As we approach Open Enrollment season in October, we invite you to join us for a special webinar for GW employees. Hosted by UnitedHealthcare, How to Pick a Medical Plan, is a webinar that will help you prepare and learn about your medical plan options, Join us on August 31 at 3 p.m. ET.
This webinar focuses on the unique aspects of GW’s two medical plans – the Health Savings Plan and PPO plan. During Open Enrollment you will have the ability to review your benefit options, and make any necessary changes for 2022. During this time you will be able to add or remove eligible dependents. Most changes will go into effect on January 1, 2022.
Spoiler Alert – Open Enrollment will run October 11 – 29, 2021! Mark your calendar and keep an eye out for more details next month!
Caregiving looks different for each family; and, while caretaking is rewarding, it can be stressful when multiple demands require your support and attention. We recognize that the unique demands and needs of your loved ones have been amplified the past 17 months, and we are excited to enhance our Family Care benefit to now include:
Increased access to in-center back-up care at a subsidized rate through both Bright Horizons and KinderCare centers.
In-home back-up care at a subsidized rate through Bright Horizons.
Access to elder care support. A dedicated Care coach can guide you and your loved ones through the process of creating a personalized care plan for an adult/elder relative and help you access resources to directly support their needs.
Free premium membership to Sitter City, a platform that gives you the opportunity to post child/adult/elder care needs, and search for nannies, babysitters, adult care providers and dog sitters.
Please visit the HRMD website to review FAQS and registration instructions.
The Proud to be GW Festival will take place on September 22nd (Foggy Bottom) and 23rd (Virginia Science and Technology Campus). Join your colleagues and stop by to hear opening remarks from President LeBlanc and enjoy music, lawn games, and food with colleagues from across the university. Be sure to visit the GWell table where we will have giveaways, raffles and information on Talkspace through the GW Employee Assistance Program (EAP), as well as recently enhanced Family Care benefits.
Additionally, all festival attendees will have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes [LJ1] by participating in special raffles*. These prizes will include:
Find doctors, hospitals, medical services and prescriptions. Compare them by cost and quality.
Review your healthcare expenses.
Learn where you are in your deductible phase and how much you paid and why, so you can plan for the year ahead. You can also easily see your current balances for your Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA).
Castlight is sponsoring a registration campaign to get you signed up for Castlight! Register for Castlight this month and you will have a chance to win a $250 Visa Gift Card.*
*Taxes based on total gift card amount apply and will be deducted from your GW paycheck.
Most Americans are undergoing a period of change in the coming months. Onsite employees who never left the office during the pandemic are adjusting to the idea of increased people in the workplace. Other colleagues may be feeling uncertain about transitioning back to a commuting schedule.
This month, Headspace offers a helpful article on why you may be feeling certain emotions during this period of change and steps to mitigate some of the extreme physiological responses you may be experiencing. Here are some highlights from the article:
Anxiety arises in the mind as a reaction to stress; usually triggered by a certain fear or the way we interpret stress, and it’s often oriented in the future. So when we encounter uncertainty — such as making the transition back to work after a pandemic — it’s normal to feel anxious as we try to make sense of a shifting landscape.
By bringing awareness to our current behaviors and noticing more about how various types of triggers affect our feelings of anxiety, we can make changes in the behaviors that fuel that anxiety cycle.
Mindfulness meditations help with attention training — bringing our attention to the present moment, and training the mind to be calm and engaged with each task at hand, without being easily distracted. Meditation activates an area in our brain called the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-level skills like critical thinking, decision making, planning and focus.
Headspace offers meditations, but other mindfulness activities such as guided meditation walking, sleepcasts to help you fall asleep to stories and calming sounds, as well as children-focused meditations.
Summertime means the kids are home from school and hearing “I’m bored!” may be a common occurrence. Be inspired with some online resources and inspiration to help foster their interests and keep them engaged!
1.) Wide Open School
Need to add a little structure to the summer day? The free daily schedule tool from Wide Open School takes the guesswork out of planning. You can also tap into their library of lessons, activities and ideas for kids of all ages. Looking for more free learning tools? Try one of these:
Choose from a variety of interactive lessons in STEM, music and literacy at Camp Wonderopolis, an online learning destination that plays into children’s natural intrigue and curiosity.
Explore games and activities in a range of topics with this science website for kids from the American Museum of Natural History.
It’s never too early to learn a language. Duolingo for Kids and Gus on the Go use storytelling and games to make it fun.
2.) Trade Screen Time for Listening Time
Your kids might be getting way more screen time than they did before, and that’s okay. Things are different, so your rules can be different, too.
However, if you want to switch things up, it’s easy to work in some screen-free storytelling. If you don’t already have some in rotation, try out a new podcast, like these kid-approved options from National Public Radio. Check to make sure the length and the subject matter is appropriate for the right age group, and you’re good to go.
