Announcements - Please call The Office of Human Resources at (202) 319-5050 for additional information   The Office of Human Resources Summer Hours Effective June 19th, the Office of Human Resources is open for service as follows: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday, 9:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. HR will resume regular office hours on Monday, August 18 along with the rest of the university. Please contact HR at 202-319-5050 with any questions.   Take the HR Customer Service Survey - New! The Office of Human Resources would like to invite all CUA faculty and staff members to complete our 2008 Human Resources Customer Service Survey. This survey is administered through Astron Solutions (an external consulting firm based in New York City) and all responses will remain anonymous. Please click on the following link to provide your honest feedback on how your Human Resources department serves you: http://www.easyeval.com/cua/index.asp Please be sure to complete your questionnaire by Friday, June 27, 2008. We thank you in advance for your participation!   CUA's SmartBenefits Limit has Increased - New! CUA is excited to announce that the SmartBenefits cap has been increased to up to $115 per month. To begin using this benefit, or to change your current smartbenefit deduction amount, please complete and submit the revised SmartBenefits Salary Reduction Authorization form to the Office of Human Resources. In order to receive your benefit next month, please ensure that your form is received by HR by the 14th of this month. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at 202-319-5050 with any questions.        Annual Vacation Leave Management for Exempt Employees As you are aware, CUA’s vacation leave policy states that exempt (salaried) status employees may carry over a maximum of seven days to the next fiscal year. This year, exempt status employees may carry over all unused vacation leave time from FY 2008 to the new fiscal year starting May 1, 2008. Please keep in mind that all vacation leave must continue to be approved by the employee’s supervisor, and all carry over vacation leave hours (greater than the 7 days of carry over defined in the vacation leave policy) must be used by August 31, 2008. Any exempt employee who wishes to carry over their unused vacation days in excess of seven should complete the Vacation Leave Carry Over Request form. All forms must be completed, approved, and received in the Office of Human Resources by Friday, May 2, 2008. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at 202-319-5050 with any questions.       This Week at CUA Tuition Assistance Announcement Please note that the summary of changes to the tuition assistance policy last week incorrectly noted that an employee may not receive tuition assistance for more than 2 courses per year. The Tuition Assistance policy states that eligible employees may receive full tuition assistance for four courses per year; however an employee may not receive tuition assistance for more than 2 courses per semester. For additional information on the university's Tuition Assistance benefit, please visit the University Policies website at http://policies.cua.edu/employment/tuition.cfm.   Employee Data Form, Part I and Part II Revisions The Employee Data Form, Part I, and Part II forms have been revised. Please submit the updated forms for all actions moving forward. The revised versions of these forms are available on the Forms and Applications page of the Human Resources website. You may also click on the following links to access the updated EDF, Part I, or Part II.       A Reminder…  Life Insurance Benefit Enhancement for 2008 Along with the “New Year” comes the newly enhanced term life insurance benefit for eligible CUA employees.  The 2007 benefit offered a maximum of $50,000 term life coverage—paid for by CUA.  As of January 2008, the term life insurance benefit will continue to match each employee’s annual salary even if the salary amount is greater than $50,000.  As before, this benefit will be paid for by CUA.  In accordance with IRS tax code 79, eligible employees who earn more than $50,000 and have term life insurance matching their annual salaries, will see that the additional term life insurance premium value (above $50,000) will be added to their gross wages as imputed income.  The value of the imputed income is subject to regular income tax withholding rules.   Tuition Assistance Application Deadline for Spouses and Dependent Children Applications for tuition assistance for an employee's spouse or dependent child who will be attending the university full time as an undergraduate for the first time as either an entering freshman or as a transfer student are due February 15 immediately preceding the fall semester of intended enrollment. (Example: If a dependent child or spouse wishes to attend CUA commencing fall semester 2008, the application for tuition assistance must be received by the Human Resources Office by Feb. 15th 2008.) More information on the Tuition Assistance benefit for an employee's spouse or dependent child is available on the University Policies website. You may also click here to view the Tuition Assistance application form that is available on the Forms and Applications page of the Human Resources website.    