HR News Updates | May 2022

Friday, April 29, 2022 is the deadline to submit a nomination for the 2022 Recognition of Excellence Awards.

Please take this opportunity to nominate a staff colleague so that we may collectively recognize their contributions in helping make CSUN an excellent institution. All staff and faculty are eligible to make a nomination. This year's awards include:

• Presidential Award
• Merit Award
• Jolene Koester Team Award
• Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award
• CSUN Student Assistant of the Year Award
• CSUN Alumni Engagement Award
• CSUN Community Engaged Staff Award
• CSUN Sustainability Award, and the
• CSUN Leadership Award

Visit the Staff Service & Recognition of Excellence Awards page to access the award descriptions, criteria, and eligibility information as well as the nomination form(s).

The CSU Fee Waiver Application Module is currently available to submit your application for the Fall 2022 semester. In order to ensure timely processing, please submit your application no later than May 20,2022.

For more information about your Fee Waiver benefits and eligibility, please visit the Fee Waiver & Reduction website.

Plans are currently underway for CSUN to celebrate the 56th Annual Staff Service and Recognition of Excellence Awards Event on July 7, 2022 from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. This event recognizes employees who have achieved milestones in five-year increments of dedicated service to the University.  At this year's event, we expect to honor nearly 300 employees recognized for collectively providing more than 3,200 years of service to the University!

Is it your time to be recognized? Please review the following list of employees scheduled to be recognized at 2022 Staff Service Award Nominees. 

If you believe that your name should be on the list, but it is not, or, your name is on the list and you believe it should not be, please submit the 2022 Staff Service Award Honoree List Inquiry Form, or contact Heather Kennedy at Heather.Kennedy@ csun.edu by May 6, 2022.

For those administrative staff responsible for processing the appointment of Academic Personnel and Student Employees for Summer 2022, we encourage you to enroll in one of the following workshops that have been scheduled. 

Register for the appropriate workshop session through the CSUN Portal below.

Save the Dates & Register now! 

Zoom connection information and calendar invite provided upon reggistration.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Location:

Online, Pre-Registration Required

Facilitated by:

CalPERS Staff

Description:

Our webcasts can help you better understand your CalPERS benefits to plan ahead whether you're new to the workforce, mid-career, or nearing retirement. Read more about or register for CalPERS Webinar | Your Online Service Retirement Application.

Registration:

Register

LifeMatters Webinar: A Holistic Approach to Health

Description:

Explore the basics of “holistic” medicine and how it differs from traditional medicine. 

Location:

Online: Available as a prerecorded webinar

Facilitated By:

LifeMatters

To access the webinars:

• Go to www.mylifematters.com/my/webinars and follow the directions on that page. Please sign in with your company password - MATADORS
• For live webinars, click on the link for the webinar you would like to attend and follow the registration instructions. You must register prior to the start of the webinar to attend.
• Transcripts for non-captioned, archived webinars are available upon request.
• If you are unable to attend the live webinar, it will be available in the WorkLife Balance Webinar archives.

On February 19, 2022, California Senate Bill (SB) 114, became effective. This bill provides employees up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave for specific COVID-related absences. The 80 hours are pro-rated for part-time employees and exempt employees may only use the time in whole day increments. The leave time is retroactive to January 1, 2022 and is available for use:

• through September 30, 2022 for employees represented by UAPD, APC, Teamsters, and UAW, and
• through December 31, 2022 for non-represented employees, and employees represented by CFA, CSUEU, and SUPA.

Please note – updates may be made to these timelines for represented employees after the meet and confer processes are completed.

Qualifying Reasons for Leave Up to 40 hours (5 days) of SPSL can be used for the following reasons when employees are unable to work on site or telework:

1. Employee is subject to quarantine or isolation related to COVID-19, as defined by the State Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a local health officer who has jurisdiction over the workplace; or
2. Employee is advised by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19; or
3. Employee is attending an appointment for themselves or a family member to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or a vaccine booster (See limit on use of hours below.); or
4. Employee is experiencing symptoms, or caring for a family member experiencing symptoms, related to a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine booster that prevents the employee from being able to work (See limit on use of hours below.); or
5. Employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or
6. Employee is caring for a family member who is subject to a quarantine or isolation order or guideline or who has been advised to isolate or quarantine by a health care provider due to concerns related to COVID-19; or
7. Employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.

