UPCOMING CHANGES IN HUMAN RESOURCES
We would like to announce
that effective August 14, 2006, Julieth Chambers will be
assuming the role of Interim Appointments & Contracts
Manager. As some of you know, Lori Withrow has accepted
another position within the HR umbrella and will be
transferring to USF Health HR.
This message comes with
mixed emotions as Lori has been instrumental in making
positive changes in Appointments & Contracts in the past
two years. While we’ll miss her in Appointments, we’re
excited about the challenges that lie ahead for her in
her new role and know that she will continue to do great
things for Human Resources and the USF community. Lori
has provided outstanding service to HR and the USF
community and we thank her for all that she has done.
Julieth Chambers will act as
the interim Appointments & Contracts Manager. In
addition to managing the day-to-day Appointments
operation, she will continue to provide overall
strategic direction to the Benefits team. Julieth
joined USF earlier this year after more than 15 years of
human resources experience in the private sector. If
you have not yet had the opportunity to interact with
Julieth, we’re confident that you will find working with
her to be a pleasure. She is a results-oriented
professional with a passion for making a positive
difference in everything that she does. Her expertise
is deep and her commitment is commendable.
Rosalyn Brown will continue
to supervise the day-to-day benefits operations.
Please join us in wishing
Lori all the best in her new role and in providing every
support you can to Julieth in the transition. The
Appointments and Benefits teams stand ready to assist
the USF community. If you have any questions, please do
not hesitate to contact Human Resources.
PHASE III ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE
AUTOMATED LEAVE TRACKING SYSTEM (ALT)
HR is
pleased to announce that effective the beginning of August the following
enhancements will be available in the ALT system:
-
FMLA
– warning message is displayed when an
employee requests leave and/or a leave coordinator makes an
adjustment to an employee’s FMLA leave prompting the user to select
another leave type to remain in pay status.
-
Email Notification
–
description is updated and the
cancellation button is deleted
-
Comments Section
–
leave coordinators are able to
document reasons for adjustments
-
Approval of Zero Hours
– warning message advises that zero hours cannot be approved
-
“Hours”
fields rounded to 2 decimals –
hours on the Leave Management page are rounded to 2 decimals
-
“Hours Available” field – are
in bold font
-
Miscellaneous Tab
– Date/time ALT transactions are
entered and date/time of the approval is automatically displayed in
the miscellaneous tab
-
Cancellation of Leave Request
–
users are able to modify cancelled leave requests.
-
Positive (+) or Negative (-) Adjustment –
All adjustment leave type codes are changed to indicate a (+) for a
positive and a (-) for a negative (ex: AL+ or AL-).
-
Three (3)
New Reports will be available
o Employee
Leave Year End Report – a
detailed leave balance report that shows plan types for each employee
with a leave balance summary that has a beginning and ending balance
along with a signature page for the employee and accountable officer to
sign.
o Absence Listing
– information about an employee’s absence history
o Time Lost Due to Absence
– information about an employee’s total days missed for each leave
occurrence.
These
enhancements offer additional capabilities to the ALT system and provide
reporting tools for Departmental Managers and Supervisors.
Stay tuned for news on
the following enhancements that will be available in ALT in the near
future:
-
Request and approve leave for phase
Retirees and Graduate Assistants
-
Request, manage and track leave
without pay (LWOP)
-
Request, manage and track
Administrative Leave used (negative hours)
-
Auto enroll all employees (including
OPS) in FMLA and Workers Compensation leave plans
HR would
like to thank the USF community for their support and commitment in
working together to achieve process improvements in the ALT system.
If you have
any questions, please contact Beverly Jerry, at 4-5717 or
BJerry@admin.usf.edu.
2006 OPEN ENROLLMENT
This year,
Open Enrollment for all State offered
insurance benefits will be September 19, 2006 through October 18, 2006.
During Open Enrollment, employees will have an opportunity to enroll in,
change or cancel benefits. The changes made during Open Enrollment will
take effect January 1, 2007.
