November 2007 InfoGator

December 24 added to 2007 holidays; December Personal Leave days are December 26 through 31

This year, the university will observe Monday, December 24, 2007, as a holiday in addition to the regular December and New Year holidays. The December 24 holiday also will be observed by the university’s various outpatient health clinics. This decision was based on the proximity of that date to the holiday closing period that runs from December 25, 2007, through January 1, 2008.

In addition, on December 1, all TEAMS employees and 12-month Academic Personnel will be credited with four personal leave days to be used, when possible, during the period of December 26 through 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, 2007, through June 30, 2008.

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, 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 from December 26 through 31. This will prevent the four personal leave days from automatically loading for that period.

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

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.

Reporting 2007 paid holidays

Monday, December 24, has been designated a paid holiday. It should be reported as a holiday using the same time-reporting procedures as when reporting the December 25, 2007, and January 1, 2008, holidays. Non-exempt employees must report the December 24 and 25 and January 1 holidays via the Weekly Elapsed screen using the “HOL” time reporting code. Exempt employees should only report the holidays if the schedule for the workweek in which the holiday falls has been otherwise altered.

USPS employees
While USPS employees are eligible for the newly designated December 24 paid holiday, they are not eligible for the four December personal leave days and may be required to use vacation or accrued compensatory leave during the holiday closing period if a department chooses to close or upon supervisory request. In the event a USPS employee does not have vacation leave to cover the period, he or she may request that vacation leave be advanced to cover that absence, in which case the department is obligated to provide it. USPS employees also may use leave without pay, in keeping with University of Florida policy, during this time.

Still have questions? An instruction guide is available to assist you in reporting the leave, or you can contact Central Leave Administration at 392-2477 or central-leave@ufl.edu.

The Office of Human Resource Services wishes you a joyous and safe holiday season.

TEAMS employees: Plan now for December leave cash out

TEAMS employees are eligible to cash out up to 16 hours of vacation leave—regardless of FTE—during the pay period of November 16 to November 29, provided 40 hours of vacation leave remain on balance after the end of that pay period. If you are eligible, you will receive the cash-out payment in your December 7 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 must report the hours during the pay period of November 16 through November 29 using the “DLC – 280 December Vacation Leave” time reporting code 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.

Please note:

The pay period specified is the only pay period the DLC time reporting code can be used.

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.

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 16-29 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 392-2477 or central-leave@ufl.edu.

Excess vacation leave to convert to sick leave for TEAMS, USPS, and eligible Academic Personnel

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 to sick leave.

This year, conversion will take place at the end of the December 28, 2007, to January 10, 2008, pay period. Therefore, any vacation leave to be used on or before January 10 must be reported before that day’s conversion of vacation to sick leave. Vacation leave taken after January 10 should be reported after the conversion occurs.

Please note that the vacation leave accrual for the December 28, 2007, to January 10, 2008, 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 excess vacation leave hours will be converted to sick leave.

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

Did you add dependents to any plans during Open Enrollment?

If you added dependents to any of your plans during Open Enrollment, the People First Service Center will require dependent documentation. Submit copies of appropriate documentation (e.g., marriage certificate, birth certificate) to the People First Service Center along with your name and People First user ID (not UFID) on all documents. Failure to send in documentation within 60 days following the coverage start date may result in a loss of coverage for dependents.

Currently, the following are considered eligible dependents:

An employee’s legal spouse
An employee’s natural children, legally adopted children, and children placed in the home for the purpose of adoption in accordance with Chapter 65, Florida Statutes
Stepchildren
Foster children
Children for whom an employee has established legal guardianship pursuant to Chapter 744, Florida Statutes, or court-ordered temporary custody

All such children must be unmarried and under age 19. Dependents between age 19 and the end of the calendar year in which they turn age 25, must meet both of the following criteria to be eligible: 1) dependent on you for financial support and 2) must either live with you or be a full- or part-time student.

Eligibility may also be extended, upon approval by the plan, beyond age 25 for disabled children who were covered at the time of the employee’s initial enrollment into the plan. A newborn child of your eligible dependent may also be covered under the plan for up to 18 months after birth.

The majority of the supplemental plans (dental, vision, hospital, etc.) follow the same criteria as the health plans as outlined above. However, some plans may vary. Please check the company brochure or agent for details on dependent eligibility requirements.

If you have questions about documentation or dependent eligibility, please contact University Benefits at 392-2477 (SC 622-2477), benefits@ufl.edu, or your HRS satellite office.

Deplete Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) by December 31

If you are participating in a medical and/or dependent daycare reimbursement account plan for the 2007 year, 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 (2008). FSA reimbursement claim forms can be found on the People First web site or the forms section on the HRS web site. Please contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-2477 (SC 622-2477) or benefits@ufl.edu with questions.

News from University Retirement

Please note 2008 limits for retirement savings plans
The limit for elective deferrals for 403(b) and 457 plans remains at $15,500 for calendar year 2008. Participants who will reach age 50 by December 31, 2008, may shelter an additional $5,000.

