Classified Employee Leave

With the holidays fast approaching, now is a good time for classified employees to review vacation leave balances for any hours that would be above the maximum carryover limit. Employees should work with their supervisor to use any excess leave hours by Wednesday, January 9, 2019. As a reminder, you must work or be on approved paid leave the day before and the day after a holiday to receive holiday pay. Please review your leave balances in the event you are carrying a low leave balance and may fall into a time loss situation. Contact Meghan Schaeffer, Leave Specialist, with any questions.

Time & Attendance Records for Non-exempt Staff Reminder

All non-exempt employees are required to maintain a Time and Attendance Record each leave year that shows hours worked, leave taken, scheduled days off, and university closures. This record must be submitted to Human Resources each January. Employees will receive an email in January with instructions on how to submit the record.

Dollars & Sense

Payroll Services

Mailing Address in MyMadison (Employee Tab)

Payroll Services would like to remind employees to check their mailing address in MyMadison by December 31, under the Employee Tab, to ensure timely delivery of their W-2 document in January. Payroll Services will not mail W-2 documents to mail stop codes, JMU departments, JMU student PO boxes or to the JMU designated zip code of 22807 due to the confidential nature of the information contained in the document. It only takes a minute to verify your address in MyMadison, but it may take the mail up to two weeks to return a W-2 document with an incorrect or invalid address.

NOTE: Student employees may need to update their mailing address under the Employee Tab for payroll purposes and under the Student Tab for other student related year-end documents.

2018 W-2’s

In addition to mailing your 2018 W-2 as we have done in the past, your 2018 W-2 will be available electronically within the Employee Tab in MyMadison. W-2’s will be mailed to home addresses no later than January 31. Reissue W-2 requests will be prepared on a weekly basis starting Monday, February 4, 2019.

Payments to Non-Residents/Foreign National Visitors

Please keep in mind that having a social security number does NOT equal U.S. citizenship… just because a foreign individual has a U.S. Social Security Number does not automatically mean that JMU can pay them for services or provided travel expenses. Before making a formal commitment to bring a foreign national to campus, the sponsoring department must determine whether it is legal to pay or provide expenses, is the payment subject to tax, and what policies and procedures must be followed. Please reference Payments to Short-Term Foreign National Visitors for detailed instructions and information.

And remember, regardless of payment, Travel Policy 4215 requires Pre-Approval for all incoming Foreign National Visitors. This prior approval is electronically entered in Chrome River and called a Pre-Approval Request. Pre-Approval is required before any travel arrangements can be made.

Questions regarding incoming foreign national visitors may be directed to Sherry Willis, Payroll Operations Manager, 540/568-8034 or willissl@jmu.edu.

Will you be financially secure in retirement? Have you thought about income needs in retirement? Do you have a rainy day fund so that when an emergency arises, you won’t need to dip into your retirement account? Are you taking advantage of all the FREE retirement money available to you from JMU? October 21 – 27, 2018 is National Retirement Security Week (NRSW). This week serves as a reminder to think about or update your personal retirement goals and determine if you are on track in establishing a secure future.

Sign up in MyMadison to attend:

Planning for Retirement Today and Taking Advantage of All that JMU Offers!

When: October 24, 2018

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Where: Wine-Price Building

Click here to view more information and content during National Retirement Security Week and be sure to visit the Benefits page to check out ways you could be saving for your retirement through Supplemental Retirement Plan options and earning FREE money with the Employer Paid Cash Match!

VRS Plan 1, 2 and Hybrid members: Check out VRS’s free educational and retirement planning resources here!

Staff Emeriti Status Designations

Limited Opportunity to Nominate Reminder

A full-time staff member who retired prior to 2016 can, for a limited time, be nominated by their former supervisor for emeritus status if the individual served full-time for a minimum of 10 years at JMU, had a record of noteworthy contributions throughout his or her JMU career and retired from JMU in good standing.

To nominate an eligible employee who retired before 2016, supervisors must complete the Recommendation for Emeritus Status form along with a justification statement between September 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. Nominations received by February 28 will be processed through the spring semester, for final approval no later than June 1, 2019.

Questions about this opportunity to designate emeritus status for full-time staff retirees may be directed to your HR Consultant.

eduroam

Information Technology

James Madison University is a member of eduroam. Education roaming (eduroam) is a secure wireless network of educational institutions worldwide that allows faculty, staff, and students to use their home institution’s wireless credentials to access wireless networks when visiting other eduroam-participating institutions.

If you are going to travel to another institution that is a member of eduroam, Information Technology encourages you to setup eduroam on your device while at JMU so your connection is ready to go. Eduroam access can be installed on many types of devices including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

To setup eduroam:

• Open a browser to https://cat.eduroam.org

• Click the button to download your eduroam installer

• Select “James Madison University”

• Download the installer appropriate for your device

• Launch the installer and follow the on-screen directions (If you receive a warning message about the safety of the file, choose to allow the installation to continue)

• After installing, connect your device to the “eduroam” wireless network

• Authenticate with your JMU eID@jmu.edu address and eID password

• NOTE: You will need to follow these directions each time you change your eID password

Your device is now configured to access eduroam at participating institutions.

