News you need to know …

Anthem claims currently on hold

Human Resources – Benefits is alerting employees that system issues with Anthem are causing claims to process incorrectly. While they work to resolve the issue, all claims processing has been put on hold. We expect the issue to be resolved as soon as possible. Once the claims’ hold has been lifted, claims will be reviewed and reprocessed if necessary. Those who have claims reprocessed will receive updated statements. No action is required by you at this time.

We will alert employees once Anthem begins processing claims again.

Enrollment in voluntary retirement savings plans always available

Purdue offers all employees, including temporary and student workers, the opportunity to contribute some of their salary to a tax-favored retirement program through automatic payroll deductions. The University offers two voluntary savings plan options through Fidelity. The Purdue-dedicated Fidelity website is available around the clock, allowing Purdue faculty and staff to manage their voluntary retirement savings contributions and investment mix year-round.  Via the website, faculty and staff can begin, stop, increase or decrease contributions to voluntary retirement savings at any time. The site also provides access to change the future investment mix for any of the employee's Purdue retirement account contributions, including Purdue's contribution and the employee's contribution. Pre-tax and Roth savings options are available with a range of investment alternatives. Funds are immediately vested and may be retained or rolled over upon separation from Purdue. For more information, call Fidelity at 800-343-0860.

IRS announces 2020 limits for voluntary retirement savings plans

The Voluntary 403(b) and 457(b) Voluntary Retirement Savings plans will increase in from $19,000 to $19,500 in 2020. The catch-up contribution limit for employees age 50 and over will increase from $6,000 to $6,500 in 2020. More information on voluntary retirement savings plans is available on the Benefits website.

Free one-week trial memberships still available via RecWell

Purdue Recreation & Wellness (RecWell) will offer free one-week trial memberships to faculty and staff in January. The trial membership at the Co-Rec supports the  physical health and  social wellness pillars of Purdue's Healthy Boiler Program. Trial membership must be redeemed with a photo ID on or before Jan. 30. See the Purdue Today article for more details.

Workshop focuses on fasting and metabolic health

Join metabolic health experts Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD, and Sarah Hallberg, DO, MS for a free 45-minute webinar at 2 p.m. ET, Thursday, February 13. Find out the truth about how fasting affects your metabolism, and learn about alternative treatments that can mimic fasting to improve your metabolism, without calorie counting or skipping meals. The workshop is sponsored by Virta; registration is now open. Purdue is fully covering the cost of Virta for eligible employees and dependents with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.* You can learn more about Virta here: www.virtahealth.com/purdue Questions about Virta? Email: support@virtahealth.com

*Virta is available to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff. Spouses/adult dependents covered on a Purdue health plan are also eligible. This benefit is currently being offered to patients from 18 to 69 with type 2 diabetes as well as prediabetic patients with a BMI ≥ 35. There are some serious medical conditions that would exclude patients from Virta. Schedule a call to find out if you qualify.

Change in carrier for short term, long term disability effective January 1

Effective January 1, 2020, any new short term disability (STD) or long term disability (LTD) claims are processed by Guardian Life Insurance. STD coverage is available to all administrative, operational and skilled-trade employees after one year of service. This program helps protect your income until you are able to return to work or until you become eligible for long term disability. LTD insurance, available for all benefit eligible employees, provides income replacement during extended periods of disability resulting from illness or injury.  To file a claim with Guardian, call 1-888-262-5670, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Note: If your date of disability is before January 1, 2020, your STD or LTD claim will continue to be managed by Cigna.

Discounted entry fees for OneAmerica Indy 500 Festival events available to faculty, staff

In 2020, Human Resources will again offer a discounted registration fee of 50 percent for all faculty and staff for the 2020 OneAmerica Indy 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 5K. The event takes place on May 2, 2020. Employees can register at discounted team rates here. Registration will be at $65 for the OneAmerica Indy 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and $30 for the Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K. When selecting the event, select the event options listed in red. The price listed in red will NOT be the final price; discounts will show on the checkout page.

Upcoming Healthy Boiler workshops

Motivation, habits, savings goals, kids and technology, retirement income and more are the topics for the Healthy Boiler workshops being offered in the coming months. Healthy Boiler workshops are free to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff and dependents covered on a Purdue medical plan. Registration for all workshops can be done via the  Healthy Boiler portal . Registration link can be found under the “Engage” tab, “Wellness Events” on the portal’s home page. All registrations are due by the day before the event’s start date. See the full list of workshops on the “ Healthy Boiler Workshops” web page.

Introducing the LIFE Extend app by LifeOmic  

LifeOmic’s free LIFE Extend mobile app is being touted as “the first precision health app designed to increase the length of your healthy life with evidence-based pillars: physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness and sleep.” LIFE Extend provides users with a personalized health program – courtesy of artificial intelligence – complete with recommendations and information specific to each individual user. Additionally, the app tracks habits and progress, allows engagement with others and provides the opportunity for users to be involved in health research and clinical studies, all while on their unique health and wellness journeys. And, there’s a Purdue connection!  LifeOmic has partnered with ALL IN for Health, a program of the Indiana Clinical Translational Science Institute – a collaboration between Purdue University, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame – to provide special content and opportunities for Indiana residents. Download the LIFE Extend app to get started!