Volume 13 Issue 7
July 22, 2010

 

HEALTH MEMBERSHIP ID CARDS
HMSA – HMSA members who have changed their health plan election (e.g., add dependent, switched plans, etc.) AND new enrollees to the HMSA medical plans effective July 1, 2010, should have received their new membership cards prior to/no later than July 21, 2010.  Enrollees may request additional membership cards by logging on to their account on the HMSA website at https://member.hmsa.com/LogIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fMember%2fHome.aspx.

KAISER – Kaiser will send membership cards to NEW members only.  New members should have received their new membership cards prior to/no later than July 21, 2010.  Members may log on to their account on Kaiser’s website at https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/about/yourhealthrecord.do?rop=HAW to access their health records. 

HDS – Hawaii Dental Service will send membership cards to NEW members only. If you require additional ID cards, you may request them by calling HDS Customer Service at 521-1431 (Oahu) or 1-800-232-2533 (Outer Islands). Members may also visit the HDS website at http://www.deltadentalhi.org/ (select “Members” link to login) to print out/request for additional membership cards, review account status, etc.

Please contact Kristen Stevens at (808) 956-6979 or email her at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

 

 

VACATION: USE IT … DON’T LOSE IT!
There is a limit to the amount of vacation that may be carried forward each calendar year (Dec. 31st to Jan. 1st). The amount of vacation you are allowed to carry forward is dependent upon the specific Vacation Plan you are authorized for by your project. Your online Pay Statement (via Employee Self-Service System) indicates whether you are in Vacation Plan A or B. Please plan your vacation accordingly for the remainder of the year to ensure that you do NOT lose any well-deserved vacation leave.

Summary: Regular employees 50-100% are eligible for vacation under RCUH Policy 3.620 Vacation Leave. Vacation is calculated and accrued on a semi-monthly basis. There are two vacation plans administered by the RCUH:

 

1) Vacation Plan A (RCUH Standard Vacation Policy): Under Plan A, employees may not carry forward more than 10 workdays* of vacation in a calendar year. The maximum accumulation/carryover shall not exceed 10 workdays*.

2) Vacation Plan B (Non-Standard Vacation Policy): Under Plan B, employees may carry forward 15 workdays* of current year accruals, and total accumulation (current year accruals and previous year carry over) shall not exceed 45 workdays*.

*1 workday equals 8 hours multiplied by your FTE (i.e., 1 workday equals 4 hours for a 50% FTE employee).

DEADLINE – SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 – FLEXIBLE SPENDING PLAN REIMBURSEMENTS
The plan year July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010 for Flexible Spending Plans ended on June 30, 2010. You have 2 months left to submit reimbursement forms for services incurred during the plan year JULY 1, 2009 – JUNE 30, 2010 (Deadline: September 30, 2010). We encourage everyone to submit reimbursement forms and receipts now in the event that additional information is required. NO exceptions will be made if Benefit Services of Hawaii, Inc. (BSHI) does not receive ALL required documents by September 30, 2010.  Reimbursement forms and receipts should be mailed directly to BSHI (address is listed at the top of the reimbursement form). If you have any questions or need additional reimbursement forms, please call (808) 538-8900 or download forms from the BSHI website at www.bshi.net.

RETURN TO WORK AFTER ILLNESS/INJURY
Projects must follow “doctors orders” when it pertains to an employee’s ability to report to work.  Physician certifications (i.e., doctor’s notes) indicating specific periods of time employees are incapacitated and are unable to work must be strictly followed. If an employee would like to return to work prior to the date certified by the physician, the employee must obtain a revised physician certification indicating that he/she may return to work.  Premature return to work of an employee may jeopardize the health and safety for the employee and staff. Please contact Jill Niitani at (808) 956-8376 or [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

RENEWAL OF STUDENT DEPENDENT HEALTH INSURANCE

RCUH requires proof of status for any dependent between the ages of 19-24 each Spring and Fall semester after the dependent reaches the age of 19.  Certification may include a copy of the dependent’s college registration slip or class schedule. The registration slip/Class schedule must clearly indicate the student’s name, name of the accredited college/university, specific semester, and full-time status (defined as taking 12 or more credit hours per semester).  The student certification must be received by RCUH HR by FRIDAY, September 3, 2010. 

 

Certifications may be faxed to (808) 956-5022 (Please attention to Kristie Lo for prompt review and to ensure that coverage is not cancelled).  Failure to submit the certification will result in IMMEDIATE CANCELLATION of student coverage (NO Exceptions), effective October 1, 2010, with the option of COBRA continuation for up to 36 months effective October 1, 2010. 

 

As noted in the Current News Article dated May 20, 2010, the new health care reform law (i.e., “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)”) brings many changes to the RCUH medical plans and policy.  Effective September 23, 2010, the PPAPC requires health care coverage to children up to age 26 (regardless of dependency, student or marital status).  The PPAPC requires any employer whose medical plan year begins after September 23, 2010 to amend its children eligibility requirements to conform with the new law’s requirements.  However, this part of the PPACA goes into effect after the RCUH Open Enrollment period for the 2010-2011 plan year, thus, this change will not go into effect until the July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012 plan year. In the meantime, employees will still be required to submit certification for their student dependents for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kristen Stevens at [email protected].

