Human Resources News

May 31 Town Hall: Health, Wellness, and You

USAC and Faculty Council cordially invite you to a town hall about the university’s integrated approach to health and wellness. President Gee will introduce Dean Bernadette Melnyk, our new Chief Wellness Officer, who will talk about an environment that enables us to become the healthiest university on the globe. Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen McCutcheon will begin sharing information about the health plan benefits design for 2013. To address your questions, these leaders will be joined by other university leaders who partner to keep you healthy.

Your Plan for Health biometric health screenings will be available prior to the event – register here if you need current data for your Personal Health Assessment (PHA), due by September 30 this year.

Join us Thursday, May 31, 11:30-12:30 in Room 115-Biomedical Research Tower. The meeting will be streamed live, and a replay will be available online after the event. Watch for more info.

Employee Self Service is Now Available!

Employee Self Service (ESS) launched April 30, offering a single, secure source for faculty and staff to manage personal information. ESS offers two components: eProfile, allowing you to update personal demographic information (i.e. phone number, address, race, and ethnicity); and eBenefits, allowing you to enroll in and manage benefit elections when eligible to make them (i.e. at hire/rehire, in a newly-eligible position, or during open enrollment). To learn more, go to http://hr.osu.edu/esshelp To verify your personal information, sign into eProfile.osu.edu, then click on the Personal Information Summary icon. Wexner Medical Center staff: to verify your personal information, go to onesource.osumc.edu; click Employee Self Service; and click on the Personal Information Summary icon. Contact ESS@hr.osu.edu if you have questions.

2011 FSA Plan Year Filing Deadline

Faculty and staff who participated in the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) program for the 2011 plan year (January 1 – December 31, 2011) are reminded that the deadline for submitting reimbursement requests is March 31. Eligible expenses had to be incurred between January 1, 2011, and February 29, 2012. Forms may be sent via U.S. mail, postmarked by March 31, or dropped off by 5 p.m. at Suite 300, 1590 North High Street. Requests received after March 31 will not be processed, and any remaining balance will be forfeited per IRS guidelines. To verify your current account balance, sign-in at FSA Online. Click here for FSA reimbursement request forms. Note: Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications, drugs, and supplies purchased on or after January 1, 2011, without a prescription will not be eligible expenses.

Important Prescription Drug Benefit Notification

Express Scripts (ESI) and Walgreens have been unable to successfully negotiate a new contract. Therefore, effective January 1, 2012, Walgreens will no longer be part of the ESI network. The university recognizes the confusion and challenges with having three Walgreens locations at the OSU Medical Center, and has successfully negotiated with these locations ONLY – Health Plan participants will be able to have prescriptions filled or refilled at these Walgreens-OSU Medical Center locations. Please note: All Walgreens locations outside of the OSU Medical Center will no longer be in network effective January 1, 2012.View a listing of current in-network retail pharmacy options in Ohio online.

Take One More Step and Earn an Additional $125!

Submit your Incentive Program points by December 31 to receive your 2011 Incentive Program payout. As a reminder, faculty and staff can earn an additional $125 through the Your Plan for Health (YP4H) Incentive Program by tracking health-related activities. If you haven’t completed theYP4H Personal Health Assessment (PHA) questionnaire in the last 12 months, allow two weeks for your PHA completion to be recognized before attempting to track your Incentive Program points. Wasn’t able to complete your 2011 PHA prior to November 30? Complete it as soon as possible to start receiving the PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit of $30/monthly pay ($13.85/biweekly pay).

The Ohio State Employee Assistance Program Lends A Helping Hand to Faculty, Staff, and Their Families

Job stress, financial concerns, health challenges, kids, world events … sometimes, life’s challenges become overwhelming and start to feel as if they’re piling up. Prevent life’s little challenges from becoming bigger problems – take advantage of the new Ohio State Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The Ohio State EAP is here to help faculty, staff, and their family members with all types of life challenges that affect their health, family, or job – no challenge is too serious or too simple.

