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Benefits Bulletin October 2023

Welcome to the Benefits Bulletin!

Our goal with this monthly newsletter is to communicate benefit changes and keep you up-to-date and informed on approaching deadlines.

Money Matters Financial Seminar

Money matters are important to each of us, whether it’s developing a budget for the first time or planning for retirement. On Tuesday, October 17, take advantage of the financial seminar and vendor fair, Money Matters, being offered by JMU’s Human Resources Benefits Team at the Festival Conference and Student Center from 9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. to learn about the following topics:

  • Financial Impact of Long-Term Care TD6500
  • Credit Reports and Scores TD6501
  • Making the Move: Understanding the Home Buying Process TD6502
  • Understanding Your Investment Options TD6503
  • Financial Basics (Ducks in a Row) TD6504
  • Making A Useable Budget TD6505
  • Understanding and Navigating Medicare TD6506
  • Breaking Free: How to Pay Off Debt and Achieve Financial Freedom TD6507
  • Social Security & Your Retirement TD6508
  • Lunch/Key Note TD6509
  • Why Everyone Needs a Will TD6510
  • Making Sense of Life Insurance TD6511
  • Five Money Musts TD6512
  • Supplemental Insurance for Financial Protection TD6513
  • 8 Steps to a Successful Auto Buying Experience TD6514
  • JMU Virginia529 Essentials and Updates: Saving for a better future! TD6515
  • Attention to Detail: Financial Plan TD6516

These seminars are open to all full-time and part-time employees…it’s never too early or too late to realize that Money Matters!

To register, simply visit MyMadison. You must register for each session individually. Please feel free to attend as many sessions as you wish. Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided. You must also register for lunch and the keynote speaker session.

In addition to the sessions, our benefit vendors will be available throughout the day to meet with you to answer any questions you may have concerning your benefits.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 17!

Estamos emocionados a ofrecer un seminario de un día en español

  • Comenzando desde cero
  • Alcanzando la independencia financiera
  • Almuerzo y orador principal - Cómo crear un presupuesto y un plan de gastos
  • Las llaves para comprar una casa

Registrar aquí!

October SSA Column Newsletter

October's Featured Benefit

This month's featured benefit is...

We are excited to announce the following vendors will be joining us this year:

  • 5 Star Nutrition
  • Aetna
  • AFLAC
  • Align Integrative Health
  • Anthem BCBS
  • Atlantic Union Bank
  • AVA Care of Harrisonburg
  • CommonHealth
  • Cross Keys Equine Therapy
  • Delta Dental
  • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services
  • DRIVE SMART Virginia
  • Dynamic IV Solutions
  • Fidelity
  • First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence, Inc.
  • Friendly City Food Co-op
  • Harrisonburg Farmers Market
  • Harrisonburg Tourism & Visitor Center
  • Horizons Edge Sports Campus
  • JMU Community Engagement & Volunteer Center
  • JMU Dining
  • MADD
  • Mary Louise Coaching
  • Mole Hill Bikes
  • Next Level Martial Arts
  • Pure Shenandoah
  • Rockingham County Parks & Rec
  • Sentara RMH Medical Center, Forensic Nurse Examiner Program
  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Talent Development
  • University Recreation (UREC)
  • Valley Program for Aging Services
  • Virginia Credit Union

“Visit the Wellness Fair website to learn more!”

Open Enrollment for Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (ORPHE)

October is open enrollment for participants in the Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (ORPHE). You have the opportunity to change providers, effective with the first payroll in 2024.

Two provider options are available: DCP (record kept by MissionSquare Retirement) and TIAA. Use the ORPHE Provider Options Chart to review provider’s fees, services, and plan features.

If you wish to change providers during open enrollment, you can view your options and make a selection in myVRS. Once logged in, the following message will appear on your account home page through October 31, or until you make a provider change:

No action is required if you do not wish to change your provider during the open enrollment period.

Please note that selecting a new provider does not impact your balances. If you wish to transfer balances to your new provider you will need to request a plan-to-plan transfer. For additional information or assistance, please email orphe@varetire.org.

Need to Talk with an Expert?

