Employee Benefits - NIH Benefits Information - Did You Know? January 2008
What’s New?
Topics Of Interest:
Where Do I Go If I Have Questions About My Benefits?
1. BENEFITS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2. HOW CAN I CONFIRM MY FEDERAL BENEFITS OPEN SEASON ELECTION(S) AND/OR FEDERAL PAY RAISE FOR 2008?
The Federal Benefits Open Season elections, 2008 FEHB rate changes (OPM), and the 2008 Federal pay raise for General Schedule (OPM) employees are all effective on January 6, 2008. You will see these adjustments in your pay on January 25th, and they will be reflected on that Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) which is available through myPay (DFAS). Please verify that all appropriate changes are reflected on your LES. You will see changes in pay and deductions identified in green. If you scroll over or click on the green entry, it will show you what the entry was on your last LES and what it has been changed to on the LES you’re viewing. Also, the information identified in blue will allow you to get additional information regarding the entry.
3. IS YOUR HOME ADDRESS ACCURATE IN myPAY? CHECK NOW TO FIND OUT!
Your W-2 for 2007 will be mailed to your home address of record soon. Please verify the accuracy of your home address by accessing myPay (DFAS) and selecting Correspondence Address. If your address is incorrect, make the change and select Save. You will also be able to print your W-2 by using myPay. Your 2007 W-2 will be available in myPay in late January.
Once you’ve updated your address in myPay, the change will automatically transmit to update your TSP account record; however, it does not automatically transmit to insurance carriers. To update your address with your health carrier, you must contact your carrier directly at the telephone number shown on your health plan ID card. To update your address with your dental and/or vision carrier, you must use the BENEFEDS portal or contact BENEFEDS directly at 1-877-888-FEDS. The change of address also does not update a savings bond nor does it change your state tax withholding. Use the Savings Bond link in myPay (DFAS) to change the address on your savings bond. If you have moved to or from Maryland, you must complete a state tax form for your new state and submit it to the Payroll Liaison Team for processing. You should forward your form to Bldg 31/Rm B3C23 or fax it to 301-496-1209. For movement between other states and/or the District, you must use myPay (DFAS) to change your state tax withholding.
4. CLOSURE OF NIH FACILITIES DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
There are emergency closure or dismissal procedures for NIH employees in the Washington, D.C. area in the event of inclement weather or other emergency conditions. If a weather-related or other emergency arises before the workday begins, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will provide an announcement regarding the operating status as soon as it is determined. If during the workday severe weather conditions or other emergencies arise, OPM may authorize an early dismissal of employees.
5. CAN I MAKE THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN (TSP) CATCH-UP CONTRIBUTIONS AT ANYTIME?
In addition to regular TSP contributions, you may also make TSP Catch-up contributions (OPM), if you meet the following criteria: 1) you are age 50 or over (or will be age 50 during 2008), 2) you are in pay status, AND 3) you are contributing an amount towards your regular TSP which will cause you to reach the $15,500 IRS limit by the end of the 2008 calendar year. The 2008 IRS limit for Catch-up contributions remains at $5,000. Unlike regular TSP elections, a Catch-up election is only valid for one year. Therefore, if you want to make Catch-up contributions each year, you must make a new election each year. To make a Catch-up election for 2008, you may make your election at anytime by using myPay (DFAS). When making your election, enter the amount you want deducted from your pay each pay period. If you have questions, please notify your Benefits Contact.
6. ON-LINE ACCESS TO YOUR OFFICIAL PERSONNEL FOLDER (OPF) IS JUST A CLICK AWAY!
The Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) system (OPM) provides you with easy and fast access to your Official Personnel Folder (OPF). Some of the benefits of having eOPF include:
- Ability to monitor your own records, which ensures greater accuracy and integrity.
- E-mail notification to you each time a document is added to your eOPF.
- Pre-defined access roles to prevent unauthorized access to your folder, resulting in greater security and protection of your privacy. There is no change in policy regarding who has the authority to access your OPF.
- Reduced cost associated with storage, maintenance, and retrieval of records.
- Improved security with state-of-the-art firewall protection. eOPFs are more secure than paper, have a longer "shelf life," and provide easy backup and recovery capability. Incremental eOPF data backups are taken on a daily basis and full system backups are performed weekly.
- Ability to print or save documents using Adobe Acrobat.
- Access at any time (24 hours a day!) through a secure Internet connection. You won't have to request your file and wait several days for it to become available for review in the HR office.
- Elimination of the potential for loss of your OPF during filing and routing.
In order to access eOPF, you will need your login ID and password. If you have problems with logging in, you can contact the eOPF Help Desk at 1-877-275-8518 or you can send an e-mail to eopf_hd@telesishq.com.
7. WHERE CAN I FIND HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION ON THE NIH PORTAL?
The HR Navigator on the Community NIH Portal provides information on a variety of topics. Additionally, you can check to find the names of your HR contacts.
8. WHY DO I NEED A myPAY PIN?
It is very important to have access to your myPay account so that you can view your Leave and Earnings Statement each pay day. You must also use myPay to make changes to your home address, TSP contributions, direct deposit of pay, allotments, and Federal and state tax withholdings. Additionally, all open season health insurance elections must be accomplished using myPay. If you have misplaced your myPay PIN, you may request a new one in one of two ways. One of which is by selecting “New Pin” on the myPay (DFAS) website. Please make sure you use the “Go” button to finalize your request. Using this method your PIN will be mailed to your current address of record within 7 to 10 business days.
If you need it sooner, your second option is to send a fax to 216-367-3549. You will need to include in your request your name, a daytime phone number, and a copy of your NIH ID, and you must sign the fax. Upon receiving your fax, the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) will reset your PIN using the last 5 numbers of your SSN as your temporary PIN. You will then be able to log in within 3 days using your temporary PIN. Upon logging in, you will be prompted to reset your PIN.
If you encounter problems with your PIN or technical issues using myPay (DFAS), contact the DFAS Centralized Customer Support Unit toll-free at 1-888-332-7411. This support line is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. The Centralized Customer Support Unit can provide assistance on how to use the options available to you in myPay. The Centralized Customer Support Unit will also provide support for establishing and changing your PIN.
9. HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH WITH MY BENEFITS CONTACT?
Your contact in the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch will be able to help you with a variety of issues pertaining to the health and life insurance programs, designating beneficiaries, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), calculating your retirement annuity estimate, working with you to pay a redeposit for prior civilian service if you previously withdrew your retirement funds, paying a deposit for prior civilian or military service for which retirement deductions were not withheld, etc. To find your benefits contact, review our list of contacts. In addition, the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch (BPLB) website has a wealth of information regarding your Federal benefits. Human resource topics not related to your benefits are normally handled by your Client Services Division HR Representative.