 

STUDENT VERIFICATION

All Students Assistants are responsible for submitting a Student Verification each Semester in order to qualify for continued student employment. For all University of Hawaii students (eg: UH Manoa, UH Hilo, Honolulu Community College, Maui College, etc.), verification is not required, as RCUH has the ability to verify student status´ electronically through a UH database. However, verification is still needed for UH Outreach College and non-UH Schools (i.e. High School, Chaminade, HPU, etc).

 

The following are acceptable forms of student verification:

a) Student registration or receipt

b) Letter of student registration from the registrar or counselor

c) Validated student I.D. card

d) Any other form of verification deemed acceptable by the Director of Human Resources

 

Failure to submit a Student Verification for the Fall 2010 semester by August 13, 2010 will result in termination of student employment. In addition, Student Assistants who no longer hold student status must be terminated from RCUH due to their ineligibility. Principal Investigators may initiate a termination action via the HRAP system.

 

Please contact Sharon Vong at [email protected] or (808)956-7307 if you have any questions.

 

CAREER TRANSITION & OUTREACH WORKSHOP

 The Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH) is pleased to announce that we will be providing a new service to employees facing or contemplating a change in careers or a termination of employment.  The “Career Transition and Outreach Workshop” is a one-hour workshop that will provide participants with valuable resource information in discovering and preparing for employment/career opportunities:

ü  How and where to find out about job opportunities. Current Job Openings and Resources offered by the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

ü  What are employers looking for? 

o   Preparing a Winning Cover Letter and Resume

o   Tips on an Effective Job Interview

o   One-on-one Critique of Your Cover Memo & Resume

o   One-on-one Mock Interview

 

Employees in the market for a new job, have been recently separated from employment, or just looking for a change in career, are invited to attend this special session.  We will be offering this workshop on the following dates/times/locations:

 

HILO	OAHU	MAUI	KAUAI
Fri, August 6, 2010   8:00 – 10:00am or 10:30 – 12:30pm   Location:  Institute for Astronomy Bldg (IFA) Room 131   RSVP by: August 3, 2010	Thurs, August 12, 2010   8:00 – 10:00am or 10:30 – 12:30pm   Location: UH Manoa Campus Center Dining Room 203E   RSVP by: August 9, 2010	Fri, August 27, 2010   8:00 – 10:00am or 10:30 – 12:30pm   Location: Maui College, Room Laulima 103     RSVP by: August 16, 2010	Fri, August 13, 2010   8:00 – 10:00am or 10:30 – 12:30pm   Location: Kauai CC Room TBA     RSVP by: August 6, 2010

Employees and their immediate family members (restricted to: parents, siblings, children) interested in attending this workshop, please RSVP to Sharon Tamanaha at 956-6965 or [email protected]

 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO TO BENEFIT FROM THIS WORKSHOP: To ensure a valuable experience, we would like you to “dress for success”, and prepare as if you were attending a real life job interview.  In addition, e-mail [email protected] a copy of your current cover letter and resume at least 3 days before the session.  This will allow time for staff to review and provide you any feedback on the day of the workshop.

 

Please contact (808) 956-3100 if you have any questions.

 

IMPORTANT Dates to Remember (August):

8/2	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 7/30/10
8/6	Pay Day
8/5-8/9	Web Time Preview
8/9	PAF Deadline
8/10	HRAMP Deadline
8/10-8/11	Web Time Preview 2
8/12-8/16	Web Time Input
8/16	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 8/15/10
8/19	Pay Day
8/20	HOLIDAY – Statehood Day
8/23-8/25	Web Time Preview 1
8/25	PAF Deadline
8/26	HRAMP Deadline
8/26-8/27	Web Time Preview 2
8/30-8/31	Web Time Input

IMPORTANT Dates to Remember (September):

9/1	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 9/30/10
9/6	HOLIDAY – Labor Day
9/7	Pay Day
9/7-9/9	Web Time Preview
9/9	PAF Deadline
9/10	HRAMP Deadline
9/10-9/13	Web Time Preview 2
9/14-9/15	Web Time Input
9/16	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 9/15/10
9/22	Pay Day
9/22-9/24	Web Time Preview 1
9/24	PAF Deadline
9/27	HRAMP Deadline
9/27-9/28	Web Time Preview 2
9-29-9/30	Web Time Input

TIMESHEETS FOR THE MONTH OF July-August:
July 16-31

August 1-15

August 16-31

SSE Timesheet (Form D-9c)

2010 Personnel Action & Payroll Calendar

2010 Special Check Calendar

The Principal Investigator’s Corner

 

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS AND PAY INCREASES
The deadline for the submission of Performance Evaluations was June 1, 2010. If you have not submitted your evaluations to date, please submit them as soon as possible to the RCUH Human Resources Department.  Evaluations must be completed/submitted each year, even if you are not requesting any pay adjustments for your employees.

On July 14-15, 2010, Pay Adjustment Confirmation Reports were sent to Principal Investigators (PIs).  This report displayed all employees under the PI’s program and noted any approved pay adjustments (e.g., one-time payments and/or base pay adjustments).  If you have not received this report, please contact Branda Nguyen at [email protected].  

 

If you have any other questions, please contact Sheri Nakashima at [email protected].