Insurance Letter
Office of Human Resources
4301 West Markham # 564
Little Rock, AR 72205-7199
501-686-5650
www.hr.uams.edu
Date: May 29, 2020
To: Head Start Employees
From: Human Resources
Subject: Benefits During Your Summer Leave
We understand that you may be placed on an unpaid leave of absence during the summer break, which could begin as early as the end of this month and end in August. Please check with the Head Start Office for your specific dates.
This means you may miss possibly five paychecks if you are paid bi-weekly, two paychecks if you are paid monthly. This obviously affects your insurance premiums. While the Department of Pediatrics will continue to pay its share of premiums, your share will fall behind. You are responsible for continuing to pay your insurance premiums for the time you are on unpaid leave.
This is the process we’ve followed over the past several years and will use again this year.
- We will continue your coverage over your unpaid summer break and allow your insurance premiums to fall behind.
- When you return to work in August, any back premiums you owe, plus your normal paycheck deductions, will be deducted from your paycheck all at once.
- We realize the hardship this may create, especially after being without pay for two months. Therefore, we will give you an advance in pay to cover back premiums that are over $25. The advance will be the amount of insurance premiums you missed — in other words, the amount that went into “arrears” while you were on leave. You’ll see the advance on the left-hand side of your pay stub as “Headstart Benefit Advance.”
- You will have the rest of the year, through December, to pay back the advance. The pay-backs will start on your first full paycheck after the summer break. You’ll see a deduction on the right-hand side of your pay stub called “Headstart Benefit Repay.” Please refer to the attached payroll schedule to see the timing on this and the paychecks that will be affected.
- The effect of this arrangement is that your insurance premium will increase when you get back from summer leave to cover the time you missed, so that you will be caught up by the end of 2020.
There are two other options if you’d rather not pay your premiums back over time with the advance/payback option described above. You must call Human Resources at 686-5650 by Friday, August 8th if you want to do either of these:
- OPTION 1: Let the back premiums deduct all at once in August; don’t spread out. We’ll deduct your back premiums, as planned, from your first paycheck when you return from summer leave. But there will be no advance to allow you to pay back the premiums over time. If you want this to happen – in other words, to pay the back premiums all at once and be done with it — you must call Human Resources at 686-5650 by Friday, August 8, and request that we not give you the advance.
- OPTION 2: Pay as you go, or pay in advance before the summer break.
You can keep paying your premiums and not fall behind. Over the summer break, send us payments, perhaps on each day that would have been a normal pay day. You would send the payment to Human Resources by personal check made out to “UAMS” or by money order. Sorry, we cannot accept cash. You can also pay by credit card. Contact Human Resources (686-5650) for the amounts you would owe and how to send the payment to Human Resources. Any remaining balance of back premiums would be processed the same way as outlined on page one of this notice.
If for any reason you will not return to work by August 14th, you must contact our office. The number is 686-5650. If you are still on leave past August 14 — perhaps for medical or other personal reasons — you must “pay as you go” to keep your insurance coverage.
If you do not return at the end of the summer and your employment ends, your insurance will terminate retroactively back to May or other date that coincides with your last premium payment. At that time you may be eligible to continue your Medical, Dental and Vision insurance coverage under COBRA. Your eligibility for this will depend upon your termination date and the status of your premium payments.
If you have any questions, please call Human Resources at 686-5650.
Attachment
cc: Tyra Larkin, Director, Pulaski Country Head Start
Bi-weekly Pay Schedule
| Time worked: | Is paid on: | |
| May 17-30 | June 5 | Possible last paycheck before summer break |
| May 31-June 13 | June 19 | These are the paychecks you may miss.
You can continue to pay your insurance premiums to Human Resources if you wish. This would reduce your extra deductions once you return to work. Call 686-5650 to arrange for this. |
| June 14-27 | July 2 | |
| June 28-July 11 | July 17 | |
| July 12-25 | July 31 | |
| July 26-Aug 8 | Aug 14 | |
| Aug 9-22 | Aug 28 | This may be a partial paycheck if you return to work this pay period. All back premiums will be deducted. But this will be offset by an advance to cover them. You will also have your regular insurance premiums deducted. |
| Aug 23-Sept 5 | Sept 11 | Pay back the advance |
| Sept 6-19 | Sept 25 | Pay back the advance |
| Sept 20-Oct 3 | Oct 9 | Pay back the advance |
| Oct 4-17 | Oct 23 | Pay back the advance |
| Oct 18-31 | Nov 6 | Pay back the advance |
| Nov 1-14 | Nov 20 | Pay back the advance |
| Nov 15-28 | Dec 4 | Pay back the advance |
| Nov 29-Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Pay back the advance |
| Dec 13-26 | Dec 31 | Pay back the advance |
| Dec 27-Jan 9 | Jan 15, 2021 | Back to normal deduction |
Monthly Pay Schedule
| Time worked: | Is paid on: | |
| May 1-31 | May 29 | Possible last paycheck before summer break |
|
June 1-30
|
June 30
|
These are the paychecks you may miss.
You can continue to pay your insurance premiums to Human Resources if you wish. This would reduce your extra deductions once you return to work. Call 686-5650 to arrange for this. |
| July 1-31 | July 31 | |
| Aug 1-31
|
Aug 31
|
This may be a partial paycheck. All back premiums will be deducted. But this will be offset by an advance to cover them. You will also have your regular insurance premiums deducted. |
| Sept 1-30 | Sept 30 | Pay back the advance |
| Oct 1-31 | Oct 30 | Pay back the advance |
| Nov 1-30 | Nov 30 | Pay back the advance |
| Dec 1-31 | Dec 31 | Pay back the advance |
| Jan 1-31, 2021 | Jan 29, 2021 | Back to normal deduction |
