacation leave) may accrue more than 480 hours of vacation leave in a calendar year, while USPS employees may accrue more than 240 hours. However, each year, hours exceeding 480 (for TEAMS/eligible Academic Personnel) and 240 (for USPS) will be converted at the end of the pay period in which December 31 falls.

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Deplete reimbursement accounts by December 31

If you are participating in a medical and/or dependent daycare reimbursement account plan for the year 2006, please remember that you have until December 31 to spend the money in the account or it will be forfeited. The deadline to file for reimbursement is typically around April 15 of the new calendar year (2007). Visit the People First web site to download the appropriate form. Please contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-1225 (SC 622-1225) or benefits@ufl.edu with questions.

Training and Organizational Development announces the launch of a new training series designed to provide additional and enhanced access to training and information needed by UF’s administrative employees. This first phase of the Pro3 Series will focus on fiscal-related administrative functions such as entering, processing, and monitoring financial transactions and is being offered out of a partnership between HR and our colleagues in Finance and Accounting and the Office of Audit and Compliance.

Several new workshops will be launched as part of the Pro3 Series: 

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Higher Education Opportunity (HEO) provides tuition assistance for children of full-time TEAMS employees: Information session and application deadline coming up

The University of Florida’s Higher Education Opportunity (HEO) provides children of full-time TEAMS employees with the opportunity of tuition assistance for an undergraduate education at the University of Florida. In March, Human Resource Services will select, at random from a pool of eligible HEO applicants, 50 TEAMS employees to participate in this program. Each eligible employee may submit one child’s name into the drawing. To be considered for this benefit, the TEAMS employee must apply for the HEO by January 16, 2007.

For the child of each selected employee, the university will pay the in-state matriculation fees (the actual tuition minus any additional fees for activities, transportation, health, services, athletics, late registration, late payment, materials, supplies, labs, etc.) for up to 12 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters and 6 credit hours during the summer semester. Please note that any Bright Futures Scholarship award will be subtracted from the amount the student can receive through the HEO. As long as the student remains eligible for the HEO, the Higher Education Opportunity will assist with the student’s tuition until he or she has accumulated a maximum of 132 credit hours or has been enrolled in college for six years. Please visit http://www.hr.ufl.edu/heo/ to read about additional HEO eligibility requirements.

To be entered into the HEO drawing, the full-time TEAMS employee must:

1. Submit a completed HEO application form to Training and Organizational Development no later than January 16, 2007.

The child of the full-time UF TEAMS employee must:

1. Have applied for admission to the University of Florida no later than January 16, 2007.
2. Graduate from high school no later than July 31, 2007.

It is important to note that the University of Florida admissions process and the HEO selection process are separate. Selection for the HEO benefit does not indicate admission into the University of Florida. Application to UF also does not automatically enter a child's name into the HEO drawing. In the event that a child is not accepted to UF, the benefit may be used at a public community college in Florida.

A Higher Education Opportunity information session will be held on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Stadium West Room 316. Employees interested in participating in the HEO are encouraged to attend the information session. Please sign up via myUFL (My Self Service > Training and Development > Request Training and Enrollment). The course code is "GET013." For more information about the Higher Education Opportunity, please visit our web site or contact Amanda Moore, HEO coordinator, at 392-4626 (SC 622-4626) or amanda-moore@ufl.edu.

With the close of Open Enrollment, the UF Benefits office is unable to accept any benefit changes for the 2007 plan year, with the exception of work or life events that result in a Qualifying Status Change (QSC). The next opportunity to make plan changes will need to be completed during next year’s enrollment or within 31 days of a QSC event.

Employees may review their state benefit summaries or open enrollment changes at any time throughout the year by visiting the People First website.To access your benefits information, visit the People First web site and log in with the user id and password provided to you during Open Enrollment. For questions about your enrollment or if you have misplaced your password, please contact the People First Service Center at 1-866-663-4735. General questions may be directed to University Benefits and Retirement at 392-1225 (SC 622-1225) or benefits@ufl.edu.

Report a work- or life-event status change within 31 days of the event

UF employees experiencing or expecting to experience a “qualifying status change” should contact University Benefits and Retirement as soon as possible to ensure they receive the appropriate benefits and that the appropriate dependents are covered under the plan. Employees have only 31 days after a qualifying event occurs to make coverage changes. A status change includes any of the following:

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Reminder to submit dependent documentation

The People First Service Center requires documentation for any dependents added to any of your plans during Open Enrollment. Refer to the article in our October issue of the InfoGator for additional details. Please submit copies of appropriate documentation such as a marriage certificate, dependent birth certificates, and court/adoption orders to the People First Service Center along with your People First user ID or Social Security Number on all documents. Failure to submit appropriate documentation to the Service Center may result in cancellation of coverage for your dependent. Documentation is typically required within 60 days from the effective date of your enrollment. Questions? Contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-1225.