Human Resources Communications Newsletter

Open Enrollment - Benefits

The annual open enrollment period begins Monday, September 17th, and ends Friday, October 12, 2007. During Open Enrollment you can enroll in Medical, Dental, FlexCash, and Health Care / Dependant Care Reimbursement Account Plans.  You can also change health plans or add eligible family members during this period.

During the month of August, CalPERS will mail all enrolled members an Open Enrollment packet. New medical plans are being offered, and the mailing explains changes to Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente coverage. Please review the information and request additional materials using the prepaid postcard, or viewing information on the CalPERS Web site at www.calpers.ca.gov.

Additional information, including the 2008 premiums, will be available on the Human Resource website in September.

Benefits Fair

Don’t miss our Benefits Fair on Thursday, September 20, 2007 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the USU Grand Salon. Wondering about how to choose a health/dental plan, or how to save pre-tax dollars by investing in a Flexible Spending Account? This is your chance to speak with representatives, enjoy refreshments and pick up some free giveaways. We look forward to seeing you.

Part Time Faculty Benefits Orientation

Benefits Administration will be conducting a Benefits Orientation for new part time Faculty on Wednesday, September 5th 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Tuesday, September 11th 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the Oviatt Library-Garden Level Human Resource Training Room 16. No registration is required and you only need to attend one session. We look forward to seeing you.

Monthly Retirement Meetings Offered

Benefits Administration is now offering monthly group retirement meetings to assist you with your CalPERS retirement preparation. Take this opportunity to learn and share information with your colleagues. If you are interested in attending a monthly meeting please contact Mary Snipes at x2728 or by email, mary.snipes@csun.edu.

California Budget Finalized

Good news -- The California State budget for 2007/2008 fiscal year has been finalized and signed by the Governor. The CSU Chancellor Office is currently reviewing the State budget and is expected to communicate the CSU final budget very soon.

July 1, 2007 pay increases for CSU employees will not be determined until the CSU budget has been finalized and communicated to the campuses.  Those increases will be retroactive to July 1 (or hire date if appointed after July 1) for all eligible employees.

CFA and Other Salary Program Implementation Updates

In May 2007, the CSU issued salary program updates for CFA, CSUEU, SETC and APC.  Most General Salary Increases took effect by June and July.  97% of all salary increases have now been processed.

Payroll has been working in conjunction with Faculty Affairs and the State Controller’s Office to ensure all eligible individuals are being identified and paid appropriately.

All employees with employment histories that included multiple changes during the affected timeframes, as well as employees with changes in leave status, disability leave, and employment status, required individual analysis and manual processing.

Alternate Schedules and Excess Plus/Minus Update

As a reminder, Excess Plus/Minus is the practice of counting hours for an employee working an alternate, full time schedule in a given pay period.   Employees who work Monday through Friday, 8-5, are paid 21 or 22 days a month, which works out to either 168 or 176 hours per month.  Employees who work alternate schedules (full time, but not Monday through Friday, 8-5) may or may not have worked the same number of hours, although payment is based on the standard schedule.

This is done to ensure that an employee’s hours over the standard 8-5 Monday through Friday schedule are identified right away and payment can be with the regular cycle by the 15th of the next month.  If the employee worked under the standard number of hours, the deficit carries forward until year-end reconciliation.

With the implementation of Absence Management in July, new processes are in place regarding employees on alternate schedules and calculating excess plus/minus hours.  This module is now capable of calculating hours.  Therefore, departments no longer need to count hours nor input them into Time and Labor for payment on an ongoing basis.  Payroll is in the process of preparing a monthly report for each department that will indicate which employees have plus or minus hours for the pay period.  For those employees who have plus hours, Payroll will process payment directly.

Year-end reconciliation processing will be available shortly. Stay tuned!