HR Insider Newsletter 2020 Summer edition

Summer 2020

Insider Human Resources Respect | Collaboration | Integrity | Stewardship | Professionalism | Science

Summer Edition 2020

C O N T E N T S Benefits

Open Enrollment Starts August 17th

2020 Cares Act & Mid-Year Election Changes

Retirement

ICMA New Security Enhancement Measures ICMA Virtual Appointments

Training

Online Training & Development Resources

Records

Open Record Requests

Wellness

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Will Writing Services

Recruitment

Teresa Montez-Gutierrez , Front Office Clerk

New Partnership Announced

New Hires Four new summer interns welcomed

Important Dates

Deadlines; Anniversaries; Birthdays and Events

CLICKABLE LINKS:

MEDICAL DENTAL FSA/DCAP/HRA

LIFE/AD&D/LTD

RETIREMENT

ICMA-RC

Summer 2020

Benefits OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS AUGUST 17, 2020 VIAADP

Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) election. Changes to your DCAP election mid-year are permitted if you have experienced a qualifying life event. You may have experienced a qualifying life event that allows you to increase or decrease your election if: • You experience a change in employment status for you, your spouse or dependent • There is a change in cost or coverage of your dependent care services The change to your account must be consistent with the reason for the change. For example, if a dependent care provider is no longer providing care (i.e., before/after care/daycare closes, summer day camp cancels or care is no longer needed) the election can be reduced. Similarly, if you need supplemental child or adult care due to an increase in hours worked, you may increase your election. For more eligible dependent care expenses please re- view the Summary Plan Description on page 11. If you need to submit a Qualifying Life Event, please contact Hilda Campos to submit a change.

Our annual open enrollment period will be taking pla- ce August 17, 2020 through September 11, 2020 for benefits effective October 1, 2020. As you all may know, open enrollment is the period in which you may make changes to your medical, dental, life, or volun- tary benefits. Due to COVID-19 and in an effort to sta -

You will be able to review each of your elections and will be given options to keep, drop or add benefits. Enrollment forms will not be required for you to com- plete unless making a change to one of your benefits (i.e. adding a dependent or enrolling in a benefit that you previously declined).

ying safe, our annual open enrollment sessions where we invite representatives from our carrier groups will not be taking place. Instead, hyperlinks to informational videos on the various heal- th and optional plans will be placed in ADP for your viewing. Online Enrollment This year’s Open Enroll- ment period will be conduc-

Whether keeping the same benefits or making changes, all employees are required to complete their enroll- ment through ADP. In the meantime, you may review the current benefit options via SharePoint. The Human Resources Ad- ministrator is available to answer any questions and

Retirement ICMA 2-STEP FRAUD PREVENTION

ICMAVIRTUALAPPOINTMENTS Even in a world of social distancing, your ICMA-RC representatives are still available to help you reach your retirement goals. Schedule an online session via your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Get help with: In an effort to increase security measures, ICMA is now requiring a two-factor authentication each time you log in to your account. After entering your username and password, a security code will be sent to your email address or telephone number on file. You will then be requi - red to enter the security code everytime you log in to your account. These security measures also apply when using the ICMA app.

ted completely online through ADP. As in previous years, when logging in to ADP on the first day of open enrollment, you will be greeted with a pop-up messa- ge asking you to start your Open Enrollment session.

more information will be sent out as we approach the month of August. Please be on the lookout for emails from Hilda Campos.

2020 CARES ACT & MID-YEAR ELECTION CHANGES As the country continues to feel the impact of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), brings some much-needed relief for employees participating in the EAA’s Health Reimburs- ment Account (HRA), Health Flexible Spending Act (HFSA) and Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). The CARESAct repeals the Affordable Act requirement that over the counter (OTC) drugs and medicines must be prescribed in order to be reimbursed under FSAs. This means that you can use your HRA/FSA card to pay for or receive reimbursement for OTC drugs and medicines without a prescription from a doctor. The CARES Act also

• Managing your account online using Account Access and TextAccess; log in at www. icmarc.org/login. • Developing a retirement-savings strategy • Reviewing your investment options • Accessing online educational resources at www.icmrarc.org/learn • Other questions you have about your retirement plan Schedule a virtual session today: Sallie Harborth Retirement Plans Specialist sharborth@icmarc.org (866) 822-3632

deems expenses for menstrual care (feminine hygiene) products as quali- fied medical expenses, which can be paid by either plan if participataing. This provisions are effective for expenses incurred January 1, 2020 or after. You can search for FSA-eligible OTC products by clicking HERE. DCAP Mid-Year Changes As more and more dependent care providers and schools respond to the call for social distancing, you may feel the need to make a change to your

