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A Big Welcome to Beverly Kuoppala, HR Functional Systems Analyst, and Sharon Cowan, Manager of Reconciliation! Congratulations to Jana Bates, in training to step into the Benefits leadership role! Important W-2 and W-4 information in the Payroll section!

Benefits

TexFlex Updates

Don’t forget that claims and documentation for Plan Year 2005 FSA-eligible expenses incurred by November 15 must be submitted for reimbursement by December 31, 2005.

TexFlex has a convenient new Express Claim available to those that did not elect the Convenience Card. You can receive your reimbursement within days.

Consider having your reimbursement direct deposited into your checking account. Complete a direct deposit form and send to PayFlex.

Part-time and Retiring January 31, 2006?

Effective for retirements (both TRS and ORP participants) on or after January 31, 2006, employees who are part-time when they retire will receive the part-time contribution (50%) for the retiree and 25% for eligible dependents for health insurance premiums in retirement. In order to be eligible for the full state contribution (100%) toward health insurance premiums at retirement, you must be eligible for insurance and classified as a full-time employee for three consecutive months prior to retirement.

To qualify for insurance in retirement (for both TRS and ORP participants), you must meet the Rule of 80 (with at least 10 years service credit in ERS) or have at least 10 years service credit with ERS and attain age 65. For more information, go to http://www.ers.state.tx.us/Retirement/InsuranceEligibility.htm

A Few Reminders Regarding Health Insurance

As of December 15^th, Presbyterian Hospital in Denton became part of the HealthSelect network of hospital providers.

Always make sure that the bill you receive from your doctor or health care provider matches the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) that Blue Cross Blue Shield sends you. If it does not, please contact HealthSelect customer service at 1-800-252-8039 for an explanation.

Tiffany Hull, Manager, Benefits and Welfare

Training


New Employee Orientation - required for all new full and part-time employees. This live information session includes the mandatory State EEO and sexual harassment training, safety overview, insurance and retirement enrollment, introduction to TWU and HR policies, compensation plan, recruiting and hiring process, performance evaluation briefing and payroll procedures. An HR-sponsored lunch and new supervisor instruction on workers' compensation and documenting discipline is included. New Faculty Orientation - required for all new faculty. This live information session includes the mandatory State EEO training including sexual harassment training from the employment and academic perspectives. Insurance and retirement enrollment and an overview of HR services are included. Supplemental EEO - a mandatory on-line program for employees to review every two years. This program is available at http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/EqualEmploymentOpportunity.ppt at all times; however, employees will receive individual notification when they are required to renew their training. Managers' Guide to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - a voluntary on-line program for supervisors outlining the ADA and TWU's ADA policy and procedures available at http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/ADA_training.htm. Ethics Policy - a voluntary on-line program for employees to review guidelines for ethical conduct for State employees available at http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/EthicsTrainingforStateEmployees2.ppt. Personnel Transaction Form (PTF) - a voluntary on-line program providing instruction on processing a PTF through the Oracle system. Please see http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/videos.htm. Off-campus opportunities - a listing of various voluntary training opportunities in the Denton, Dallas, and Houston areas provided through nationally-known companies such as Padgett-Thompson, Skillpath, National Seminars, and Fred Pryor. Topics include personal and career development. Visit http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/off_campus_training.htm for current programs. State Auditor's Office - link to the State Auditor's Office training schedule. Topics vary but include accountability, auditing, and financial management. Visit http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/off_campus_training.htm for link. Video Library - videos on various topics are available for faculty and staff to voluntarily check out and review for personal or departmental use. Available videos are listed at http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/training/videos.htm. For computer-related software, Oracle, and voice mail training, please contact the Office of Information Services. Training on processing travel vouchers can be arranged by contacting John Sudduth in the Controller's Office.
*Supervisors......*if you have a new employee that will need translation for NEO, please contact Susan Testa at x8-1-3558 or Monica Kozak at x8-1-3523 to make special arrangements.
Susan Testa, Manager, Training & Orientation

Employee Assistance Program

Feeling some after-the-holidays stress?

