FCPS Benefits

Posted on October 1, 2008

Benefits

Benefits Open Enrollment Period Starts Next Week; Three Open Houses Scheduled
New Guidelines for Alternative Working Arrangements Available, Manager Tool Kit Posted Online

Register Now for a Preretirement Workshop
FCPS Online Classifieds System Free for Employees

Benefits Open Enrollment Period Starts Next Week; Three Open Houses Scheduled

As an FCPS employee, you have access to an array of valuable employee benefits. During open enrollment, Thursday, October 9, through Thursday, October 30, you may enroll in, keep, change, or cancel your medical and/or dental benefits for 2009. You may also sign up for the health care and/or dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) programs. You must enroll each year in the FSA program if you want to set aside pretax dollars each pay period for eligible health care and/or dependent (day) care expenses.

Enrollment packets have recently been mailed to all benefits-eligible employees. Detailed information about open enrollment, medical and dental plan options, and flexible spending account (FSA) programs are included in the enrollment materials. Information and forms will available online as of October 9, when open enrollment begins.

Enrolling online is simple and secure with UConnect. You will be able to check your benefit elections, to make changes, or to enroll. You will receive immediate notification that your elections have been completed in the system. Be sure to check your e-mail messages throughout the open enrollment period for important information about your health coverage and FSA enrollment elections. All benefits-eligible employees will receive confirmation notices—even if no changes were made during open enrollment.

You must complete your enrollment by October 30. UConnect will be available for enrollment until 7 p.m. on October 30.

Also, hard copies of completed forms may be mailed or delivered in person throughout the open enrollment period to the Department of Human Resources, Office of Benefit Services, Gatehouse Administration Center I, 8115 Gatehouse Road, suite 2700, Falls Church, VA 22042.

Open Enrollment Open Houses

You are invited to visit an upcoming Benefits Open Enrollment Open House to meet Department of Human Resources staff members and speak with representatives from the health plans. Open houses will be held:

Thursday, October 16, at Edison High School from 3 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 23, at Chantilly High School from 3 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 30, in the Department of Human Resources at Gatehouse Administration Center I from 3 to 7 p.m.

For more information, contact the Human Resources Client Services Center (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) by phone at 571-423-3000 or 1-800-831-4331, or by e-mail at HRQuestions@fcps.edu.

New Guidelines for Alternative Working Arrangements Available, Manager Tool Kit Posted Online

In an effort to create conditions that provide for maximum productivity and encourage employee retention, FCPS is encouraging the consideration of alternative work arrangements when they meet specific business objectives. In order to aid in this effort, the Department of Human Resources has created a Manager's Tool Kit for Alternative Working. This tool kit is available online at www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/benefits/altwork and includes general directions as well as forms that should be used to document any arrangements.

Alternative working includes altering employee schedules and/or work sites, where appropriate, and includes the following:

Flextime—A work schedule that splits the workday into two kinds of time—core time and flexible time. Employees currently assigned to the Fairfax County Public Schools standard administrative office hours schedule (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) must work during established core times, and arrival and departure times are flexible to meet business and individual needs. Each assistant superintendent will establish core work hours for his or her department.
Compressed Work Schedule—A work schedule in which an employee works an altered number of hours in each day to total the same weekly or biweekly total, creating a work schedule that is not the traditional five 8-hour days per week.
Teleworking—Work arrangements that allow for remote working one or more days a week, or bi-weekly, and do not alter the employee’s duties and work performed. Less frequent or variable teleworking (e.g., during a period of recuperation from illness) is acceptable when the arrangements meet both business and individual needs.

Assistant superintendents will assess department functions closely to determine which employees or groups of employees would be eligible for alternative work arrangements. It is recognized that certain operations within FCPS do not lend themselves to alternative working.

Because teleworking is often viewed by employees as a benefit, it is important that consistent criteria are applied to the granting or denial of teleworking arrangements. Assistant superintendents may exclude organizational units or positions from such arrangements to meet operational demands. Consideration and approval of employee requests for alternative work arrangements are based on the suitability of the work, the employee, and the work unit.

Register Now for a Preretirement Workshop

The Educational Employees' Retirement Fund of Fairfax County (ERFC) hosts preretirement workshops throughout the school year to help prepare members who are within two years of retirement eligibility. This year’s schedule includes split sessions to address the needs of members in both benefit plan structures: ERFC Legacy (members hired on or before June 30, 2001) and ERFC 2001 (members hired on or after July 1, 2001). Learn more about the specific provisions of the ERFC and VRS retirement plans, as well as the services available to help you determine your own “right time” to retire.

ERFC Preretirement 2008-09 Workshop Schedule

Thursday, October 2, 2008.
Thursday, November 6, 2008.
Thursday, December 4, 2008.
Monday, February 2, 2009.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

Time: 5 -7 p.m.

Location: Robinson Secondary School, recital hall, 5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax.

Seating is limited and preregistration is required. To register, send an e-mail to ERFCComm@fcps.edu or send a fax to 703-426-3984 and include:

your name.
your employee ID number.
your work location.
your date of hire.
the date of the workshop you want to attend.

Upon request, ERFC can also arrange on-site workshops at your work location for ERFC member audiences of at least 25 guests. For more information, contact the Retirement Office at 703-426-3950, or go to http://www.fcps.edu/ERFC/index.htm.

FCPS Online Classifieds System Free for Employees

(Note: If you are trying to access the classifieds from your home computer, you will need to use VPN, because the classifieds are located on the FCPS intranet.)

The FCPS Online Classifieds system—which is for employees only and as such can be found on FCPSnet (the FCPS employee intranet) at http://commapps.fcps.edu/classifieds—is a free way for employees to post ads for personally owned items that they are seeking to buy, sell, or give away, such as electronics, real estate, items for children, fitness and sports equipment, furniture, pets, cars, and tickets. It's also a great tool to help an employee look for someone to share a ride to work, find a roommate, or rent real estate.

Due to server restrictions, electronic photos cannot be uploaded along with postings. Feel free to include information in your posting that a picture is available by e-mail upon request. For answers to some other frequently asked questions, go to http://commapps.fcps.edu/classifieds/FAQ.cfm.

Ads for employee-owned businesses or school or workplace fund-raisers will not be accepted. A complete list of rules of use can be found at http://commapps.fcps.edu/classifieds/Policy.cfm.

The FCPS Online Classifieds system is completely self-service and allows users to post new ads or update or renew existing ads at any time. Highlights and security features of the FCPS Online Classifieds system include:

A user must log in using his or her existing FCPS network user name and password.
A user must agree to the posted conditions before submitting an ad. A user cannot use his or her FCPS phone number or e-mail address as a listed point of contact.
Active ads are searchable by date, category, and keyword.
Ads will be reviewed by the system administrator before they are posted online. Ads will be approved or denied within two to three business days or as soon as resources allow. An automatic e-mail will be sent upon approval or denial to a user who includes a personal e-mail address as part of his or her contact information.
A user who includes a personal e-mail address as part of his or her contact information will receive an automatic e-mail reminder before the ad is set to expire.

For more information, contact Andy Grunig at andy.grunig@fcps.edu. If you encounter a technical problem, contact Keith Orbe at keith.orbe@fcps.edu.

Send Your Success Stories

Have you used the FCPS Online Classifieds to buy or sell anything or to rent a room or a house, or do you have any other FCPS Online Classifieds success story you would like to share? Send it to andy.grunig@fcps.edu.