PERS 3 Transfer Window Closes January 31

If you're a member of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 and you were enrolled in the plan prior to March 1, 2002, you have an annual option to transfer to PERS 3 during the month of January 2016. To be eligible, you must earn service credit this January. This one-time transfer is irrevocable, meaning you cannot change plans at a later date. See Transferring from PERS 2 to PERS 3.

Flexible Spending Account Grace Period

Did you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through December 31, 2015? If so, you have until March 15, 2016 to incur claims against your FSA through Navia Benefit Solutions (formerly Flex-Plan Services). All eligible FSA expenses for services provided from January 1 through March 15, 2016, should be submitted to Navia so they can automatically process claims against the 2015 plan year or until your account balance reaches zero. If your claim exceeds the available funds from the 2015 plan year, and you are enrolled in a 2016 FSA, you can submit excess claim amounts to Navia.

Note: If you elected the Consumer-Directed Health Plan with a Health Savings Account for plan year 2016, you were required to incur services, file claims, and receive reimbursements for 2015 FSA expenses by December 31, 2015.

Annual Attendance Incentive Program—Deadline January 29

Each January, UW employees who accrue sick leave and have a year-end balance exceeding 480 hours may request to be paid for a portion of their unused sick leave that was accrued but not used in the previous calendar year. Payment is made at the rate of 25% of the hourly equivalent of your pay rate and all hours compensated are deducted from your sick leave balance. Submit the attendance incentive payment form to your department in time for processing and delivery to the Payroll Office by the deadline of Friday, January 29, at 5 p.m. UW Medical Center/Harborview/Airlift NW employees please use the Medical Centers-specific form. See program information and the required forms.

New Childcare Programs for 2016

New childcare options, potential savings, and discounts are available for UW parents and caregivers on all three campuses.

• Enrollment priority has been expanded at Bright Horizons and designated KinderCare centers, two nationally recognized leaders in early childhood education. A 10% tuition discount is available at all KinderCare centers, and with the before- and after-school care Champions Program.
• When a child is mildly ill, in-home sick childcare is available through Bright Horizons. Lower cost, in-center back-up care is available through KinderCare and Bright Horizons.
• If you're caring for an older adult, you may now schedule in-home eldercare services through Bright Horizons.

Advance registration is recommended. Find details on these new services on the updated WorkLife site.

10 Ideas for a New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping

New Year's resolutions are made to be broken. What if you could prove the skeptics wrong by making a resolution you can actually keep, one that if kept, may drastically improve your financial outlook this year?

Instead of a grand gesture, total abstinence from sweets, for example, or quitting a bad habit cold turkey at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, try making a resolution that's attainable: a financial resolution. This month's Balanced Living article, 10 Ideas for a New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping, provides guidance to setting attainable and reasonable resolutions.

UW Carelink will also broadcast a one-hour webinar "New Year...New You! 10 Financial Resolutions You Can Keep" on January 19 at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. We will discuss how health and finances go together, and how to create an action plan and monthly budget. Pre-register at least one hour before the presentation. The webinar will also be archived on the site and available for viewing by the beginning of February.

SmartHealth: Renew, Restart, Refresh!

The Health Care Authority (HCA) has officially restarted SmartHealth for 2016! If you haven't heard about SmartHealth, here's what you need to know to get started for the new year.

SmartHealth is the state's voluntary wellness program for eligible members of the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program. Beginning each year, HCA zeros out all points earned the previous year, and everyone has a chance to start fresh to improve their health and well-being while having fun and connecting with others.

Earn points quickly by first completing your confidential SmartHealth Well-being Assessment for 800 points. (Hint: Do this by March 31 and you'll get an early-bird bonus of 100 points!) Next, choose from a wide range of fun activities to reach your health goals for points. Earn 2,000 or more points by September 30, 2016 and you'll qualify to receive a $125 incentive in January 2017 provided that you continue to meet PEBB eligibility requirements.

Get started today at smarthealth.hca.wa.gov.

