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.

Essential personnel may use personal leave days in less than full-day increments. Therefore, if a designated essential 12-month Academic Personnel or a TEAMS employee is required to work part of a day from December 26 to 31, the hours remaining in that workday (when the employee is not at work) should be reported using the “DPL-270 December Personal Leave” time-reporting code (TRC). The employee will be able to use the unused portion of his or her personal leave day(s) before the end of the fiscal year, even though it may be in less than a full-day increment.

In keeping with past practice, in order to be eligible for any paid holidays, employees must be in pay status for a reasonable amount of time on their last scheduled workday before the holiday.

How to report the December Personal Leave days

12-month Academic Personnel and TEAMS exempt employees:
Non-essential TEAMS exempt employees and 12-month Academic Personnel will not need to report their personal leave days via the Weekly Elapsed Time screen.  However, by December 14, 2006, essential TEAMS or 12-month Academic Personnel (those who will be working during the holiday period) will need to report the number of hours to be worked and any personal leave days to be used between December 26 through 31. This will prevent the four personal leave days from automatically loading for December 26 through December 31. 

Essential employees will also need to report the December 25 and January 1 holiday via the Weekly Elapsed screen using the “HOL” time reporting code.

TEAMS non-exempt employees:
All TEAMS non-exempt employees will report the personal leave days by using the “DPL-270 December Personal Leave” time reporting code through the Weekly Elapsed Time screen in the myUFL systems.

Reminder: Personal leave days for exempt employees will not require approval. However, personal leave days for non-exempt employees will require approval.

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.

To participate, report the number of hours you wish to cash out by entering them in the Weekly Elapsed screen in the myUFL system. You may report the hours on any day during the pay period of November 17 through November 30 using the “DLC – 280 December Vacation Leave” time reporting code. Hours should be reported on a day when you are not scheduled to work to prevent the myUFL system from blocking you by using the “exceeds 24 hours” exception. Employees should enter the time reporting code in Weekly Elapsed screen by November 29. Please verify with your department if an earlier deadline has been established internally. 

Please note: 

• The pay period specified is the only pay period the DLC time reporting code can be used. 
• It is the department's responsibility to ensure that no more than 16 hours of vacation leave are cashed out and that 40 hours of vacation leave remain on balance after the end of the November 17-30 pay period.

Still have questions? An instruction guide is available to assist you in reporting the cash out, or you may contact Central Leave Administration at 392-5732 or central-leave@ufl.edu. 

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.

This year, conversion will take place at the end of the December 29, 2006 to January 11, 2007, pay period. Therefore, any vacation leave to be used on or before January 11, 2007, must be reported before the January 11, 2007, conversion. Vacation leave taken after January 11, 2007, should be reported after the conversion occurs.

Please note that the vacation leave accrual for the December 29, 2006 to January 11, 2007 pay period will be included in the conversion. Therefore, if an employee’s vacation leave balance exceeds 480 (for TEAMS/eligible Academic Personnel) or 240 (for USPS) at the end of this pay period, then the excessive vacation leave hours will be converted to sick leave.

Questions? Contact Central Leave Administration at 392-5732 or central-leave@ufl.edu. 

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: 

PRO301 “UF 101: What Every Employee Should Know about UF"

PRO302 "The Color of Money: A Guide to How Moneys May Be Spent at UF"

PRO303 "Internal Controls at UF"

PRO304 "Basic Accounting Concepts for UF Fiscal Administrators"

PRO305 "Purchasing Policy - Purchasing 101"

These workshops will be offered on an ongoing basis starting in the spring. If you would like more information about the Pro3 Series and associated courses, please visit our web site at www.hr.ufl.edu/training/pro3. Registration for the spring semester of training will open on December 4.

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:

• Start or return from leave
• Marriage
• Termination
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Death or ineligibility of a dependent
• Court order pertaining to children (i.e., legal guardianship or a divorce decree)
• Change in FTE
• Gain or loss of other coverage
• Eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid
• Change in spouse's employment

If you need additional information or have any questions, please contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-1225 (SC 622-1225) or benefits@ufl.edu, or call your HRS satellite office: Education and General/Auxiliaries at 392-6615 (SC 622-6615), Health Science Center at 392-3786 (SC 622-3786), IFAS at 392-4777 (SC 622-4777), or PPD at 392-2333 (SC 622-2333).

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.