During the Option Transfer Period, eligible adult children of NYSHIP participants may enroll in the young adult health insurance option, and current young adult enrollees are able to switch plans.

The Young Adult Option allows adult children under the age of 30 to purchase their own NYSHIP coverage at the full share individual rate. Coverage for young adults applies only to medical benefits. Enrollment in the NYS dental and vision plan is not available through this benefit.

For additional information on the Young Adult Option, visit www.cs.ny.gov/yao. 

Note: Young adult children of NYSHIP enrollees are eligible to continue coverage as dependents under enrollees' family coverage up to age 26.

Tower 4 residence hall was taken off-line and completely renovated during the 2012–2013 year as part of a multiyear renovation plan for the Tower residence halls. This fall, the renovated building was re-opened, and students are now living there. We invite you to join us today, December 3, in Tower 4 for a tour to see the great upgrades to student campus living during an open house from noon to 2:00 p.m. Tours will be given and refreshments will be available. All are welcome.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

Please join the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “Benthos Powers Lake Dynamics,” presented by Ronald Griffiths, ecologist at Oregon State University, on Thursday, December 5, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Classroom Building B332. Faculty, students, and staff are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

Health insurance rates for 2014 have been established and are available at www.buffalostate.edu/offices/hr/benefits.asp#health.

Employees who wish to change their health insurance plan for the coming year have until Tuesday, December 31. We encourage you to complete and return the option transfer form to Cleveland Hall 410 as soon as possible. This will avoid retroactive premium adjustments and should allow you to receive new health plan identification cards closer to the coverage effective date, January 2, 2014.

"Choices," a summary of the health insurance plans for 2014, is now available online. You may want to review this before you decide whether to change insurance carriers or to remain with your current carrier for your health insurance coverage. 

Representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY, Independent Health, and the Empire Plan will be on campus today, December 3, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 to answer questions about current health insurance plans and anticipated changes in coverage for 2014.

No action is required if you wish to keep your current health insurance option.

For questions, please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821.

Empire Plan Annual Deductible
Effective January 1, 2014, the annual deductible for CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PBANYS, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees will be $1,000 per enrollee, $1,000 per enrolled spouse or domestic partner, and $1,000 for all dependent children combined. This change reflects the 2.2 percent increase in the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the period July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013.

The annual deductible for calendar year 2014 will be reduced to $500 for CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees in (or equated to) salary grade 6 or below on January 1, 2014.

Empire Plan Coinsurance
Effective January 1, 2014, the coinsurance maximum (out-of-pocket expenses) for CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PBANYS, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees will increase to $3,000 to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index.

The coinsurance maximum for calendar year 2014 will be reduced to $1,500 for CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PEF, UUP, and M/C employees in (or equated to) salary grade 6 or below on January 1, 2014.

Note: There is no deductible or coinsurance when employees use the Empire Plan Participating Provider Network.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions.

The New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) will offer the Opt-Out Program for plan year 2014 to CSEA, NYSCOPBA, PEF, PBANYS, UUP, and M/C employees. This program allows eligible employees who have other employer-sponsored group health insurance to opt out of their NYSHIP coverage in exchange for an incentive payment. On an annual basis, the incentive payment is $1,000 for opting out of individual coverage or $3,000 for opting out of family coverage.

If you are currently enrolled in NYSHIP and wish to participate in the Opt-Out Program, you must elect to opt out during the annual Option Transfer Period and attest to having other employer-sponsored group health insurance. You must complete and return the NYS Health Insurance Transaction Form (PS-404) and the 2014 Opt-Out Attestation Form (PS-409) to Cleveland Hall 410 by Tuesday, December 31.

If you currently participate in the Opt-Out Program and wish to participate in the program for 2014, you must complete a new Health Insurance Transaction Form (PS-404), electing the Opt-Out Program for 2014, and the Opt-Out Attestation Form (PS-409). If you do not make the election for 2014, your enrollment in the Opt-Out Program will end and the incentive payment credited to your paycheck will stop. You must elect the Opt-Out Program on an annual basis.

The complete Opt-Out Program description, including eligibility requirements and enrollment forms, is available on the Human Resource Management website.

Please call the Employee Benefits Office at ext. 4821 with questions or for additional information.

The University Police Department has temporarily suspended the grooming standards for the department, allowing officers to grow a goatee for six weeks, until January 2. Twenty-three officers are participating in the Goatees for Charity fundraiser by paying $50 each to grow a goatee. The funds raised will be donated to the Lt. Colonel Matt Urban Human Services Center of W.N.Y., which provides a variety of community services in Buffalo. Vice President Michael LeVine is also donating funds in support.

Don't miss out. Discover a world of handcrafted items just perfect for holiday gifts or gracing your home and office. Held in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall, the sale begins Wednesday, December 4, at 10:00 a.m. and continues to 7:00 p.m. and reopens Thursday, December 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come early for the best selection. Support our students!

If you have any questions, please contact Carol Townsend, ext. 4986.

Come to an information session on the Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP), the on-demand discovery learning professional development program for faculty and staff, today during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Technology Building 242. Interested in learning about instructional technologies that can be used to help engage students? Then the TOEP program is just what you need. Learn how you can earn awards, become eligible for prizes, and the possibility of winning $300.

This introductory session workshop will introduce faculty and staff members to TOEP, a web-based discovery learning activity designed to help you learn about instructional technologies that are engaging and functional. TOEP provides hands-on experience with online instructional technologies like creating and editing audio and video, creating engaging presentations, using social media in and outside the classroom, and more that you can explore at your own pace. Complete a series of short discovery exercises designed to help you explore and reflect on innovative and creative uses of online instructional technologies.

Learning Objectives

• Identify and evaluate a variety of online instructional technologies for the purposes of teaching and learning.
• Reflect on your own learning and outline how online instructional technologies might enhance your teaching effectiveness.

TOEP runs through spring 2014 and can be completed in as little as 30 minutes a week. Faculty and staff members selected through peer review will receive funding to be used toward professional development (valued at $300). Other incentives, including iTunes gift cards, will also be awarded.

Visit the TOEP website for more information.

The Buffalo State Literacy Center, Bacon Hall 227, is offering free one-on-one literacy tutoring (strategy instruction) for children (grades K–12) of Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff. Sessions are on Mondays or Tuesdays from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m. There are nine sessions and one parent conference. Sessions begin in February and spaces are limited. Please e-mail garasyka@buffalostate.edu to register now. Spots fill quickly.