HR

HR News Updates | December 2018

Click through each link below to learn about various resources and updates. We invite you to regularly visit the Human Resources webpage at http://www.csun.edu/hr for more information regarding other important updates.

December 2018 and Winter Break Schedule

The Fall 2018 Academic Semester Officially ends on Monday, December 24, 2018. The University will be closed Tuesday, December 25 through Tuesday, January 1, 2019 reopening on Wednesday January 2, 2019. Monday, December 31st is not a covered holiday; eligible employees may charge their accrued leave time such as vacation, Personal Holiday, or, when eligible, Compensatory Time Off. Employees may also elect to take leave without pay on this day. Other provisions may also apply for some of our union partners; please see the relevant collective bargaining agreement for further information.

University Holiday Calendar

 Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Christmas Day

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Lincoln's Birthday Observed

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Washington's Birthday Observed

Friday, December 28, 2018

Columbus Day Observed

Monday, December 31, 2018

Campus Closed (not a covered holiday)

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

New Year’s Day

Mailing Address & 2018 W-2 Forms | Verify and Update Your Address by December 17

W-2s will be issued in January by the State Controller's Office and mailed to the address on record in SOLAR HR as of close of business, Monday, December 17, 2018. If your mailing address has changed, please go online today and update your records through the myNorthridge portal. In the Human Resources/Employee pagelet, use the link labeled Update My Personal Information to change your address. You may also fill out a change of address form, in person, in the Office of Human Resources, University Hall, Room 165, by December 17, 2018.

December 31st Pay Day | Submit "Pay Warrant Pick-Up Request" Form by December 14

Important Update for December Pay Warrant Pick-Up –

Employees who do not participate in Direct Deposit and want to pick up their pay warrant during the campus closure are required to complete and submit the Pay Warrant Pick-Up Request form to University Cash Services - Bayramian Hall Room 100 (or Mail Drop 8214) by December 14, 2018. Employees who do not submit this form WILL NOT be able to pick up their pay warrant on December 31, 2018.

Pay warrants will be available to employees with a Request Form on file, between Noon and 2:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31st  at the front counter of University Cash Services in the lobby of Bayramian Hall. A CSUN photo ID will be required in order to release the pay warrant. December Pay warrants will be dated January 1, 2019.

Direct Deposit “Advices” for employees with Direct Deposit will be available on January 2, 2019 by regular department distribution, and will not be available for pick up on December 31st.

Obtaining a live pay warrant each month can be a time-consuming process. As a result, we encourage the use of direct deposit of your pay into a bank of your choice. To enroll in direct deposit, please go to: http://www.csun.edu/payroll/direct-deposit.

Life Matters Wellness Webinar: Turning the Table on Bad Habits | December 19

The LifeMattters' webinar for December (LIVE) is Wednesday, December 19th, 2018

Get ready for the New Year and New You!  This webinar features identifying negative habits, stages of change, and developing and maintaining positive habits.

You have two time choices to view the webinar: 9-10 a.m. or Noon-1 p.m., PST.  Visit: webinars:https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/8200239471323854594

Or,

• Go to www.mylifematters.com/my/webinars and follow the directions on that page. Please sign in with your company password.
• For live webinars, click on the link for the webinar you would like to attend and follow the registration instructions. You must register prior to the start of the webinar to attend.
• Transcripts for non-captioned, archived webinars are available upon request.

Reminders for Student Assistant Employment and Scheduling @ Breaks

Semester Breaks

When school is not in session due to semester breaks (outside of the academic semester), continuing Student Assistants may work up to a maximum of 40 hours per week, but may not be scheduled to work overtime. Overtime is defined as more than 40 hours per work week (work week is defined as Sunday through Saturday). A schedule may exceed 8 hours a day provided the total for the work week does not exceed 40 hours. The Controller's Office will not issue payments to Student Assistants in excess of 168 hours for a 21-day period, nor in excess of 176 hours for a 22-day period.  

Academic Semesters

During the Academic Semester (please see CSUN campus academic calendar), Student Assistants may work up to, but not in excess of, 20 hours per week total in all positions combined.  The end of the Fall semester, as indicated on the Academic Calendar, is Friday, December 22nd. The campus is closed from December 25th through January 1st.

Split Weeks

During the Academic Semester (please see CSUN campus academic calendar), Student Assistants may work up to, but not in excess of, 20 hours per week total in all positions combined.  The end of the Fall semester, as indicated on the Academic Calendar, is Monday, December 24th. The campus is closed from December 25th through January 1st.  The allowed hours for the week of 12/17/18 through 12/21/18 are 20.   If the campus is not closed on Monday, December 24th, the allowed hours of work for that day would be 4 hours.

Split Weeks

When the academic semester starts, or ends, in the middle of a work week it is a “split” week.

