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UHR March 2020 | Vol 6 No 3
What’s Inside New Look for UHR Online Climate Crisis: Idea of the Month Financial Literacy Workshops Health and Wellness Fair Improve Your Intellectual Wellness Child Development Center Good Neighbor Day Decoding Your Paycheck
LinkedIn Learning Highlight The Art of Asking Instead of Telling American culture prioritizes action, practicality, and competition over courteousness and respect. But there’s a different way. In his popular book, retired MIT professor Edgar H. Schein encourages openness and curiosity about others in the form of humble inquiry. Humble inquiry is “asking questions to which you do not already know the answer” and “building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” This audio-only summary from getAbstract
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Coming Soon
A NEW LOOK FOR UHR ONLINE The University Human Resources website (uhr.umd.edu) is relaunching soon with a new look and many more conveniences to make your interaction a better one and get you the information you need when you want it. Some notable changes beyond just the first look are: • Navigation designed to allow both employees and HR professionals to easily find the most frequently accessed information directly from the main menu. • The new site is mobile friendly, so you’ll always have access to the answers you need even when you’re away from your desk.
Solving the Climate Crisis: IDEA OF THE MONTH Did you know? Paper towels kill 110 million trees per year and take 130 billion gallons of water to produce. Trees suck carbon out of the air and convert it to oxygen, and in many areas, water is rapidly becoming a scarce resource that would be better used in support of basic needs (drinking water, sanitation systems), agriculture, and manufacturing.
What you can do: Save $200/year and help save the planet by switching to reusable wipes over paper towels!
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Health & Wellness National MINI WELLNESS FAIR Financial Literacy Month Monday, March 30th
Atrium of the Stamp Student Union
The Office of Employee Benefits is hosting workshops throughout April, focusing on Budgeting, College Savings, Investing, Estate Planning Social Security, and PreRetirement processes. Registration will be available after March 9 at training.umd.edu April 1 - SRA Open House - If you don’t have a supplemental retirement plan, this is the workshop for you. Learn how contributing just $10 to $20 per pay can get you on the road to supplementing your pension and social security payments during your retirement years. Learn the difference between saving with pre-tax vs. aftertax dollars. Each vendor will give a short presentation. After the presentations, you will have time to meet with the vendors. April 3 – State Pension Pre-Retirement Seminar – Open to employees who are in the State Pension Plan. Learn about retiring under the State Pension System, pension options, retiree health benefits, and Medicare. April 6 - Maryland 529 (formerly known as College Savings Plan)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
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Free Health Screenings: Blood pressure, BMI, non-fasting blood sugar, and cholesterol
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Free 5-minute Seated Massages
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Free 2-minute Facial Skin Screenings
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Free Wellness Giveaways
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Health and Wellness Activity Tables: Tobacco Cessation, Nutrition, Fitness, “Wheel of Activities”
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State Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Vendor Tables
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Raffle Prizes
April 14 – Is Your Financial House In Order? April 16 - Social Security - presented by a representative of the Social Security Administration Learn how social security can help you plan for retirement. Learn how much you can expect to receive, how your retirement age affects your benefits, and more. April 17 – Smart Money Moves
Maryland 529 college savings plans make it easier than ever to save for college. The Maryland Prepaid College Trust allows you to lock in tomorrow’s tuition at today’s prices and offers the security of a Maryland Legislative Guarantee.
April 17 – ORP Pre-Retirement Seminar - Open to employees in the ORP Retirement Plan
April 8 – Turn Your Retirement Savings Into Income.
April 20 - First Time Home Buyer
April 9 – How Much Money Will I Need in Retirement?
April 24 - Estate Planning – Open to employees 50 or older
Learn how much you should expect to need in retirement, and if you are saving enough now. Learn what risks you might face in trying to reach your goal.
April 30 - Want to Enjoy a Comfortable Retirement? – Open to employees in the ORP Retirement Plan.
