Employee Benefits & Well-being |
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Important COVID-19 Update: End of Public Health Emergency Stress, Mental Health and Grief Services Financial Health and Mental Health
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Mental Health Awareness Month Bike to Work. Get a Free Bag. Upcoming Sessions and Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss Who's Retiring This Month?
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If you have a question after reading this newsletter or visiting our website, please contact us. |
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Important COVID-19 Update: End of Public Health EmergencyThe Biden administration announced it intends to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on May 11, 2023. The ending of the PHE will affect the coverage we’ve experienced for COVID-related services and products. Effective May 12, 2023 you will now be responsible for paying out-of-pocket costs for over-the-counter tests. Remember, employees who have established a healthcare flexible spending account (FSA), can also use FSA dollars to purchase COVID-19 tests. In addition, you can still obtain four free at-home tests through COVIDtests.gov. Vaccinations related to COVID-19 will continue to be covered at no cost to you. If you have questions about these changes, please contact the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield customer service number on the back of your ID card. Stress, Mental Health and Grief ServicesThere are several supporting services for those experiencing stress, grief or struggling with their mental health. Many of these services are free and are provided by both UNI benefit vendors and different agencies in the Cedar Valley. Please visit the Stress, Mental Health, and Grief Services webpage for more information. For supervisors, please consider the session being offered on May 10 titled Supervisor Series: Managers Supporting an Employee Who is Grieving. All faculty and staff are invited to the My Well-being session on May 17, Supporting Someone Who is Grieving. These sessions will be led by Cedar Valley Hospice. Registration is required. As a reminder, EAP is not meant for emergency assistance. For emergency assistance, use 911 or the emergency room. For suicide help call or text 988. For additional information on EAP visit our webpage. |
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Financial Health and Mental HealthFinancial Wellness is one component that impacts our health. Specifically, those experiencing financial difficulties are more likely to also experience increased anxiety and depression. Conversely, those suffering from depression and anxiety may find it more difficult to succeed financially. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, there are services available. This may include working with your health care provider and/or therapist for treatment. Once you are mentally well it is easier to get assistance from a financial advisor to work on financial wellness. If you are experiencing financial difficulties and it is negatively impacting your mental wellness, reach out for financial assistance. You can start with your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for free financial consultation. If you need additional assistance with managing stress related to financial difficulties your EAP can also connect you with an EAP counselor that may provide you with tools to help. Be sure to take care of your financial health as a part of your mental and physical health. |
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Mental Health AwarenessMay is Mental Health Awareness month. An important piece of mental health awareness is suicide awareness. Suicide is a serious public health problem and is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. While popular belief is that winter months have an increase in suicides, the facts actually show that deaths due to suicide increase in late spring/early summer; with May and June often being peak months. The reason for the increase is unknown but the longer days and more social activities may be a contributing factor. It’s important to look out for friends, family, and loved ones. Warning signs to watch for include: talking about being a burden, being isolated, increased anxiety, talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, increased substance use, looking for a way to access lethal means, increased anger/rage, extreme mood swings, expressing hopelessness, talking or posting about wanting to die, making plans for suicide. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. If you are concerned about yourself, a friend or a loved one, support is available 24/7. National Bike to Work DayMay 19 is National Bike to Work Day. Join us in celebrating and riding your bike to work on May 19. Take a picture of yourself with your bike helmet on once you get to work and email the picture to us at employeewellbeing@uni.edu along with your campus mail code. Once you have sent it to us we’ll send you a UNI drawstring bag that you can then use to carry items each time you bike to work. In addition, Recreation Services is hosting "National Bike to Work Day" on Friday, May 19. Talk to your UNI neighbors, grab a helmet, water bottle and ride to work together. Once you get to campus, ride over to the WRC for a "Bike to Work" t-shirt, a light breakfast and other individual prizes. If you live out of town, pick a location in town (i.e.,the mall) to ride in from. Start your summer off healthy and help us reduce our carbon footprint on May 19. Contact Chris Denison for more information at Christopher.Denison@uni.edu or at 319-273-6275. Recreation Services Summer DiscountWant to get moving more? Have a child returning from college for the summer? UNI faculty and staff children are eligible for WRC summer passes. Individual passes are $50.00 and Faculty/ staff can also purchase summer family passes for $75. Contact Kristy Leen for more information at kristy.leen@uni.edu or at 319-273-6275. |
