Change in RCUH Fringe Benefits Schedule – Effective Jan. 1, 2010

Due to an increased number of employee terminations, weak economy, and people remaining on unemployment longer than in the past, the RCUH will need to adjust the Unemployment Insurance fringe rate from 0.45% to 1.25% effective January 1, 2010.

 

The total unemployment benefits paid out from July 2009 through November 2009 (5 months) is 130% more than the same time in 2007, and 76.7% more than 2008.

For further details see RCUH Policy 3.510 RCUH Fringe Benefits Schedule

Last Check Run for Calendar Year 2009

To:          Principal Investigators, Fiscal Officers/Designated UH Officials

 

The last check run for the calendar year will be on Thursday, December 31, 2009.  On-line payment transactions approved by fiscal officers by 12 noon on Thursday, December 31, will be included in the check run. 

 

Month-end processing will commence at 12 noon on December 31, 2009.  During this period, on-line payment and purchasing transactions can be initiated, but fiscal officers will NOT have the ability to approve transactions.  Transactions approved after 12 noon on December 31 will NOT be included in the project reports for the month of December.

 

Should you have any questions please contact Maile Wai at 988-8340 or [email protected].

 

 

2009 Outstanding Employee of the Year Awards Luncheon

You are cordially invited to a luncheon to honor the nominees of the 2009 RCUH Outstanding Employee of the Year Awards on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.  The award luncheon will be held in the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Manoa Grand Ballroom.  Please join us in giving special recognition to the nominees who represent the many hard working employees of the RCUH.  Please share this information and invitation with all of your project staff.

 

If you would like to attend please submit payment with the invitation attached below to RCUH Human Resources by January 25, 2010.

 

Click here for a list of the 2009 Outstanding Employee of the Year Nominees.

 

Inquiries? Contact Jocelyn Matsushima or Sharon Tamanaha at (808) 956-3100.

Click here for reservation form

Outstanding Employee of the Year Nominees for 2009

Thank you to all Principal Investigators for taking the time to think of that special employee who has made a significant contribution to their  project in the year 2009. 

 

Congratulations to the following nominees and their Principal Investigators!

 

College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

Center on the Family

Group Nomination:  Learning to Grow Team

(Mary Ann Nemoto, Traci Hisatake, Wendy Chang, Angela Choy)

Nominated by Dr. Grace Fong

 

College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management

Farhat Abbas, Assistant Researcher

Nominated by Dr. Ali Fares

 

Curriculum Research and Development Group (CRDG)

Byron Inouye, Sr. LT Digital Arts Designer

Nominated by Dr. Donald Young, Dr. Kathleen Berg

 

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Marine Mammal Research Program

Marlee Breese, MMRP Research Specialist

Nominated by Dr. Paul Nachtigall

 

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS)

Christine Brammer, HIHWNMS Programs Coordinator

Edward Lyman, Marine Mammal Response Manager

Nominated by Naomi McIntosh

 

Joint Astronomy Centre

Ingeborg Heyer, Public Information Officer

Nominated by Dr. Gary Davis

 

Maui Community College, Ku’ina Program

Misti Furomoto, Ku’ina Program Support Assistant

Eden Koljord, High School Career Liaison

Nominated by Alvin Tagomori

 

Maui Community College, Maui Oral Health Center

Cindy Nakamura, Dental Assistant

Donna Harty, Registered Dental Hygienist

Nominated by Nancy Johnson

 

Maui High Performance Computing Center

Group Nomination: MHPCC Systems Engineering and Networking Group

(Lance Terada, Mark Payba, Stephen Gima, Jonathan Dann,

Bradley Thomas, Nilesh Patel, Mary Ann Ciuffini)

Nominated by Eugene Bal III

 

Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit

Trevor Joyce, PCSU Avian Research Technician

Nominated by Dr. David Duffy

 

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Marlene Nonaka, NWHI Fiscal Administrator

