HR Announcements

Generally, CDHPs work well for people who:

• Can meet the eligibility requirements.
• Prefer a lower monthly premium.
• Want to save on taxes by contributing to an HSA through pre-tax payroll deductions.
• Are willing to check which services and supplies are qualified HSA expenses.
• Can keep track of HSA expenses in case of an IRS audit.

CDHPs can encourage you to make informed decisions about your health care and spend HSA funds wisely. Those who enroll in a CDHP should prepare to invest time and energy in seeking qualified HSA expenses from network providers.

Eligibility

You must meet certain eligibility requirements to enroll in a CDHP with an HSA. If you are not eligible for the HSA and enroll, you may be liable for tax penalties.

To be eligible to enroll in a CDHP, you cannot be enrolled in:

• Medicare Part A or Part B
• Medicaid
• Another comprehensive medical plan
• VEBA, unless you convert it to a limited-purpose HRA coverage
• TRICARE
• Medical flexible spending arrangement (FSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) Note: You may enroll in a Limited Purpose FSA

Other exclusions apply. Check the IRS Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans at irs.gov, contact your tax advisor, or call HealthEquity (the HSA administrator) toll-free at 1-877-873-8823 for Kaiser Permanente members and 1-844-351-6853 for UMP members to verify whether you qualify. See the Complete HSA Guidebook for full details

Contributions
 

When you enroll in a CDHP with an HSA, your employer will contribute $700.08 per year ($58.34 per month) for enrollment as a single subscriber or $1,400.04 per year ($116.67 per month) for enrollment for you and at least one other family member. You can choose to contribute to your HSA as well.

The maximum HSA contribution from all sources for a single subscriber for 2023 is $3,850 and $7,750 for a family. Employees ages 55 and up can contribute up to $1,000 more per year.

Learn more on the PEBB Program’s Health plans with HSAs webpage.

Dual enrollment within the PEBB Program

• You may waive PEBB medical to enroll as a dependent under the PEBB medical plan of your spouse, state-registered domestic partner (SRDP), or parent.
  • You must enroll in your own dental plan.
• A child eligible for PEBB medical and dental under you and your spouse or SRDP may be enrolled under both accounts, but the child is limited to one medical plan enrollment and one dental plan enrollment.
• If you are eligible under two PEBB employers, you may choose which employer to enroll under. Note: Faculty who stack to establish or maintain eligibility for the employer contribution will be enrolled under the employer responsible for paying the employer contribution.

Dual enrollment between PEBB and SEBB Programs

• You may waive PEBB medical and dental to enroll in SEBB medical, dental, and vision.
• If you waive PEBB medical and dental to enroll in SEBB medical, dental, and vision plans, you will be enrolled in PEBB employer-paid long-term disability (LTD), employee-paid LTD with the option to reduce or decline the benefit, and basic life insurance.

• With the holidays approaching, the November/December Employee Newsletter shares information about financial stress – the worry, anxiety, or fear caused by money problems -- and some steps you can take to reduce financial stress.
• Veterans Day is coming up on November 11^th, and the Supervisor Newsletter recognizes the  many valuable skills and traits that veterans bring to the workplace and shares two key ways that supervisors and their teams can be supportive and inclusive.
• In November, the EAP Work/Life site features tools and resources to help us better understand and navigate the challenges of both working *and* caregiving. This month’s on-demand seminar, “The Sandwich Generation at Work”, is available beginning Tuesday, November 22nd. Access the Work/Life site by logging in with your Organization Code, WWU.

And if you’re struggling, or looking for useful resources, please know that our EAP is here to help: don’t hesitate to reach out at 1-877-313-4455 or online.

You can also check whether you need to attest in [PEBB My Account.

If you will cover a spouse or SRDP on your medical plan in 2023, you may be required to attest if:

• You currently pay the $50 monthly spouse or SRDP coverage premium surcharge, or
• Your spouse or SRDP is enrolled under your PEBB coverage instead of their employer-based group medical, but you did not have to pay the surcharge in 2022 because either:
  • The Spousal Plan Calculator indicated your spouse or SRDP’s coverage was not comparable to the UMP Classic medical plan, or
  • The medical premium for your spouse or SDRP’s employer-based medical coverage was $114.01 or more.

To confirm if you need to attest, log into PEBB My Account.

How to attest

If you are required to attest, log into PEBB My Account and select Attestations or use the 2023 PEBB Premium Surcharge Attestation Change Form. Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to questions 2 through 6.

If your spouse or SRDP has other employer-based group medical coverage available, you may need to gather information about their available medical plans to complete the 2023 Spousal Plan Calculator.