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SUPERVISOR SERIES Managers Supporting an Employee Who is GrievingHuman Resource Services will host a session led by Cedar Valley Hospice. Cedar Valley Hospice counselors will provide information on how managers can support an employee who is grieving, and resources available in the community. This one hour session will be held Wednesday, May 10 at 2 p.m. in Gilchrist 009. Please register in advance. MY WELL-BEING Supporting Someone Who is GrievingHuman Resource Services will host a session led by Cedar Valley Hospice. Cedar Valley Hospice counselors will provide information on how to support someone who is grieving, and resources available in the community. This one hour session will be held Wednesday, May 17 at 2 p.m. in Gilchrist 009. Please register in advance. Participation in events that occur during scheduled working hours must be approved by your supervisor. Employees on a university-approved leave should contact hrs-leaves@uni.edu for approval. Stay up-to-date with the status of this session by visiting https://hrs.uni.edu/event-status. If the status of this session changes you will also be notified by UNI email or campus phone. Individuals needing an accommodation in order to participate in an event, please contact a HRS team member at 319-273-2954, or hrs-benefits@uni.edu, at least one week prior to the event. |
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TIAA ConsultationTIAA Participants: Schedule a free personalized meeting with a TIAA financial consultant using the online scheduler or by calling 800-732-8353 (available weekdays from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. CST). |
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TIAA May Financial Wellness Webinars |
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Basic Estate Planning StrategiesMay 3 at 11 a.m. (CT) Ensuring that our assets will pass to loved ones, and causes that are near and dear is important to most of us. Discover the components of a basic estate plan and strategies to ensure that your wishes are met. Paycheck for LifeMay 10 at 11 a.m. (CT) You diversify your investment portfolio before retirement to help offset risk. A similar strategy can help see you through retirement. Learn how creating a diversified income plan—one that uses a combination of income sources and includes annuity income that’s guaranteed for life—can help reduce the risks you may face in retirement and ensure you have income that never runs out. Attention to Detail: Financial Finishing Touches for WomenMay 11 at 11 a.m. (CT) Am I ready to retire? How do I know if I have enough? How do I plan my income? What should I look out for as I plan and even after I am retired? Financial success can often complicate your life, and we are going to try to help you answer those questions and more. Write Your Next Chapter: 5 Steps to Setting Your Retirement DateMay 17 at 11 a.m. (CT) Deciding when the time is right to retire, including estimating retirement expenses, closing any income gap and understanding key milestones that can impact retirement finances. TIAA webinars are open to all employees. Visit TIAA's webpage to register. Times through the webinar link will be shown in Eastern Standard Time. |
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IPERS May Retirement Webinars- May 17 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST
Creating a Secure Retirement
IPERS webinars are for state of Iowa employees within five years of retirement and their spouses. To register: https://ipers.org/members/calendar |
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We are thankful for the service of all of UNI's retirees! With their consent we are able to celebrate their years of service and share their information with the entire campus community. |
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Carolyn K Dorr IT Accessibility Coordinator, IT-Client Services 23 Years of Service, Retiring in May carolyn.dorr@uni.edu |
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Douglas G Lovejoy Construction Project Mgr/Engr Planner, Design & Construction 45 Years of Service, Retiring in May douglas.lovejoy@uni.edu |
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Retirement Benefit Questions? The HRS Benefits Team is Here to Assist!The Human Resource Services Benefits Team is continuing to help employees with retirement benefit questions. If you plan to retire please email hrs-benefits@uni.edu or call 319-273-2423. For additional information on retirement visit Retire from UNI: Next Steps. |
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Stay Up-to-Date with HRS Events |
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Plan on attending an upcoming Human Resource Services (HRS) sponsored event? Please visit the HRS event status webpage to view if the event is on-time, postponed, rescheduled, or canceled. Registered participants will also receive an email from HRS notifying that an event status has changed. |
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Subscribe to HRS Latest News and Events |
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Is Your Personal Information Up-to-Date? |
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To make changes to your office and/or home (confidential) contact information: Login to MyUNIverse > My Page > Update My Personal Information. This information is sent to Human Resource Services and will be updated within four working days. |
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