Each year Principal Investigators have the opportunity to nominate and recognize their RCUH employee who has made demonstrable, significant and outstanding contributions to their project during the previous year.  On February 7, 2014, a luncheon was held to honor the nominees and to announce the first and second place winners for 2013. 

 

Please join us in congratulating the following winners of the 2013 RCUH Outstanding Employee of the Year.

 

Outstanding Project Support Staff

1^st Place: Coqui Frog Response and Control Team

Aja Akuna, Invasive Species Field Associate I

Darrell Aquino, Field Crew Leader

Kona Ball, Invasive Species Field Associate I

Dennis Green, Acting Field Crew Leader

Abe Vandenberg, Invasive Species Field Associate II

Project: tMaui Invasive Species Committee, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit

PI:  ttDr. David Duffy

 

2^nd Place: Kelly Whelan

Project: tMauna Kea Observatories Support Services, Institute for Astronomy

PI:   ttDr. Robert McLaren

 

 

Outstanding Researcher/Project Manager/Professional Staff

1^st Place: Frank Farm Jr.  

Project: tHyperbaric Treatment Center, John A. Burns School of Medicine

PI: ttDr. Roy Magnusson

           

2^nd Place: Tsunami Debris Group

Jan Hafner, Scientific Computer Programmer

Nikolai Maximenko, IPRC Senior Researcher

Gisela Speidel, IPRC Outreach Specialist

Project:tInternational Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean, Earth Science and Technology

PI:  ttDr. Kevin Hamilton

 

 

 

 

RCUH Human Resources will be conducting our monthly Human Resources Administrative Management Portal (HR AMP) training to assist NEW users or those needing a “refresher course” on our online personnel system. During this 3-hour HR AMP training session, hands-on instruction will be provided for the following transactions:

1.       Introduction to the RCUH HR AMP System

2.       Navigating the RCUH HR AMP System

3.       Initiating Non-Recruited (Temporary, Student, Specialized Services, & Intermittent) Employees

4.       Initiating Position Requests (Regular Employees)

5.       Processing Payroll/Time Reporting

6.       Project Number Changes & Vacation Transfer/Payout Actions

7.       Changing Employee’s Full-Time/Part-Time Status (FTE Changes)

8.       Terminating Employees

Training Schedule

UH MANOA

Monday, February 24, 2014

1:00 – 4:00 pm

UH Manoa Campus, Shidler College of Business Room E-102

UH HILO

Thursday, February 27, 2014

1:00 – 4:00 pm

UH Hilo Library Computer Room LRC 359

Seating is limited.  To sign up for training, click on RCUH Training Enrollment located on the RCUH home web page. Training materials will be emailed to attendees prior to the session. 

Meetings are accessible for individuals with disabilities. For more information or to request an accommodation due to your disability, email [email protected] at least one week prior to the meeting.

The RCUH Purchasing and Payments System training will assist NEW users or those needing a “refresher course”.  This training is designed to equip project support staff with the basic knowledge and skills to initiate Purchasing and Payment actions via the RCUH Web System. During this 3-hour Purchasing and Payment training session, hands-on instruction will be provided for the following transactions:

1.       Introduction to the RCUH Purchasing and Payment System

2.       Navigating the RCUH Web Purchasing and Payment System

3.       Purchase Orders (POs)

4.       Purchase Order Change Forms (POCFs)

5.       Searching/Adding New Vendors

6.       Authorization for Payments (AFPs)

7.       Reimbursements for Cash Purchases

8.       Personal Automobile Mileage Reimbursements

9.       Travel Requests and Travel Completion Reports (Same-Day Interisland Travel)

Training Schedule

UH MANOA

Monday, February 24, 2014

9:00 am – 12:00 noon

UH Manoa Campus, Shidler College of Business Room E-102

UH HILO

Thursday, February 27, 2014

9:00 am – 12:00 noon

UH Hilo Library Computer Room LRC 359

Seating is limited.  To sign up for training, click on RCUH Training Enrollment located on the RCUH home web page.  Training materials will be emailed to attendees prior to the session. 

Meetings are accessible for individuals with disabilities. For more information or to request an accommodation due to your disability, email [email protected] at least one week prior to the meeting.

The payroll deadline for the 2/01 – 2/15/14 pay period is 12:00 noon on FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY 14, 2014.   The deadline has been moved up one day due to the President’s Day holiday. 

 

Please note below the advanced payroll deadlines for the remainder of 2014.  All other payroll deadlines remain as usual (one working day after the end of the pay period).

