February 2021 Newsletter, published 01/29/25

Pittsburg State University closed at 12:00 A.M. on Monday, February 8, 2021 through 11:59 P.M. on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 due to inclement weather.  Additionally, PSU was closed for inclement weather at 12:00 A.M. on Monday, February 15, 2021 through 11:59 P.M. on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.

For important time card reporting procedures please click here to review guidance sent out by HRS Director Lori Scott Dreiling on February 19th, 2021.

The Human Resource Services (HRS) newsletter will be housed on the HRS web page on the pittstate.edu website. If you have questions or need assistance with any of the information in the newsletter, with most of the office working remotely the easiest way to reach us is to send an email to payroll@pittstate.edu.

February 19th	Pay Day
February 21st	Pay Period Starts
February 22nd	Time Card Approval Deadline 3 p.m.
March 1st	On Campus Biometric Screening 7 a.m. - 11 a.m.
March 5th	Pay Day
March 7th	Pay Period Starts
March 8th	Time Card Approval Deadline 3 p.m.
March 16th,17th, and 18th	March TIAA Webinars. Click here for more information.
March 19th	Pay Day
March 21st	Pay Period Starts
March 22nd	Time Card Approval Deadline 3 p.m.

All HR services are available remotely. Human Resource Services office will have limited on-site services available from 8am-12pm and from 1pm-5pm, Monday through Friday. Appointments are accepted with individual HR team members as well. Employees are encouraged to email payroll@pittstate.edu for assistance.

Total Compensation Statements for 2020 are now available in Gus Cloud.  The State of Kansas requests that Pittsburg State University provide each benefits-eligible employee with a Total Compensation Statement for the calendar year ending 12/31/20. This statement reports direct and indirect compensation for 2020.   The 2020 Total Compensation Statement does not replace W-2 forms or other income tax related information and is not intended for use in tax preparation.

On campus biometric screenings have been rescheduled for March 1st from 7-11 a.m in the Governor's Room. This meeting is already full, however, employees next opportunity will be on April 21st. Keep an eye out for emails from HealthQuest or your HRS team when scheduling appointments becomes available.

Employee 1095-C tax forms are now available. Click here for information on how to access the form.

If any employee feels that they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, getting tested, or have been identified as a Close Contact, please fill out the form at the link below. There is a possibility that Congress could allow retroactive payments to employees who missed time dating back to 1/1/2021 so we should have something on file in case this happens. For questions please email payroll@pittstate.edu and someone will assist you as soon as possible.

Employee COVID-19 Reporting Form

**Important Update: Employees who had fraudulent unemployment claims made under their name in 2020 may receive a 1099-G for tax year 2020 from the State of Kansas. Click Here to view a memo from the State of Kansas. For procedures on what to do if you receive a 1099-G sent from the State of Kansas click here.**

Fraudulent UI claims have been on the rise nationwide. Please refer to guidance put out on the HRS website here to help safeguard your identity.

For any questions or concerns, please email payroll@pittstate.edu

Please remember to keep your beneficiaries up to date! 

For employees under KPERS you may view your retirement and life insurance beneficiaries on the KPERS website at KPERS Login.

 

For the KPERS Voluntary plan you may view your beneficiearies at KPERS 457 Voluntary Login

For employees under KBOR you may request to view your current beneficiaries by contacting the HRS office by phone at 620-235-4191 or by emailing payroll@pittstate.edu.

HSA beneficiary information can be viewed by logging into the HSA portal at https://stateofkansas.wealthcareportal.com/Page/Homekansascda.com

The State of Kansas has issued out a notice that employees are receiving an unusually high volume of SMS Phishing Scams. Many employees have received fraudulent text messages trying to collect their personal information. Stay informed and click here to report fradulent attempts at gathering your information.

Please review this notice from KPERS regarding fraudulent emails you may see regarding outside retirement options.

KPERS Outside Retirement Email Notice

Please review this special notice regarding 403b retirement plan contributions by clicking here.

Employees interested in enrolling in KPERS 457 may click here for more information. You will need an enrollment code to sign up which will be provided here. This code expires on February 21st, 2021.

Enrollment code information can also be found here.

TIAA will be holding five webinars in February 2021. The dates and times of these webinars will be listed below. Please click here for more information and to sign up!

Strategies for Staying on Track - March 16th at 2 p.m.
Retiring in the New Normal - March 17th at 2 p.m.
Understanding Medicare - March 18th at 11 a.m.
Home Buying 101: A Financial Primer for First-Time Home Buyers - March 18th at 2 p.m.

For more information on important dates and HealthQuest in general please Click Here to view the February HealthQuest Newsletter.

Also, here are some Faqs sent out by HealthQuest recently. Please review for any changes or events that maybe taking place! 

HealthQuest Faqs

2021 HealthQuest Biometric Screenings will be available for sign up in the HQ portal. These have been scheduled for the following dates in the Governors Room: • March 1st 7-11 a.m. • April 21st • August 31st • September 1st • October 21st

HealthQuest Portal

Plan With Ease is tightening it's security protocols. PSU employees may receive a letter in the mail with a PIN to help make their information more secure. Please review the updated login procedures laid out in the following email from PWE.

PWE New Login Instructions

The deep freeze of February 2020 is hopefully over.  Please read closely (in my 2-19-21 email or in this newsletter) about how to record your time during the last pay period.  It is important that you get it right depending on your individual circumstances.

A reminder that the Human Resource Services (HRS)group is available for in-person appointments in 204 Russ Hall, Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 1:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.  Someone asked me last week why there are only 1-2 HR team members in the office each day.  First of all, HRS has performed all of our services remotely since mid-March 2020 including payroll, open enrollment, staffing and recruiting, new hire activities and paperwork, etc.  Secondly, and probably most importantly, HRS is in charge of making sure all 1626 PSU employees get paid!  I like to get paid; I’m sure you do too.  We take COVID-19 precautions very seriously; it would not be possible to socially distance should we all be in the office together.  We would not want to jeopardize payroll completion should one or more of us became ill.  Lori Rule #1 – Don’t mess with employees’ pay.  That being said, contact us at payroll@pittstate.edu if you would prefer to set up an in-person meeting with one of us.  We’ll make it happen.

Finally, in my short time here at PSU, I have come to realize that many of you struggle with understanding your benefits; everything from basic health insurance questions to the more advanced retirement investment options. I was thinking about doing a monthly Zoom series about specific benefit topics.  Maybe 10-15 minutes.  What do you think?  What benefit would you like to know more about?  Send me your thoughts at ldreiling@pittstate.edu.

Stay warm Gorillas!  Spring is coming soon!

Lori Scott Dreiling, Director Human Resource Services