The worldwide list of eduroam participants can be found at https://www.eduroam.org/where

US locations can be found at https://www.eduroam.us

If you have trouble connecting, contact the IT Help Desk at (540) 568-3555. For additional information, including FAQs, visit our computing website at http://www.jmu.edu/computing/network/eduroam.shtml

National Disability Employment Awareness Month America’s Workforce: Empowering All

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is an annual campaign that is held each October. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. James Madison University is committed to providing a campus that is physically and technologically accessible to students, faculty, staff and visitors with disabilities.

The Office of Equal Opportunity’s website provides a number of accessibility resources which includes information about accessible parking, building accessibility for each building on campus, how to report a barrier and event accessibility for performances at the Forbes Center, commencement and athletic events.

The Office of Human Resources offers assistance and guidance to university employees regarding several different disability programs, Disability Programs include: the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP), UNUM Long-term Disability, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) If you have questions regarding these benefits or if you need to request an accommodation please contact your HR Benefits Specialist or email the Human Resources Benefits team at benefits@jmu.edu

Benefits Broadcast

Our goal with the Benefits Broadcast is to feature a specific benefit each month. This month’s featured benefit is...

Don’t have time to read all of the informational emails in your inbox? Concerned you may miss out on important benefits information? Then text HRBenefits to 81437 to begin receiving important updates!

Once enrolled, you will receive pertinent information from the HR Benefits Team. You will continue to receive text notifications for a year, and then you will be prompted to re-enroll. You may choose to opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP HRBenefits. Keep in mind that the text messaging option is a one-way communication. Contact benefits@jmu.edu with any questions regarding the text message.

We hope you will find the text message option to be another convenient way to receive important information in your busy life!

*You must be enrolled in the Emergency Notification System in order to sign up for HRBenefits text messaging. Message and data rates may apply.

Have a Quick Question and Need an Answer ASAP?

Then visit the Benefits Team homepage for the Live Chat feature!

Throughout the business day, a member of the Benefits Team will be available to respond to your question quickly.

Need to Talk with an Expert?

Did you know that every month, company representatives for your benefits are here on campus in the Wine-Price Building? Below is a list of upcoming dates where you could talk with an expert:

October 22 – TIAA, Christian Pechuekonis, Christian.pechuekonis@tiaa-cref.org

October 24 – ICMA-RC 457 Accounts and DCP, Steven McGregor, https://icmarc.secure.force.com/events?SiteId=a0lf1000006PZtzAAG

October 25 – LegalShield, Ken Roebuck, roebucklegalshield@icould.com

October 26 – LegalShield, Ken Roebuck, roebucklegalshield@icould.com

October 26 – Fidelity, Paul Vutiprichar, Punchai.vutiprichar@fmr.com

November 6 – FIRM, American Funds 529 Plans, Phil Harris, phil@firmadvisor.com

November 7 – Aflac, Boyd Glover, boyd_gloverjr@us.aflac.com

November 7 – TIAA-Wealth Management, Antoinette Lucas, Antoinette.lucas@tiaa-org

November 8 – ICMA-RC 457 Accounts and DCP, Steven McGregor, https://icmarc.secure.force.com/events?SiteId=a0lf1000006PZtzAAG

November 12 – TIAA, Christian Pechuekonis, Christian.pechuekonis@tiaa-cref.org

November 13 – TIAA, Christian Pechuekonis, Christian.pechuekonis@tiaa-cref.org

November 14 – TIAA-Wealth Management, Lisa Dieter, Lisa.dieter@tiaa-cref.org

November 15 – Met Life, Carrie McNamara, cmcnamara@metlife.com

November 16 – Fidelity, Paul Vutiprichar, Punchai.vutiprichar@fmr.com

November 16 – Valic, Rob Lankard, Rob.lankard@valic.com

Had a change in family status? Moved recently? Changed your name? Life happens, so be sure when events occur you keep your benefits information up-to-date. Address changes, family status changes, and name changes are just a few examples of triggering events that affect your benefits. It is important that you not only update your information through MyMadison and HR Benefits, but also through third-party administrators such as our voluntary vendors, 403(b), and 457 companies.

Optional Retirement Plan Open Enrollment Deadline

As a reminder, if you are a participant in the Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (ORPHE), you have until October 31 to make a provider change during this current Open Enrollment. If you wish to change providers, you can view your options and make a selection in myVRS. The change of provider you make during Open Enrollment becomes effective January 1.

It’s easy to be a flu fighter—simply get a flu shot!

Although flu shots are no guarantee against getting the flu, you can protect yourself by getting a FREE flu shot at your local drug store. Just show your COVA Care, COVA HealthAware, or COVA HDHP insurance card to the participating pharmacist to get flu shots at no cost for you and covered family members.

SmartShopper Program

The Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) has introduced the VITALS SmartShopper program to participants and family members enrolled in the COVA Care and COVA HDHP health insurance plans.