Employee Benefit Statements will be mailed
to employee home addresses directly from People First beginning
September 5, 2006. The Benefit Statement
provides employees with a personalized summary of benefits that they are
enrolled in. On September 12, 2006, the People First
Service Center will be available to respond to inquiries regarding Open
Enrollment. The Service Center staff will be able to provide
information and assistance in preparation for Open Enrollment at that
time. They will not be available to accept Open Enrollment
elections or changes until September 19, 2006.
Beginning September 19, 2006 employees will
have four ways to enroll in, change, or cancel their benefit elections
through the People First Service Center.
· Online
enrollment – You can access the online system at
https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com any time.
· Interactive
Voice Response (IVR) – You can access the IVR by calling
1-866-ONEHRFL (1-866-663-4735) any time. If required to exit the system
in order to speak with a Specialist, please be aware that such
representatives are only available during the Service Center hours of
operation specified below.
· Service
Center – You can speak with a Service Center Specialist by
calling 1-866-ONEHRFL (1-866-663-4735), Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM –
5:30 PM, Eastern Time.
· Paper
Enrollment Forms – You can request forms
from a Service Center Specialist by calling 1-866-ONEHRFL
(1-866-663-4735) or access enrollment forms online.
As in years past, Benefit Confirmation
Statements will be mailed only to all who made election changes.
Individuals will have until 5:30 PM, Eastern Time, Thursday, November
2, 2006 to make corrections to their Confirmation Statements. If
you’ve made no changes to your current benefits elections, you will not
receive any additional information at this time.
REVIEW
YOUR CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS IN GEMS
The 2006 Benefits Open Enrollment
will take place September 19 - October 18, 2006. During
this time, employees may enroll or make changes to their
state offered benefits (e.g., health, life dental,
vision, cancer, flexible spending accounts, etc.).
To ensure you receive your 2006
Open Enrollment materials timely, please make sure GEMS
is updated with your current mailing address. You may
update your address by:
1.
Completing a W-4 form and submitting it to the Payroll
Office/ SVC 2172, or
2.
Going online to Gems Self-Serve (On-campus access)
at:
https://USFWEB2.USF.EDU/HRIS/
Click on
the link Sign into GEMS
Enter
your User ID: 11-digit Employee ID (which is 000000
plus your 5-digit employee number)
Enter
your Password: Last 4-digits of your Social Security
Number, then the 4-digit year of your birth, then a
period.
3. Going online to GEMS Self-Serve(Off-campus
access) at:
https://gems.fastmail.usf.edu:4430/gemspro/signon.html
For
assistance with Gems Self-Serve call the IT help desk at
4-9000
USF employees
enrolled in benefits offered through the State Group Insurance Program
have appeal and grievance rights as specified in Florida Statutes,
Florida Administrative Code, and plan documents. It is important to
note that the rights originate with the individual and not an agency or
employing entity.
The
following is provided as a summary of the specified steps and procedures
to be followed:
Eligibility and Enrollment Appeals
For an
Enrollee or Active Employee who desires to contest a decision by the
Department of Management Services (DMS) or People First, the Benefits
Administrator, regarding enrollment, eligibility, effective date,
insurance premiums, deduction for an insurance coverage or benefit, or
deductions or reimbursement made for Expense Reimbursement Plans, the
following process is applicable:
1. The Enrollee or Active
Employee must request a reconsideration of a
decision or intended decision in writing, providing
additional documentation to People First. This will be
considered a Level I Appeal and is to be mailed to:
People First
Service Center
Benefits Administration - Appeals
P.O. Box 6830
Tallahassee, FL 32314
2. People
First, after reconsideration, will provide a written notice to the
Enrollee or Active Employee of the decision or intended decision
resulting from the Level I Appeal within 30 days.