Learn about retiring under the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), retiree health insurance and Medicare
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TOGETHER Program
FREE RELATIONSHIP AND FINANCIAL EDUCATIONAL SERIES Working with Couples to Build Strong Families • • • •
Build a meaningful connection with your partner Meet weekly with financial and couples professionals Invest in yourself and your relationship Option to receive case management and employment support
Join us for six sessions starting Saturday, March 7, from 10-12:30 pm or April 25 from 10-12:30 pm • • • • • •
Open to the public English speaking couples Ages 18+ Connections to community resources provided for four and a half months A light meal provided during the workshop Reimbursement for licensed childcare providers available
See more session dates and sign up: www.TogetherProgram.org | 1-877-432-1669 Funding for this project was provided by United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant: #90FM077-05-00. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. These services are available to all eligible persons, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, or religion. The Together Program is a project of Virginia Tech and University of Maryland, College Park. In partnership with Family Services, Inc.
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Child Care You Can Feel Great About
University of Maryland Child Development Center is scheduled to open Summer of 2020. The center will be open year round, offering full-time programs to meet the family needs of UMD students and employees, College Park residents and community members
Family Information Sessions
Location Adele H.Stamp Student Union Building Benjamin Banneker Room 2212 3972 Campus Drive College Park, MD 20742 Tuesday, March 10th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Location Seneca Building Room 0110 4716 Pontiac Street College Park, MD 20740 Tuesday, March 10th 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 11th 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 31st 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 1st 8:15 - 9:15 a.m.
To learn more, visit brighthorizons.com/umd
Choosing a child care and early education center is a big decision. At Bright Horizons®, we want you to walk out the door each day knowing your child is safe, loved, and motivated to unleash his or her curiosity. And we strive to give you that confidence about every aspect of your child’s experience.
A Bright Horizons early education and preschool experience includes:
Research-based curriculum that meets children where they are developmentally and builds confidence and excitement about learning Safety, security, and cleanliness policies that meet or exceed all local, state, and national guidelines Experienced child development professionals with the passion to nurture each child and encourage important developmental milestones throughout the early years Resources and events to support families
An open-door policy that lets you stop by anytime
Important Enrollment & Registration Dates: University of Maryland Child Development Center 4601 Calvert Road College Park, MD 20740 240-770-3537 umd@brighthorizons.com Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Enrollment interest period begins March 10th Interest forms received March 10th – April 12th will be eligible for an enrollment lottery Lottery results and enrollment spaces will be announced on May 1st Interest forms received after April 12th will be handled based on date received and space availability
© 2019 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
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Health Care FSAs USE IT OR LOSE IT
Have money left over from 2019 in your P & A Group flexible spending account? Remember – it’s the use it or lose it rule. If you don’t use the money remaining in your account by the deadline date, you will forfeit the money. You have until March 15, 2020, to incur eligible expenses for your Health Care FSA, and you have until April 15, 2020, to submit your claims. (You had until December 31, 2019 to incur qualified expenses for your Dependent Day Care FSA.) Here are some ways to use your Health Care FSA before the end of the year: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Acupuncture Contact lenses Contact solution (You will have to pay out of pocket and submit the receipts for reimbursement.) Dental treatment Doctor’s office copays Eye exams Health Insurance deductibles Hearing Aids Lasik Surgery Over-the-counter medications such as cold medicine, allergy treatment, and pain relievers require prescriptions for reimbursement. Prescription glasses Prescription medications Transportation (mileage) to and from doctors’ appointments
Good Neighbor Day ANNUAL DAY OF SERVICE
Volunteer for the 9th annual Good Neighbor Day event! Good Neighbor Day is an annual day of service that brings together the College Park community to beautify shared spaces and engage in sustainable practices. More than 1,000 volunteers will come together on Saturday, April 4, for nearly 25 projects in Greater College Park. Good Neighbor Day is a collaborative partnership between the University of Maryland, the City of College Park, and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). Interested volunteers can register at goodneighborday.umd.edu as an individual or group. 7
Good Neighbor Day ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE
Donate nonperishable food items to the Good Neighbor Day Food Drive from March 2– March 30 to benefit the UMD Campus Pantry and College Park Community Food Bank. Over 60 food drive sites are located on-campus and throughout College Park. A map of food drive sites can be found at go.umd.edu/fdmap2020 A Fill-A-Bus event will be held with OCE and DOTS on April 1 from 12–3 outside of Nyumburu Amphitheater on Campus Drive. For more information, visit goodneighborday.umd.edu or email Cameron Thurston at cthursto@umd.edu. 8
DECODING YOUR PAYCHECK A typical example of a State of Maryland Employee’s paystub. Below is a brief explanation of the different areas of the paystub. To view your paystubs, visit the Payroll Online Service Center (POSC) and follow the instruction to sign up or log in.