SmartShopper is an incentive and engagement program designed to encourage members to shop for better-value/lower-cost medical services, such as certain procedures or tests. Members register for the program, shop and receive a cash reward which varies depending on the covered service and selected provider. The incentive will be paid in paychecks for active employees about 60 days after the claim is paid. Be advised that when a covered family member earns a cash reward, it will be paid to the enrolled participant, not the family member.

Please review the overview of SmartShopper, as well as a list of covered services included in the program. For more information, visit cova.vitalsmartshopper.com.

Please contact a member of the Benefits Team at (540) 568-3593 or benefits@jmu.edu if you have specific questions about October’s Benefits Broadcast.

JMU Recognized for Campus Facilities Sustainability Successes

JMU achieved recognition as a Tree Campus USA. Tree Campus USA is a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation honoring colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

JMU also received one of APPA’s 2018 Sustainability Innovation Awards. The Sustainability Innovation Award criteria measure the current level and effort of a facilities management department to integrate sustainable policies and environmental practices throughout all facets of the organization, ultimately embedding them within the educational institution. JMU has become a model program in the Chesapeake Bay region by forging partnerships with a wide range of local and state agencies; engaging students, faculty, and staff to build awareness and contribute solutions; utilizing innovative techniques and methods to maximize improvements in stormwater management and water quality; and leveraging grant funding to minimize the budgetary impact to JMU of new regulations. APPA, previously known as the Association of Physical Plant Administrators, promotes leadership in educational facilities for professionals seeking to build their careers, transform their institutions, and elevate the value and recognition of facilities in education.

Women’s Health and Wellness Program

Morrison Bruce Center

The 2018 Women’s Health and Wellness Program will be held on Saturday, November 3.

The Women’s Health and Wellness Program is a one-day event for JMU faculty and staff to invest time in themselves, their health, and their well-being. This program offers workshops and sessions that will help participants learn more about fitness, nutrition, and the importance of physical activity. Optional clinical and fitness testing will also be available the day before the event.

Conference Options:

Conference registration is $25, which includes:

• Access to all events on Saturday, including Keynote speaker, physical activity workshops, and content sessions.

• Choice of boxed lunch

• Give-aways!

We also have three optional add-ons, which would occur on Friday, November 2, 2018 (by appointment, between 2-8pm; must register by October 28).

• Clinical and fitness testing - $25

• Clinical testing alone - $15

• Fitness testing alone - $15

Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability

Because extraordinary ideas often come out of everyday conversations, we’re eager to have you join us for the next “chapter” of A Book for the ‘Burg, a community-wide reading, learning, and engagement experience.

For 2018, A Book for the 'Burg joins a national conversation already underway about the importance of pollinators and their declining populations. Participants are encouraged to attend a number of related events and activities and visit the Massanutten Regional Library, the James Madison University Libraries, or the Eastern Mennonite University Library during the month of October to explore an inspiring selection of books. Details about events are available online, and additional events will be announced in the spring.

A Book for the 'Burg is the result of a partnership between James Madison University, Eastern Mennonite University, Massanutten Regional Library, and the City of Harrisonburg Department of Parks and Recreation. Its goal is to inspire conversations about a thought-provoking theme.

Kids' Night Out is Back

Kids' Night Out is an opportunity for children ages 5-12 to come to UREC to play, climb, swim and interact with other children and enjoy a pizza party. Our philosophy for each night is recreation, fun and friendship! This fall’s remaining Kids’ Night Out programs are as follows:

• Dates: Friday, November 2nd and Friday, December 7th

• Times: 4:45 – 9:00 pm (Drop-off begins at the end of Driver Drive at 4:45pm and lasts until 5:30pm. Pick-up will begin at 9pm and we ask that each child is picked up before 9:10pm.)

• Cost: $20 – includes all activities and pizza party

Register at UREC with flex or at URECregister.jmu.edu with credit card. Learn more about Kids' Night Out programming.

Family Hours at UREC

Did you know your family can also enjoy all that UREC has to offer too? Family hours start on Fridays at 6:00 pm and end on Sundays at 6:00pm at University Recreation facilities. During these times and break hours only, immediate family members can join you at UREC free of charge. Learn more about our Family Hours policies.

JMU Talent Development

Discover.Grow.Succeed.

• Planning for Retirement Today and Taking Advantage of All That JMU Offers! (TD2265)

• NEW! The $6,000 Egg: 10 Golden Rules of Customer Service (TD2263)

• Can You Hear Me? Communication Across the Generations (TD2178)

• Lighten Up Your Team: Creating Collaboration (TD2169)

• NEW! Investing 101 (TD2358)

• Advanced AACP Overview (TD2144)

• NEW! Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (TD2255)

• Student Employment Essentials (TD1466)

• NEW! The Ideal Team Player (TD2235)

• Resonant Leadership (TD1824)

• Reflect, Recreate and Rock Your Retirement (TD2266)

• Grants: Post-Award Practices & Procedures (TD1502)

• Getting Naked (TD1704)

• Write it Right; Say it Correctly (TD2175)

Visit Talent Development’s webpage for a listing of all they have to offer!

Risk Management's Halloween Safety Tips

Human Resources is dedicated to customer service, a positive approach to change and the pursuit of excellence that promotes university and individual success.