TIAA-CREF Counseling Sessions - Winter/Spring 2008  A representative from TIAA-CREF will be on the CUA campus to provide one-on-one counseling sessions for employees on:   Tuesday, May 13 - Pryzbyla Center, room 203 Wednesday, May 14 - Pryzbyla Center, room 203 While the sessions are free, an appointment is required. Please visit www.tiaa-cref.org/moc to schedule your appointment online or call (202) 637-0090. All sessions will take place in the first floor conference room in Leahy Hall from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions regarding the counseling session, or would like more information about your CUA retirement benefits, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (202) 319-5050.     Exciting Changes to the University Calendar Father O'Connell has awarded 2 additional paid holidays to all regular CUA staff members for the 2007-2008 Academic year. Please click on the updated Holiday List to view these changes!     2008 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide Open enrollment for 2008 Benefits takes place from Wednesday, October 17, 2007 to Friday, November 16, 2007. Please review the 2008 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide for information on the Medical, Dental, and Vision Plan options that are available, as well as information on Flexible Spending Accounts, Frequently Asked Questions, and other details that may be helpful during the Open Enrollment period and the plan year. The Benefits Page will be updated with additional details on 2008 Benefits and Open Enrollment information frequently. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at 202-319-5050 with any questions.       Open Enrollment for 2008 Benefits Open enrollment for 2008 Benefits begins on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 and continues through Friday, November 16, 2007. Please stop by the Open Enrollment Open House in the Great Room of the Pryz from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17. You can also click here for information on the Highlights of 2007 Benefit Improvements and the Good News about 2008 Benefits Costs and Upgrades. Additional details regarding the 2008 Benefit Plan Open Enrollment are coming soon!     Tuition Exchange Application Deadline  Applications for participation in the Tuition Exchange Program for the 2008-2009 academic year are being accepted. Completed applications for Fall 2008 must be received in the CUA Office of Human Resources no later than Monday, October 22, 2007. All current Tuition Exchange participants must reapply for the program by the established deadline each year. For more information on the Tuition Exchange Program, please Click here, or contact the Office of Human Resources at (202) 319-5050.    Employee Data Form The Employee Data Form has been revised. The new EDF requests the use of Employee ID number for all current employees instead of their Social Security Number. Please note that a Social Security Number will still be needed on the initial EDF for newly hired staff members. Please submit the updated form for all actions moving forward. The revised EDF is available on the Forms and Applications page of the Human Resources website. Click Here to access the updated form.   Paid Holiday Schedule for the 2007-2008 Academic Year This year, Father O'Connell has granted 19 paid holidays to all regular CUA staff members. To view the complete list of paid holidays, click here. Staff members who work under collective bargaining agreements or other contracts will conform to the provisions of their contracts with respect to paid holidays. The University may require some staff employees to work on holidays. Staff employees required to work on holidays will be notified by their supervisors. Individual holiday reminders will not be sent out, so please refer to this holiday list throughout the year. Please note that this staff holiday schedule differs from the academic holiday schedule and does not apply to CUA faculty. Faculty employees may refer to the academic calendar to determine their holiday and holy day schedule.   Make Smart Health Care Decisions with help from Care24  Dealing with health concerns can be time-consuming and complex. And with so many choices, it can be hard to know where to look for trusted health information and support. Click here for more information about the services that Care24 has to offer!   CUA Employee Wellness Day The Office of Human Resources invites you to CUA Employee Wellness Day from 11:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 26, 2007 in the Pryzbyla Center - Great Room A. Talk face-to-face with representatives from United Healthcare, Spectera Vision, United Behavioral Health/Life Era, and Delta Dental. Click here for more information on the opportunities available at this event.   United Health Care Establishes Additional Resources for Plan Participants CUA employees who are participants in the United HealthCare HMO or PPO insurance plans now have two additional resources available to help resolve transition or implementation problems, to get help with claims or service concerns or to get answers to other health plan questions. Click Here for more information on UHC's Dedicated Customer Service Telephone Line, and One-on-one Meetings.     