Category: Benefits News

This category is for articles and announcements related to your benefits as an MSU benefits-eligible faculty or staff member.

Spartan-themed wrapping on gifts

By Golly, Be Jolly this Holiday Season with Deals and Discounts for MSU Employees!

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Although this year’s holiday celebrations will no doubt look different than usual, there are still ways to make it feel special, whether your loved ones are together or apart. As a benefit-eligible MSU employee, you have access to various discounts and savings that can help you find the perfect holiday gifts this year thanks to MSU Benefits Plus. Through MSU Benefits Plus, you can find discounts and special offers on products such as electronics, footwear and more!

To access all the discounts, visit MSU Benefits Plus and sign-in using your ZPID number (located on your Spartan Card ID badge), or you can find the number in EBS. If you haven’t used MSU Benefits Plus previously, you’ll need to sign-up using your ZPID number to access the discounts.

Check out some of the deals you can find through MSU Benefits Plus below:

Apple – Enjoy employee pricing on most Apple products such as select iPhones, AirPods, MacBooks, Apple Watches and more when you shop through this exclusive link.

Foot Locker – Save $20 off $120+ at Foot Locker by using the code PARNOV20 at checkout.

HP – With the HP Employee Purchase Program (EPP) employees can save up to 70% during HP’s holiday and Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale! Your EPP discount can also be combined with other sales promotions.

Otterbox – Get 10% off your order plus free shipping when you use the promo code OTTER10 at checkout.

1800Baskets – Save 20% on seasonal gift baskets as well as any order from all of the 1800Flowers brands including when you use the promo code CSTREAM at checkout.

BMW – Through the BMW Group Corporate Sales Program, eligible employees can earn attractive incentives when leasing, financing or purchasing a new BMW or MINI. Earn up to $3,000 on a new BMW and $500 on a new MINI. When redeeming the Corporate Sales Program certificate, employees must type in the CSP Account # NEPP3703 to identify the provider first then type in your employer’s name in the Company Name field.

Sennheiser – Get 30% off Sennheiser’s headphones and headsets when you shop through this exclusive link.

BarkBox – Get your first BarkBox for only $15 when you shop through this exclusive link.

The HR website also offers other deals you can find on-campus through the MSU Tech Store, MSU Bakers, and the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, among others. You can check out some of those deals at MSU HR Website.

For more information on discounts through MSU Benefits Plus, visit the HR website. If you have any questions about the discounts, please call MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575.

Your Livongo Benefit Can Help: In the United States 34 Million People have DIABETES; 88 Million People have PREDIABETES.

Use Your Free Livongo Benefit to Manage Your Diabetes

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Are you or a family member living with diabetes? Data shows the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in the United States is rising each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • More than 34 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it.
  • More than 88 million US adults have prediabetes, and more than 84% don’t know they have it.
  • Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States (and may be underreported).
  • In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.

So, what is diabetes? There are two variations: Type I and Type II. As explained by MSU’s Health eGuide, Type I diabetes occurs when the pancreas ceases to make insulin, a hormone that helps the body use sugar for energy. Lack of insulin causes a high blood sugar level, which can be harmful to many parts of the body and can increase the risk for other health complications. Type II diabetes differs in that the body is still able to make insulin, however, it is unable to use it in the right way. While Type I diabetes is not yet preventable, Type II can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle (Healthwise Staff, 2020).

For those living with diabetes, MSU offers a benefit called Livongo – a diabetes management program completely free to MSU employees and their spouses/dependents. The Livongo program aims to reduce the burden on those living with diabetes by offering technology and support to help members easily manage their health.

One of the first to enroll in Livongo was Jeff Brodie, a Management Analyst for MSU Human Resources, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011. Here’s what Jeff had to say about his experience using Livongo: “There is nothing to lose at all, and everything to gain. Even if you sign up and do the minimal, you will be healthier than if you didn’t sign up at all.” You can read more about Jeff’s experience using Livongo in this previous HR blog post.

You can enroll for Livongo at any time and it takes less than 10 minutes to sign up. Once you register, you will receive a welcome kit in the mail. The kit contains your own Livongo connected meter, unlimited testing strips, a lancing device, lancets, a carrying case, and optional coaching by a healthcare professional. Many users say the best part of the program is the unlimited free test strips and lancets mailed right to your door whenever you need them – why pay for these supplies when they are available free?

