Beginning this year, Martin Luther King Day will be an official holiday for OSU. Celebrated the third Monday in January, OSU will be closed on January 19, 2004.

The 2004 OSU holidays are as follows:

The University Holidays Policy can be found at www.okstate.edu/osu_per/policy_proced.htm.

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Over the past few months, meetings have been held with a representative group of faculty and staff to discuss an Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) for Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater and Tulsa campuses.

After much discussion, it has been determined that an ERIP program is not viable at this time. Loss and replacement of faculty and staff who would potentially qualify for an ERIP program would create an unacceptable impact on the University.

The ERIP proposal was discussed at a University Budget Committee consisting of representatives from all constituencies of the University. The University Budget Committee recommended that no ERIP proposal be considered.

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One of the benefits of our new ING Supplemental Life Coverage is you can continue the insurance at the same OSU group premium rate if you leave OSU and are under the age of 70. This portability provision is only available if the employee purchases voluntary supplemental coverage.

You may enroll in the voluntary supplemental life coverage with as little as $5,000 on yourself. This amount is sufficient to enable you to gain the portability provision on coverage you elect for enrolled dependents. If portability of dependent coverage is not desired, electing employee supplemental is not required to gain supplemental coverage on dependents.

If you have already enrolled your spouse and/or children in supplemental life but did not elect supplemental coverage on yourself, you may want to contact Employee Services at (405) 744-5449 to add employee supplemental before January 30, 2004.

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Human Resources is planning a Benefits Fair to give you the opportunity to visit one-on-one with benefits experts and attend group educational meetings. Reserve April 6 and 7 on your calendar and watch for more information.

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The Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System mailed annual statements to members’ home addresses recently. If you are a member and did not receive a statement, contact OTRS at 1-877-738-6365 and verify your mailing address and request a duplicate.

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In the packet you received from ING Employee Benefits, there was a table of rates which reflected the same age at the end and beginning of each bracket. This has caused some confusion about the proper bracket for individuals (you and your spouse) who appear to fall in two brackets.

Age for both you and your spouse is computed on age as of December 31, 2003, for the calendar year of 2004. If you or your spouse have an age that ends in a 5 or 0, you would use the higher bracket. For example, an employee age 30, would use the bracket from 30-35, not the bracket from 25-30. A new rate schedule has been placed on the web. All the information material contained in your enrollment packet is available in the Insurance Information Box on at www.okstate.edu/osu_per/empinform.htm.

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Starting July 1, 2003, amounts of sick leave that accrue each pay period that are in excess of the 1600 hour maximum were captured and transferred to an Extended Sick Leave Account. Amounts forfeited during the ten years prior to July 1, 2003, have been estimated from prior payroll records.

Employees who became members of the Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System (OTRS) prior to July 1, 1992, may be able to use this excess sick leave to receive additional service credit for OTRS retirement benefits. When requested by OTRS, OSU will verify the accrued amount of sick leave to include both the regular sick leave amount and the extended sick leave amount.

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Big 12 Survey of Maternity/Paternity Leave Benefits

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Calendar Year 2003 W-2s will be mailed by January 31, 2004. Employees receive W-2s at home department/priority location (same as the payroll advice). Separated employees receive W-2s at home addresses.

W-2s will be distributed by University Mailing over several days. If you do not receive your W-2 by February 9, you may call Employee Services, (405) 744-5449, to check on the address where it was mailed.

We will begin taking requests for W-2 reprints on February 9. Reprints will be mailed within two business days or can be picked up at 106 Whitehurst Information Hub.

1042Ss will be issued to all nonresident aliens (NRAs) who have received a scholarship or elected a tax treaty during 2003. These forms will be mailed with your W-2 or mailed to your home address by January 31, 2004.

Remember to keep your December Payroll Advice. It can be used to estimate your 2003 taxes and is also a valuable reference to determine new-year changes (2004) that may affect your pay.

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A new benefits plan year begins each January for HealthChoice participants with a new $300 annual deductible. If you have more than three people covered in your family, you will want to monitor your claims to be sure that you are not charged more than $900 (family deductible) in a given year. This is true even if your spouse is covered by HealthChoice through another employer. Inform HealthChoice that your spouse is covered and you wish to be treated as a family unit.

Also, remember that a new Statement of Claim form must be completed on the first claim each plan year for each family member. Failure to provide the claim form to your physician at the time of treatment will result in a delay. This once-a-year form ensures current information on each covered family member.

The Statement of Claim form is available at www.healthchoiceok.com under HealthChoice Plan Info., then Forms & Applications.

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Long-Term Care Insurance May be Available Soon

OSU is proceeding with a Request for Proposals process to search for a voluntary long-term care insurance plan as recommended by the Flexible Compensation Benefits Committee. An OSU committee of faculty, staff, and emeriti was recently formed to evaluate proposals.

"Long-term care" should not be confused with "long-term disability" coverage. Long-term care will be a new program never offered before by OSU. By purchasing long-term care insurance, you would have coverage to help cover the costs of nursing home care and home health care situations. Coverage may also be available for spouses.

Expected implementation is July 1, 2004. More details will be provided as this project progresses.