Nominated by Aulani Wilhelm

 

School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry

Michelle Horton, Telepsychiatry Program Administrator

Nominated by Dr. Iwalani Else

 

Stephanie Martin, Addictions Research Nurse/Program Manager

Gregory Ewing, PARC Clinical Study Facilitator

Nominated by Dr. William Haning III

 

Group Nomination: Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center

(Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda, Tai-An Miao, Fa’apisa Soli, Davis Rehuher, Ami Scronce,

Georgine Perez, Deanna Gonda, Randy Bautista, Karla Filibeck, Shantel Wilcox)

Nominated by Dr. Earl Hishinuma

 

School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology

Department of Oceanography

Suzanne DeFelice, Analytical/Laboratory Researcher

Nominated by Dr. Paul Bienfang

 

School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology

Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research

Kyle Koyanagi, JIMAR Marine Debris Operations Manager

Jason Philibotte, JIMAR PIRO Sr. Coral Reef Resource Management Specialist

Nominated by Dr. Thomas Schroeder

 

Subaru Telescope

Naoyuki Tamura, Subaru Instrument Scientist (FMOS Commissioning)

Group Nomination: Subaru Telescope Bilingual Administration Assistant Team

(Noriko Roth, Sumiko Yoshida, Yuka Niimi, Wakako Nakano)

Nominated by Dr. Masahiko Hayashi

 

 

If you submitted a nomination and your nominee is not listed above please call Sharon Tamanaha at 808-956-6965 as soon as possible.

 

An awards luncheon to honor these outstanding employees will be held on Friday, February 26, 2010, 11:00 a.m. at the Japanese Culture Center of Hawaii.  Everyone is invited

 

 

HMSA Medical Plan Changes Effective January 1, 2010

NOTE:  This article is applicable to employees (and dependents) who are enrolled in the HMSA Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Comprehensive Medical (CompMED), Health Plan Hawaii Basic and Health Plan Hawaii-Plus plans.

 

HMSA periodically reviews their health plans and updates them as needed to ensure quality health benefits, as well as, compliance with federal and state mandates.  These updates are outlined in the attached Summary of Changes documents provided below and are effective January 1, 2010. 

 

  HMSA PPO   HMSA CompMED   HMSA HPH

Please note that these changes not only apply to RCUH’s HMSA members, but ALL HMSA members (community-wide).  These changes are also available on HMSA’s website at www.hmsa.com.

 

Should you have any questions, please contact Jill Niitani at [email protected] or HMSA directly at (800) 776-4672.

RCUH Payroll Deadline for Pay Period ending 12/31/09

This is a reminder that the payroll deadline for the 12/16 – 12/31/09 pay period is 12:00 noon on Thursday, December 31, 2009.  The RCUH online timesheets (via the HR Administrative Portal) will be available for you to start entering your employee’s time from 8:00am on Tuesday, December 29, 2009.

 

·         If your project is affected by campus or office closures during this time, please plan NOW to find alternate locations or means to submit your online timesheets by the December 31st payroll deadline.

 

·         If you will not be available to submit your employees’ online timesheets by the December 31st payroll deadline, please designate another person NOW to do so by giving them temporary access to the HR Administrative Portal.  You will find a Delegation of Authorization form on our website at www.rcuh.com for this purpose.

 

·         If you, or the person responsible for your timesheets, will be at another location due to campus or office closures, please be sure to advise us what phone number and e-mail address we can contact you at in the event of questions or problems.  You may note your contact information on timesheet documentation faxed to RCUH Payroll or email us at [email protected].

 

·         Please advise your employees of any alternate plans and procedures they have to follow to submit their timesheets to you.

 

RCUH Payroll must maintain this schedule to be able to pay all employees on time.  We will not be able to process your employees’ pay using paper timesheets if you normally submit them online.

 

For FAQ’s regarding campus/office closures and possible solutions to the problems they may cause, please click here.