 

Pay Period Ending	Payroll Deadline*	Holiday in Pay Period	Payday
2/01/14 – 2/15/14	2/14/14 12:00 noon	President’s Day (2/17/14)	2/21/14
4/01/14 – 4/15/14	4/15/14 12:00 noon	Good Friday (4/18/14)	4/22/14
6/16/14 – 6/30/14	6/30/14 12:00 noon	Independence Day (7/04/14)	7/07/14
8/16/14 – 8/31/14	8/29/14 12:00 noon	Labor Day (9/01/14)	9/05/14
10/16/14 – 10/31/14	10/31/14 12:00 noon	General Election Day (11/04/14)	11/07/14
12/16/14 – 12/31/14	12/31/14 12:00 noon	New Year’s Day (1/01/15)	1/07/15

 

 

 

*Payroll Deadline – when RCUH online timesheet submission, and supporting documentation, is due to RCUH Payroll.

 

 

 

Should you have any questions, please contact the RCUH Payroll Staff at [email protected].

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

RCUH Payroll Staff

TO: All Regular-Status Employees who are enrolled in Flexible Spending Plan Accounts

 

There are four (4) months left to utilize your current Flexible Spending Plan Accounts (Medical Expense Reimbursement & Dependent Care Expense Accounts).  The end of the current Flexible Spending Plan Year is quickly approaching (June 30, 2014).  Services must be incurred during the plan year ending June 30, 2014.  Unused contributions will be forfeited at the end of the plan year (NO EXCEPTIONS).

 

 

All employees should submit their reimbursement forms to National Benefit Services (NBS) in a timely manner.  Services MUST be incurred by June 30, 2014. However, you have ninety (90) days after this date to submit your reimbursement forms with ALL supporting documentation (i.e. receipts, contracts) required.

 

In order to claim/submit for reimbursements, you need to complete the NBS reimbursement form and submit it along with a copy of your receipt(s) to National Benefits Services via fax, mail, or email:

• Toll Free Fax: (800) 478‐1528
  
• Mail: National Benefit Services, LLC P.O. Box 6980, West Jordan, UT 84084
• Email: [email protected] (PDF, TIFF or JPEG files only)

 

 

If you have any questions or need additional reimbursement forms, please call (800) 274-0503 or download forms from the NBS website.

In order to minimize searching for the RCUH timesheets each pay period, we will have the current RCUH timesheet available in the Current News section of the RCUH website on the first working day of each pay period.

                                                

Click here for the February 1-15, 2014 Timesheet

 

PAYROLL Deadline is February 14, 2014 noon

 

Payday for this timesheet is February 21, 2014

 

 

Next Announcement: February 16 (February 16-28)

 

 

For those individuals that attended RCUH’s Leave Training, we indicated that we would follow up on clarifying the holiday administration while on Family Leave. Please see below for clarification of the change effective January 1, 2014:

 

Old Policy (up until 12/31/2013)

New Policy (effective 1/1/2014)

Holidays which occur during an employee’s paid family leave period are paid as a holiday and not charged to the family leave period.  Holidays occurring when an employee is on unpaid leave shall not be entitled to a paid holiday.

When a holiday falls during a week in which an employee is taking the full week of paid FMLA leave, employee is paid for the holiday (i.e. Holiday Pay) but the entire week is counted towards employee’s FMLA leave entitlement. When a holiday falls during a week when an employee is taking less than the full week of paid FMLA leave, employee is paid for the holiday (i.e. Holiday Pay) but the holiday is not counted towards employee’s FMLA leave entitlement, unless the employee was scheduled and expected to work on the holiday and used FMLA leave for that day.

 

As of January 1, 2014, we have made the following changes in our Family Leave Policy:

 

• Twelve (12) month period: Calendar Year

 

•  Administration of Sick Leave/Vacation/Intermittent Leave for specific situations

 

• Revised Forms

 

• Requirement for Fitness for Duty Certification upon return to work for an employee own Serious Health Condition.

 

For employees who are not able to attend RCUH’s Leave Training, please see the materials here.

 

Please refer to Policy 3.660 Family Leave for more information. If you have any questions on Family Leave, please email RCUH Benefits at [email protected].

 

 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the cost of living adjustments for transit and parking benefits have changed effective January 1, 2014.  The following are the changes: 

	2013 Maximum	2014 Maximum
Transit (Bus Pass) Benefit	$230.00 per month	$130.00 per month
Parking Benefit	$245.00 per month	$250.00 per month

 

For taxable years beginning in 2014, the monthly maximum under § 132(f)(2)(A) regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle and any transit (bus) pass is $130.00. The monthly maximum under § 132(f)(2)(B) regarding the fringe benefit exclusion amount for qualified parking is $250.00. 