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Summer 2020

Training

require the EAA to create new information, do research or answer questions. The Act goes into effect when a person submits a written request (email, open records request form, etc.) to a governmental body (in this case, the EAA). Requests can be submitted via the EAA Open Records Center. Open Records Request Process An open records request will be sent to and handled by the records department. Per the Act, an agency must res- pond to a request promptly. If a request can’t be filled within 10 business days after the EAA received the request, the requestor must be informed of the latest date and time the EAA will provide the information. A request may also be sent to any EAA employee. Staff should forward the request to the records department to be processed or fill the request themselves. If the employee responds to the request, they are required to provide a copy of the original request and their response to the records department. If a requester calls you for information, please have them send you their request in writing before completing the request. When there is a records request that needs to be filled by an EAA employee, the Records Coordinator will assign the employee an Activity via the Open Records Center. For step-by-step instructions on how to complete an Ac- tivity, click HERE.

ONLINE TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT In addition to our “Stay Safe, Work Smart” safeguards and practices guidelines, we are also encouraging all employees to view a 15-minute training prior to retur- ning to the EAA office. Covid-19 Training for Em- ployees: A Healthy Workspace is a training that will provide a basic overview of expected work practices specific to Covid-19 including social distancing guide - lines, disinfecting equipment and surfaces, maintaining protocols in eating areas, handwashing and use of dis- posable gloves and face masks. It is our hope that we do everything we can to keep each other safe and as healthy as possible while working at the office in the weeks/months to come. To navigate to this training: Login to NeoGov, click on Learn, Course Catalog, and in the Search Courses window, type: COVID-19 Trai- ning for Employees: A Healthy Workspace.

list of available cour- ses and enroll right from home. NeoGov

NeoGov has over 1300 online pre-built courses for you to enroll. If you haven’t logged in to Neo- Gov, please contact Margaret Ross who will send you an email activation link. Texas Municipal League (TML)

Wellness RSLI WILLWRITING SERVICES COVID-19 has scores of people writing wills and ma - king critical estate planning decisions about who will be in charge of their medical care and finances if they’re ill and incapacited. Most people know that they need a will but aren’t sure how to write one. Thankfully, our Employee Assistance Program through Reliance Stan- dard Life Insurance (RSLI) offers legal support to assist in your estate planning and will preparation. What is a will? A will is simply a legal document in which you, the testator, declare who will manage your estate after you pass. Your estate can consist of big, expensive things such as a vacation home but also small items that might hold sentimental value such as photographs. Wills may also name an executor, name guardians for children, forgive debts and more. Having a will also means that you, rather than your state’s laws, decide who gets your property when you pass. RSLI Services include an initial assessment, and then an initial 60-minute in-office or phone consultation. If additional assistance is needed and the attorney is re- tained, you will receive a 25% discount on continued services. To request legal and financial services, con -

The Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool Online Portal provides loss prevention training opportunities. Course topics range from risk manage- ment, human resources, safety and law enforcement. Click TMLIRP to login and register for available cour- ses. New Horizons Corporate Membership New Horizons Computer Learning Centers EAA Coro- porate Membership will allow you to enroll in online instructor lead courses. Available course dates are pos- ted on the New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Website. Once you know the course date, complete the Request to Enroll form or send the information that’s on the form to registrar@nhsanantonio.com. The New Horizons administration team will get you enrolled in the course right away.

Due to COVID-19, onsite trainings remain cancelled until further notice. Once again, we encourage all em- ployees to sign up for webinars as they become avai- lable and continue to explore online training resources available thru Fred Pryor, Neogov, TML and New Ho- rizons. Please contact Margaret Ross if you have any questions or have difficulty registering and don’t forget to forward any certificates of completion for your per - sonnel file. Fred Pryor Learning Solutions Explore over 5,000 online courses ranging from ac- counting, communication, compliance, customer ser- vice, information technology, leadership, project and time management. Click Fred Pryor+ Website to see a

tact the EAP toll-free at 855-775-4357.

Tools and resources are also available online such as DIY document preparation through the EAP’s online resource center. This online center has templates that you may use for your will preparation. To access this tool, follow these directions to create your account. Then, from the home page, click on Legal/Financial Resource Center. HUMANA GO 365 Humana is offering the following webinars this month! Topic: Get connected for Points on the daily ! July 21st @ 12 PM Learn about verified workouts and how to leverage po - pular fitness wearables and apps to your advantage. Topic: How to stay social and upbeat July 23rd @ 12 PM Get inspiration for staying connected and learn about resources available to help you.