3.) Create a Teen Bucket List
In between the late morning wake-ups and discussions over laundry, find time for a summer bucket list. Teens can offer thoughts and ideas to make a well-rounded list for the family. Don’t let summer sneak away without a few intentional activities, outings and moments that will fill your memory bank:
Mental Health America is working this month to shed light on the multitude of mental health experiences within BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities and others that face disproportionate inequities due to systemic barriers and historical adversity.
Mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background. However, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment more difficult.
GW’s EAP is designed to support you and your family as you navigate work and life, including mental health needs. Headspace offers meditations on stress, anxiety and conflict. Visit the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement to say up-to-date on programs and educational opportunities.
Did you know Pride Month honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan? This event was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBTQ people have had in the world. GW’s EAP, The Wellbeing Hotline, created and shared special resources for you and your family:
GW’s EAP offers 24/7 confidential support for life’s experiences, challenges and needs. GW employees and household family members receive 5 counseling sessions per issue at no cost. Counselors with LGBQT+ experience are available to support you and your family.
Men’s Health month is recognized in June to raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment among men and boys. The pandemic delayed regular check-ups and well visits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,[LJ1] 14.9%* of men aged 18 and over are in fair or poor health. Proper screenings and care can greatly reduce the impact of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
Preventative care helps catch warning signs early. Stay on target with your care by creating a customized checklist on the UnitedHealthcare website. Enter your age and gender, then receive a customized list of screenings that you should undertake regularly. It’s easier to treat and manage disease when it’s caught in its earlier stages.
From May 17 – 21, we invite you to join Benefits and our benefits’ partners for a week of lunch-n-learn seminars to reflect on your goals and evaluate your financial well-being.
New! 529 Partnership and Program
Benefits has partnered with 529 representatives from DC, VA, and MD to bring employees a special webinar on 529 college savings plans. The webinar is an informational session that will explain the benefits of 529 plans for higher education, private K – 12 education, and student loan reimbursement.
Already participating in a 529 Plan? We encourage you to join and learn about benefits you may be missing out on that can help you get the most from your plan.
Skin Cancer Awareness is another important health campaign recognized in May that highlights the how simple daily steps can help prevent skin cancer. With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is America’s most common cancer1. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer.
About 90 percent1 of non-melanoma skin cancers and 85 percent of melanoma cases are associated with exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. We encourage you to be proactive with your skin care protection and review these blogs, tips, and videos:
Visit your dermatologist annually. GW medical plan participants do not need a referral to see a dermatologist. When visiting a GW MFA dermatologist, GW PPO participants have a $25 co-pay and GW HSP participants have a 10% co-insurance after meeting your deductible.
Read the recent Skin Cancer Awareness blog post from GW MFA Dermatologist, Vishal Patel, MD, Director of the Cutaneous Oncology Program at GW Cancer Center.
Protect your skin by using broad-spectrum sunscreen and using a hat from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Learn what to look for when doing an at-home skin exam.
1, Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics.www.skincancer.org. January 13, 2021.
The financial impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt worldwide, particularly in individuals’ savings and retirement accounts. As highlighted in a recent TIAA survey, it is important to build financial resiliency in times of crisis. The survey provides important insights to help each of us improve our overall financial well-being and stay focused on our future retirement security.
The Well-Being Hotline, GW’s Employee Assistance Program, offer financial assistance to GW employees and their household members. The service offers a free 30-minute financial consultation for each financial situation for which you seek assistance. The Financial Services department can help you set a budget, review your long term financial goals, offers strategies to improve your credit and more.
You can also schedule a virtual retirement counseling appointment with TIAA or Fidelity. Retirement plan participants can book remote appointments by calling their preferred provider or using the online booking systems:
Fidelity Investments – Make an appointment online or call 800-642-7131
TIAA – Make an appointment online or call 866-843-5640
Each April, National Infertility Awareness Week is recognized to raise voices of those experiencing infertility, talk about the issues facing this community and show support to those in need.
Fertility Benefits on the GW PPO Medical Plan
GW employees covered on the GW PPO medical plan are eligible for in-network fertility benefits. The benefit has a $30,000 lifetime maximum, which means this is the total amount that the plan will pay out in benefits. This maximum does not include the amount paid by you in copayments and/or coinsurance. Eligibility age restrictions do apply.
Participants are not required to meet the medical definition of infertility. In addition, the plan offers:
Fertility preservation (Medically Necessary and Non-Medically Necessary)
Embryo Biopsy for PGT-A (formally known as PGS) – Fertility coverage includes the embryo biopsy only.
*Donor Coverage
Donor eggs – Cost for fertilization (in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection), embryo culture, and embryo transfer.
