HR News Updates | March 2022

Here are some important health and safety reminders as you return to campus.

• Have you submitted your vaccination and booster certification?
• If you’ve not done so yet, a reminder that employees may provide vaccination and booster self-certification or request an exemption through the myNorthridge Portal. Once logged into the portal, under the Policies and Procedures pagelet of the Faculty or Staff tab, select the EE Vaccine Self-Certification link and complete the form accordingly.
• All non-represented employees are expected to submit booster certification as soon as eligible per CDC.
• All faculty (unit 3) employees are expected to submit booster certification by February 28, 2022 or as soon as eligible per CDC, whichever is later.
• All other represented employees are encouraged to obtain their booster as soon as eligible. We will update you of specific timeline requirements after the meet and confer processes are completed. You can schedule a booster appointment by visiting myturn.ca.gov.
• This process is only for state-side CSUN employees. Auxiliary employees should check with their respective HR departments for details.
• Need to schedule an on-campus COVID-19 test? (Applies if you have a vaccination exemption)
• Non-represented employees, including student employees who do not self-certify that they have been fully vaccinated with booster (if eligible) or who have been provided a medical or religious exemption are required to participate in free weekly COVID-19 testing.
• Represented employees who do not self-certify that they have been fully vaccinated or who have been provided a medical or religious exemption are required to participate in free weekly COVID-19 testing
• On campus testing – on campus testing is available Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at kiosks located near the Extended University Commons and the University Student Union (USU) Freudian Sip. Please see map for details. Test results are normally provided 24 - 48 hours after test date.
• Employees who have certified their vaccination status may voluntarily choose to participate in testing, noting that testing on campus will not be an option for someone who is experiencing symptoms.
• Please visit COVID-19 Employee Testing | California State University, Northridge (csun.edu) for more information.
• Do you have your mask ready?
• Due to the new Omicron variant, which spreads more easily and rapidly than past variants, and per Los Angeles County Public Health Order, CSUN is requiring all faculty and staff to wear medical-grade masks (e.g., surgical masks or procedure masks) in lieu of single-layer cloth masks that no longer provide optimal protection against COVID-19. If you need a medical-grade mask, please contact your Department COVID Coordinator. CSUN’s Environmental Health and Safety Department has tested and reviewed all disposable masks and confirmed all masks provided by CSUN meet the medical-grade requirements.

MEETS MEDICAL-GRADE REQUIREMENTS

• Don’t forget the Daily Health Screening!
• All CSUN students, employees or visitors coming on to campus, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, must complete a daily health screening survey. Come to campus only if cleared to do so. If you are not cleared, do not come to campus; the survey page will provide you with next steps.

• SMILE. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. LET’S KEEP TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER! For additional information, please refer to Employee Quick Guide: What to Expect When Returning to Campus.

As always, please regularly visit the MATADORS FORWARD website for the latest guidance and information. If you have any questions regarding vaccinations, boosters or testing, please feel free to reach out to Human Resources, Employee Relations at er@csun.edu or 818-677-6566.

How to Report COVID-19 Cases or Potential Exposure

When reporting self or employee COVID-19 cases, the information will be provided to the Klotz Student Health Center for contact tracking, to Environmental Health and Safety for office sanitization and OSHA reporting, and to Human Resources for leave assistance.

• Faculty & Staff Self-Reporting Form
• Manager Reporting Form (For managers to report employee and student employee cases)

There is now an updated dashboard on Matadors Forward which will display all potential building exposures of positive COVID-19 cases for a 14-day period of time.  The dashboard has been updated to include all building exposure notifications since yesterday.

The dashboard also provides information on the following items:

• student and employee vaccination rates and booster rates
• student, employee and affiliate positive COVID-19 cases
• resources on workers compensation, leaves of absence, information on cleaning, etc.
• forms on how to report COVID cases
• contact information for students and employees

You may view the dashboard at https://www.csun.edu/matadors-forward/covid-dashboard.

Human Resources is pleased to introduce the Calm app as our newest employee wellness resource!

Whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes, Calm’s diverse content library offers resources to suit your schedule and needs. Explore guided meditations and specialized music playlists to help with stress and focus, mindful movement video and audio, relaxing Sleep Stories, tailored content for children, wisdom-filled masterclasses led by experts, and much more.

Employees with Kaiser Permanente as their health plan provider already have access to Calm and may sign-up directly through Kaiser.

All other state-side employees should simply follow the instructions below to gain full access to Calm - the #1 app for mental fitness.