Records OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS, PIA, FOIA

The Texas Public Information Act (PIA) (Texas Government Code Chapter 552) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) give the public the right to request access to government information. Under the Act, all government information is presumed open unless there is a specific exception to disclosure. Additionally, we as public infor - mation officers and providers cannot ask the requester why they want information. Information can exist in any format including paper, audio, microfilm, video and emails. However, the Act does not continued on next page

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Summer 2020

Recruitment Maggie Veliz continues to serve students and universi - ties while promoting the EAA as an employer of choi- CURRENT RECRUITMENT

Anniversaries We would like to recognize and congratulate this quarter’s EAA anniversaries. Thank you for your service and we wish you many more successful years ahead!

summer internships were negatively impacted by CO- VID-19, so they can continue to develop key skills and

Name

Date Of Hire

Recognized at Board

Years of Service

ce. The pandemic has impacted college students in so many ways such as uprooting students from their dorms, being forced to finish their semester on-line and losing in - ternship opportunities. In recent weeks, Maggie has been collaborating with Trinity University on their TigerWorks program.

work experience until schools return to some normalcy. In an effort to spearhead this program, Maggie has been collabora- ting with our Threatened & Endgangered Species Division, specifically Jamie Chil - ders and Chad Furl, on ways to provide Trinity students with unpaid projects on a

James Boenig Ricardo Fonseca

06/15/2015 07/20/2015

7/14/2020 08/11/2020

5 Years 5 Years

Deadlines And Events

Trinity created this program in an effort to solicit paid/ unpaid project opportunities for their students whose

volunteer basis. We would like to give a special thanks to Jamie & Chad for their support on this program.

FALL SEMESTER INTERN OPPORTUNITIES

Supervisors if you are interested in requesting an intern for the fall semester, please complete the Request for Internship Form and submit to Maggie by Thursday, July 16, 2020. We will begin the recruiting process for filling these positions for the fall semester. We have partnered with Trinity University on a work- study program and are excited to bring this program to the EAA. Please email Maggie by Friday, July 10, 2020 if you are interested in requesting a work-study student. We will need a job description along with your request if we currently do not have one on file.

New Hires Trinity University will continue a variation of the Short-Term Project Based Program that was in place this summer. Trinity is finalizing changes to this pro - gram for the Fall and we will provide further informa- tion once we receive. If you have questions about any of these programs, please contact Maggie for further information.

THIRD QUARTER BIRTHDAYS

Rachel Mitchell Omar Garcia Sarah Eason Charles Rogers Du’aa Sharif Scott Storment Cesar Velez Chris Morgan Felix Marquez II

July 04 July 14 July 17 July 19 July 25 August 07 August 09 August 13

July 02 July 03 July 08 July 10 July 16 July 17 July 24 July 31

Payday

Independence Day - EAA Closed

ICMA-RC Webinar

Timesheets Due

Staff Meeting via MS Teams

Payday

August 15 Mariah Bonham August 16 Jose Barela August 17 Ann M. Gonzalez August 18 Olajide Ogunmola August 19 Nichelle Cunningham August 22 Mark Hamilton August 26 Taylor Bruecher August 27 Ben Jacobson August 28 Victor Hutchison September 02 Leslie Rogers September 09 Shelly Hendrix September 10 Raquel Garza September 13 Gizelle Luevano September 15 Marcus Gary September 21 Natasha Ponce September 21 Kristina Tolman September 23 Julia Carrillo September 25

Du’aa Sharif - Intern

CURRENT VACANCIES Data Collection Supervisor

Timesheets Due

Du’aa joined our Data Management department on June 8, 2020. Du’aa is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engi- neering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology (MIT) with an expected gra- duation date of May 2021. Olajide joined IT department on June 15, 2020. He is currently pur - suing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from UTSAwith an expected graduation date of December 2020.

Payday August 07 Timesheets Due August 13 Staff Meeting via MS Teams August 17 Open Enrollment Begins August 14 Payday August 21 Timesheets Due August 27 September 07 Labor Day - EAA Closed September 10 Staff Meeting via MS Teams September 11 Payday September 18 Timesheets Due September 25 Payday August 28 Payday September 04 Timesheets Due

Leslie Rogers & Taylor Minor High School Interns

Leslie (pictured on left) and Taylor (pictured below) joi- ned the EAA on June 24, 2020. They will be working within the following divisions - Aquifer Management, Ex- ternal & Regulatory Affairs, Threate -

Lyndon B. Johnson - State Holiday

Olajide Ogunmola - Intern

ned and Endangered Species and Commu- nications & Develop- ment throughout the summer. Both are stu-

dents at Sam Houston High School and will be starting their senior year this Fall.

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(Front & Back Cover) Cave Without A Name Boerne, TX