News you need to know … - Healthy Boiler

Each issue of the Healthy Boiler newsletter contains a “News you need to know …” section, which as it name implies, contains news that you need to know and / or be reminded of from Human Resources – Benefits. You are encouraged to fully review this section each month. Any questions can be directed to Human Resources at 765-494-2222, toll free at 877-725-0222 or via email at hr@purdue.edu.

Road to Retirement takes place March 5 – Registration is not required

Road to Retirement -- a program designed to assist employees in preparing for life after retirement -- is held twice a year for benefits-eligible employees age 50 or older who have three or more years of service. The spring program takes place Thursday, March 5 in Stewart Center, Rooms 302, 306 and 310.

No registration is required, and attendees are welcome to check out any sessions of interest throughout the day and bring a guest or send someone in their place. Employees may attend in paid status with their supervisor's permission.

For more information, including the presentation schedule, visit the “Ready for Retirement? Let us help you plan!” web page.

Submit tobacco-cessation waiver by March 31 to waive additional premium for entire 2020 plan year

As a reminder, employees (and their spouse, if covered on a Purdue health plan) who certify as tobacco users (a person who has used tobacco, including cigars, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco or any other tobacco product in the past 12 months) during open enrollment each year will pay an additional $1,000 tobacco-user premium on their medical benefits. Full or partial premium waivers can be obtained by competing an approved tobacco cessation program.

Completed program certificates from an approved tobacco cessation program submitted by March 31 will waive the tobacco-user additional premium for the entire 2020 plan year. If the form is submitted after March 31, the premium will be waived for the remainder of the 2020 plan year.

For more information about the additional premium, visit the Purdue Medical Plan Tobacco-User Additional Premium: Questions and Answers web page.

IRS Form 1095-C not required to file taxes

The IRS requires Purdue, as an employer, to report whether an employee and dependents (if applicable) had coverage in 2019. Therefore, employees will be receiving a Form 1095-C which details whether they were offered health coverage by Purdue and during which months.

Employees will receive this form in the mail by March 2; however, the 1095-C is not required to be submitted in order to complete a tax return – taxes may be filed as normal.

Forms can be accessed online through Benefitfocus by following these steps: Log in and click the gold “To enroll” button, then select “View Tax Documents” under “My Documents” in the menu on the left side of the page.

Questions can be directed to Human Resources at 765-494-2222 or hr@purdue.edu with “2019 1095-C” in the subject line.

Winter walking tips – Avoid slip and fall injuries

When snow and ice are present, Radiological and Environmental Management (REM) advise employees to take extra precautions as they walk around campus – and elsewhere. To avoid slips and falls, REM offers a tip sheet with information, including a 2-minute video demonstrating winter weather walking techniques. See REM’s “Winter Walking Tips” sheet to access the information.

Support provided for expecting parents, breastfeeding mothers

As a reminder, the university provides multiple resources to assist our expecting parents as well as breastfeeding mothers after they have returned to work. Take a look at the benefits available:

Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is provided as part of an employee’s benefits package
PPL provides parents additional flexibility and time to bond with their new child, adjust to new family situations and balance professional obligations.
Eligible employees receive up to 240 hours (6 weeks) if employed by the University for at least one continuous year, half-time or more, in a benefits-eligible position. If both parents are employed by the University, each parent may receive up to 240 hours of paid parental leave.
Future Moms, a wellness program offered via Blue Cross Blue Shield, is a program that can answer questions, help expecting parents make good choices and follow their healthcare provider’s plan of care. The program provides helpful resources and tools throughout pregnancy and delivery, including:
- A toll-free number so women can talk to a nurse coach 24/7 about their pregnancy. A nurse also may call them from time to time to see how they’re doing.
- The “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy” book, which shows changes to expect for mom and baby during the next nine months.
- A screening to check health risk for depression or early delivery.

The Future Moms program is available at no cost to benefits-eligible faculty and staff covered on a Purdue health plan as well as spouses and dependents ages 18 through 25 covered on a Purdue health plan. View a video about the program. Once pregnancy is confirmed, individuals can call Anthem toll-free at 800-828-5891 and a registered nurse will get you started.

To help mothers be successful in their transition back to work after having a child, the Lactation Support Program includes the locations of all campus lactation spaces and a mother's information packet. Additional resources available include how to obtain lactation consulting through University medical plans, as well as local and national resources for additional support.

All Purdue University faculty and staff health plans cover breast pumps and supplies under the Women’s Health Provision at 100 percent, not subject to deductible. This benefit is limited to the purchase or rental of one breast pump per year as ordered or prescribed by a physician. Rental is also allowed up to the purchase price and includes related supplies. Information is available on the “Lactation Resources” web page on the Family Friendly website.

Upcoming Healthy Boiler workshops

Retirement income, mental health supports for children, breathing 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 health 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.

Dependent Social Security numbers required for medical coverage per Affordable Care Act

Health plan: The Affordable Care Act (aka Health Care Reform) requires employers to send dependent social security numbers (SSN) for those covered on a Purdue health plan to the IRS, along with the dependent’s medical plan election. Please take a moment to review your dependent’s information in Benefitfocus to ensure their SSN information has been entered and is valid. If your dependent does not have an SSN to enter, you may disregard this message.

Begin at one.purdue.edu, select the “Benefits Enrollment – Active Benefitfocus (Faculty/Staff)” tile. Log in to Benefitfocus with your Purdue Career Account and BoilerKey. Once logged into Benefitfocus, click the gold button “To Enroll, Make a Change, and View Your Benefits CLICK HERE” on the top right side. In the menu on the left, click “Dependents.” Under “Actions,” click “Edit” next to your dependent’s name. Review the SSN for that dependent for accuracy or select “Edit” next to your dependent'. If you need to make a change, click “Show and Edit” just beneath the number to enter a new number, then click the black “Save” box at the bottom of the page. If no change is needed, click “Cancel” at the bottom of the page. Please be sure to do this for any dependents (spouse and children) whom you covered at any time in 2019.