To learn more about using your free Livongo benefit, visit the Livongo for Diabetes Management webpage. If you have questions or are ready to sign up, visit the Livongo website. Find more testimonials for Livongo here. Do you have your own experience with Livongo? We’d love to hear in the comments below or email us at hrcommteam@hr.msu.edu.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020, June 11). Diabetes Quick Facts. Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/quick-facts.html

Healthwise Staff. (2020, June 29). Diabetes. Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://www.healthwise.net/health4u/Content/StdDocument.aspx?DOCHWID=center1010

Happy Family

Parental Leave for APA and APSA Support Staff Members

Published on by Josh WorleyLeave a comment

Whether you’re expecting to give birth, adopt or foster a child, we’ve got some exciting news for future parents! Beginning January 1, 2021, Administrative Professional Association (APA) and Administrative Professional Supervisors Association (APSA) support staff members will be eligible for MSU’s parental leave.

How does it work?

This policy allows eligible employees to take a maximum of four weeks of paid parental leave (PPL) per birth, adoption or placement of a child/children into their household starting January 1, 2021. After that, the maximum number of weeks will increase gradually in the coming years depending on the union.

APA

Eligible employees represented by APA can receive:

  • A maximum of five weeks starting January 1, 2022
  • A maximum of six weeks starting January 1, 2023

APSA

Eligible employees represented by APSA can receive a maximum of six weeks starting January 1, 2023.

For those employees who experience a birth, adoption, foster care, or guardianship on or after November 1, 2020, you will be eligible for paid parental leave starting January 1, 2021. Paid parental leave will not begin, however, before January 1, 2021.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for the leave, employees must meet the following criteria:

  • Have been continuously employed with MSU, on a full-time basis, for at least 24 consecutive months before the launch of the leave
  • Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 consecutive months immediately before the date the leave would begin
  • Be a full-time regular employee (part-time, temporary employees and on call are not eligible)
  • Meet one of the following:
    • Be the parent to the birth of a child, and to care for the newborn child; or
    • The parent of a child under the age of 18, that is newly added to the household through adoption, legal guardianship or foster care.

For full eligibility requirements and policy details, please visit the Parental Leave Policy page.

Questions?

If you have any questions about parental leave, please reach out to the Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.

Link

Join MSU’s Virtual Benefits Fair This Week!

Published on by Josh WorleyLeave a comment

In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we will not be having an in-person Benefits Fair this year. Instead, we’re offering a Virtual Benefits Fair, which will consist of an online source for curated content from our benefits vendors (such as videos, brochures and more), along with special dates/times for virtual live chat options with HR staff and/or our benefit vendors. We encourage you to use these resources to help get answers to your questions or learn more about all the benefit options available to you as an MSU employee.

Dates and Times

The Virtual Benefits Fair will take place from October 12–16, with MSU HR staff and benefits vendors available to answer questions live via chat on Thursday, October 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, October 16 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (some vendor hours may vary for live chat).

How to Join

Click on this link to the Virtual Benefits Fair webpage to join the fair.
Please register with your name and email if you wish to interact with HR staff and benefit vendors during scheduled live chat sessions. You can then use the username and password you register with to login to the fair. View this Guide to Participating in the 2020 MSU Benefits Open Enrollment Fair for more information.

Participating Benefits Vendors

The following MSU benefits vendors and MSU units will be participating in the Virtual Benefits Fair:

Health/Dental

  • Aetna Dental
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield/Blue Care Network
  • CVS/Caremark
  • Delta Dental
  • Humana
  • Livongo (Diabetes Management)
  • Teladoc (Telemedicine)/Teladoc Medical Experts (Formerly Best Doctors)

Life and AD&D

  • Prudential

Flexible Spending Accounts

  • HealthEquity/WageWorks

MSU Benefits Plus

  • ARAG (Legal Group)
  • Liberty Mutual (Auto & Home)
  • MetLife (Critical Illness, Auto & Home)
  • Nationwide (Pet)
  • Transamerica (Long-term Care)
  • VSP (Vision)

MSU Units

  • MSU Health Team
  • MSU Human Resources
  • MSU IT Services
  • MSU Organization and Professional Development
  • MSU Pharmacy
  • MSU WorkLife Office

Retirement

  • Fidelity
  • TIAA
graphic of the MSU Benefits Plus homepage on a laptop.

Reminder: enroll in, change or cancel voluntary vision, legal and critical illness insurance during Open Enrollment

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

The MSU Benefits Open Enrollment period in October is an opportunity for you to review your benefit options and make any changes necessary for the upcoming plan year. While you may be aware you need to review your health and dental benefits, some voluntary benefits also only allow you to enroll in, change or cancel during Open Enrollment. These include VSP vision insurance, ARAG legal insurance, and MetLife critical illness insurance.