Update on 2007 Health Insurance ID Cards Effective January 1, 2007, United Health Care became the health insurance carrier for the CUA employee health plans. Some employees have received their United Health Care (UHC) identification cards, but we are aware that some employees have not received cards yet. If you have not already received your card, you can expect to receive it soon. If you need to access medical, prescription drug, or dental benefits prior to receiving your ID cards, or if you enrolled in an HMO plan and your ID card does not indicate a Primary Care Physician, Click Here to review processes recommended by UHC and Delta Dental.   Do You Need Information about Your Health Insurance or Flexible Spending Account? Log on to http://www.myuhc.com/ for information regarding your medical and prescription insurance plans and your flexible spending accounts. Upon logging in to your account, you will be able to print temporary ID cards, check on claims, download Claim Forms, and also view detailed information particular to your plan. The MyUHC.com website is a valuable source of information about numerous health topics, including a health assessment and improvement tools. If you would find it useful, you can even maintain your personal Health Records in a password protected area on myuhc.com! The UHC, and Health Care Flexible Spending Account Claim forms are also available on the 2007 Benefits Forms page.   New Changes to MetroChek  Catholic University Employees who receive the Metrochek transit benefit and use their Metrochek cards either as Metrorail fare cards, or exchange them for Metrobus tokens, can now participate in a new program that is being offered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): SmartBenefits. SmartBenefits is the "digital" way to receive your Metrochek transit benefit. Instead of receiving paper Metrochek cards, the dollar value of your Metrochek benefit is electronically downloaded onto your WMATA registered SmarTrip card account on the first business day of the month. Click Here for additional information on this exciting new program!   Alexandria DASH Fleet Now Equipped with SmarTrip Fareboxes On February 5,2007, Alexandria Transit Company announced that all DASH buses are equipped with new SmarTrip fareboxes and are fully operational. The new farebox will also recognize when a customer is transferring from Metrobus or Metrorail on to a DASH bus, so it will credit the customer with the proper discount for the transfer.   2007 Benefits Information  Click Here to read the Good News about 2007 Benefits memo! Additional information regarding your 2007 Benefits options has been posted to the Benefits section of the HR website. Please take a moment to review the updated information and note where changes have occurred. If you have any questions regarding your 2007 benefits, please contact the Office of Human Resources at x5050.   Paid Holiday Schedule for the 2006-2007 Academic Year This year, Father O'Connell has granted 20 paid holidays to all regular CUA staff members. To view the complete list of paid holidays, click here. Staff members who work under collective bargaining agreements or other contracts will conform to the provisions of their contracts with respect to paid holidays. The University may require some staff employees to work on holidays. Staff employees required to work on holidays will be notified by their supervisors. Individual holiday reminders will not be sent out, so please refer to this holiday list throughout the year. Please note that this staff holiday schedule differs from the academic holiday schedule and does not apply to CUA faculty. Faculty employees may refer to the academic calendar to determine their holiday and holy day schedule.   Employee Assistance Program LifeEra, the provider of your Employee Assistance Program benefits, has merged resources and operations with their sister company, United Behavioral Health, and will go forward under the name United Behavioral Health.  While the name has changed, your current Employee Assistance Program benefits are still the same. You will continue to access Employee Assistance Program benefits through the same toll-free number 877-747-7126 or 1-800-689-5696 (for TTY). The www.liveandworkwell.com access code, 12549, will remain the same. You will continue to receive the same high-quality service that you have come to expect from the LifeEra Employee Assistance Program benefits. Remember, as with all services, employee use is completely confidential.

