Degree Works will be unavailable from midnight until 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, to allow for system maintenance. Degree Works will be unavailable from 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 21, to allow for additional system maintenance.

The New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) is conducting a Dependent Eligibility Verification Audit to help ensure that every participant who receives benefits is entitled to them. Targeted participants include those who are enrolled in a NYSHIP-sponsored plan (Empire Plan, one of the offered HMOs, or Opt Out) who insure or cover a dependent (i.e., spouse, child, etc.).

Verification Phase: July 5 to August 19
Enrollees with family coverage should receive or should have already received a home mailing from HMS Employer Solutions that includes a cover letter and verification form explaining required documentation of eligibility for their dependents covered under NYSHIP. If eligibility was verified for a natural child, a stepchild, or a child of a domestic partner in the 2009 audit, you will not be asked to verify the child's status during the current audit.

Required documentation for any covered dependents must be received no later than Friday, August 19, 2016. The verification form together with copies of all required documents is to be submitted to HMS Employer Solutions. These forms are not to be submitted to Human Resource Management or to the NYS Department of Civil Service. For fastest processing, please submit required documents by uploading them via the web portal or by faxing them to (877) 223-8478. If web and fax are unavailable to you, documents may be mailed to HMS Employer Solutions, P.O. Box 165308, Irving, TX 75016-9923. Please do not mail original documents. If you have any questions, please call HMS (866) 252-0635 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

It is imperative that enrollees respond and provide copies of acceptable proof of eligibility (such as birth certificates or marriage certificates and proof of inter-financial dependence) in a timely manner during their verification phase. Dependents of enrollees who fail to respond will be removed from coverage retroactively to January 1, 2016. In addition, enrollees may be responsible for repaying all health insurance claims for ineligible dependents as early as the date the dependent became ineligible.

CORRECTION APPENDED
Degree Works will be unavailable from midnight until 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, to allow for system maintenance. Degree Works will be unavailable from 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 21, to allow for additional system maintenance.

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Correction: July 11, 2016
The original message, published July 11, 2016, contained an editing error. This message has been amended.

Attention, faculty and staff members. Did you know you can save 10 percent on every dining purchase when you use Bengal Bucks at any dining location? Purchase a meal plan today by visiting the Bengal Card Office in the Butler Library 108. You may also buy a faculty-staff meal plan on the Dining Services website.

Are you looking or do you know someone who is looking for a new job? Chartwells at Buffalo State is currently hiring for the fall 2016 semester. We will host an Open Job Fair on Wednesday, July 20, from noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. If you have questions or need more information, please call Shaniel Wisniewski at 878-6010.

Are you looking or do you know someone who is looking for a new job? Chartwells at Buffalo State is currently hiring for the fall 2016 semester. We will host an Open Job Fair on Wednesday, July 20, from noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union. If you have questions or need more information, please call Shaniel Wisniewski at 878-6010.

The staff members of E. H. Butler Library's Archives and Special Collections are excited to announce the launch of our new departmental website. The new portal contains a plethora of features, including downloadable finding aids and inventories for a majority of our holdings, instructions for faculty and staff on how to arrange a visit to the Archives and Special Collections for individuals and classes, links to our Digital Commons collections, and downloadable user registration and policy documents. In addition, collections are fully listed and also grouped by subject.

We hope you can take the time to explore the website for your own benefit, as well as for the benefit of our students and other scholars.

The deadline to submit applications for the SUNY B-140W Tuition Assistance Program for Summer Session 2016 is Monday, August 1.

Staff members may apply for tuition assistance after six months of service; faculty members may apply after one semester of service. The following employees are eligible:

• Full-time Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees.
• Part-time or temporary Buffalo State faculty members and professional or classified employees who are employed at least half time (faculty must teach at least two courses in the semester).
• Full-time Research Foundation employees, provided they work on the Buffalo State campus.

Program funds may be used for courses at SUNY campuses only. Eligible employees may apply for a 50 percent waiver of SUNY tuition for up to two courses a semester, to a maximum of 15 credit hours an academic year. Tuition assistance is limited to regular in-state undergraduate or graduate tuition rates. The level of support may be adjusted when necessary if funding is not adequate to cover applications received.

After submitting an application, employees who decide to drop a class or find it has been covered by another source are asked to please notify Human Resource Management immediately to update their applications.

Please contact Human Resource Management, 878-4821, for applications or program guidelines.

The fall 2016 Critique and Evaluation Period (PDF, 8.1 KB) schedule is now available online. Additional information about the fall 2016 semester can be found on the Registrar's Office Courses web page.

The Buffalo State Alumni Association is excited to announce the relaunch of its website on Monday, June 27! One feature of the new website is that it’s responsive. Whether you’re viewing this website on your desktop computer, phone, or tablet, it automatically adjusts—and looks great! Search the alumni directory, register for alumni events, and more from a desktop computer or on the go.

Please note that alumni must register for an account on the new website. It’s quick and free! Online account information from the previous website was not transferred.

Other updates for the new website include an alumni profile section called "Bengal Tales" and a Bengal Business Directory of alumni-owned businesses. Alumni can submit their Bengal Tales and information about businesses they own.

Questions or concerns? Contact the Alumni Association at alumni@buffalostate.edu or (716) 878-6001.