Mammography Screenings for UMP Members*

If you're a woman age 40+ who's enrolled in the Uniform Medical Plan, consider scheduling your next routine mammogram at the MammoVan. The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance MammoVan is a customized, mobile, breast-imaging clinic bringing the latest technology in digital mammograms to you at your workplace. The average appointment time is just 15 minutes! The MammoVan is scheduled to visit on Wednesday, March 9 near the Henry Art Gallery on the Seattle campus. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis between 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Access screening information and schedule an appointment.

*Note: Group Health members are required to receive all mammography services directly from a Group Health Cooperative facility.

Beyond the Scale

Weight Watchers' new program, "Beyond the Scale," is designed to deliver a more holistic and personal approach to a healthier you. This program moves beyond what you weigh and shows you creative ways to eat healthier, move more, live happier, AND lose weight! UW Benefits sponsors three campus meetings locations for UW faculty and staff.

• Tuesdays, Schmitz Hall
• Wednesdays, UW Tower
• Fridays, Health Sciences Building

See our UWellness page for more information.

Tax Preparation Software Discount Available

Fidelity has teamed up with TurboTax® to extend their tax preparation software and support at a discounted price to UW faculty and staff including those without an existing Fidelity account.* As a result, you can prepare and file your taxes with confidence and save money too!

This is a limited-time offer, so take advantage of discount pricing of up to $20 on TurboTax Federal products. Visit this special Turbo Tax site to get started.

In addition, Fidelity Workplace Planning and Guidance Consultants are available to review the tax benefits of your retirement savings and other savings options. Call 866-811-6042 to schedule an appointment.

*Note, this offer cannot be retroactively applied towards previously purchased TurboTax software.

Financial Education from Credit Unions

The UW has partnered with two local nonprofit credit unions, WSECU and Inspirus, to show you how to save more and better manage your finances! Access information and register for any of these seminars:

• Financial Yoga: Stretching Your Hard-Earned Dollars — Learn tips that will help you gain control of your finances and reduce financial stress.
• Scams, Shams, and Identity Theft — Learn how to better protect yourself, your money, and your personal information.
• Social Media and Your Child's Financial Future — Learn effective strategies for your child and the top 10 social media mistakes to avoid.
• Credit Reporting 101 — Come away with valuable tips to help you get the most from your creditworthiness.

Social Security: A Foundation for Your Future

A secure, comfortable retirement is everyone's dream. Now that we're living longer and healthier lives, we expect to spend more time in retirement than our parents and grandparents did. Join us at this free seminar to get a better understanding of how Social Security and Medicare systems work.

Learn what benefits to expect and when these will be available to you and your family. Open to UW faculty, staff, students, and retirees. Access seminar information and register today.

Wednesday, March 30
11:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
UW Tower

BALANCE Can Help

In a world with so many financial obligations and options, money management can be overwhelming. That's why the UW and our local credit unions, WSECU and Inspirus, have partnered with a financial fitness program called BALANCE. Through this partnership, you have access to free and confidential financial counseling services to help you get out of debt, design a money management plan, and achieve your financial goals. Learn more and/or download informational flyer.

UW Community Comes Together for the UWCFD

The UW community generously donated a record $2,204,089 for the fall UW Combined Fund Drive, our workplace giving campaign. This includes $39,438 for Seattle nonprofit Facing Homelessness, the featured charity, which will continue to benefit throughout the year from the generosity of employees pledging via payroll deduction. Together, we supported Facing Homelessness in a way they hadn't experienced; the Stair Climb and special fundraisers alone raised $18,760. A campuswide coin and sock drive benefitting the organization was also a success. We filled their small office with 2,197 pairs of socks, including baby socks. Your generosity brings peace of mind to them and to the many nonprofits and UW scholarships and programs we reach through the drive. Thank you for your strong support! Visit the campaign site year-round for special events and opportunities including an airline miles drive for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in March and the Earth Day Challenge in April.

Dare to Do 2016 New Year's Challenge

Don't just make a resolution this year...make a new you. Each week of the Dare to Do challenge will encourage you to step outside your norm: Dare to Move, Dine, Praise, Pause, Care, Explore, Simplify, and Connect. Weekly articles will provide ideas and resources to make it possible. We are also daring you to choose any or all of these three goals: Steps Taken, Weight loss, and/or Minutes Exercised. We'll make it social with optional workouts with UW coaches, seminars with UW dieticians, and more. Participants who submit their weekly progress will be entered to win prizes from Whole U discount partners, and those who report all six weeks will be entered for the Grand Prize Package. The challenge runs Tuesday, January 19 - Sunday, March 11. Sign up now!