Up to 40 hours (5 days) of additional SPSL can be used only for the following reason when employees are unable to work on site or telework:

8. Employee, or a family member that is under their care, tests positive for COVID-19. Employees do not need to exhaust the leave to which they are entitled to for reasons 1), 2), or 3), before using this additional SPSL. Employee will be required to provide positive test result for themselves or impacted family member to qualify for these 40 hours.

Vaccine or Vaccine Booster Time Limits For each vaccination or vaccine booster:

The total COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave is limited to 3 days (24 hours) for each vaccination or vaccine booster. If the employee or their family member continues to experience symptoms related to the vaccine or vaccine booster beyond 3 days (24 hours) limit, the employee must provide verification from a health care provider upon request. The 3 day or 24-hour limitation applies to each vaccine or vaccine booster and includes the time used to get the vaccine or vaccine booster.

If you are interested in learning more about this leave type or if you would like to request personal time (sick, vacation, CTO) already used for the qualifying reasons to be converted to SPSL time, please contact your Benefits representative.

• For last names starting with A-K contact Cari Morgan, Leave of Absence and Workers Compensation Specialist at cari.morgan@csun.edu or 818-677-6510.
• For last names starting with L-Z contact Deborah Stewart, Leave of Absence and Workers Compensation Specialist at deborah.stewart@csun.edu or 818-677-3351.

Applicable MOUs:

The following Memoranda of Understanding may be the controlling document regarding this leave:

• CFA/CSU Memorandum of Understanding Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL)
• CSUEU Memorandum of Understanding Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL)
• SUPA/CSU Memorandum of Understanding Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL)

2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Poster:

You can access a pdf version of the California 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave poster pictured below, here.

As announced December 22, 2021, to be fully immunized against SARS-CoV-2 and in compliance with the University's COVID-19 vaccination policy, faculty, staff and students who are accessing university facilities or programs are required to receive a vaccine booster shot.

All non-represented employees and students who are accessing campus facilities were to provide certification of booster no later than February 4, 2022 or upon eligibility according to CDC guidelines.

All CFA (Unit 3) represented employees who are accessing campus facilities were to provide certification of booster no later than February 28, 2022, or upon eligibility according to CDC guidelines, whichever is later.

All CSUEU (Unit 2, 5, 7, &9) represented employees who are accessing campus facilities were to provide certification of booster no later than April 29, 2022, or upon eligibility according to CDC guidelines, whichever is later.

All SUPA (Unit 8) represented employees who are accessing campus facilities are expected to provide certification of booster no later than March 31, 2022, or upon eligibility according to CDC guidelines, whichever is later.

All other represented employees are encouraged to obtain their booster as soon as eligible and input their certification. 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.

The following are guidelines to assist you in hiring students during summer sessions:

• Summer session appointments may be made if the student has been enrolled for the current Spring semester, and is planning on attending in the Fall. 
• Students who graduate, and who are not admitted/enrolled for either the Summer or Fall semester, are not eligible for appointment as Student Assistants. The last day that a graduating student may work this semester is May 25^th, the last day of the academic year. Also, Student Assistants will need to follow the 20 hours per week cap during that last week of the academic semester, regardless if they are finished with their finals earlier in the week.
• If a student is enrolled at least half time (six or more units for undergraduate students or four or more units for graduate students) cumulatively during all three Summer sessions, the student may be appointed as a Student Assistant. He/she may work up to, but not in excess of, 20 hours per week total in all positions. The CSU policy for Student Assistants limits their normal working hours to 20 per week during academic sessions.
• If the eligible student (see 1st statement above), is not enrolled, or is enrolled in less than half time for throughout all 3 summer sessions, they may work as a “taxable” Student Assistant (Job Code 1874) for the months of June and July.
• They may work up to a maximum of 40 hours per week, but may not be scheduled to work overtime. Overtime is defined as more than 40 hours per week. A schedule may exceed eight hours a day, provided the total for the week does not exceed 40 hours. Overtime should not be authorized, because the State Controller's Office will not issue payments to Student Assistants in excess of 168 hours for a 21-day pay period, or in excess of 176 hours for a 22-day pay period.

