HR News

Don’t forget about important information and benefits application deadlines for faculty and staff:

Child Care Subsidy

The child care subsidy—$1,000 per child younger than age 6, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year—is available to eligible faculty and staff with gross household incomes of $100,000 or less. Applications [PDF] are due to Human Resources by Friday, Dec. 8.

Reduced Medical Contributions

Depending on an employee’s household size and income, reduced medical contributions are available through Schedule B. Learn more online and apply by Friday, Dec. 8.

Supplemental Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability

If you chose to enroll or increase your supplemental life insurance, please remember to complete your statement of health. If you chose to enroll in long-term disability insurance, please remember to complete your medical history statement.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

As a reminder, Excellus BCBS will be the University’s medical plan administrator effective Jan. 1, 2018. If you elected to enroll in the University’s medical plan effective Jan. 1, you will receive a welcome packet at the permanent address you have on file with the University as recorded in MySlice. This welcome packet will include two member ID cards with your name on both.

In addition, each dependent who is over the age of 18 and is enrolled under your plan will also receive a welcome packet with two member ID cards at their home address as recorded in MySlice. If you cover any dependents under the age of 18, please provide your ID card to their provider when they seek services. If you have not received your cards by Dec. 15, please contact Excellus BCBS at 800.493.0318 (TTY/TTD: 800.662.1220) to request a new card. Please refer to the comprehensive set of FAQs for additional information regarding the transition to Excellus BCBS and 2018 benefits.

Questions?

Please visit the benefits website or contact the HR Service Center at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.

With a new law taking effect in 2018, Syracuse University is working to stay ahead of changes and ensure employees know and understand their benefits. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, new benefits are available with the passage of the New York Paid Family Leave (NYPFL) law, providing paid leave for eligible staff members to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition or prepare for a family member’s call to active military service. Relevant information has been posted on the Human Resources website.

Summary of the New Paid Family Leave Benefit:

Staff and student employees, including graduate assistants, working in New York State are eligible if they meet the following requirements:

• If a regular work schedule is 20 or more hours per week, an employee is eligible after 26 consecutive weeks of employment.
• If a regular work schedule is less than 20 hours per week, an employee is eligible after working 175 days.
• New York’s legislation establishing Paid Family Leave does not apply to those working in a teaching capacity. Faculty continue to be eligible for leaves of absence and paid parental leave benefits, and may request administrative leave through their departments, as appropriate.“Syracuse University provides several kinds of leave to assist faculty, non-academic staff and other eligible employees in balancing the demands of the workplace with their personal needs,” says Andrew R. Gordon, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “Our human resources team is prepared and ready to assist employees who may have questions to help them maximize their available benefits.”Under the new law employees are provided several benefits, including:
  • wage replacement for eight weeks of leave at 50 percent of pay (up to 50 percent of the state’s average weekly wage), increasing to 12 weeks and 67 percent pay in 2021;
  • job protection upon return from Paid Family Leave; and
  • continuation of health insurance while out on Paid Family Leave.

New York State specified that the Paid Family Leave Program is employee-funded, and that employers shall collect an employee contribution through a payroll deduction determined annually by the New York State Department of Financial Services. In 2018, the rate will be 0.126 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage, capped at $1.65 per week.

Resources and Training

• Several upcoming information sessions are available. The state continues to clarify the regulations. Human Resources will continue to update the website as further information becomes available. Additional information can be found on the New York State Paid Family Leave website.

Timeline Moving Forward

• New York’s timeline calls for a phased rollout over four years, with the benefit level starting at eight weeks, 50 percent pay in 2018 and reaching 12 weeks, 67 percent pay in 2021. Employees do not need to take any action to enroll in this coverage and the benefits will be available beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

Questions about Paid Family Leave

• Questions can be directed to an employee’s supervisor, a senior human resources business partner or the HR leave administrator at 315.443.4042.

The new Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters will begin meeting this month to address areas identified by staff in the Universitywide survey Climate Assessment Survey conducted during the Spring 2016 semester. Staff participating in the advisory work group include a broad representation across the campus from schools, colleges and administrative units at many levels.

Throughout the academic year, the advisory work group will examine and form recommendations on staff-related issues identified in the survey. Topics that may be addressed include staff morale, staff retention, career pathways and training opportunities, as well as avenues for addressing confidential matters.