You must attest by November 30, 2022. If you do not, or if your attestation results in incurring the premium surcharge, you will be charged the $50 premium surcharge in addition to your monthly medical premiums beginning January 1, 2023. The surcharge will remain in effect for the rest of 2023 unless you have a qualifying event that allows you to change the attestation.

Learn more about the surcharge on the PEBB Program’s Spousal coverage surcharge webpage.

How was the current state hazing law revised?

Following the death of a Washington State University student, Washington state revised its anti-hazing law to expand the scope and definition of hazing and obligations for institutions of higher education. The revised definition of hazing and additional requirements for the University are outlined in the Interim Preventing and Responding to Incidents of Hazing Policy.

How does this apply to WWU if there is no Greek system or football team?

It is a myth that hazing only occurs in Greek systems or football teams. Hazing incidents have been documented in a variety of athletic teams, marching bands, performing arts, honor societies, religious groups, and other types of clubs and/or organizations.

What is required of employees?

• Report suspected hazing incidents to the Office of Student Life. Reporting details are provided in the policy.
• Complete a brief 15 min hazing awareness training which will cover what constitutes hazing and how to report. Information about this and other required trainings is available on CRTC’s website.

Why is this required?

The new law strives to change campus culture by increasing awareness of what constitutes hazing and creating stronger communication lines between students and employees about hazing.

• Across many surveys, students report a lack of reporting due to a code of silence.
• As noted by www.insidehazing.com  an Alfred University Study reported “36% say they would not report hazing primarily because ‘there's no one to tell.’”

Questions or comments?

Send questions or comments to compliance.matters@wwu.edu.

Don’t confuse these dental plans

The PEBB Program offers two dental plans administered by Delta Dental that are often confused. Sometimes members intend to enroll in Uniform Dental Plan (UDP) but accidentally enroll in DeltaCare, or vice versa. During open enrollment, be careful to choose the dental plan you want.

• DeltaCare (Group 3100) is a managed-care plan with a narrow network. You must choose a primary care dentist within the network or you will be assigned a primary care dentist. Your primary care dentist must give you a referral to see a specialist. This plan will not pay claims if you see a provider outside of the network.
• Uniform Dental Plan (Group 3000) is a preferred-provider plan. You may choose and change any dental provider at any time, but you will usually have lower out-of-pocket costs if you see in-network providers.

Compare your dental plan options on the PEBB Program’s Dental plans & benefits webpage. Before you enroll in a dental plan, check with the plan (DeltaCare or UDP, not the provider) to see if your provider is in the plan’s network and confirm the group number. You can call the dental plan’s customer service or use the plan’s online directory.

• Virtual benefits fair – This is a great way to learn about your benefits anytime, day or night, without leaving your home. All you need is a computer, tablet, or smartphone to access the virtual benefits fairs You’ll find links to videos, plan comparisons, and webinars to help choose the right benefits for you and your family.
• Webinars – Register and attend live and recorded webinars hosted by our medical and dental plan carriers on the PEBB Open enrollment webinars
• Web content – The PEBB Open Enrollment webpage is your one-stop shop for open enrollment information. From this page, you can compare plan benefits and costs, find out what’s changing for 2023, and access PEBB My Account to make plan changes or attest to the spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharge.
• For Your Benefit newsletter – The newsletter includes information about benefit changes for 2023, changes you can make during annual open enrollment, how to make changes, and more. Read the full issue of the For Your Benefit newsletter.

If you have questions about your enrollment or PEBB account, please contact hr.benefits@wwu.edu or 360-650-6841.

If you will cover a spouse or SRDP on your medical plan in 2023, you may be required to attest if:

• You currently pay the $50 monthly spouse or SRDP coverage premium surcharge, or
• Your spouse or SRDP is enrolled under your PEBB coverage instead of their employer-based group medical, but you did not have to pay the surcharge in 2022 because either:
  • The Spousal Plan Calculator indicated your spouse or SRDP’s coverage was not comparable to the UMP Classic medical plan, or
  • The medical premium for your spouse or SDRP’s employer-based medical coverage was $114.01 or more.

To confirm if you need to attest, log into PEBB My Account.

How to attest

If you are required to attest, log into PEBB My Account and select Attestations or use the 2023 PEBB Premium Surcharge Attestation Change Form. Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to questions 2 through 6.

If your spouse or SRDP has other employer-based group medical coverage available, you may need to gather information about their available medical plans to complete the 2023 Spousal Plan Calculator.

You must attest by November 30, 2022. If you do not, or if your attestation results in incurring the premium surcharge, you will be charged the $50 premium surcharge in addition to your monthly medical premiums beginning January 1, 2023. The surcharge will remain in effect for the rest of 2023 unless you have a qualifying event that allows you to change the attestation.

Learn more about the surcharge on the PEBB Program’s Spousal coverage surcharge webpage.