To Get Started

• Visit the following link: Calm for CSUN Employees
• Sign up with your personal email address (or log in to an existing account)
• Validate your work email address or Employee ID

Once complete, you can download the Calm app and log into your new account. Your Calm subscription gives you unlimited access to the full library of content at calm.com and in the Calm app. Sign up for one of Calm’s Live Employee Welcome Sessions to learn more.

Please note that Calm only shares aggregated user data. For more information, see their privacy policy at calm.com/privacy.

 Log on to Calm and Explore

These are just a few of the features available to you.

Body	Breathe / Reflections	Meditate	Sleep	Kids

Visit the HR Benefits Calm website for more information and FAQs.

You can still join the first CSU Systemwide Steps Challenge! You’ll virtually travel from San Diego State to Humboldt State, accumulating steps as you go. You can participate as an individual, or create a team of up to six colleagues, where you can support and track each other’s progress.

You’ll begin the journey at San Diego State, where you’ll head north to visit each of the 23 CSU campuses. For every step you take you’ll accumulate four additional steps as you virtually travel, and along the way you’ll be inspired by fun facts about each campus—as well as the Chancellor’s Office. Simply track your daily steps using a pedometer, Fitbit or smart phone app, and log them daily or weekly on the CSU Steps Challenge website. Don’t have a Fitbit or smartphone app? Use the “Activities to Steps Conversion Chart” found on the CSU Steps Challenge home page.

It is recommended to take 10,000 steps per day, according to Kaiser Permanente. In the CSU Systemwide Steps Challenge, you will receive additional virtual steps for every one step you take to help you get to all of the CSU campuses faster. The challenge is self-paced, so you can visit as many campuses as you’d like on your own schedule.

And we’ve included an incentive to get you moving – if by the end of the program on May 20 you’ve visited at least 50% of the campuses (reaching Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) and complete our survey – you’ll be entered to win one of 24 prizes! That’s right, we’ll randomly select a winner from each campus and the Chancellor’s Office, so you could be the winner!

The CSU Steps Challenge officially began Monday, February 14 and "runs" through Friday, May 20. So, grab your walking shoes and visit the website today to set up or join a team. You’ll be automatically redirected through Single Sign-On to the Steps Challenge website when you click on the “Log In” button on the page.

We’re looking forward to traveling the virtual journey together across the CSU system!

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

Location:

Online, Pre-Registration Required

Facilitated by:

CalPERS Staff

Description:

Applying for a temporary annuity allows you to supplement your pension for a limited time until you receive other income, such as Social Security. Join us to learn about eligibility and how it works. Keep in mind this is an "advance" on your future pension payments and permanently lowers your overall retirement benefit.

Registration:

Register

The CSU Employee Fee Waiver and Reduction Program provides for the waiver or reduction of tuition and certain fees for eligible employees. In addition, an eligible CSU employee may transfer their fee waiver benefit to a spouse, domestic partner, or eligible dependent child. CSUN employees who want to complete a bachelor’s or graduate degree, enhance job skills, or even prepare for a future career, are encouraged to participate in the program. Eligible employees or their eligible dependent may have tuition and fees for a maximum of two (2) courses or six (6) units, whichever is greater, waived/reduced each semester.

The CSU Fee Waiver module will be available March 21, 2022 for Fall 2022 applications. In order to ensure timely processing, please submit your application no later than May 20, 2022.

Partnering with Admissions & Records, and Student Accounting, we will be offering an online workshop on the Fee Waiver and Reduction Program on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Join us and get your questions answered!

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the State of California is required to file annual reports with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and furnish a statement to full-time employees with information about the health coverage offered to the employee and their dependent children, using IRS Form 1095-C. Health coverage providers are also required to file annual reports with the IRS and furnish a statement to individuals with information about those who had minimum essential coverage for at least one day during the preceding calendar year, using IRS Form 1095-B.

By January 31, the State of California, via the State Controller’s Office, will issue a Form 1095-C to its full-time employees with information about the health coverage offered, if any, to the employee and their dependent children. The state’s health coverage providers will also issue a Form 1095-B to employees who were enrolled in state-sponsored health coverage for at least one day during the preceding calendar year.

For answers to frequently asked questions about these forms, visit: https://www.csun.edu/benefits/aca-annual-health-coverage-statements.

This year, Spring Break takes place from Monday, March 21st through Sunday, March 27th.

Student Employees may work up to 40 hours during the Spring Break work week (Sunday through Saturday). However, please be cautious not to allow work to exceed 40 hours in that week. The State Controller’s Office cannot pay overtime (hours in excess of 40 per work week) for Student Employees. Also, while there are no classes scheduled during Spring Break, please be sensitive to the possibility that students may have assignments or project work during the break.

Please contact Classification and Compensation at hrclass-comp@csun.edu regarding questions.