The advisory work group will work with Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew R. Gordon. “Staff, along with faculty and students, are an important part of the University community. They undertake many crucial responsibilities that are vital for the institution’s continued success,” Gordon says. “I look forward to engaging with this dedicated team to identify ways of improving our community and address the issues raised in the climate survey.”

 Some 6,000 students, faculty and staff participated in the survey. Formation of the Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters was one of five recommendations presented by the University’s Climate Assessment Planning Committee and approved by Chancellor Kent Syverud as an outcome of the survey project.

 Advisory work group members are:

• Rebecca Bostwick, managing director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Susan Dean, office coordinator in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Patrick Kelly, parking services technician in Parking & Transit Services
• Amy Kennedy, academic advisor for the International Relations Program in the Maxwell School
• Heather Ketcham, operations specialist in the physics department in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Joseph Lee, director/general manager of WAER
• Laura Marra, administrative assistant in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• Joseph O’Connor, community services officer in the Department of Public Safety
• Craig Powers, machine repair technician in Physical Plant
• Pamela Peter, assistant dean and director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities in the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience
• Rob Pusch, interim director of the LGBT Resource Center

The employee Holiday Sharing Program is again partnering with PEACE Inc.’s Adopt-a-Family Program and the Salvation Army’s Christmas Bureau to make the season brighter for local families. University departments and groups are invited to register now to participate in the program, which provides gifts, food, toys and more to families in need.

Visit the University’s Holiday Sharing website for full details on each program and to register your group or department to participate. The deadline for departments to sign up is Friday, Nov. 17. The online form to sign up for the program can be accessed here.Participation options through PEACE Inc. include purchasing gifts for an assigned family, providing a basket of household supplies or donating food. PEACE Inc. will assign families to participating departments. Individuals, departments or groups may also elect to donate food or toys to the Salvation Army. The items will be distributed at the organization’s annual Christmas Bureau event at ShoppingTown mall.

The Syracuse University Holiday Sharing program is voluntary. In 2016, 31 University departments participated in Holiday Sharing. Their efforts provided food and gifts for 28 families in the Syracuse region and an additional 10 baskets of food, toiletry items and grocery store gift cards.

Child Care Subsidy

The child care subsidy—$1,000 per child younger than age 6, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year—is available to eligible faculty and staff with gross household incomes of $100,000 or less. Applications [PDF] are due to Human Resources by Friday, Dec. 8.

Reduced Medical Contributions

Depending on an employee’s household size and income, reduced medical contributions are available through Schedule B. Learn more online and apply by Friday, Dec. 8.

Supplemental Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability

If you chose to enroll or increase your supplemental life insurance, please remember to complete your statement of health. If you chose to enroll in long-term disability insurance, please remember to complete your medical history statement [PDF].

Questions?

Please visit the benefits website or contact the HR Service Center at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.

Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 10, is the last day to make your benefit selections for 2018.

This is your opportunity to:

• Enroll in or update your benefits for calendar year 2018 by logging into MySlice;
• Contribute to a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for 2018; or
• Increase your supplemental life insurance.

Learn more about your benefits at openenrollment.syr.edu.

Questions?

Contact the HR Service Center at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu

Open Enrollment is a good time to learn about the total rewards for working at Syracuse University. The following benefits are available all year long at no cost to you:

Carebridge Work-Life Resource

Through our Faculty and Staff Assistance Program partner, Carebridge, counselors are available anytime for confidential consultation, assessment, and referrals at no cost to you. Some of the helpful work-life benefits include financial experts, work-life services, counseling benefits and money management specialists.

Financial Planning Services

Your benefits provide you with free financial advice from a TIAA consultant to help you plan for your future. Call 855.842.CUSE (2873) to set up an appointment for personalized investing advice. You can adjust your contributions any time of year, but it’s easy during Open Enrollment because you make the changes through MySlice.

Will Preparation Services

If you already are enrolled in or are considering supplemental life insurance through MetLife, remember that with enrollment, you can take advantage of will preparation services at no cost.

Emergency Travel Assistance

Supplemental AD&D enrollees have access to a variety of travel concierge services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year free of charge.

Questions?

Visit the Open Enrollment website or contact the HR Service Center at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.

Members of the University community are invited to nominate staff members for the Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters, one of the accepted recommendations from the University’s Climate Assessment Planning Committee (CAPC). The deadline for submission is Monday, Nov. 6.