* Donor (Eggs or Sperm) – the plan will not pay for donor charges associated with compensation or administrative services. The cost of donor eggs, including medical cost related to donor stimulation and egg retrieval is excluded for non-covered members. Additionally, the cost of procurement and storage of donor sperm is excluded for non-covered members.
Prescription Benefitwith the GW PPO Fertility Benefit
The oral medications, including but not limited to those listed on the fertility overview document, used in the treatment of infertility are covered under your pharmacy benefit (if received at a pharmacy) up to a lifetime maximum of $8,000, which means this is the amount that the plan will pay out in benefits. This does not include the amount you pay in copayments.
Employees enrolled in the GW Health Savings Plan are able to elect and contribute to an HSA, a tax-advantage health care savings tool. Your HSA funds can be used to help you pay for current eligible health care costs and help you save for future medical expenses. There are unique benefits of an HSA, including the fact that your money stays with you even if you switch employers, change health plans or retire.
Once you reach a minimum balance of $1,000, you can open an investment account and invest your funds over $1,000. More good news – the contributions, earnings and qualified withdrawals to these investment accounts are tax-free. Watch a short video with information on how to get started with your investments. If you have questions, PayFlex can assist you at payflex.com or 1–844–729–3539 (TTY: 711), Monday – Friday 7a.m. -7p.m. CT, and Saturday 9a.m. – 2p.m. CT.
Stress Awareness Month is an international campaign in April with a mission to raise the importance of habits, behaviors, and strategies to reduce the impacts of stress. There’s never been a more important time for us to reflect on how stress may be impacting our lives.
In this section, we round up expert advice, including those in the GW community, to inspire us to reflect on our health and well-being.
Rituals Are Key
Dr. Lieberman, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Psychiatry Clinical Director at the GW Medical Faculty Associates, says sticking to familiar routines and rituals is important during times of stress and change, such as:
Waking up and go to sleep at the same time
Developing a morning routine
Setting time aside each day to communicate
Getting outside and move
Even with health rituals, it doesn’t guarantee one won’t struggle with challenges. Pay attention to symptoms that may arise, such as when:
You have mental health conditions that were previously under control, but you are experiencing symptoms again.
You seem more anxious about a situation than others around you who are dealing with the same event.
You are turning to alcohol or other substances in order to take the edge off or cope.
You are consistently having trouble getting through your daily routines. For example, you can’t sleep or are sleeping too much, you’re skipping meals and/or you are not able to finish daily chores or you are neglecting tasks or activities that typically make you feel happy, satisfied or at ease.
If you experience any of these symptoms, your benefits at GW can help you. The GW PPO and HSP medical plans through UnitedHealthcare include behavioral health coverage. GW’s Employee Assistance Program, The Wellbeing Hotline, offers five free counseling sessions per issue and may be a helpful way to try therapy for the first time.
Headspace can help you make mindfulness and meditation a routine habit, easing the power of anxiety and uncertainty throughout the day.
The Power of a Walk
Cherry blossoms and warmer temps invite us to go outdoors and enjoy a walk. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk, the author explores the benefits of walking, including the generation of new ideas, reduction of stressful feelings and integration of purpose, helping us reduce stress.
Taking Time to Disconnect
As we near the end of the fiscal year, check your annual time balance and make plans to take time away from work. While leadership recently announced a temporary enhancement to the annual time carryover policy, taking a day here or there to reduce the impacts of juggling the needs of caregiving, work and home-life is encouraged.
Annual preventive care appointments are important to keep, even during a pandemic when care may look different. You can and should keep your regularly scheduled appointments, especially for immunizations, screenings, preventive care and chronic disease management.
Your provider(s) likely have safety measures in place such as mask policies, temperature screening, and socially distanced waiting rooms. They may also have virtual visits available, depending on the type of appointment. Similar to GW Medical Faculty Associates, your provider likely outlines their procedures on their website.
In-Network Preventive Care Available at No Cost for GW Medical Plan Participants
Under the GW HSP and PPO medical plans, plan participants receive in-network preventive care* at no cost. Review the medical plan comparison chart for more information on benefit coverage by medical plan. Preventive care includes:
Routine physical examinations
Immunizations
Well baby and well-child care
Mammography (Over 40 in-network and out-of-network mammograms covered at 100%)
Colonoscopy
Cervical screening
*Preventive care guidelines are based on recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other health organizations. Visit myuhc.com for additional details on preventive care guidelines based on your age and sex.
In the midst of the pandemic, the opportunities we all need to get away from our desks have been limited, with trips and events postponed or cancelled. In response to feedback from our community, the university announced a temporary enhancement to the Annual Time Carryover Policy:
Full-time benefits-eligible staff will be able to carry over up to 80 hours of accrued but unused annual time (up to 40 hours of accrued but unused annual time for part-time benefits eligible staff).