Upcoming Benefits Training - Retirement 101: Understanding your VRS Retirement

Are you contemplating retirement? Have you set a retirement date? What do you do next? What benefits will you receive? What is the timing on paperwork? Come to Retirement 101 and learn the answers to all of these questions and more! Learn about your retirement options through the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), discuss the impact on benefits when you retire, and learn how myVRS and Human Resources can aid in retirement planning.

Retirement 101: Understanding Your VRS Retirement (TD1212)

Wednesday, November 8, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Register with course number TD1212 in MyMadison

Upcoming University Closings - Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks

The university will be closed November 20 - 24 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The university will be closed December 19 – December 29 for the Winter Break*. Please review the Holiday Schedule and University Closings website for the 2023 Holiday and Closing Schedule.

*The university will also be closed Monday, January 1, 2024 in observance of New Year’s Day 2024.

Classified Employee Leave

With the holidays fast approaching, now is a good time for classified employees to review vacation leave balances for any hours that would be above the maximum carryover limit.

Employees should work with their supervisor to use any excess leave hours by Tuesday, January 9, 2024. As a reminder, you must work or be on approved paid leave the day before and the day after a holiday to receive holiday pay. Please review your leave balances in the event you are carrying a low leave balance and may fall into a time loss situation. Contact Reagan Neese, Leave Specialist, with any questions.

REMINDER: Time & Attendance Records for Non-exempt Staff

All non-exempt employees are required to maintain a Time and Attendance Record each leave year that shows hours worked, leave taken, scheduled days off, and university closures. This record must be submitted to Human Resources each January. Employees will receive an email in January with instructions on how to submit the record.

Election Day

The next general election is Tuesday, November 7, 2023. The polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Voters are required to present an acceptable ID or sign an ID confirmation statement at the polls.

Election Day Attendance

Election Day can present staffing challenges resulting from employees wanting to arrive late or to leave early. It’s important to ensure that employees have a reasonable opportunity to vote, to maintain sufficient staffing coverage throughout the day, and to employ an approach that is equitably applied to all staff.

  • Encourage employees to vote before work, after work, or during their lunch breaks, and to coordinate their schedules with supervisors and co-workers.
  • Advise employees that late arrivals and requests for early departures or extended lunch breaks will require the use of personal leave. Annual, family/personal, overtime, compensatory leave, or service recognition leave may be used for this purpose. Community Service Leave cannot to be used to vote.
  • Consider adjusting the schedules of non-exempt employees as an alternative to using leave.

Election Day Volunteers

Employees are encouraged to volunteer to be Officers of Election. Those who serve as Officers of Election shall be allowed to use up to 8 hours of Civil and Work-Related Leave on Election Day. As with all leave, supervisory approval is required.

Employees who serve as Officers of Election shall be allowed to use Civil and Work-Related Leave to attend the required Officer of Election certification training only when the employee's locality does not offer the training during non-work hours. Training schedules are available from local registrars and are typically posted on the localities’ websites. Contact Reagan Neese, Leave Specialist, if you plan to serve in this capacity.

If an employee uses Civil and Work-Related Leave to work as an Officer of Election and receives payment for duties and/or training, they must submit the payment to the Commonwealth. Contact Payroll Services to arrange the return of payment.

  • If the employee wishes to retain the payment, they must use annual, family/personal, personal day, overtime, or compensatory leave.
  • Employees who are reimbursed for expenses only (travel, parking, etc.) are permitted to keep such payments.
  • Neither Civil and Work-Related Leave nor Community Service Leave may be used by employees who wish to volunteer on Election Day in another capacity (e.g., poll workers not certified as Officers of Election, political workers, etc.) These activities are considered political activities, not community services as defined in the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) Policy 4.05-Civil and Work-Related Leave.

Virginia Department of Elections: http://elections.virginia.gov/

THANK YOU FOR READING!

This bulletin has been brought to you by the JMU Benefits Team. If you have any questions or would like to reach out to us, please give us a call at 540-568-3593, visit us on the web at www.jmu.edu/humanresources/benefits, or email us at benefits@jmu.edu. Look for the Live Chat on our website and reach one of us instantly!