Briefing: News for UC Faculty and Staff

Home < Human Resources and Benefits Briefing < September 2008

	Newsletter Archives Briefing \| New Dimensions Please Select One
In This Issue: en Español Feature Article \| UC People \| Briefs \| Benefits Q&A

Feature Article
Business Travel Insurance Provides Extra Security When a Berkeley professor on a research mission in the mountain forests of New Caledonia fell down a ravine and crushed his leg, he needed urgent medical care and to get back to the US. With the help of Travel Assistance provided by UC's Business Travel insurance carrier, he received emergency treatment and returned home accompanied by a medical assistant. The business travel policy covered all of these expenses. More>> Open Enrollment To Begin October 30 Open Enrollment for 2009 Health and Welfare plans is just a few weeks away and will be held from 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 30 through midnight on Tuesday, November 25. More>> Making Steps to Better Health Taking an online health assessment last spring and reviewing the results gave Rita McLean some food for thought: fruit instead of a sugary snack and walk rather than stay glued to the computer. More>> Go to the Top	Can't find what you want? Directories and Contacts Forms and Publications Search the website Email Customer Service
UC People
Irvine 'WALL-E' and the Professor For three years, UC Irvine ecology & evolutionary biology professor James Hicks kept his colleagues, friends and even his wife in suspense about a top-secret movie he was involved in with Disney/Pixar studios. When the movie finally premiered this summer, it was something of a surprise to them. Hicks worked as a consultant on "WALL-E," an animated love story featuring not alligators or snakes, which he keeps in his lab - but robots. Davis Couple Headed Olympic Horse Hospital With many students and alumni competing in athletic events, UC was well represented at the recent Summer Olympics. And a UC Davis husband-and-wife veterinary team played important behind-the-scenes roles. Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier coordinated the equine veterinary facility at the 2008 Olympics. They are Olympics veterans, having served at the summer games since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Merced Focus on Making Campus Green Leads to Managerial Role Javier Rodriguez knows what it means to make the most of an opportunity. Rodriguez, who didn't speak English when he moved at age 24 from Mexico City to Santa Cruz, was chosen for the brand-new role of general services manager at UC Merced last spring. Go to the Top
Briefs
UC Benefits Not Affected by Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage In light of the recent California Supreme Court decision overturning the law that prohibited same-sex marriage in California, UC Human Resources and Benefits wants to assure those affected that UC's benefits and benefits policies will apply equally to same-sex marriages and opposite-sex marriages. More>> IRS Notice on Spreading Salary Payments Not Applicable to UC Faculty A recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notice addressing teachers who work 9 months but are offered the option to be paid over 9 or 12 months does not apply to University of California faculty, according to a legal opinion from the University's outside tax counsel. More>> Additional Biweekly Paychecks Affect Non-mandatory Deductions Employees paid on a biweekly basis normally have 24 payrolls from which non-mandatory deductions, such as additional federal and state taxes and contributions to the 403(b) and 457(b) plans, are taken. Two payrolls typically do not have non-mandatory deductions withheld because the pay period is the third one ending in the month. More>> UCSD Extension Registrar Edward Abeyta Named Staff Advisor-Designate Edward L. Abeyta, the registrar and director of academic services at UC San Diego (UCSD) Extension, recently was named as the staff advisor-designate to the Regents for 2008-09. More>> The Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act Annual Notification of Rights Do you know that your medical plan, as required by the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998, provides benefits for mastectomy-related services including all stages of reconstruction and surgery to achieve symmetry between the breasts, prostheses, and complications resulting from a mastectomy, including lymphedema? Call your plan for more information. HRB Briefing Newsletter Now Available Electronically To receive an electronic version of HRB Briefing, the systemwide newsletter about employee human resources and benefits, rather than the paper version, sign in to your personal account on At Your Service Online. More>> Go to the Top
Benefits Q & A
Q. Can you explain why UC does not enable employees to pay into the State Disability Insurance system to take advantage of California Paid Family Leave? Also, please explain why there is not a comparable program for UC employee caregivers? UC San Francisco More>> Q. Before starting to work at UC Berkeley University Health Services in 1988, I was a medical resident at UCSF. I also worked at San Francisco General Hospital, which was associated with UCSF. When calculations are done for purposes of my vestment and retirement benefits, they always assume that my employment began in 1988. My question is: Should I inquire re: claiming the time I was paid by UCSF, during my residency, as counting towards retirement? J. O., UC Berkeley More>> Q. I worked for 4 years in the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) and accumulated a small amount of service credit and retirement funds. Can those be rolled over into my UCSD account? P.K. UC San Diego More>> Do you have a question about your benefits that you’d like to have answered here? Send your questions to HRBBriefing-L@ucop.edu or UC HR/Benefits, HRB Briefing editor, 300 Lakeside Drive, 12th Floor, Oakland CA 94612. We will provide answers in a future issue of HRB Briefing.