If you’re interested in enrolling in these benefits, need to make changes (like adding a dependent or switching to a different plan) or cancel your enrollment for the 2022 plan year, you must do so in October. If you’re currently enrolled in one of these voluntary benefit options and you do not make any changes, your enrollment will continue in 2022 with the exact same coverage.

How to Learn More, Enroll in, Change or Cancel Voluntary Benefits

Find a brief description of these voluntary benefits below. You can enroll in, change or cancel these optional benefits via the voluntary benefits portal at MSUBenefitsPlus.com. For additional information on these voluntary benefits, please review the appropriate Open Enrollment guide: Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

VSP Vision Insurance: Vision insurance can help with the cost of glasses and contact lenses for you and your family. VSP offers two plan options: the standard coverage plan or a premium coverage plan with an additional enhanced eyewear option of your choice. You can view a plan summary sheet with basic information about the two plan coverage options and rates in the voluntary benefits portal.

MetLife Critical Illness Insurance: Critical illness insurance gives you extra cash in the event you or covered family members experience a covered illness (view the plan summary on the HR website for a list of covered illnesses). This money can be used to offset unexpected medical expenses or for any other use you wish. You can view a plan summary sheet with basic information about the plan coverage and rates in the voluntary benefits portal.

ARAG Legal Insurance: Legal insurance gives you access to legal assistance in a wide variety of situations when you need it without worrying about the costs. The legal plan offers expanded and/or enhanced benefits, such as insurance claims, divorce, home equity loans, refinancing and elder law. ARAG® legal insurance excludes most pre-existing legal issues and business-related matters. You can view a plan summary sheet with basic information about the two plan coverage options and rates in the voluntary benefits portal.

Questions? You can learn more about, enroll in, change or cancel voluntary benefits in the voluntary benefits portal at MSUBenefitsPlus.com. Learn about all your benefits options on the Open Enrollment HR website page. If you have questions, consider participating in the Virtual MSU Benefits Fair or an HR Site Lab. Additionally, the HR Solutions Center is available for questions at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434. Please note there are no walk-ins to the HR building at this time.

Increase to Benefit Level for Optional, Employee-Paid Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

Effective for the 2021 plan year, the benefit level for optional, employee-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance will increase to 1 – 10 times your annual salary (previously, it was available from 1 – 8 times your annual salary). There are also various levels of coverage available for your spouse/other eligible individual (OEI) or dependents.

Please Note: these changes are applicable to optional, employee-paid life and AD&D insurance only. MSU offers you several different types of life/accident insurance plans, which you can learn more about on the HR website.

MSU benefits-eligible employees can enroll in, change or cancel these optional benefits for the 2021 plan year during Open Enrollment in October. Use the following information to help you decide if these benefits are right for you and your family. You’ll also find information to help you calculate your monthly costs if you decide to enroll in one or both options.

Optional, Employee-Paid Life Insurance

Life insurance can provide a lump-sum payment to beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. Optional, employee-paid life insurance is available to all regular full- and part-time (50% or more) employees, as well as to your spouse/OEI and dependent children. There are various levels of coverage, and the cost of the plan varies according to the plan selected.

How to Calculate Your Monthly Cost: find formulas for how to calculate your monthly costs in this year’s Open Enrollment guides. Be sure to reference the appropriate guide: Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

Optional, Employee-Paid AD&D Insurance

AD&D insurance provides various amounts of coverage for accidental death or dismemberment or loss of sight, whether during business or pleasure. Optional family coverage is also offered. This is available to all regular full- and part-time (50% or more) employees, as well as to your spouse/OEI and dependent children. Benefit levels vary by type of insurance selected and the extent of the injury.

How to Calculate Your Monthly Cost: find formulas for how to calculate your monthly costs in this year’s Open Enrollment guides. Be sure to reference the appropriate guide: Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

Questions? You can learn more about your life/accident insurance options on the HR website or contact the HR Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

Graphic of a checklist

Time to Choose Your Benefits for 2021: Your Open Enrollment Checklist

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

It’s more important than ever to make sure you have the best benefits options selected for you and your family. October is almost here, which means the MSU Benefits Open Enrollment period (October 1-31, 2020) is about to begin for benefits-eligible employees. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will not be having our usual in-person Benefits Fair or offering in-person assistance with our MSU HR staff. However, we will be providing virtual opportunities for you to ask questions and get assistance, including a Virtual Benefits Fair (learn more below).

Use the following checklist to help guide you through Open Enrollment and be sure to make your selections between October 1 -31, 2020.