A Winning Winter with Dr. Michael V. Vitiello

Did you know that Washington state just had one of its wettest Decembers on record? As Cliff Mass put it, "Even native Northwesterners are getting a bit storm-weary." Learn how to make the most of a wet winter with Dr. Michael Vitiello, who will share the history and epidemiology of Seasonal Affective Disorder, how it affects people, and what you can do to avoid the winter blues. Join us Wednesday, January 20 at noon in the HUB. Register here.

Winter Walks with The Whole U

Celebrate the New Year with a 45-minute walk with The Whole U! Don't let the cooler weather keep you from meeting new friends and getting some exercise. We'll cover three miles of the beautiful UW campus. Meet us on Thursday, January 21 at noon at Drumheller Fountain on the Seattle campus or at UW Tacoma's W. Sign up to let us know you're in!

New Year's Resolutions Tips at Harborview

Weight loss, healthier eating, and a more active lifestyle are among the top New Year's resolutions. The bad news is research suggests that most of us will fail in our goals before the year is through. Want to beat the odds? Join us for a talk on how to reach your goals this year via successful approaches to dieting and exercising. It's happening on Wednesday, January 27 at 11:30 a.m. in the R&T Building. Register here.

Upcoming SafeCampus Training Dates

Preventing violence on our campus and in our workplace is a responsibility we all share. Attend a SafeCampus Violence Prevention and Response training and learn about behaviors to be aware of, your response options, and UW-prohibited behaviors. There will be a very brief training portion on response to an active shooter. Register for a Seattle campus training:

• Wednesday, January 27, 1 - 2:30 p.m., UW Tower Auditorium
• Thursday, February 11, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m., Savery 260
• Friday, February 26, 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Health Sciences D209
• Thursday, March 3, 9 - 10:30 a.m., UW Tower Auditorium

All UW employees are required to attend this training every two years. If you would like to confirm when you last attended, email your full name and your UWNetID or employee identification number to safecampus@uw.edu.

Free Electronics Registration!

Got a new tablet, laptop, or phone for the holidays? You can keep track of your serial numbers by registering your stuff with the UW Police Department's free electronics registration database. When you register your electronics, you improve the chances of recovering them if they're lost or stolen. Any item with a serial number or owner-applied number can be registered. Remember, never use your Social Security number as your owner-applied number—use your driver's license number. For more crime prevention tips, check out the UWPD's Love Your Stuff Crime Prevention Campaign.

Professional & Organizational Development (POD) courses and events are open to all UW employees, subject to supervisor/budgetary approval and UW's release time policy. Please view our policy page for additional information.

Lay the Groundwork for Success

Do you need help turning your high hopes into reality? Acquire proven tools for setting strategic direction, and explore methods for tackling emergent situations where even the best-laid plans don't always work. Register for Strategic Planning Tools.

Change Your Tune

Wish you could end the day on a high note? In this half-day workshop, learn how to adjust your approach to improve experiences for your customers and yourself. Gain techniques for listening, maintaining perspective, resolving issues, and improving all points of customer contact. Register for Customer Service Excellence.

Find Your Footing

Do you have trouble dealing with the unexpected or unknown? This highly interactive half-day workshop is designed to boost your facility with thinking and acting spontaneously. Take a cue from theater professionals as you practice applying improvisational techniques to your on-the-job thinking. Register for Thinking on Your Feet.

Mine for Gold

Is your data a gold mine of information or a junkyard? This live webinar shows how Microsoft Access provides versatile tools for entering, visualizing, and analyzing data; explores creating different types of objects, tables, and relationships; and introduces queries and other fundamentals. Register for Microsoft Access Techniques—Beginner.

