Archive for January, 2014

Benefit Eligible Faculty and Staff: Please renew your commitment to the Abundant Life program and complete the 2014 Abundant Life Pledge/Waiver Form in order to receive a free family membership to the Student Recreation & Wellness Center for 2014. If you signed the 2013 pledge form, your card will continue to be activated until Friday, February 14. If you do not renew by that date, your ACU ID card will no longer work at the SRWC turnstile.  If you are currently set up for payroll deduction for your membership to the SRWC, please be sure to complete the SRWC Payroll Deduction Cancellation Form to stop your payroll deduction.

Please join us at the Learning Studio lab on Jan. 23rd from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., to cut and etch physical materials with Adobe Illustrator and the Maker Lab’s Epilog Helix Laser. Get hands-on with designer Nathan Driskell from the Learning Studio as he walks you through creating your own project. No experience required.

Space is limited to 12 participants, so please RSVP to rsvp2ac@acu.edu. Stop by the Adams Center to pick up lunch and proceed to the Learning Studio lab. We’ll finish the session in the Maker Lab.

Some ACU users received a phishing email that says that additional space is being added to your email account that requires you to submit information to configure. This email is not from ACU and you should not click the link provided by the message.

If you did enter your information after clicking the link, please change your password now by using the “Change your password” link here on myACU.

For more information, please visit the Technology Support Blog.

The 6th annual Undergraduate Research Festival is approaching! This year the Festival is on Tuesday, April 1st, in the Hunter Welcome Center. Please encourage undergraduates doing research in Abilene to submit an abstract by January 31st at 5 p.m. Additional information can be found at our blog.

We will soon begin recruiting judges in many content areas. If you are interested in judging, please send an email to uresearch@acu.edu.

To all full-time, reduced full-time and half-time faculty and staff:

Please see the Summary of Material Modification (SMM) that describes certain changes that have been made with respect to the Abilene Christian University Retirement Plan since the latest Summary Plan Description (SPD). Specifically this SMM details options you have for in-service withdrawals.

This report requires no action from you. It is for informational purposes only.

Sincerely,

Robyn Smith, MS, PHR
Assistant Director, Human Resources

The School of IT & Computing invites high school students to expand their knowledge and experience in dealing with technology at our annual Hackathon. The SITC Hackathon will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 25. Students can choose to participate in a Programming Competition or Mobile App Workshop. Cost for the event is $15 and includes event registration, meal and t-shirt. Learn more.

Nominate graduating seniors planning to attend graduate school at ACU for a chance to receive the V.W. and Loreta Kelley Scholarship. Criteria and nominating forms can be found on the Alumni Association website. Nominations are due by Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The Staff Senate would like to invite all Faculty and Staff to the next Town Hall scheduled for Thursday, February 13th from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Living Room. Anthony Williams will be the speaker. We look forward to seeing you!

When you visit the doctor & pharmacy there are a few important things you need to know.

At the Doctor:  In general, using your insurance at the doctor will work much in the same way as it did when you had the HCA.  You will present your BCBS ID card and will be told you do not owe anything at the point of service.  You will receive a bill from your doctor’s office and, separately, an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from Blue Cross.  Do NOT pay the bill until you have seen your EOB – the EOB tells you what you owe with insurance and your doctor’s bill may not reflect the Blue Cross discounted rate.  Once you know what you owe with insurance, you can pay your bill.  Depending on how your doctor does billing, you can write in your HSA debit card info on the bill and send it back to your doctor or call your doctor’s office to pay over the phone.  If you have run out of HSA funds or just wish to pay out of pocket, you will pay the bill out of pocket with your personal checking account or credit card information.

At the Pharmacy:  At the pharmacy you will pay at the point of service.  Be sure to show your Blue Cross ID card to ensure that your prescription cost is the Blue Cross discounted rate and to ensure that it tracks towards your deductible.  You can swipe your HSA debit card to pay (be sure to run it as credit to avoid paying a transaction fee), or you will pay out of pocket if you have either run out of HSA funds or if you wish to pay out of pocket.

If you further questions about what to do at the doctor or pharmacy, please contact Elsa Dunson, Benefits Coordinator with Holmes Murphy, at x3359 or edunson@holmesmurphy.com.

Once HSA Bank establishes your HSA account, a debit card will be mailed to you.  Once mailed, it should take 5-7 business days to arrive. The time it takes to approve and set up each HSA account varies from person to person. Keep in mind there is a federally regulated process for setting up banking accounts (due to the Patriot Act & other regulations) and the review/approval process is very fast for some and takes longer for others.

It is our understanding from HSA Bank at this time that the latest date you should receive your HSA Debit card by is January 20th, 2014.  Your Welcome Packet/Letter will arrive within a few days of when you receive your debit card.

For security purposes, your HSA debit card will arrive in a plain, unmarked white envelope.  Separately you will receive a welcome packet in the mail that includes a welcome letter with your HSA account number, a fee and interest schedule, a privacy notice and a copy of the deposit account agreement and disclosures for health savings accounts.

If you incur expenses prior to receiving your debit card, you can always reimburse yourself from your HSA once you have set your account up online.

You are highly encouraged to visit the FAQ section of HSA Bank’s website to view other important information about your card and managing your account online.