August 2012-Benefits Newsletter
What's New?
Topics Of Interest:
Where Do I Go If I Have Questions About My Benefits?
1. Benefits Calendar of Events
2. Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Roth Update – You Can Now Make Your Election In myPay!
myPay (DFAS) can now accept TSP Roth elections. With the added TSP Roth feature, you have the option of making traditional TSP and/or Roth contributions 
. TSP Roth gives you the flexibility to diversify the tax treatment of your contributions. With Roth contributions, you pay taxes now. You may want to consult a qualified tax or financial advisor to help you decide if Roth is for you.
3. Employment and income verification - Use TALX - The Work Number®!
On June 4, 2012, the NIH Office of Human Resources in conjunction with DHHS implemented TALX, the premier Employment and Income Verification system. TALX – The Work Number®, is an automated system that provides proof of employment and income to verifiers. TALX is widely known and used by over 50,000 entities including most major financial institutions, mortgage lenders, leasing companies, and private corporations to verify employment and income status of employees. The system provides a secure way for verifiers to obtain your employment information and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Before your information can be released to a verifier, you must give your authorization. NIH employees can use TALX The Work Number® in three easy steps:
- Authorize the verification by completing the verifier’s (lender, bank, etc.) authorization form.
- Provide the verifier with:
- TALX –The Work Number® access options - www.theworknumber.com or 1-800-367-5690
- HHS Employer Code: 14775
- Salary Key (if needed) (A salary key is a six digit electronic signature created by the employee that is good for a one time use by a verifier)
- Sit back and relax!
4. How Do I Submit A Change Of Address?
You must submit a change of home address by accessing myPay (DFAS) and selecting Correspondence Address. After entering your new address select Save. Any address changes you make in myPay (DFAS) will automatically transmit to update your TSP account record. However, this information does not automatically transmit to your health insurance carrier. 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. To update your address on your Flexible Spending Account, you must log into your account on the FSAFEDS website or call 1-877-FSAFEDS. To update your address with the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), you must log into your account on the FLTCIP website or call 1-800-LTC-FEDS. The change of address also does not update your state tax withholding. If you move to or from Maryland, you must complete a state tax form for your new state and submit it to the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch (Bldg 31/Rm B3C23) for processing. For movement between other states and/or the District, you must change your state tax information in myPay (DFAS) by selecting State Withholding. After entering your updated information select Save.
5. Is Your State Tax Withholding Correct?
When was the last time you checked the tax withholdings on your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) for accuracy? Confirming that state taxes are being withheld for the correct state is extremely important. If you fail to make a state tax withholding election, the withholdings automatically default to the state of Maryland. An address change from one state to another completed in myPay does not automatically change your state tax withholding. If you move to or from Maryland, you must complete a state tax form for your new state and submit it to the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch (Bldg 31/Rm B3C23) for processing. However, for movement between other states and/or the District, you must change your state tax information in myPay (DFAS) by selecting State Withholding. After entering your updated information select Save. You can access your Leave and Earnings Statement in myPay (DFAS) to view your withholdings. Should you discover taxes are being withheld for the wrong state, complete the appropriate state tax withholding form or use myPay as instructed above. Additionally, you should immediately notify BPLB, 301-496-2404, of the problem. With sufficient notification, withholding problems reported prior to the end of the calendar year can be corrected.
6. What is Temporary Continuation Of Coverage (TCC) Under The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program?
TCC is available to: 1) employees who lose their FEHB Program coverage because they leave their Federal jobs; 2) children who lose their FEHB Program family member status because they reach age 26; and 3) former spouses who lose their FEHB Program family member status because of divorce or annulment. TCC allows former employees to continue their FEHB Program coverage for up to 18 months, and children and former spouses to continue FEHB Program coverage for up to 36 months. For information about TCC, review the TCC pamphlet (OPM) . For further information, please get in touch with your Benefits Contact.
7. Why Do I Need A myPay PIN And How Can I Get One?
It is very important to have access to your myPay (DFAS) account so that you can view your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) each pay day to verify that the correct deductions are being withheld and that your leave balances on your LES match the balances in ITAS. You must also use myPay to make changes to your home address, TSP contributions, direct deposit of pay, allotments, Federal tax withholdings, and Open Season health benefits elections. Additionally, some state tax withholdings must be made via myPay (DFAS). If you move to or from Maryland, you must complete a state tax form for your new state and submit it to the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch (Bldg 31/Rm B3C23) for processing. However, for movement between other states and/or the District, you must use myPay (DFAS).
To access the system, you will need your Login and Password. If you have forgotten your Login or Password, click the “Forgot Your Login ID?” or “Forgot or Need a Password?” link on the left side of the myPay (DFAS) screen. Using this method, your Password can be e-mailed to you if you pre-registered your e-mail address, or it can be mailed to your current home address of record within 7 to 10 business days.
A second option for requesting a Password is to send a fax to 216-367-3549. You will need to include in your request your name, SSN, a daytime phone number, a copy of your NIH ID Card, and you must sign the fax. Upon receiving your fax, the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) will reset your Password using a temporary Password. Your temporary Password will be 8 numbers, the last 4 numbers of your SSN twice. You will not receive a notice from DFAS that your Password has been reset. Simply wait at least two business days before logging into myPay (DFAS) to use your temporary Password. Upon logging in, you will be prompted to reset your Password. Information pertaining to establishing an acceptable Login and Password can be obtained at myPay FAQs (DFAS).
If you encounter problems with your Login and/or Password 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 6:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. They can provide assistance on how to use the options available to you in myPay. They will also provide support for establishing and changing your Login and/or Password.
8. Where Can I Find Information On Pay And Leave?
You can find a wealth of pay and leave information on our website. Additionally, you can find information on the most frequently asked payroll questions.
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 an abundance of information regarding your Federal benefits. Don’t forget to check out the Benefits FAQs section.
Human resource topics not related to your benefits are normally handled by your Client Services Division HR Representative .