Break New Ground

Tired of doing the same old thing? Uncover your strengths, root through your career options, or delve into a job search with career counselor Susan Templeton. One-on-one sessions are $110 per one-hour session if paid with a UW budget number (with supervisor approval) or $127.16 if paid with cash, check, or credit card (due to a mandatory institutional overhead fee). Learn more about career counseling.

Hometown Seminars

HomeStreet offers the following free one-hour seminars to help you learn about a variety of homeownership issues related to budgeting, buying, remodeling, refinancing, and selling your home. Access information and register here.

Buying a Condominium

• The pros and cons of condo ownership
• Ways that condos differ from single-family homes
• How to find the right community
• How to secure the right financing

Buying a Home with Down Payment Assistance

• Low down payment programs and strategies
• How to use down payment assistance and the eligibility requirements
• Which down payment assistance programs are in your area
• How to assess your eligibility for programs

Buying and Remodeling a Fixer Upper

• The best options for finding distressed properties
• What improvements add value to your home
• How to budget for basic home repairs
• Whether to do it yourself or hire out

Refinancing and Using Home Equity

• Ways that a refinance may benefit you
• Advantages of using cash from your home
• How to consolidate or avoid consumer debt
• How to distinguish the difference between a home equity loan and line of credit

Understanding Credit

• Know why credit history is important when financing a home or purchasing big-ticket items
• What's behind your credit report, how is it used, and what's a FICO score
• Learn how to clean up your credit history
• Fix reporting errors

Free Homeownership Counseling

Thinking of buying or refinancing a home but not sure how to get started? Why not schedule a free personal homeownership counseling session with a HomeStreet representative who can walk you through the process? These 30-minute, one-on-one sessions are both private and informative, and your spouse, partner, or potential co-signer is welcome to attend with you. To schedule an appointment, email hthl@homestreet.com or call 206-628-0207.

Whether you're starting out, building wealth, or getting ready to retire, UW Benefits sponsors free seminars packed with information that can help you through your journey. Below are seminars offered on campus by Fidelity Investments. Access event information and register here.

Building a Portfolio for Any Weather — Learn how to determine an appropriate investment mix for your investment style, select investment options that fit your investment approach, and manage your investment strategy to help meet your long-term goals.

Confident Investing in Any Market — Learn how to actively evaluate your investment portfolio and build a tax-smart investing strategy.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap — Learn how to design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals, how to establish a budget and manage debt, and how to balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning.

Getting on the Right Path with Your Workplace Savings Plan — Learn how to maximize your workplace savings plan.

Income Strategies for Your Retirement — In this seminar you will learn about the importance of asset allocation in retirement, elements for building your retirement income strategy, and considerations for portfolio withdrawal rates.

More Ways to Save

Did you know that you can quickly grow your retirement nest egg by participating in one or both of these optional retirement programs in addition to your basic mandatory retirement plan?

• Voluntary Investment Program — save money on a pre-tax and/or after-tax (Roth) basis.
• Washington State Deferred Compensation Program — defer part of your income in order to reduce your current taxable income.

Take Advantage of Free Retirement Planning Guidance

Whether your retirement is years away or just around the corner, did you know that you can receive free retirement planning guidance from a Fidelity or TIAA-CREF consultant? Individual appointments are an excellent time to:

• Ask about saving for retirement and other goals
• Evaluate investment choices that meet your needs
• Create an action plan to get and stay on track for retirement
• Review retirement income options

Schedule an appointment in a way that works best for you.

UW Safety Expo on February 10

UW faculty, staff, and students are invited to the UW Safety, Sustainability, and Preparedness Expo on Wednesday, February 10 in the HUB Ballroom. Learn about working safely in your laboratory, office, or site, and how to adequately prepare for emergencies. Find information on managing chemicals for safety and sustainability. Vendors will be on hand offering laboratory safety equipment and emergency kits. RSVP today. The expo is sponsored by Environmental Health and Safety, Finance and Facilities, Sustainability, and Emergency Management.

Are You Going My Way?

Huskies travel in packs. This winter, discover what thousands of UW commuters already know about — the pleasure of sharing the ride. Have you ever considered carpooling or vanpooling? Take a look at Transportation Service's blog post on The Whole U site for a few things you can try out during the Going My Way campaign.