Human Resources Frequently Asked
Questions
Benefits
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- How much does it cost to add my family members to my health insurance?
| Children (One or many): |
$178.22 per month |
| Spouse only: |
$427.48 per month |
| Children and Spouse: |
$427.48 per month |
- Why is the cost to cover only a spouse the same as the
cost to cover an entire
family?
The State Health Plan indicates they have reviewed the
possibility of creating an additional tier for employee/spouse; however the
outcome of the research was that the claims experience for the employee/spouse was
substantially higher than the family rate. It appears that the employee and
spouse have an average age approximately nine years greater than the average
age of the adults in a family unit with children in the household. Hence, if
the Plan created a fourth tier of “employee/spouse” the rate would be greater
than the family rate.
- Can I add dependents to my benefits?
- Health Insurance – Dependents can be added or
dropped only when there is a qualified status change (birth, death, divorce,
separation, marriage, etc.) or during an annual enrollment period.
Dependents added during these times will be subject to a 12 month
pre-existing conditions waiting period. If you can provide proof of
continuous health insurance coverage, the time you were insured with the
other health insurance may be credited toward the waiting period. This will
be determined by the claims processing contractor.
- NCFlex Benefits (Flexible Spending Accounts,
Dental, Vision, Cancer, Term Life, AD&D, Supplemental Medical) – Dependents
can be added or dropped only when there is a qualified status change (birth,
death, divorce, separation, marriage, etc.) or during an annual enrollment
period.
- Do I have to see a doctor from a specific list?
No – The State Health Plan allows you to see any
doctor you choose whether it's a primary care doctor or a specialist; however, the
plan pays based on 80% of the usual, customary and reasonable charges (UCR)
and the plan does have a list of participating providers who agree to write
off charges that are in excess of the UCR. Non-participating providers do not
write-off excess charges and the member is responsible for paying the charges
in excess of the UCR charge. Participating providers can be located on the
State Health
Plan website. This list is managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC and on
occasion there will be a provider who does not participate with Blue Cross but
does participate with the State Health Plan. If you do not see your doctor on the
website, call them and ask them if they are a participating provider for the
NC State Health Plan.
- Who is my health insurance company?
Your insurance is the NC Teachers’ and State Employees’
Major Medical Plan (NC State Health Plan). The State of North Carolina's
health plan is
self-insured. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is the claims
processing contractor for medical claims. Medco is the Pharmacy Benefits
Manager.
- Who do I can call about insurance questions?
| Medical / Hospital questions/claims |
1-800-422-4658 |
| Pharmacy Benefits questions |
1-800-336-5933 |
- I lost my insurance card. How do I get another one?
Call the State Customer Service number at 1-800-422-4658
or call Human Resources at 232-5114 and we will order you a new card.
- My address has changed. How do I change it with the health plan?
Please notify Human Resources of any address changes by
calling 251-6606 or by making changes online at the Human Resources website
Address
/ Directory Changes Online. We will then send you information to make
changes with all benefits vendors.
- I will be traveling out of state a lot. Will the health plan pay for
out of state hospitals and/or doctors?
The State Health Plan's
out-of-state provider network is managed by Private Healthcare Systems. To
locate a provider outside of North Carolina, use the
PHCS Online Provider Search.
You will be directed to the "Search for a Provider" page, complete Step 1 as
appropriate; and under Step 2: "Choose Your Network," be
sure to select "Healthy Directions."
If you receive care from a
participating provider in the PHCS Healthy Directions network, you will not be
held responsible for amounts above the allowance for covered services. Plan
members will be responsible for any deductibles, copays, coinsurance and
non-covered charges. Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Benefits/Visits do
not apply to the PHCS network.
You can also call the
toll-free number on the back of your card.
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Career Banding
- What is Career Banding and why are we
going to this new system?
- Will my salary or job duties change under
Career Banding?
- What are the benefits to Career Banding?
- When will my job be "banded?
- What are Job Families and where will my
job fit?
- How will my job fit into a "pay band"?
- How will banding affect me as a manager?
- What is a competency? Who decides what
competencies will be in my job and what level of competencies I have attained?
- How will banding affect my ability to
advance in my career?
- Could my job be negatively affected by
banding? Could I be laid-off/RIF'd?
- What is Career Banding and why are we going to this new system?
Career Banding is a new human resources system that affects the way we
classify, hire, pay, promote, evaluate, and provide career
development opportunities for our employees.
The new system will be phased into state government over the next 3
to 5 years. To reduce the number of job classes and titles in state
government, jobs that are similar will be grouped together into more general
job classes (called Job Families). The combined job classes
will be grouped into larger pay ranges and may be assigned
new titles.
The Office of State Personnel initiated this new Human Resources system
throughout state government for a number of reasons:
-
The current system is outdated and we need to reduce the number of job
classes and titles in state government.
-
Pay should be based on current market rates to help us retain qualified
employees.
-
Career Banding gives agency directors more flexibility to set pay rates
for qualified employees.
- Career Banding creates more emphasis on career development.
- Will my salary or job duties change under Career Banding?
Although you may have a new job title in the future, your duties
should not change.
Your workplan will be rewritten to describe “competencies”
(skills, knowledge, abilities, and key behaviors) that are needed for you to
do your job well and advance through your new pay range, but you will notice
few other changes in the new system.