Current employees with the Parking Benefit below the $250.00 maximum per month are able to increase their contributions at any time.  If interested, please complete the RCUH Pretax Transportation Expense Reimbursement Account Enrollment Change (B-12) Form and submit it to RCUH, via scan/email to [email protected], a month (30 days) prior to the effective date of coverage.

For more information, please visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov.  If you have any questions regarding the enrollment process, please contact our Benefits Department at [email protected].

Related Policy/Form:

Policy I. Addendum to the 3.530 RCUH Flexible Spending Plan

 

RCUH Pretax Transportation Expense Reimbursement Account Enrollment/Change (B-12) Form

ATTENTION:  Regular status employees 50-100% FTE

If you are currently participating in RCUH’s Group Retirement Annuity (GRA) and/or Supplemental Retirement Annuity (SRA) plans administered through TIAA-CREF OR if you are interested in enrolling into a TIAA-CREF SRA plan, the RCUH Human Resources Department is now coordinating one-hour Individual/Employee Retirement Counseling Sessions with TIAA-CREF.  During these meetings, you will be able to discuss your personal financial/retirement goals with a TIAA-CREF Financial Consultant, on a free and confidential basis.

A TIAA-CREF representative will be able to assist you with planning for your retirement goals, including:

• Setting realistic goals for key life events and retirement
• Reviewing your investment mix and strategy
• Selecting your TIAA-CREF options
• Learning about TIAA-CREF retirement income flexibility 

For employees unfamiliar with the SRA plan, it is considered a 403(b) tax-deferred annuity plan which allows an employee to make contributions via payroll deduction from his/her pre-tax earnings towards an individual retirement plan (i.e., SRA) through our third party administrator, TIAA-CREF.  Enrolling or making changes to your SRA election may be done at any time during the year. For more information about the GRA and SRA plans, please go to our website, www.rcuh.com and review the RCUH Retirement Plans Policy (3.560).

We have reserved the following dates and times for Individual Sessions:

Dates	Location	Times
February 11-13, 2014	John A. Burns Hall Room 3028 – Honolulu 1601 East-West Rd. Honolulu, HI  96848	9:00am – 4:00pm
February 27, 2014	Kauai Community College, OSC 207 – Lihue	9:00am – 4:00pm
February 28, 2014	Kauai Community College, WELD 2-101 – Lihue	9:00am – 4:00pm

 

To schedule an appointment, please use our secure Web site at: 

http://www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow 

If you have questions or are unable to schedule an appointment online, please call our Service and Scheduling Group at 800-732-8353 Mon-Fri 6am – 2pm Hawaii time.

The following changes will be in effect starting from the 2/01 – 2/15/14 pay period:

 

(1)         RCUH Payroll will no longer require the following by the payroll deadline:

 

 

·         Employee Time/Leave Certification Forms (“paper timesheets”) for all sick leaves

 

·         Doctor’s Notes for sick leave of 5 consecutive days or more

 

·         Employee Time/Leave Certification Forms for Leave without Pay

 

 

Timesheets and supporting documentation for sick leave of 5 consecutive days or more are still required by policy and MUST be submitted to the Principal Investigator and/or Project Administrator for their review and files.  They no longer need to be submitted to RCUH Payroll unless required.

 

 

RCUH employees must still adhere to all requirements specified in the RCUH policies.

 

 

Employee Time/Leave Certification Forms  are still required to be submitted to RCUH Payroll by the payroll deadline for:

 

·         Family Leave

 

·         Worker’s Comp

 

·         Military Leave (attach Military Orders)

 

·         Jury Duty Leave (attach Certificate of Jury Duty)

 

·         Parent-Teacher Conference (attach RCUH Form B-1 – Request Form for Approval of Paid  Leave to Attend Parent-Teacher Conference)

 

·         Bereavement Leave (note relationship of deceased)

 

 

 

(2)         Changes to the vacation and sick leave policies include eliminating the restriction that leaves accrued during authorized RCUH leaves with pay cannot be used until the employee returns to work.   As of the 2/01 – 2/15/14 pay period:

 

 

 

·         All eligible vacation and sick leave hours earned while at work or on authorized RCUH leaves that are shown on the online timesheet may now be used (unless adjustments or payouts are pending).

 

 

 

·         All Leave without Pays should be posted on the online timesheet since available vacation hours can now be exhausted.

 

 

 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the RCUH Payroll staff at [email protected].   Questions regarding RCUH policies should be addressed to Nelson Sakamoto ([email protected]) or Renee Doi ([email protected]).