skip to main content Indiana State University University Faculty Senate INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE Faculty Economic Benefits Committee Annual Report 2004-2005 Submitted by Denise Gravitt, Chairperson Present Absent Total Denise Gravitt – Chair 3 meetings 7 7 Eliezer Bermϊdez – Vice-chair/secretary 7 7 Linda Maule – 6 1 7 Kathleen Gaul – 7 7 Trevor Hall – 6 1 7 Lawrence Kunes – 6 1 7 Marcia Miller – 3 3 Peter Mikolaj – 5 2 7 Donna Choi – 4 3 7 Jay Gatrell – Chair 4 4 Ex-officio members: Candy Barton, Staff Benefits Charges from Faculty Senate for 2004/05 a. Follow up with the ISU Foundation on short term loan to families of deceased employees: The ISU Foundation in coordination with the Office of Staff Benefits has agreed to provide emergency loan to the families of deceased employees for no more than the amount of the last ISU pay check of the employee. Candy Barton also informed the Committee that ISU is no longer withholding for 45 days after death the last pay check of the deceased. Motion for this change was approved. Vote 7-0-0. b. Make recommendations on tuition waivers for faculty spouses: Tuition Benefits and Technology Fee Prorating Recommended the current tuition benefits afforded spouses and faculty be redefined and that the current technology fee be prorated for faculty and spouses alike. FEBC recommended that: · Faculty and spouses receive the same tuition benefit equal to 15-semester hours per annum at the reduced rate; and · The technology fee is prorated based on total enrolled courses. Assuming full time enrollment is at least 4 undergraduate courses (or 12 credit hours) and 3 graduate courses (or 9 credits), the technology fee will be assessed at a rate of 0.25% and 0.33% per course, respectively. Vote 9-0-0. c. Receive reports from Compensation Committee FEBC did not receive the written compensation reports, but we did discuss the results and findings. d. Investigate and evaluate benefits issues and make recommendations: Open enrollment for an eligible employee or dependent that does not have the ISU health coverage to enroll during a specific month each year. Vote 8-0-1. Cease post retirement health/life coverage for employees hired or coming onto the ISU plan January 1, 2005, or beyond. This proposal also requires Benefits assist employees who retire with no post retirement health coverage to find “gap” coverage for the time period from retirement to eligibility for Medicare. Vote 5-2-2. Approved an across-the-board employee benefit rate increase of seven (7) percent. Vote 7-0-0. In our last FEBC meeting Candy Barton of ISU Self-Insured Health Benefits presented some proposed changes in Health Benefits that ISU may adopt with limited cost to the university. 1. Oral contraception – After a long discussion FEBC recommends that oral contraception, generic brands, be covered by the ISU health insurance plan. 2. Impotency medications – Candy recommended and the FEBC agreed that these types of medicines can be covered by the prescription card, meaning the buyer will get a better price for the medicine without cost to ISU. Another, solution is to open the flexible spending accounts, which employees could use to cover the cost of these medicines. 3. Wellness items – Wellness items can be covered up to $600 without deductible. Right now ISU only covers up to $200. 4. Implementation of a chronic disease management program – This will be a volunteer program for people with diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, COPD, and other. 5. The committee also discussed the possibility to remove the pre-existing condition clause of the ISU health benefits. Right now pre-existing conditions are not covered for the first 18 months. FEBC recommends that this period be cut to no more than six months. FEBC while supporting these changes took no formal action to present these items to the Senate since the University committee was still in the process of formalizing their suggestions and report that will include these items. e. Formally forward the Faculty Senate recommendations to study/survey issues surrounding opposite-sex partnerships and related health benefits issues to staff benefits. Amy Craddock, former member of the FEBC in charge of the 2004 ISU Benefits Survey, done by the FEBC and SSEBC was invited to discuss the results of the survey with regard to different sex domestic partner benefits. According to the survey, 12% of the participants indicated that they would probably or definitely take advantage of this coverage or benefit if offered. Amy estimated that this may represent about 120 employees. A paper copy of the survey results was available, but the final computer file was not able to be found by Amy Craddock for this meeting. Candy tried to put a monetary figure to that number, but it is difficult to do. After discussion, FEBC did not take any action at this time. Last modified: September 11, 2008 ο»Ώ Copyright © 2009 by Indiana State University.