Agency Name and Code
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In the upper left corner of the paystub, the Employee’s Agency Name, Agency Code, and Division are listed.
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Pay Information and Tax Exemptions
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In the upper right corner of the paystub, the employee’s name, pay period ending date, check/advice number, federal & state tax filing status, number of federal and state tax exemptions, any additional tax withholding elected by the employee, and the employee’s county code are listed. If the employee has not filed a W4/ MW507 form with Central Payroll, the Filing status and exemptions are automatically set to Federal Single with zero allowances and State Single with one allowance.
Earnings and Hours
On the middle, left-hand side of the paystub, the employee’s earnings (Regular, Overtime, Acting Capacity, Miscellaneous adjustments, etc.), hours worked, and any subsidies are listed. Subsidies are a portion of the amount due for a particular benefit that is paid by the agency on behalf of the employee. These amounts do not affect the amount of the employee’s net pay. In this example, you will see the type of earnings as “Regular”, the number of hours as “80.0”, the current wages being paid this period as “2882.39”, and the wages paid year to date as “58515.00”. This format will be followed for all earnings types. The only exception is for adjustments and subsidies; there will be no hours listed.
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Tax / Deductions
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On the middle, right-hand side of the paystub, the employee’s taxes and deductions are listed. In this example, the deductions from top to bottom are Federal Tax, FICA/ Medicare Tax, State Tax, Pharmacy Plan, Dependent Care Account, United Concordia Dental DPPO, Optional 401K Retirement Plan, State Employee Alternate Pension, Direct Deposit Checking (this will be equal to your Net Pay), and Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield EPO.
Net Pay Calculations and Address
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At the bottom of the paystub, the calculation of gross to net pay is shown as well as the employee’s name and address. In order for Central Payroll to calculate Net Pay, Taxes and Deductions are subtracted from the gross pay amount. A good tool to show the effects of changing your deductions or tax status is the Central Payroll Net Pay Calculator. The most current address provided to Central Payroll by the employee, using a W4/ MW507 form, is listed at the bottom of the paystub and can be referenced as the address any paper check was mailed to.
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The State Retirement Agency’s new self-service website (mySRPS) for members of the Maryland State Retirement/Pension Plan (MSRP) is heading your way!
What?
A new secure website you can use to:
How?
View your account and documents
1. Look for your Registration
View your personal statement of benefits
Packet in the mail. It’s going to your home address.
Update your contact info Get asset verification letters on the spot Get as many retirement benefit
2. Use the personalized
Registration Code and instructions on the Quick Guide to help you register for a secure mySRPS online account*.
estimates as you want...whenever you want, no waiting!
Who?
Right now we’re rolling this out to Active members. (Later: Retirees and others.)
Why?
So you don’t have to wait for us to help you. So you can get info about your pension account – and make transactions – when it’s convenient for YOU.
When?
As soon as you get your Packet and register. See How? for details.
3. Log in and use the system whenever you want. It’s available 24 hours a day, every day.
*Did you participate in the mySRPS Sneak Preview in December?
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If so, you are already registered and your mySRPS account is active.
Go to sra.maryland.gov and click the mySRPS Login button.
Use the same username you created during the Sneak Preview. Lost track of this? Click on Forgot Username/Password.
Please reset your Password. (We made more security updates.) Click on Forgot Username/Password.
MARCH
Event Calendar
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Financial Challenges of the Sandwich Generation
Performance Review PRD
ESL: Conversational Workshop
Parental Leave for Staff
FSI: Leaders as Trainers
18 19 20 24
Parental Leave for Faculty
ESL: Conversational Workshop
MSRP Workshop HR Power Hour
FSI: Performance Management Fundamentals
25 26 30
Wellness Wednesday Workshop
ESL: Conversational Workshop
New Employee Orientation
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