As the University prepares to transition to the UAccess Employee system for human resources administration, important changes are being made to several existing policies and practices that will affect employees. This message includes a listing of seven of the human resources and payroll related changes, with links to more detailed information available on the Human Resources website.
The first two of these changes affect every employee; the other five changes affect benefits eligible employees. Please share this information with all regular, adjunct, part-time and temporary faculty, non-faculty appointed personnel, classified staff and students who receive a University of Arizona paycheck.
| CHANGES AFFECTING ALL EMPLOYEES
CHANGES AFFECTING BENEFITS ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES
|
Changes Affecting All Employees
Discontinuing Centrally Printed Paycheck Advices for Direct Deposit Paychecks
Beginning with the October 9, 2009 paycheck, employees using direct deposit for their paychecks will receive their paycheck information using the new UAccess Employee Self Service. In alignment with the campus sustainability initiative, paper deposit advices will no longer be printed or distributed. The new electronic advices will include many enhanced features, such as reporting all employer contributions to voluntary and mandatory benefits. Employees may print paycheck advices at any time, and will be able to refer to paycheck history beginning with the October 9, 2009 paycheck using Employee Self-Service in the UAccess Employee system.
Employees using direct deposit will receive an email each payday reminding them to check UAccess Employee to review the most recent paycheck advice online.
Signing up for direct deposit is fast and simple.
- Login to UAccess Employee with your UA NetID and password
- Select “Self Service”
- Select “Payroll and Compensation”
- Select "Direct Deposit" and add, change, or delete an account.
You will need your financial institution account number and routing number
New Standard for Including Business Contact Information in the Online Phonebook
To better communicate with all employees regarding official University business, employee contact information will be included in the online Phonebook, including name, campus phone, campus address, and official university email address. Once Employee Self Service is activated in UAccess Employee, there will be no option to publish personal contact information in the online Phonebook, such as a home address.
Employees with documented personal security concerns may
request that their information be suppressed from publication.
Similar changes are planned for next fall's printing of the 2010-2011 Student/Faculty/Staff Directory.
Changes Affecting Benefits Eligible Employees
Excess Vacation Hours Will Be Carried Forward/Forfeited on a Common Date
Arizona Board of Regents Policy 6-803, Annual Leave, defines that earned and unused vacation hours may be accumulated and carried forward from one year to the next not exceeding one and one-half times the maximum number of hours which an employee may earn in a given year.
Current University of Arizona policy and practice is to adjust an employee’s excess vacation balance on his/her anniversary date. The new policy and practice will be to forfeit excess vacation hours on the paycheck for the pay period that includes January 1, beginning January of 2011. No excess vacation will be forfeited through the payroll system between October 1, 2009 and January 2011. There is no change to the number of vacation hours an employee is eligible to earn.
Employees and supervisors are encouraged to discuss the impact to the work unit of this temporarily unrestricted growth in vacation hour balances, and practical plans for using paid vacation time through this transition period.
Access to Accrued Paid Vacation and Sick Hours for Classified Staff during Initial Six-Month Probationary Period
Current University of Arizona policies restrict the use of earned vacation and sick time for benefits eligible Classified Staff during the initial six-month probationary period. Furthermore, policy requires the University recover from the final paycheck the dollar value of paid leave time if the employee does not successfully complete the initial probationary period.
Beginning October 1, 2009, these restrictions will be eliminated, and any benefits eligible Classified Staff employee may use earned paid vacation and sick time in accordance with the employing unit’s practices regarding the scheduling and using paid leave time. If the employee separates from employment before the end of the initial 6-month probationary period, 1) the university will not recover the dollar value of used paid leave time, and 2) earned and unused vacation hours will be paid out in the final paycheck.
This new policy is effective October 1, 2009, and is applicable to any Classified Staff employee hired on or after March 1, 2009.
Vacation Hours for Professionals and Administrators on an Academic Year Appointment
In accordance with Arizona Board of Regents and University of Arizona policies, non-faculty appointed academic professional personnel employed under the conditions of professional or administrative service on an academic year (9-month) basis earn vacation hours prorated for the contract period and the FTE. In the past, recordkeeping of the vacation hours earned and used has been inconsistent.
Calculations of the maximum allowed individual vacation hour balances have been shared with the employing College Dean’s office, and these balances will be entered into the UAccess Employee system prior to the system implementation.
Beginning with the first pay period using the UAccess Employee system September 21, 2009, academic professional and administrative personnel will earn vacation automatically; vacation balances will appear on the employee’s paycheck advice and self-service records.
Effective Dates for the Start and End of Voluntary Group Insurance Benefits
To better compete in the market as an employer of choice, and to align our benefit offerings with Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) practices, The University of Arizona is changing the dates that voluntary benefit coverage will begin and end.
In the past, benefit coverage has begun on the first day of the month following Human Resources’ receipt of the newly eligible/newly hired employee’s completed online enrollment. When an employee lost eligibility before the fifteenth day of the month, benefits coverage ended on the fifteenth; when an employee lost eligibility between the sixteenth and last day of the month, coverage ended on the last day of the month.
Effective with pay period starting September 21, 2009, benefit coverage begin and end dates will be associated with pay periods. A newly enrolled employee’s benefits are effective the first day of the pay period following Human Resources’ receipt of the newly eligible/newly hired employee’s completed online enrollment.
When an employee loses eligibility, benefits coverage will end on the last day of the pay period that includes the employment termination effective date. Eligibility for continuation of medical, dental and vision benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986, as amended, begins on the day after the active employee coverage ends. ADOA’s COBRA administration unit will pro-rate the premium (including administrative costs) for the remaining days of that month, and begin charging full monthly premiums (including administrative costs) effective the first day of the month after active employee coverage ended.
The University of Arizona processes payroll biweekly, resulting in 26 paychecks per year. Voluntary benefit premiums are deducted from the first two pay periods in each month, or 24 times per year. The remaining two paychecks, commonly referred to as the ‘third paycheck of a month’, exclude voluntary benefit premium deductions. This practice will remain unchanged.
Newly Eligible Employees who May Participate in the Optional Retirement Plan
Newly hired/newly eligible appointed personnel (including faculty) who are required to participate in a state of Arizona retirement may choose between the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). ORP-eligible employees have 30 days from the date they first become eligible for the ORP to make an irrevocable retirement plan election. If a retirement plan election is not made within the 30-day election period, retirement plan participation defaults
permanently and
irrevocably to the ASRS.
In the past, a newly hired/newly ORP-eligible individual’s participation in a retirement plan defaulted to the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) from the date of initial ORP eligibility. If the individual then elected to participate within the first 30 days, Human Resources and the Financial Services Office collaborated to calculate and process reversals of defaulted ASRS/long term disability contributions, and generate corrected ORP contributions retroactively to the date of retirement plan eligibility.
If a retirement-participating Classified Staff employee is promoted to an ORP-eligible position, his/her ASRS contributions continue unless the employee elects to participate in the ORP within the 30-day election period. In this case, the ORP contributions begin with the next pay period after the election has been received.
Effective with pay period starting September 21, 2009, a newly hired/newly ORP- eligible individual will not contribute until his/her election has been received by Human Resources. If an ORP election is not received within the 30-day election period, the individual’s participation in a retirement plan will default
permanently and
irrevocably to the ASRS.
All retirement plan contributions will be effective retroactively to the initial date of ORP- eligibility, which will also be the date for calculation of credited service or vesting. Therefore, the sooner the employee’s election is received by Human Resources, the smaller any retroactive paycheck adjustments will be.