Formerly the University Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (UFSAP), the new Ohio State EAP was launched by Your Plan for Health (YP4H) in July with expanded programming and services for benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and their family members. In addition to the new, live phone support with a licensed professional – available 24/7/365, the Ohio State EAP also offers five complimentary counseling sessions per person, per occurrence; an expanded statewide provider network; and additional new services including legal and financial counseling, and identity theft recovery assistance.

Provided by The Ohio State University Health Plan Inc., the Ohio State EAP is also available to family members – including spouses, same-sex domestic partners, children, parents, and parents-in-law – of benefits-eligible faculty and staff. There are no charges for services provided by the Ohio State EAP. However, if you are referred for additional assistance beyond what is provided by the Ohio State EAP, charges for those services are your responsibility, but in some cases, your medical insurance may cover a portion of the cost.

To get started, click here to access Ohio State EAP or call 1-800-678-6265.

Walgreens Prescription Message

See updates above

Important Prescription Drug Benefit Notification: Express Scripts is the vendor that currently provides the university’s pharmacy network and manages the university’s pharmacy benefit plan. Ohio State is aware of the contract issues between Express Scripts and Walgreens. Although recent communications from Walgreens directs you to contact your Human Resources Department, we are not a party to, nor do we have the ability to influence, their current negotiations. We will continue to keep you informed as we obtain more information. For an FAQ go to hr.osu.edu/benefits/hb_prescriptionfaq.aspx and for a listing of current retail pharmacy options in Ohio go to hr.osu.edu/benefits/hb_retailpharmacylocations.aspx.

Important changes to Buckeye Alert text messages (updated 9/28/11)

As communicated in August, changes are being made to the Buckeye Alert text message system. The Department of Public Safety will begin using the HR database to pull cell phone numbers for Buckeye Alert text messages.

Due to this change, faculty and staff who are registered to receive Buckeye Alert text messages will need to re-register by updating their cell phone number in the HR database. (Student cell phone numbers will be pulled similarly from the Student Information System.) Faculty and staff who are not currently registered to receive Buckeye Alert text messages may also register by doing the same.

The online functionality to re-register to receive Buckeye Alert text messages is now available. Instructions about how to re-register will be e-mailed to faculty and staff between September 28 and October 7. For information, go to http://buckeyealert.osu.edu/.

Benefit Changes on Pay Stub

Employees may see changes on their pay stub effective July 29, 2011 related to their benefits. If an employee completed a Your Plan for Health (YP4H) Personal Health Assessment (PHA), their medical plan premium reduction will now be listed as PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit under Earnings and Hours. If employees are enrolled in Short-Term Disability, Voluntary Group Term Life Insurance, or Dependent Group Term Life Insurance there will now be two lines listed for each benefit. These changes will not affect net pay. These changes are due to system upgrades and will improve The Office of Human Resources’ ability to manage benefit programs.

Click here for FAQs and an example of the new pay stub.

Self-Disclosure of Criminal Convictions Policy Revision Effective 7/1

Self-Disclosure of Criminal Convictions and Background Check Policy 4.15 was revised effective April 1. As part of this policy revision, effective July 1, all current faculty, staff, graduate associates and student employees, appointees, volunteers, and staff provided by third party vendors will be required to self-disclose criminal convictions that occur on or after July 1 within three business days of the conviction. Minor misdemeanors, which include some traffic violations, do not need to be disclosed.

As of April 1, background checks are required for all post-offer, pre-employment hires of internal and external candidates for all regular faculty and staff positions, including auxiliary faculty, temporary, and term appointments (excluding graduate associates and student employees, except at the Medical Center, where they will continue to have required background checks).

Ohio State Leads the Big Ten in Faculty Work-Life Policies

Ohio State ranks first in the Big Ten Conference for policies that support faculty career flexibility and work-life integration, according to a recent article in the Journal of Women’s Health.

The investigators, all faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine, aimed to shed light on the policies that disproportionally affect women faculty and contribute, in part, to gender disparities in promotion and advancement rates among medical school faculty.