Services offered through the Employee Assistance Program cover a wide range of issues that impact every stage of peoples' lives. Specifically, United Behavioral Health can help by providing assistance, consultation, information and referrals regarding: ·         Housing options for an aging parent ·         Financial planning to eliminate credit card debt ·         Advice for relationship problems ·         Counseling for depression ·         Pet sitting resources for the business traveler ·         Legal advice for an illegal eviction ·         Coaching to resolve workplace conflicts ·         Education resources for expanding job skills ·         Locating an available childcare center near your home ·         And so much more! Please view the following articles for more information on Recovering from a Crisis Situation, Self-Care and Self-Help following Disasters, and the Emotional Effects of Violence Other helpful hints on managing your finances and making and keeping your New Year's resolutions are also available. To view and/or print out the information please click on the following links: Making New Year's Resolutions That Last Managing Your Finances   I-9 Form Please be advised that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) has issued a new I-9/employment eligibility verification form, which replaced the old I-9 form on January 1, 2006. All persons on campus who are authorized to fill out I-9 forms for new CUA employees must use the new I-9 form effective immediately. The new Form I-9 can be downloaded from the following web address: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf and is also available in the Forms section of the HR website at http://humanresources.cua.edu/forms. Please note that the process for documenting an employee's eligibility for work in the U.S. has not changed. The only difference you will notice in the I-9 form itself is that the name of bureau (formerly INS - Immigration and Naturalization Services) has been changed to USCIS - United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Further, the new form reflects that USCIS is now under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security. As a reminder, all new employees must complete an I-9 form by their third day of work. New employees who are non-U.S. citizens must fill out an I-9 form in one of the following offices: Human Resources, International Student and Scholar Services, or the Provost. If you have any questions regarding the employment eligibility verification process or the new I-9 form, please feel free to contact the Office of Human Resources at x5050.   Message From Father O'Connell As we get ready to begin a new school year, I ask all the employees of the university - administrators, faculty and staff - to commit themselves to providing the kind of work environment where our fellow employees can strive for professional excellence while pursuing CUA’s Catholic mission and core values.  Consistent with those core values, all members of the university community are to conduct all interactions within and on behalf of the university with the highest degree of integrity and conformity to those ethical standards that derive from our Catholic identity and mission.  In the event that you become aware of actions inconsistent with such standards, I am providing you with information on how to report the conduct. Discuss your concerns first with your supervisor or manager whenever possible.  If that is not possible or if you are unable to resolve your concern in that manner, please contact the following managers who are responsible for receiving and addressing concerns reported by members of the CUA community:     Employee/Supervisor Disputes Human Resources Lisa Koker 202-319-4173 Discrimination or Sexual Harassment Equal Opportunity Office TBA Contact the Office of General Counsel 202-319-5142 Fraud or Other Financial Misconduct Internal Audit Robert Njoroge 202-319-6731 -or- 202-319-4500 (Anonymous Hotline) I look forward to working with you to make this a successful year.   CUA Code of Conduct University auditors have indicated that CUA should develop and distribute to all employees a Code of Conduct Statement for the University Community. The president has responded to this directive by asking that the Office of Human Resources create such a statement for CUA. The University's Code of Conduct Statement delineates these expectations in greater detail. By collectively complying with this Statement, we can ensure that CUA remains committed to meeting the highest ethical standards when conducting its operations. It is our individual responsibility to protect the University's reputation and safeguard its precious resources. Accordingly, it is important that CUA's core values be consistently demonstrated and carefully maintained by all of us. To read the entire Code of Conduct Statement, please click here. Attention California Residents The Knox-Keene Heath Care Service Act of 1975 has been amended to require that prospective enrollees, who are residents of California, be given access to the evidence of coverage before making a dental plan choice. To assist you in making your decision and to satisfy this legislative requirement, the Office of Human Resources has obtained copies of the CIGNA Dental Health of California plan booklet. If you would like to receive a copy of this booklet, or have any questions or concerns regarding your benefits, please contact the Office of Human Resources, 170 Leahy Hall, (202) 319-5050.   Military Leave Policy In response to President Bush's call to activate the nation's armed forces, the University has reviewed its Military Leave Policy, updating and revising it as necessary. To view the updated policy, click here. Please note that the policy presented here supersedes any previous policies regarding this matter. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Office of Human Resources by email (humanresources@cua.edu) or by phone at (202) 319-5050.