  • Double Check Your Benefits Needs
    During Open Enrollment, you may enroll in, change, or cancel coverage for the following benefits:
    • Health
    • Dental
    • Flexible spending accounts (health and/or dependent care)
    • Life insurance
    • Some voluntary benefits, like vision, legal or critical illness insurance

      Make sure you review the Open Enrollment guide carefully and choose the best benefits plans for your family. Remember, you also have access to various voluntary benefits, like vision insurance. Find Open Enrollment guides on the HR website.
  • Review the Changes for Next Year’s Plans
    Changes for the 2021 plan year include:
    • Increase to the premium threshold for the spousal affidavit: If your spouse/OEI has access to health care coverage through their own current or former employer, they must purchase the coverage their own employer offers if the annual employee premium cost for single-person coverage is $1,500 or less. You may still cover your spouse/OEI on your MSU health coverage as a secondary plan.
    • Increase to Benefit Level for Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: Employee-paid Life and AD&D insurance is now available at a benefit level 1-10 times your salary. Previously, it was available at a benefit level 1-8 times your salary. Learn more about these benefits in the Open Enrollment guides.
    • Aetna DMO Co-Pay Increase for Orthodontics: The Aetna DMO co-pays for orthodontics have increased from $2,300 to $3,000. Only support staff are eligible to enroll in the Aetna DMO plan. Co-pays have not changed for the Aetna Premium DMO plan. Find co-pays by dental plan in the Open Enrollment guides.
  • Make Your Changes Online Before October 31
    If you want to make changes to your benefits selections – or you cover a spouse/OEI on your benefits plan – we encourage you to do so during the Open Enrollment window: October 1 – 31, 2020.
  • Virtual Benefits Fair
    In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we will not be having an in-person Benefits Fair this year. Instead, we’re offering a Virtual Benefits Fair from October 12-16, which will consist of an online source for curated content from our benefits vendors (such as videos, brochures and more), along with the opportunity for you to ask your benefits questions to MSU HR staff and/or our benefit vendors on October 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and October 16 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit theVirtual Benefits Fair Information page on the HR website to find the most up-to-date info about the fair. 

We hope this checklist is helpful! Remember, everything you need to know about Open Enrollment is available on the HR website Open Enrollment page, including links to the appropriate benefits guide, enrollment instructions, and detailed benefits information.

Questions? We’re happy to help! Call or email the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.

Best Doctors Benefit Offers New Behavioral Health Navigator Service

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Your mental health needs to be a priority. As we continue living through this pandemic, that is especially important now more than ever. MSU’s Best Doctors (also known as Teladoc Medical Experts) benefit recognizes how important mental health is. A new service they are now offering to benefit-eligible MSU employees and retirees is their Behavioral Health Navigator.

As a benefit-eligible employee or retiree, if you or your eligible dependent is facing depression, anxiety, or a related condition and want a second opinion, Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts wants to help. Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts gives expert second medical opinions and access to coaching and online education tools. And now with the Behavioral Health Navigator, they offer these services for more than just medical care.

So whether you’re just looking for a second opinion, don’t feel like your condition isn’t improving, need help to find a mental health provider who specializes in your specific condition, or have questions related to your condition, the Behavioral Health Navigator is here to help. Listen to this member experience in the following video:

The Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts team of leading psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers take the time to list to your concerns and complete an in-depth review and assessment of your existing diagnosis and treatment plan while guiding you through the mental health care system to monitor your progress.

How to use the Behavioral Health Navigator:

  1. Contact Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts – You’ll be connected to a behavioral health nurse who will be assigned to you throughout the course of your care. The nurse will perform a video interview to help determine the need for additional assessment or record collection.
  2. In-depth review & report – After the nurse performs the interview, they will complete an assessment summary to send to the behavioral health medical director and an expert psychiatrist. After they review your summary and history, they will either talk to you further or provide recommendations for improvement.
  3. Follow through – Your nurse will guide you through the report, make sure you understand the recommendations, answer your questions, and follow-up throughout your therapy.

Contact Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts today to get started at 866-904-0910, BestDoctors.com, or download the app. Best Doctors/Teladoc Medical Experts is available to faculty, staff, and retirees who are eligible to enroll in MSU health plans. Learn more about this benefit on the MSU Human Resources website.

Compassionate Leadership: Awareness of Mental Health Needs as the Pandemic Continues

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Written by Jennie Yelvington, MSW, ACSW, Program Manager, MSU HR Organization & Professional Development

The last few months have been a long haul, and from all indications, it will still be quite some time before the COVID-19 crisis is behind us. Information changes daily, forcing us to shift gears quickly and adjust plans in virtually every role we have — be it employee, leader, parent, caretaker, or even citizen given our current sociopolitical landscape. As time goes on, the continually shifting ground can be disorienting, and emotional overload can impact our mental health. It is not uncommon for people to feel motivated and focused one day (or week) and then burned out and struggling the next. For those experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions pre-COVID — perhaps silently — the impact may be even more severe. 