The first day of the Spring 2019 semester is Thursday, January 17th. The allowed hours for the week of 1/15/18 through 1/19/18 are:

  • Monday = 8 hours  
  • Tuesday = 8 hours 
  • Wednesday = 8 hours 
  • Thursday = 4 hours 
  • Friday = 4 hours
  • Total hours that can be worked in this “split” week scenario is 32 hours

CalPERS Annual Statement is now Available

You can view your Annual Member Statements by logging in to your MyCalPERS account.

https://www.calpers.ca.gov/page/active-members/retirement-benefits/service-credit/annual-member-statement

Healthcare Reimbursement Account (HCRA) and Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA) Claims

The CSU provides for the 2 ½-month grace period extension allowed by the U.S. Department of Treasury for flexible spending plans. As a result, current participants (as of December 2018) with balances in the Health Care Reimbursement Account Plan (HCRA) and/or the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account Plan (DCRA) as of December 31, 2018 will be allowed to utilize remaining 2018 balances toward reimbursement of eligible medical and/or dependent care expenses incurred from January 1, 2019 through March 15, 2019. Any balance remaining in either a 2018 HCRA or 2017 DCRA account after March 15, 2019 will be forfeited.

All HCRA/DCRA claims for services provided 1/1/2019 – 3/15/2019 will automatically be processed against a remaining 2018 balance if filed by June 30, 2019. If your claim exceeds the available funds from 2018, any excess will be automatically applied to your 2019 plan.

For more information, visit the ASI website at http://www.asiflex.com/.

Compliance Training Reminder

We are pleased to announce that on January 29, 2019, our University will update the Skillport Learning Portal and move to a new streamlined Learning Portal. The new Learning Portal is a more contemporary site with intuitive navigation, and access to more than 75,000 online courses, books, videos, in-person activities and required compliance training.   We think you’ll really like the updated interface and advanced capabilities. 

Here are four key things that you need to know: 

  • Complete any required training in Skillport by December 31, 2018.
  • All registrations and activities completed before December 31 will be carried over to the new Learning Management System. Compliance training in progress but not completed by December 31st will be reset to the new training course and will have to start from the beginning.
  • Skillport and CSU Learn will not be available January 1 to January 28.
  • On January 29, you’ll get a link to CSU Learn along with quick-start guides and training.  

For questions or issues with accessing compliance training, please contact Heather Kennedy in Human Resources at 818-677-5168.

Academic Personnel Hiring & Processing for Spring 2019

The following information is provided for staff members responsible for transacting the hiring and processing of academic personnel.

Spring 2019 Academic Personnel Hiring and Processing

The Spring 2019 Academic Personnel Hiring Memo is available here. Following are some highlights:

  • The Part Time Faculty module is updated and ready for Spring 2019 hiring as of Monday, December 3, 2018. Dates are:
    1. Lecturers (2358) and Teaching Associates (2354)- Start 01/17/2019 and End 05/24/2019
    2. Graduate Assistants (2355) – Start 01/31/2019 and End 06/30/2019
  • Part Time Faculty, Teaching Associate and Graduate Assistant Module entry deadlines:
    1. Keying: Thursday, 01/31/2019
    2. Approval: Friday, 02/01/2019
  • New Employee Sign-ins:
    1. No later than the effective date of the appointment
    2. Example: Lecturers who start effective 01/17/2019 must have signed in by that date
    3. Sign-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

2019 Health Plan Rates

The 2019 Health Plan Rates are available on the Benefits Administration webpage. Please remember to check your January pay warrant for your premium deduction and report any discrepancies to your Benefits Representative. If you made any changes during the Fall 2018 Open Enrollment Period your new plan(s) and premium should be reflected on your January 2018 pay warrant. In addition, you should receive written confirmation from your health plan and identification cards (as applicable) are expected to be mailed out in mid-December. Watch out for these in your home mailbox.

As a reminder, you can view your benefit elections under the Benefits Summary and the Dependent and Beneficiary Coverage Summary in the portal. If you submitted forms to make changes as part of Open Enrollment, change the date to 1/1/2019 and select Go.

2019 Information for 403(b), 401(k), and 457(b) Retirement Plans

Is it time for a Financial Wellness Check-up? The CSU offers you additional ways to save for your future. 

For the 2019 tax year, the contribution limits are increasing from $18,500 to $19,000 to a 403(b) or 401(k) plan, subject to the 415(c) limit, AND $19,000 to a governmental 457(b) plan, for a total contribution of up to $38,000.

To view additional information on our Retirement and Savings Programs, please view the Savings Plus Program page for information on the 401(k) and 457 plan, or the Tax Shelter Annuity Program page for information on the 403(b) plan.

Reminder: California Minimum Wage Increases to $12.00 | January 1

Effective January, 1, 2019, the California Minimum Wage will be increased to $12.00.  All employees below the new minimum will be raised to $12.00 and these changes will be applied by Human Resources. No additional data entry or action by the department is required.

Join Us in the Movement to Raise Awareness and Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

Did you know that if you're part of a CalPERS health plan you have access to a Diabetes Prevention Program at no additional cost to you?

Follow your health plan’s link below to take the screener today to determine if you are at risk.  If you or your adult family member(s) meet the risk criteria for type 2 Diabetes, you will be invited to apply for a Diabetes Prevention Program offered at no charge to you as part of your CalPERS health plan benefits. 

Anthem Blue Cross 

Kaiser Permanente 

Blue Shield 

PERS Select/Choice/Care

Health Net 

UnitedHealthCare

New Dedicated CSU Customer Service Phone Numbers for Dental Plans

In an effort to enhance your experience when contacting either Delta Dental or DeltaCare USA, new CSU dedicated phone numbers are now available.

Delta Dental – (800)-626-3108
Delta Care USA – (844)-519-8751