The 415 Annual Addition limit for calendar year 2008 (employer and employee combined) is $46,000 or $51,000 if the participant will reach the age of 50 by December 31, 2008.

One-time window made available to switch from ORP to FRS

Eligible participants in the State University System's Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) will have an opportunity to opt out of the ORP and into the Florida Pension Plan or the Florida Investment Plan. JHMHSC-mandated faculty are not eligible for this opt-out.

Participants who wish to change to the Pension Plan will receive service credit for the total number of years in the ORP. This service credit will be purchased with funds in participants' ORP accounts; any remaining cost will be paid by participants from personal funds.

Participants wishing to change to the Investment Plan will have employer contributions from the date of election forward placed in the Investment Plan, and all assets previously contributed to the ORP plan will remain in the ORP.

Information from the Division of Retirement will be mailed to all eligible participants during the last week of November.

Questions? Contact University Benefits and Retirement at 392-2477 (SC 622-2477) or retirement@ufl.edu.

Visit the myUFL Toolkits for online simulations and other help

Looking for assistance with the myUFL system? Training and Organizational Development has launched myUFL Toolkits that include online simulations, updated instructional guides, security role and training information—along with links to other helpful web sites—for many of the myUFL subsystems.

There are currently 15 myUFL toolkits, with more than 80 simulations and close to 150 instruction guides, available at www.hr.ufl.edu/training/myUFL/toolkits. The toolkits provide, in one place, the key resources needed to learn and use the myUFL system.

With 15 toolkits now available, this web-based resource provides easy access to various job aids including:

Online simulations (to reinforce training or to learn “just in time”)
Instruction guides (step-by-step instructions on how to complete transactions)
Links to relevant policies or directives
Contact information
Available classroom training opportunities
Relevant security information

Toolkits are available for Travel and Expense, Asset Management, Purchasing, Grants, Paying Vendors (Accounts Payable), Budget and Commitment Control, Deposits, Enterprise Reporting, Managerial Budgets, Payroll Distributions, Time and Labor, GatorJobs, Hiring and Additional Pay, as well as Job and Position Actions.

In order to view the web simulations on the toolkits, you may need to bypass any pop-up blocker installed on your computer by holding down the Ctrl key. Questions? Please contact UF Training and Organizational Development at training@ufl.edu.

Employee Education Program accepting applications for spring semester

The Employee Education Program (EEP) is a popular benefit available to eligible UF faculty and staff. The program covers the matriculation fees of up to six credit hours of covered college-level courses per semester.

Employees interested in participating in the EEP during the spring semester should register and complete their application forms by the following deadlines:

UF students must register between December 20, 2007, and January 11, 2008, for spring semester. All completed applications should be turned in to the University Registrar’s office located at 222 Criser Hall or by fax to (352) 846-1126 by January 14, 2008. No late forms will be accepted.

SFCC students should register during regular registration, which ends December 13, 2007. All completed applications should be turned in to the SFCC Cashier’s Office by this date. Registration after December 13, 2007, is permitted, but those applications must be turned in to the SFCC cashier’s office by the next business day after registration.

Students attending other institutions must obtain prior approval from Human Resources and must register before the registration deadlines at their approved institutions. (See the application or EEP policy for the approval process.) Completed applications for the spring 2008 semester should be turned in by November 30, 2007, to Amanda Moore, Education Coordinator for Training and Organizational Development, by fax at 392-1055 (SC 622-1055) or via e-mail to amanda-moore@ufl.edu.

For program participation requirements, eligibility, and application deadlines, please visit www.hr.ufl.edu/education/eep. For questions about this program, please contact Amanda Moore from Training and Organizational Development in the Office of Human Resource Services at 273-1761 (SC 622-1761) or amanda-moore@ufl.edu .

Enroll in UF’S GreenRide carpool matching service and become eligible for special prizes

Beginning in November, UF and Shands faculty and staff registered with UF’s GreenRide carpool matching service will become eligible for regular drawings for special prizes including free dining at the Fresh Food Company or Gator Corners, Gator items from the UF Bookstore, and an autographed football from Coach Urban Meyer.

GreenRide helps you find carpool partners by searching for other employees who live near you or along your commute path and have similar schedules and lifestyle preferences. It's fast, friendly, and offers anonymity until you decide to make your contacts formal.

Current members of the faculty and staff Carpool Program already enjoy these benefits of carpooling:

Guaranteed space in a campus carpool parking zone
Substantially lower parking decal costs
Decreased gas and automobile expenses
Lower stress
Reduced pollution and traffic
More useable time for riders to read, sleep, work, and socialize

And now you have a chance to win prizes in thanks for your participation.

If you have thought about carpooling, but don't know where to find a partner, please visit GreenRide to find out more. Sign up and you will be eligible to win prizes, even if you have not yet found partners or formed your carpool group.

If you are in a carpool group already, but have not signed up with GreenRide, please do so now. You will be eligible for the prize drawings, and you may find new riders to join your group.

Supervisory staff at Transportation and Parking Services and the Business Services Division are not eligible for GreenRide prizes.

Please visit GreenRide today for details or to sign up and get on board!