Reminder: Student Assistants are employees and, as such, need to have the termination/separation date provided to Payroll as soon as it is known for preparation of the final pay check/warrant. 

If you have questions regarding International Students and eligibility to work over the summer, please contact the International Exchange Student Center (IESC) for their review and clarification of the International Student’s status and eligibility to work.

Specific information for summer student employment options may be found in the “Summer 2022 Student Employee Hiring & Processing Workshop Guide” which can be accessed in the Managers & HR Facilitators’ Toolkit webpage beginning May 3.

We also invite you to attend the Summer 2022 Student Employee Hiring & Processing Workshop on Thursday, May 5.

Dependent Re-verification (DRV) is the process of re-verifying the eligibility of your spouse, domestic partner, children, stepchildren, and domestic partner children (family members) enrolled for state health and dental benefits. Government Code section 22843.1 mandates re-verifying the eligibility of your family members. Government Code section 22959 authorizes extending this review to your family members enrolled for dental benefits.

• The eligibility of your family members will be re-verified once every three years. The re-verification period is based on your birth month. Employees born during the following months are required to re-verify family members during 2022: March, May, August, and November.
• For those employees with birthdays in August, you do not need to send in the Dependent Eligibility Verification Affidavit mailed to you by CalPERS. As a sustainable and convenient alternative, you will receive an email from Adobe Sign allowing you to complete your required Dependent Eligibility Verification Affidavit and attach the required documents. Please complete and submit your required documents prior to July 30, 2022 in order for your dependent(s) to continue receiving health coverage and avoid cancellation on 9/1/2022.

For more information visit the following page: Health Care Dependent Re-Verification

Upcoming LIVE Events!

Improve your health and get rewarded!

All CalPERS members (regardless of health plan enrollment) can earn a rewards through three ways:

• Invite a co-worker: $5 Starbucks gift card per quarter, regardless of how many co-workers you refer.
• Blue Shield trivia: The first 2 attendees who answer a random Blue Shield Trivia question during each webinar will win a Jump Rope.
• Attendance leaders: Each year CalPERS members are eligible to receive a charcuterie set after attending and staying for the entire duration of 10 wellness webinars.

Direct Deposit

Enjoy the convenience of having your monthly pay directly deposited into the bank account of your choice. New enrollment may take up to two pay periods to process, so please ensure your home address on file is also up to date. The following link provides information on Direct Deposit for CSUN employees: https://www.csun.edu/payroll/direct-deposit.

Completed forms can be mailed to:

Human Resources – Payroll Administration
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA  91330-8229

Cal Employee Connect

Cal Employee Connect (CEC) allows CSUN employees to securely view up to three (3) years of their earnings statements and W-2’s, along with personal information online. Cal Employee Connect reduces state costs and workload by providing a tool for all state employees to access their earnings information electronically.

The statements available in CEC provide continuity to the statements previously printed by the SCO. CEC offers a range of tools to help you view your earnings, including a feature to compare statements side-by-side.

To learn more about CEC and how to view pay warrant and W-2 information, visit Cal Employee Connect.

The Spring PERSpective is Now Available: Look for it in your mail or read it online to get the latest news and updates on your CalPERS retirement benefits, health benefits, and news & events.

Read PERSpective Online

How to Report COVID-19 Cases or Potential Exposure

Please complete one of the following forms to report a case of COVID-19 or possible exposure to someone with COVID-19.

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