Healthy Boiler

August is Cataract Awareness Month – VSP has resources

August is Cataract Awareness Month. Cataracts, which occur when the eye’s lens becomes cloudy, can be caused by a variety of factors, including: traumatic injury, radiation, congenital, post-surgery, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, age and more. Vision Service Plan (VSP) provides vision coverage for Purdue employees and has resources to help deal with cataracts. Left untreated, cataracts can lead to blindness.

See VSP’s articles “How Can I Avoid Developing Cataracts?” and “4 Ways to Prevent Cataracts at Any Age” to learn more about ways you can reduce your risk of developing them.

Fall 2021 Road to Retirement event takes place September 22-24 – Registration not required

Save the date: Road to Retirement -- a 3-day virtual event packed with information designed to help you plan for retirement, regardless of where you are on your retirement path, takes place September 22-24.  The program is held twice a year.

For more information, including recorded presentations of past event sessions, visit the Benefit’s web page, “Ready for Retirement? Let us help you plan!”

Save the date: Open enrollment for 2022 benefits

Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to review benefit offerings and make choices – that best fit your needs and the needs of your family if applicable – for the upcoming year. Open enrollment for 2022 benefits will take place October 26 through November 9, 2021. To keep employees updated, communication efforts have already begun.

Continue to watch your email and Purdue Today for open enrollment 2022 information and details.

Take advantage of the additional ‘Wellness Benefit’ from Voya

As part of your Critical Illness Insurance, you can qualify for a “Wellness Benefit.” Voya will provide an annual benefit of $50 per calendar year for taking one of the eligible health screening/prevention measures. Voya will pay only one health screening benefit per covered person per calendar year. For example, annual physical exam, mammogram, colonoscopy, pap test, prostate exam, hemoglobin A1C, blood panel, etc. Information on eligible health screenings and how to file a claim can be found on the here.

Don’t forget, if you are participating in the 2021 Healthy Boiler Program to earn the wellness incentive and have already had your annual physical (and biometrics screening if desired) completed, you have already had a qualifying screening/prevention measure taken. If not, you can plan to earn both the Healthy Boiler incentive – complete your annual physical (and biometrics screening if desired) by December 31, 2021 – and the Critical Illness Insurance Health Screening Benefit in 2021.

Questions can be directed to Human Resources at hr@purdue.edu, HRHelp (secure email) or by phone at 765-494-2222 or toll-free at 877-725-0222.

Added benefit resources for employees

Over the last few years, Human Resources – Benefits has added resources to assist the Purdue community in conjunction with all of the Purdue health plans. They include:

  • com – provides employees the ability to search and find affordable caregivers – for children, seniors and pets – along with other services such as tutoring, housekeeping and more.
  • ATI Physical Therapy – chosen as the provider of choice for physical therapy, ATI is a multi-faceted partnership offering hands-on, on-site and virtual care.
  • Rx Savings Solutions – provides transparency into prescription costs and options and offers personalized guidance for every member on a Purdue health plan to save money on prescription drugs.
  • Total Hip & Total Knee Joint Replacement Program – partnership with Franciscan Health provides a total package of quality, care and savings on hip and knee joint replacements. Employees receive personalized care, hassle-free travel, cash incentive and more.

Behavioral health resources available

For faculty and staff  

Behavioral health – one of the five pillars of the Healthy Boiler Program – plays a key role in overall employee well-being. In an effort to help Purdue employees manage stress, anxiety and more, the Mental Health Resources web page offers a variety of available resources.

For students

Faculty and staff, who work with students or have a student at home, can direct students to the student resources below for behavioral health assistance. Note: LiveHealth Online Psychology and LiveHealth Online Psychiatry services are also available to Purdue students who are covered on a Purdue Graduate Student or Student Health Plan. Mental health visits through LiveHealth Online are covered at 100 percent on the Purdue student health plan.   

Office of the Dean of Students:

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS):

Upcoming Healthy Boiler workshops

Our brains and change, building resilience, Rx Savings Solutions and more are topics of upcoming  Healthy Boiler workshops being offered. 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 unless otherwise specified. See the full list of workshops on the “Healthy Boiler Workshops” web page.