Remember TWU offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that is free to employees and their family members. Visit the website at www.alliancewp.com (once at this web site, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “AWP HelpNet”. The next page will ask for a username; type in TWU. This will take you to the AWP HelpNet page) to read articles on a wide variety of topics. If you would like to speak to a counselor, call (800) 343-3822 (TDD: (800)448-1823)

New Staff Performance Evaluation System

Thanks to everyone who attended a New Staff Performance Evaluation System info session. The committee appreciates your feedback. If you missed the sessions, you can visit the OHR web site to view the PowerPoint presentation. A draft of the new performance evaluation forms is also available on this website.

Currently the committee is working on guidelines for the new performance evaluation system. Dates for supervisor training will be set in the spring of 2006.

Annette Johnson, Manager, Employee Advocacy & Performance Management

Oracle Update

I-9 REMINDER

The Immigration Reform and Control Act makes all U.S. employers responsible to verify the employment eligibility and identity of all employees hired to work in the United States after November 6, 1986. To implement the law, employers are required to complete Employment Eligibility Verification forms (Form I-9) for all employees. All offers of employment extended by the Texas Woman's University will be contingent upon the applicant's ability to supply the Human Resources Office with documents which provide proof of identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Applicants and new hires are notified of their requirements under the Act as well a list of acceptable identity documents for the Act.

Texas Woman’s University is responsible for the verification and retention of an I-9 form for each individual hired as an employee of the University. This applies to citizens and noncitizens. On the first day of employment, new hires should complete the new hire paperwork in Human Resources which includes the required payroll forms as well as the I-9 form. On the I-9 form, the Office of Human Resources must verify the employment eligibility and identity documents presented by the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. Proper documentation establishes both that the employee is authorized to work in the U.S. and that the employee who presents the employment authorization document is the person to whom it was issued. The employer must examine the document(s) and accept them if they reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the employee who presents them. The I-9 must be completely verified no later than close of business on the employee’s third day of employment.

ORACLE - Phase I

The first phase of the Oracle Human Resources Template process implementation was data entry for new and returning adjunct and graduate assistant appointments for the 2005 Fall Semester. For the 2006 Spring Semester, HR and Academic Affairs are continuing to refine this first phase data-entry process through the enhancement of the training module and instructional tutorial documents, along with the addition of a detailed template guide. Special academic training and live data-entry sessions were tailored for the 2006 Spring Semester template process for the academic departments.

Amy Hall, SPHR, Director, HRIS & Reporting

Supervisors - promoting one of your employees?

Employees - wanting to apply for a transfer or promotion?

If you are a supervisor and have an open position in your department, and are considering filling the position with an internal candidate, here is a very informative link you can refer to for help:

http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/employment/Promotions_TransfersChecklist.htm

This is a step by step checklist that will walk the supervisors through the transfer or promotion process. The checklist was added to the Search and Selection Handbook on the TWU website under “Employment” on September 1, 2005.

Current employees who are eligible and wish to apply for any open position that is posted on the TWU website should complete the blue “TWU Application for Promotions or Transfers.” If the department does not have a supply of these forms, you may contact or come to the Office of Human Resources to get one. The completed blue application should include the job title and job number of the position and should be sent to Human Resources.

If an employee is promoted or transferred into a different position, he/she should complete a new oath of office form and sign a copy of their new job description. These forms should also come to the Office of Human Resources for the personnel file.

If you have any questions regarding promotions and/or transfers, please refer to the link above. For further information you can contact Joye Williams at Jwilliams6@mail.twu.edu or extension 3518.

Joye Williams, Manager, Recruitment and Selection

PAYROLL

Distribution of 2005 W-2s

The Payroll Department is currently in the process of preparing the 2005 W-2 Wage and Tax Statements. The Form W-2 is an annual form that reports your Federal and State wages and other tax information required by Federal and State agencies. It is also used by the Social Security Administration as a verification document to ensure individuals are properly credited for future Social Security and Medicare benefits. The distribution timing and process for your 2005 W-2 will be announced in January.