In addition, “employees who have had to adjust to new vulnerabilities, uncertainties, and business practices from COVID-19 are now being re-traumatized through repeated exposure to images and threats of violence. For some, this moment is a wakeup call to make important and necessary changes, but for many, there is a cumulative deep emotional overload and exhaustion. Coping with these two huge social forces in the context of social distancing and greater financial uncertainty leaves people feeling frightened.” (Goodson, 2020) What can leaders do to support their team members and colleagues, while attempting to navigate this terrain? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

  1. Commit to your own self-care and encourage your staff to do the same. If you don’t take the time and effort for self-care, you will not be able to do the other items on this list effectively. Here’s the rundown:  
    • Get enough sleep and keep a consistent schedule as much as possible.  
    • Take breaks. Get outside, go for a walk, meditate, get away from your screens even if it’s just for a few minutes. 
    • Move. Do something that you enjoy to get some exercise. Walking, yoga, running, strength training, golfing, dancing, whatever you like.  
    • Connect. We all have an innate need to connect with others. Suggestions: call that friend who makes you laugh, reach out to brighten someone’s day, do something fun with your family (instead of just the to-do list), or meet with a colleague for a socially distanced, outdoor coffee hour. 
    • Take time off as you are able. Even a long weekend or a few hours here and there to get away from work — and social media — can be rejuvenating. 
  2. Stay aware. If you notice that a staff member or colleague shifts from being engaged and productive to detached or agitated, check-in. Not to judge or diagnose, but to see how they are and listen. 
  3. Show compassion and reassurance. Normalize these ups and downs and the impact on everyone’s psyche — though, it may look somewhat different from person to person. Demonstrate empathy and allow for flexibility when possible as people try to meet the demands of caretaking, financial struggles, and more. 
  4. Provide structure and continuity where possible. Talk about what isn’t changing, have project plans so that expectations are clear, keep people briefed on the latest information as you become aware, focus on vision, values, and mission as driving factors regardless of other changes. 
  5. Stay realistic while maintaining some base expectations. Productivity may not be as high or consistent as it was pre-pandemic. There may be points of higher output and other times when family or emotional demands take a toll. Communication is key. What are the priority items that must be completed on time? Where can there be flexibility? How do you prefer people communicate with you if a deadline is at risk?  
  6. Support skill-building. Most employees (and likely you, too) have needed to do their jobs in new ways to meet current needs. Some have put off this learning, hoping that they could ride it out until this situation passes. That is no longer an option. Covering for not having the skills to do the work needed adds to the stress. Do skills inventories with staff to see what areas to strengthen to do the work at hand in this environment. Support people in finding the skill-building opportunities they need and follow up to make sure they’ve followed through and found it helpful. Call MSU HR, Organization & Professional Development and/or Academic Advancement Network for guidance or read some of these questions to help assess learning needs. 
  7. Communicate openly, honoring what is difficult while staying optimistic about the future. Share information you can promptly. If you are having a particularly bad day, it is probably best not to share all your worst thoughts with your staff. Talk to a trusted friend to get perspective first. As new announcements come out, check in with staff to see what their reactions are, what questions they have and discuss how the news could impact them. 
  8. Provide referrals. If you notice that people are struggling, be sure to remind them of the resources available.  

“Leaders set the tone and culture of organizations. They should remind people to take care of themselves and share what they are doing to stay healthy and well. This may mean leaders must get outside their comfort zone. Employees are likely to be reassured by the willingness of leaders to show vulnerability and share how they are coping. This conveys to employees that they are not alone in what they are feeling and experiencing. Ideally, it communicates we are in this together and you are supported. Also, it demonstrates the organization’s commitment to transparency and continuous communication.” (American Psychiatric Association, 2020)  

So grant yourself and others some grace as we move through this imperfectly. Take time to relax and connect with others to further resiliency, set realistic goals and give yourself credit for all that you’ve managed thus far in a challenging situation. Take care, Spartans. Together we can do this. 

Sources:

Scott Goodson (2020, June 25). How to Lead Through Employee Mental Health Issues During Covid. Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://www.inc.com/scott-goodson-chip-walker/how-to-lead-through-employee-mental-health-issues-during-covid.html

Employee Mental Health & Well-being During & Beyond COVID-19. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2020, from http://www.workplacementalhealth.org/Employer-Resources/Employee-Mental-Health-Well-being-During-Beyon