The deadline to use these carryover hours is October 31, 2021.
There will be no change made to the number of hours eligible for payout upon departing the university. The maximum number of accrued but unused carryover hours eligible for payout remains at 40 hours for full-time benefit eligible staff (20 hours for part-time benefits-eligible staff).
Please note: We plan to return to the standard Annual Time Carryover policy in fiscal year2022.
Visit the GW Benefits website for more information, along with an FAQ on these updates.
Managers can also check their team members’ balances to encourage staff to plan their use of annual time. Taking some time away may look different in our current time, but it’s still crucial to recharge and refresh so that we can continue to do our best work.
Due to recent Internal Revenue Service guidance in response to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, GW is providing increased flexibility to the university’s 2020 and 2021 Flexible Spending Accounts. Grace periods and deadlines to submit eligible expenses for reimbursement have been extended. Additionally, employees are able to increase/decrease their 2021 FSA election or newly elect an FSA without experiencing a Qualifying Life Event.
Grace periods and deadlines to submit your eligible expenses for reimbursement have been extended for employees who:
The grace periods are being extended from March 15 to December 31. This allows you and your eligible dependents to incur eligible HCFSA and/or DCFSA expenses for an additional nine months. In addition, the deadline to submit your eligible expenses to Payflex for reimbursement is extended by 12 months.
Please review the important dates and deadlines in the chart below:
If your FSA enrollment is for…
Your eligible expenses should be incurred between…
Claims for reimbursement must be submitted to…
By the claim deadline of…
2020 Health Care and/or Dependent Day Care
January 1, 2020 (or your coverage effective date (whichever is later) – December 31, 2021
PayFlex
April 30, 2022
2021 Health Care and/or Dependent Day Care
January 1, 2021 (or your coverage effective date (whichever is later) – December 31, 2022
PayFlex
April 30, 2023
Mid-Year Change or Newly Electing a 2021 FSA
Employees who currently have a 2021 FSA election are eligible to make a mid-year change to their FSA election regardless of whether they have experienced a qualifying life event (i.e. marriage, adoption).
Additionally, employees who are not currently enrolled in a 2021 FSA may newly elect to enroll mid-year without a qualifying life event (i.e. marriage, adoption).
The following FSA changes are allowed to be made through calendar year 2021:
Increase your current FSA election
Decrease your current FSA election*
Newly enroll in a 2021 FSA
*Special note about decreasing an FSA election: Employees may not reduce an election below the amount that has already been reimbursed or has been contributed, whichever is higher. For example, if an employee has contributed $500 to a 2021 DCFSA, and would like to cancel all future DCFSA elections, the employee would select $500 as their new contribution.
2) Select “Click Here” then “Enroll Now” under Benefits enrollment
3) Select “FSA Mid-Year Change” at the end of the Live Events list
4) Continue through the prompts to make changes to your elections
5) Save a copy of your confirmation for future reference
When Are Changes Effective?
Your FSA election changes are effective the 1st of the month following the date you make a change in the EasyEnroll System or the 1st of the month if the change is made on the 1st of a month.
“Personalize Your Plate” is the theme for National Nutrition Month 2021. How do we personalize our plate while maintaining a balance of healthy vitamins, fat and carbs? Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and health, the best place to start is to find recipes that temp our unique taste buds and make adjustments that support our nutrition goals. This may be reducing sugar or increasing your veggie intake.
Using tip sheets from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, make attempts to personalize your and your family’s plate this month:
We are all unique with different bodies, goals, genetics and tastes! However, we all need inspiration at one time or another to focus on what we eat and how we eat. Does stress create the desire for sweets? Does a busy day influence your choice of quick meal options that may fall short of health goals? Try these tips:
Place veggies and fruit such as carrots or blueberries in bowls at eye-level in the fridge. When we conceal our fruits and veggies in a crisper, we tend to forget them. By keeping them handy when we open the fridge during a fuel-up, impulse moment, it’s more likely we’ll grab a healthier choice.
It’s hard to believe we are halfway through our fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)! This is a good time to review your annual time balance as well as the annual time carryover policy to ensure you take your well-earned time away from work. [Add language for managers and link to tip sheet for managers to check staff balances and encourage/plan use of time off]
The Annual Time Carryover policy allows for full-time employees to carry over up to 40 hours of annual time into the next fiscal year. Part-time employees may carry over up to 20 hours of annual time into the next fiscal year. As of July 1, when you submit a time off request in Kronos, your carryover hours will automatically be used before current the fiscal year annual time hours. Please remember, carryover hours must be used by August 31, 2021.
While COVID-19 continues to challenge the way we envision a “vacation,” it’s important to use annual time, even when it means a few days of staycation away from the screen and demands of balancing life/work at the same time.
