News for Employees
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Video Provides Annual Benefits Enrollment Overview
Many common employee questions about Annual Benefits Enrollment are answered in the video presentation, “Benefits 2021: What You Need to Know.” This video is available for viewing online in six languages. Two more live online seminars are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. The Annual Benefits Enrollment period ends on Friday, Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. Learn more at benefits.wisc.edu/2021.
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Administrative Transformation Program Presents Update
All UW–Madison employees are invited to attend a program update from the Administrative Transformation Program (ATP), an initiative to redesign the processes, policies, and technology that support UW’s finance, human resources, and research administration operations. The update can be viewed live on the ATP YouTube channel on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 10–11 a.m. The recorded presentation will be posted on the ATP website at a later date. Details are available at atp.vcfa.wisc.edu.
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Annual Benefits Enrollment Online Sessions
Live sessions are being held for those UW-Madison employees who would like help making informed decisions about their benefits enrollment for 2021. Employees can attend online seminars in English that will include time for participant questions. A recorded seminar in English is also available for viewing online. Question and answer sessions will be held via WebEx in Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan, Chinese, and Nepali beginning on Thursday, Oct 8. Employees who plan to attend the multilingual Q&A sessions should view the video presentation “Benefits 2021: What You Need to Know” before attending the session. Videos, session details, and other helpful materials are available in multiple languages at benefits.wisc.edu/2021.
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Re-Enroll to Continue Certain Benefits in 2021
The Annual Benefits Enrollment period is currently underway and will end on October 23, 2020. Even if you do not want to make any changes in your benefits elections for 2021, some plans require that you enroll each year to continue your participation. Be sure to enroll if you wish to participate in the Flexible Savings Account (FSA) in 2021, including Health Care FSA, Limited Purpose FSA, and Dependent Day Care FSA. You must enroll in a Health Savings Account (HSA) each year if you choose a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The State Group Health Insurance Opt-Out Incentive requires re-enrollment each year. Employees must choose the Opt-Out Incentive when electing benefits; waiving health coverage is not enrolling in the Opt-Out Incentive. Details are available at www.wisconsin.edu/abe. Find helpful resources at benefits.wisc.edu/2021.
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Update on Campus COVID-19 Testing Sites
University Health Services has added a new COVID-19 testing site at Porter Boathouse on the west side of campus. This site serves drive-up and walk-up traffic, as well as offering two parking spaces. Porter Boathouse replaces the Henry Mall testing site, which has now closed. Other on-campus testing sites include the Kohl Center and 21 N. Park Street. COVID-19 testing is available at no cost to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff. A number of appointments are available at each site Monday through Friday. To schedule a test, log in to your MyUHS account. Go to Forms to review and sign the UHS Information and Consent Form. Then go to Appointments to schedule a COVID-19 test. For details, go to uhs.wisc.edu/medical/testing.
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Sustainability Advisory Council Seeks Input
All members of the UW-Madison community are invited to participate in virtual listening sessions hosted by the Office of Sustainability. The Sustainability Advisory Council will be making recommendations to campus leadership regarding initiatives that will advance sustainability on campus. Sessions open to UW-Madison employees will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 14, noon-1 p.m., and Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7-8 p.m.
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Resources Help with Annual Benefits Enrollment
UW–Madison employees can enroll in benefits for 2021 now through Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. Resources are available online at benefits.wisc.edu/2021 to help you make informed benefits decisions and complete the benefits enrollment process. The website includes a checklist of steps you should complete and other resources. Virtual presentations include “Benefits 2021: What You Need to Know,” a 60-minute overview that will include an opportunity to ask questions “live” using the chat feature. Multilingual sessions are also being held, including late-night sessions for the second and third shifts. To enroll in benefits, log in to MyUW, find the Benefit Information app, and click on “Enroll Now.” Elections made during Annual Benefits Enrollment are effective January 1, 2021. Learn more at benefits.wisc.edu/2021.
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New Column Answers Questions About COVID-19
UW–Madison has launched a “COVID Questions” column that will be posted online weekly. Each question is answered by a subject matter expert from UW–Madison. Questions about COVID-19 and the pandemic may be emailed to covid19update@uc.wisc.edu. To view “COVID Questions” and other updates on the campus response to COVID-19, visit smartrestart.wisc.edu.
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Update on Payroll Tax Deferral Program
Employers have the option of deferring tax withholding of FICA taxes from employee paychecks on compensation paid from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, under Presidential Order 2020-65: Payroll Tax Deferral. UW–Madison, along with the other UW System institutions and the State of Wisconsin, will not be implementing this option. Payroll tax deferral does not waive the employee’s obligation to pay these taxes. Instead, the deferral program would require employees to have the deferred amount from 2020 deducted from their paychecks starting in January 2021. The tax amounts for 2021 would also be deducted at that time. If implemented, this would result in large tax withholding amounts from paychecks in 2021.
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Raising Awareness of Linguistic Diversity: UW–Madison’s Languages
All members of the UW–Madison community are invited to participate in UW–Madison’s Languages, a new initiative to raise awareness of the value of multilingualism, of the many languages spoken by the UW–Madison community, and of language as a key aspect of diversity. An initial meeting to set priorities for the project will be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. To learn more and to register, please visit languageinstitute.wisc.edu/uw-madisons-languages.