“At Ohio State, we care about our faculty and staff as whole people and recognize they have important lives outside of work,” said Kimberly C. Shumate, interim vice president for Human Resources. “We continually review our policies and practices to give our faculty and staff the best work-life balance possible. This is just one way we are creating an engaging employee experience grounded in a culture of well-being and optimal performance.”

The article compares the flexibility of the following policies for institutions with medical schools in the Big Ten Conference: family leave (maternity, paternity, adoption, and elder care), extension of the tenure probationary period, part-time appointments, part-time health care benefits, child care options, and lactation policies. Each institution received three scores indicating the flexibility of their family leave policies, part-time policies, and overall flexibility.

“Ohio State has worked very hard to develop strong work-life policies,” said Hazel Morrow-Jones, associate provost for Women's Policy Initiatives and director of The Women's Place. “These are the kinds of things that mark an institution as a great place to work and they contribute to the creation of an inclusive, supportive environment in which all people can make their full contributions. In turn, that helps Ohio State attract and retain the best people.”

The results of the study revealed that the top three institutions in overall score were Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin.

The complete article is available here.

Participate in Your Plan for Health and Get Rewarded!

Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can take the first step in committing to a healthier lifestyle by completing a Your Plan for Health (YP4H) Personal Health Assessment (PHA). After completing a PHA, you’ll receive a personalized health summary report and a medical plan premium reduction of $30/month ($13.84/biweekly pay).

Don’t forget to complete the PHA prior to Nov. 30, 2011 to lock in your full 2012 medical plan premium reduction. Remember, having an on-campus Biometric Health Screening and completing a PHA are two separate activities. Numbers you receive from your biometric health screening can be used to complete your PHA. To get started, log in to YourPlanForHealth.com and click Personal Health Assessment under Get Started.

The Market at 15th and High Returns to the Wexner Center Plaza May 5 – Oct. 27

The Market will run every Thursday from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. This farmers’ market - which includes fresh produce, breads, meats and more from area farms - is not only convenient for Ohio State faculty and staff, but also includes:

A featured food cart every week (new this year).
Music and other special events, such as a “shop and cook” series with local chefs, are in the works.

Attendees can self-report their participation to receive points via the Your Plan for Health Faculty & Staff Incentive Program. Read more at the Wexner Center web site.

Flexible Work Policy 6.12 Effective 3/1

Flexible Work Policy 6.12 became effective March 1. This policy applies to staff and covers flexible work arrangements lasting longer than two months. Ohio State recognizes the growing demands on staff and the increasing challenge of finding new and better ways to provide service and meet university goals. The university supports flexible work arrangements to achieve a highly productive work environment that enables staff to balance work and personal needs while providing workforce predictability and stability. More information is available on the Flexible Work home page.

Ohio State Recognized as a Start! Fit-Friendly Organization

Ohio State was recently named as an American Heart Association Start! Fit-Friendly organization because of its progressive leadership in making the health and wellness of our faculty and staff members a priority. Ohio State earned the Gold-level status because of its ability to illustrate how Your Plan for Health has helped to promote a healthy workplace culture.

Payroll Services has Moved to Blankenship Hall

In February, Payroll Services moved from the South Campus Gateway to Blankenship Hall, 2nd floor. Employees with Payroll specific questions should go to Blankenship Hall, 2nd floor, for assistance. Payroll's new home page is www.controler.osu.edu/pay/pay-home.shtm.

Pension Plan Proposed Changes

All of Ohio’s public pension systems have been asked by the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) to look at a number of options that could help contain costs and strengthen their funds in light of the recent economic challenges. More information on the proposed OPERS and STRS changes can be found on their respective web sites.

The biennial state budget did not contain a 2-percent shift between employer and employee pension contributions. However, legislators may still consider contribution changes when pension reform legislation eventually passes.

The next step is for the ORSC to work with an actuarial consultant to study the proposals that the retirement systems have already submitted.

Visit Ohio Pension Reform Information to learn more.