After you receive your 2005 W-2, please verify that your name and social security number match your name and social security number that was issued on your social security card. The Social Security Administration regards names and social security numbers as “critical links” connecting your W-2 data to your lifetime earnings record. Your name and social security number must match Social Security’s records. If your name has recently changed, (e.g., due to marriage, divorce, etc.)the University will continue to use your old name until you have obtained a new social security card. After you have received a new social security card, please notify the Office of Human Resources. Using a new name without updating the Social Security Administration’s records may prevent the posting of your Social Security and Medicare earnings. You may call the Social Security Administration toll free at 1-800-772-1213 for Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card.

It's coming.....

TAX TIME!!

Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate

Did you marry or divorce, gain or lose a dependent, or have major changes in your family income?

Now is the time to check your Federal tax withholding allowances. If you answered “yes”, you may need to file a new Form W-4. You may download the form from the Payroll website at

http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/payroll

If you are claiming “exempt” from tax withholding, you must submit a new Form W-4 by February 15, 2006 if you wish to retain your exempt status. If a new form is not filed and submitted to the Payroll Department, withholding for Federal taxes will be based on “Single” with zero (0) withholding allowances.

Diane Taylor, Manager, Payroll


	Texas Woman’s University Pay Plan 2005-2006 is available on the HR Web site under Compensation: http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/compensation/PayPlanText2005_2006.htm Please have new employees come to the Office of Human Resources to complete a Payroll packet on their First Day of Employment. If employee is off working at another site and will not be able to come to campus at all, call HR and we will mail the payroll packet to the employee. Employee can get the I-9 Form notarized by a public notary and mailed back to us. REMEMBER: Departments will not be able to pull the new employee up on the on-line PTF screen until employee’s demographical information is entered by HR. If an employee has resigned from the University, please have employee submit a resignation letter and forward a copy to the Office of Human Resources. And please initiate an on-line Personnel Transaction Form so we may remove them from an active status. For academic departments, please submit your termination PTF to Academic Financial Services for on-line processing. Request for supervisor change for timesheets: Please email MFlores@mail.twu.edu Request for name changes: You must provide HR with a copy of your new social security card reflecting your new name. Personnel Vacancy Forms (PVF): Please route these forms through appropriate signature channels. Departments hiring temporary staff employees: Please remind these employees that hourly paid employees get paid once a month just like regular staff. The pay period for hourly employees is the 16th of the month through the 15th of following month. For example: A temporary employee starting on January 1 will get paid for hours turned in from January 1 through January 15 to be paid February 1. Any hours turned in from January 16 through February 15 will get paid on March 1. For departments that hire student assistants, please remember to submit a MEMO to Career Services with notification of effective date of termination date upon resignation or completion of work assignment. UPDATED JOB DESCRIPTIONS Even though the deadline to return updated job descriptions has passed; the Compensation Department is still working through all the job descriptions at this time. So, if you have not yet returned your department's updated job descriptions, please send them to Estela Long at elong@twu.edu as soon as you can.	PTF DEADLINES!! Non-Academic For February 1, 2006 Thursday, January 12, 2006 - PTF's due in Budget Office by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - PTF's due in Human Resources Office by 4:00 p.m. Academic For February 1, 2006 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - PTF's due in Graduate Office/Research & Sponsored Programs by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 5, 2006 - PTF's due in Academic Affairs by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 12, 2006 - PTF's due in Budget Office by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - PTF's due in Human Resources by 4:00 p.m.
	Compensation & Classification, Records Contacts: Estela Long Mgr Compensation & Classification elong@twu.edu 898-3548 Myrna Flores HR Associate mflores@twu.edu 898-3542	Upcoming Holiday Martin Luther King Day Monday, January 16, 2006
	Estela Long, Manager, Compensation & Classification/Records