Posts

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 GW Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GLEC) and the TIAA Institute also conducted a recent study to highlight the importance of women’s financial literacy.

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 sperm – thawing and insemination of sperm.

Certain fertility procedures are also covered under the GW PPO Fertility Benefits.

* 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 Benefit with 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.

In addition, your HSA earns interest and you can invest your HSA funds, making it another savings mechanism for retirement. 

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 year 2022.  

Visit the GW Benefits website for more information, along with an FAQ on these updates. 

Please be sure to check your annual time balance in the Time Reporting System.   

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:  

• Have a remaining balance in their 2020 Health Care FSA (HCFSA) and/or Dependent Day Care FSA (DCFSA) AND  
• Have elected a HCFSA and/or DCFSA for 2021.  

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.  

How to Submit Eligible Expenses to PayFlex 

• Submit claims directly to PayFlex online or with a paper claim form. 
• Attach the appropriate documentation including: an explanation of benefits (EOB), receipt or invoice. 
• Documentation must include: provider or full name of product, patient name, amount and date(s) of service. 

Make Changes via EasyEnroll 

1) Login to EasyEnroll 

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: 

• Health Eating on the Go 
• Eat Right with Less Sugar 
• 20 Ways to Enjoy More Vegetables and Fruit 

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. 
• Commit to meat-free Mondays and boost your veggie intake  

• Switch pasta for zoodles and other veggie spirals to reduce your intake of highly processed grains 

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.

Please reference the Time Off and Leave Guide or reach out to Benefits at timeoff@gwu.edu with questions about your time off programs.

Before March 2, 2021 eligible employees will receive a Form 1095-C tax document, which reports information about your medical coverage in 2020. While you will not need to include your 1095-C with your 2020 tax return filing, or send it to the IRS, you may need information from your 1095-C to help complete your tax return. Think of it as your “proof of medical insurance” for the IRS.

Who receives a Form 1095-C form?

Any GW employee who was considered full-time at any point in 2020 or who was enrolled in a GW medical plan in 2020. The Affordable Care Act defines “full-time” as an employee who worked an average of 30 or more hours per week.

There are three parts to the form:

• Part 1 reports information about you and GW.
• Part 2 reports information about the coverage offered to you by GW, the affordability of the coverage offered, and the reason why you were or were not offered coverage.
• Part 3 reports information about the individuals (including dependents) covered under the self-insured plan.

For more information about the Form 1095-C, please visit irs.gov.

America Saves Week, February 22 – 26, 2021, is a national effort to motivate, support and encourage us to set savings’ goals, make a savings plan, and use automatic contributions to support those plans.

Your savings journey begins when you make a commitment to your financial well-being. Here are few ways to begin an empowered strategy to save for the future:

• Contribute to the GW 403(b) Retirement Plan through paycheck contributions each month. Employees can enroll, update contribution percentages and review/change investments at any time by visiting netbenefits.com/gw.
• Make a retirement counseling appointment with TIAA or Fidelity. Discuss your savings goals, gain a snapshot of how you compare against those goals, evaluate college savings plans, and so much more.
• Create a budget for you/your family.
• Teach children saving techniques with debit cards designed for kids. The cards and accompanying apps can help kids learn money management strategies and decide how to spend, save and give.
• Review your beneficiary elections for retirement and life insurance! Carefully review and update (if necessary) this information at netbenefits.com/gw.  ADD Link to Autobene to check life ins beneficiary

In December, Benefits and Payroll sent an email requesting employees to review, update if necessary, and confirm their work location. Work location is the physical location where you work over 50% of the time.  

You may be wondering why we regularly review and update our work location address.  Employers are required to report employees’ wages on a quarterly basis to the state where the employee performs services.  The work location on file in the university’s HR/Payroll system is used to determine the appropriate state for reporting unemployment wages and determines eligibility for time off and leave benefits in the state or locality where you work.  If your W-4 address has changed, you may need to submit a new state withholding form.

If you have not yet reviewed your work location, please visit GWeb. Step-by-step instructions and FAQs are available to help complete your review.  For detailed information on university time off and leave benefits, please visit the Time Off and Leave Guide on the Benefits website or contact us at timeoff@gwu.edu. 