3. Should the
Enrollee or Active Employee receive an unfavorable ruling and wish
to pursue the matter further, they must request a reconsideration of
a decision or intended decision in writing, providing additional
documentation. This will be considered a Level II Appeal, and is to
be mailed to:
Department of Management Services
Division of State Group Insurance
P.O. Box 5450
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-5450
4. The
Division of State Group Insurance, after consideration, will provide a
written notice to the Enrollee or Active Employee of the decision or
intended decision resulting from the Level II Appeal within 2 – 3 weeks.
5. Enrollees
or Active Employees who desire to contest the decision or intended
decision pursuant to Chapter 120, Florida Statues, shall submit a
petition for an administrative hearing. Such petition must be received
by the Department within twenty-one (21) calendar days after notice of
the decision or intended decision is received by the Enrollee. Petitions
are to be mailed to:
Office of General Counsel
Department of Management Services
4050 Esplanade Way
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0949
6. Enrollees
or Active Employees who dispute the facts upon which the Department's
decision is based, shall submit a request for formal hearing that sets
forth the facts in dispute and complies with the requirements of
Rule
28-106.201, Florida Administrative Code.
7. Enrollees
or Active Employees who do not dispute the facts upon which the
Department's decision is based, shall submit a request for an informal
hearing that complies with the requirements of
Rule 28-106.301, Florida
Administrative Code.
Coverage Appeals - PPO
For an Enrollee who desires to contest a decision by the
Department's third party administrator regarding coverage for benefits
and services provided through the State Employees' PPO Plan, the
following process is applicable:
1. The
Enrollee must first request a reconsideration of the coverage decision
in writing from the third party administrator within 90 days of the
denial of benefits. This will be considered a Level I Appeal and are to
be mailed to:
For benefits or claims other
than prescription drug claims:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc.
P.O. Box 2896
Jacksonville, FL 32232-0079
For prescription drug claims:
Caremark Inc.
Appeals Department, MC 109
P.O. Box 52084
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2084
2. Upon
receipt of an unfavorable written reconsideration decision from the
third party administrator, an Enrollee who desires to further contest
the decision must file a written request with the Department within
sixty (60) calendar days of receipt of the decision. Such request must
set forth the basis upon which the Enrollee disputes the decision, and
must include a copy of the notice from the third party administrator
plus any medical or other documentation in support of the Enrollee's
position. This will be considered a Level II Appeal and is to be mailed
to:
Department of Management Services
Division of State Group Insurance
Post Office Box 5450
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-5450
3. The
Division of State Group Insurance will provide a written notice to the
Enrollee of the decision or intended decision regarding the Level II
Appeal.
4. Enrollees
who desire to contest the Department's decision or intended decision
pursuant to Chapter 120, Florida Statues, shall submit a petition for an
administrative hearing. Such petition must be received by the
Department within twenty-one (21) calendar days after notice of the
decision or intended decision is received by the Enrollee. Petitions
shall be sent to:
Office of General Counsel
Department of Management Services
4050 Esplanade Way
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0949
5. Enrollees
who dispute the facts upon which the Department's decision is based,
shall submit a request for formal hearing that sets forth the facts in
dispute and complies with the requirements of Rule 28-106.201, Florida
Administrative Code.
6. Enrollees
who do not dispute the facts upon which the Department's decision is
based, shall submit a request for an informal hearing that complies with
the requirements of Rule 28-106.301, Florida Administrative Code.
Coverage Appeals – HMOs and/or Supplemental Insurance
Plans
For an Enrollee or Active Employee who desires to contest
a decision by a Health Maintenance Organization plan or a supplemental
insurance plan, the following process is applicable:
1. The
Enrollee or Active Employee must request a reconsideration of a decision
or intended decision in writing, providing additional documentation
directly from the health plan or supplemental vendor. A copy of each
HMO’s brochure can be accessed on the
People First website.
2. Each
HMO and vendor has its own grievance process and procedures which are
spelled out in either its Certificate of Coverage or brochure which
follow requirements contained in Florida Statute.
All provide for written notification of results, as well
as the process for escalating the grievance beyond the HMO or
supplemental vendor