 

If you have any questions, please contact RCUH Payroll at [email protected].

 

Year-End Reminder for RCUH Employees

 Please take the time now to verify all of your personal information on the RCUH Employee Self Service (ESS) system to ensure that our records are accurate.   This includes your:

 

·         Name

·         Mailing Address (should be a Hawaii address if you are working and living in Hawaii)

·         Phone Number

·         Emergency Contact Information

·         Email address

 

If changes are necessary, please be sure to update your information on the Employee Self-Service system by Wednesday, December 23, 2009.   The following blackout dates in December are when the ESS system is NOT available for changes (though available for viewing) due to payroll processing:

 

12/11/09 – 12/18/09

12/28/09 – 1/05/10

 

Your name and mailing address, as it appears on ESS, is what will appear on your 2009 Wage & Tax Statement (W-2 form), or other tax forms, which will be mailed to you in January 2010.  Please remember that an incorrect mailing address may cause delays in the delivery of your W-2 form.  There will be a $10.00 reissue fee assessed to you if another W-2 must be issued for any reason.

 

To access the ESS system, please click on the Employee Self-Service link located on our home page at www.rcuh.com.  For questions or problems with your ESS login or password, please email us at [email protected].

 

For questions relating to your paycheck or W-2 form, please e-mail our RCUH Payroll staff at [email protected].

 

HMSA Online Care Promotion For RCUH Health Plan Participants

You may have seen the commercials on TV, but have you taken the time to register for HMSA’s Online Care?  With busy schedules and multiple demands on your time, Online Care may be the perfect solution for you.   

 

HMSA’s Online Care is a convenient way to connect you with a physician or other health care provider from HMSA’s network, live via the Web, secured chat or telephone.*   It also gives you access to a health assessment and resources on a variety of health and medical topics, all in one convenient location.  Online Care is fast and convenient, especially when you’re not feeling well enough to make a trip to the doctor’s office, or if you can’t get an appointment.  You do not have to be an HMSA member to use HMSA’s Online Care.

 

To learn more about Online Care, representatives from HMSA will be conducting short informational sessions on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii as follows:

 

 

HILO

OAHU

MAUI

Date:

Friday, December 4, 2009

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Friday, December 11, 2009

 

Location:

University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH)

Learning Resource Ctr #344

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Kuykendall Room 208

Maui Community College

Kalama #107

 

Info Session

Time:

Session #1:  11:00am – 11:30am 

Session #1:  8:30am – 9:00am 

 

Session #2: 11:00am – 11:30am

 

Session #1:  11:00am – 11:30am 

 

Session #2: 12:00pm – 12:30pm

 

On-Site Assistance:

HMSA representatives will be onsite:

10:30am – 12:30pm

Learning Resource Ctr #344

HMSA representatives will be onsite:

8:00am – 12:00pm

Kuykendall Room 208

HMSA representatives will be onsite:

10:30am – 1:30pm

MCC  – Kalama #107

 

Please RSVP to Jocelyn Matsushima at [email protected] or 956-3100 to confirm your attendance no later than 2 days before the session.

 

TRY ONLINE CARE FOR FREE! *Additionally during this flu season, RCUH employees and their dependents can use Online Care one time, free of charge!  The promotional code that should be used is: FLU. This offer is valid from now through May 31, 2010 for Web conversations (not telephone conversations).

 

Online Care is a great option, especially with the constraints of time, distance, mobility or limited access to care. We hope you will take the time to learn more about and register for this program.

 

For more information on Online Care, visit www.hmsa.com.  Or, contact the HMSA Customer Service at (808) 948-6013 (Oahu) or 1 (866) 939-6013 toll free (Neighbor Islands).  Questions may also be directed to Sheri Nakashima, RCUH Human Resources at [email protected].

 


Click http://www.hmsa.com to register for Online Care now.

 

 

* You must be in the state of Hawaii to talk to a Doctor