Castlight, the healthcare navigation app available to employees on a GW medical plan, will offer a new COVID-19 vaccination feature in February. The new vaccine navigation center will:

• Offer the ability to search nearby providers with available vaccines
• Provide a self-service chat to help you understand eligibility requirements for the vaccine
• Address common questions around vaccines, including  safety, effectiveness, cost, and more
• Include a COVID-19 testing search feature

Castlight Support

The Castlight app provides information on in-network, high quality, low cost providers as well as information on: 

• Your Health Savings Plan costs (i.e. out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, and co-insurance)
• Your GW PPO medical plan co-pays and deductibles
• Your Health Savings Account and Health Care Flexible Spending Account balance
• Your medical claims and spending

Have You Downloaded the Castlight App? If you are enrolled on a GW medical plan and haven’t yet registered for Castlight, visit mycastlight.com/gw. 

Did you know that people who have close relationships at home, work, or in their community tend to be healthier and live longer? One reason, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is that we’re more successful meeting our health goals when we join forces with others.

This month, NHLBI launched the #OurHearts movement, to inspire people to protect and strengthen their hearts with the support of others. Making the following heart healthy lifestyle changes will be easier and more successful if you work with other motivated people.

Get Physically Active

Find an accountability partner, such as a neighbor, to socially-distance walk with you on a regular basis. When you put the date on both your calendars, and text or call to make sure you both show up, you have a better chance of sticking with your habit.

Join GW Campus Rec for virtual classes M – F, morning, noon and evenings. Looking for a quick, low-impact session – join the Monday and Wednesday 30-minute yoga class to get your blood flowing and restore your focus.  Try it with a colleague and show up (virtually) together.

Eat Heart Healthy Foods

We tend to eat like our friends and family, so ask others close to you to join you in your effort to eat healthier. Need healthy eating ideas? Try NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. It’s free and scientifically proven to lower blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol levels.

Quit Smoking

GW employees have free access to Quit for Life. Participants enjoy unlimited access to phone and web-based coaching and a Quit for Life app which tracks your quitting journey, sends tips and allows access to coaching, too.  To sign up on the Quit for Life website, select “yes” for “Are you currently employed?” and enter “George Washington University.”   Begin the journey towards better health!

As we turn the calendar to a new year, there are enhancements and changes to your medical benefits that took effect on January 1, 2021.  There is a new Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) benefit coverage tier in the GW medical plans, providing GW medical plan participants with lower copays and coinsurance when visiting a GW MFA provider. The MFA tier applies to professional charges by MFA providers.  Please note that MFA behavioral health providers continue to be out-of-network.

GW medical plan participants will now also have access to a direct phone line (202) 677- 6000 to schedule appointments with MFA providers.

Most changes made to your benefits during Open Enrollment 2021 this past October will be reflected in your January paystub.  Be sure to check that your deductions on your paystub match your confirmation statement from EasyEnroll. If you have questions, please contact Benefits at benefits@gwu.edu or at 571.553.8382

If you haven’t yet, please review the Benefits Tips and Reminders resource to see how to access your ID cards, online accounts, and find instructions on how to submit 2020 HCFSA and DCFSA eligible expenses for reimbursement.  

In a recent WUSA9 segment, GW Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Daniel Lieberman explains why you may feel lower energy in the winter months.

“What really matters the most for the human brain is the light. Our brains are so sensitive to light. And so, our moods can dip when we have bad weather, or even more when the days start to get shorter, as we move into the fall and winter.” Getting enough sunlight and fresh air is paramount in maintaining your mental health during this season. “

In addition to getting outside, Dr. Lieberman suggested ways to stay positive this holiday season amid the pandemic.  Focusing on giving and ways to help others provide a sense of joy and purpose.  This can lift our spirits, especially when we are missing others. Writing a note to a relative about what you enjoy at the holidays or ways you are thinking of them, can be just as rewarding for the writer as it is for the recipient.

Castlight is a free app available to GW medical plan participants as well as their spouses/domestic partners and adult dependents. It takes less than a minute to sign up and become a more knowledgeable healthcare consumer.

The app makes it easy to see a breakdown of your coverage and costs, including deductibles, balances and claims. In a real-world scenario, you could use Castlight to compare costs to see a doctor in a specific zip code near work or home to choose one that fits your needs and budget.  Register today!

Other ways Castlight supports you as a healthcare consumer:

• Personalized cost estimates
• Ratings and reviews of in-network doctors
• Access to past bills
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) balances
• Prescription drug options
• Benefits program information
• Timely information about conditions and treatments