In future years after your job has been “banded”, you may be able
to get a pay increase if:
- Budget money is available to fund the increase; and
- Pay studies comparing your pay to other public
employers and private industry confirm that employees in your job family are
being underpaid; or
- You move up through the new banding pay range by demonstrating
new job-related competencies (skills, knowledge, abilities, and key
behaviors) that you may have acquired through further education or
training. Note that you have to be "demonstrating" these
competencies on the job to move up through the pay range. This means that if
you learn how to perform a new or higher level competency that you cannot
use in your current job, you will not be eligible to receive a higher pay
rate for the new skill that you are not "demonstrating" in your position. Of
course, working on getting new skills can reward you in the long run,
however, by allowing you to qualify for promotions into positions where you
can use those new skills!
- What are the benefits to Career Banding?
We anticipate
that there will be many benefits to the new system. Although any pay increases
will always be tied to the overall budget for the year, the Banding system
should make some things easier to manage.
Here are some expected benefits:
- Managers will have more flexibility than they do under
the current system to grant pay adjustments including pay increases (if
budget money is available) for eligible employees.
- Employees will be able to move up through the pay range by
acquiring and demonstrating new job-related competencies,
education, or training.
- UNCA as a whole should be able to attract and keep more talented
employees who know that there is a potential for career advancement.
- When will my job be
"banded"?
All state agencies have been directed to band their
Information Technology jobs first followed by their
Law Enforcement jobs.
- What are Job
Families and where will my job fit?
The following explanation is
illustrated in a graphic below to help you see how all of the
pieces fit.
Staff from UNCA and other state agencies have been working with the Office
of State Personnel (OSP) to define
10 Job Families to include all of our current jobs. Each Job
Family will have a number of "Career Branches" and under
that, a number of "Banded Class Series" that will include
your job.
For example, the banding profile of an "Office Assistant"
position will be:
- The overall Job Family for office assistants would be the
"Administrative and Managerial Job Family";
- The major Career Branch for office assistants would be the "Office
Programs Support Career Branch"; and
- The direct Banded Class Series for office assistants would be the
"Office Support Banded Class Series".
- How will my job fit
into a "pay band"?
A pay band is a range of pay set for a group of
employees. Each major Job Family will have a wide pay band associated with it.
Human Resources Staff will research current data on the average pay rates for
similar employees who work in government and private industry to establish
fair pay "bands" for each Job Family and each Banded Class Series under each
Job Family. The range will go from the lowest rate for a new or inexperienced
employee to the highest rate for a highly skilled or experienced employee.
- How will banding affect me as a manager?
When jobs are moved into a pay band, agency directors should have more
flexibility than they do under the current system to grant pay increases for
eligible employees. Job-related competencies, education, and/or training will
be defined for each pay band. As employees acquire these skills or meet these
requirements, managers will be able to authorize appropriate pay increases (as
budgets allow).
- What is a competency? Who decides what competencies will be in my
job and what level of competencies I have attained?
Competencies are the skills, knowledge, abilities, and key behaviors that
you need to perform your job. UNC Asheville's Human Resources staff will be working with
division and institution managers, supervisors, and representative groups of
employees to define competencies for your job.
These competencies (listed on job descriptions and employee workplans) will
be used to:
- find qualified applicants to fill vacant positions,
- rate performance,
- assess eligibility for pay increases when you demonstrate higher
competency levels, and
- plan career development and training to help you increase your
competencies.
The defined competencies will be grouped into 3 categories related to 3 pay
ranges within a pay band:
- Contributing (entry level)
- Journey (experienced)
- Advanced (expert)
You and your supervisor will decide what level of competencies you have
demonstrated. We plan to use a performance management system under banding
that should not differ very much from the current system of workplans and
annual reviews. There may be some new forms, but the basic philosophy of
making sure that employees understand what is expected of them, meeting
periodically to assess their progress, and evaluating performance at least
annually should remain the same.
Competencies will relate to all aspects of Human Resources. You may want to
view a graphic that illustrates this relationship. (Use your "back" button to
return to this page after viewing the graphic.)
- How will banding affect my ability to advance?
Many current jobs in state government leave no room for advancement other
than entering supervision or management.
When your job is placed into a banded career path, you may be able to work
your way up in responsibility and pay by going from "contributing" to
"journey" or from "journey" to "advanced" by increasing your competencies. And
since your current job may be banded with other similar jobs, you may be able
to move more easily into a similar position that would give you even more
career advancement opportunities.
- Could my job be negatively affected by banding? Could I be
laid-off/RIF'd?
UNC Asheville anticipates no layoffs or Reduction in Force
(RIFs) as a result of this move into the new system.
Although you may have a new job title in the future, your duties should not
change. Your workplan may be rewritten to describe “competencies” that are
needed for you to do your job well and advance through your new pay range, but
your pay would not be reduced as a result of where your particular skills are
in the new pay range.
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Employee Relations
In Process.....
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Employment / Recruitment
- Where can I find job opportunities at UNC Asheville?
The job opportunities /
vacancy announcements can be found at the Jobs page link:
http://www.unca.edu/hr/jobs.html
and click the "Search for Job Openings -
Apply Online" link.
- One of my staff resigned. How do I initiate the recruitment process?
The following guidelines are available:
- I am looking for a teaching job. Where can I find employment opportunities
for faculty?
Employment opportunities for faculty is handled by the
Academic and Student Affairs Office. The
list of available positions can be found at their website, or you may call
251-6470 for inquiries.
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Leave / Time Accountability
In Process....
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Management Flexibility Plan
- What is management flexibility?
In Process....
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New Employees
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- When will my benefits begin?
- Health Insurance – coverage begins the 1st
day of the month after you begin work (i.e., if your date of employment is
June 1, your health insurance coverage is effective July 1; if your date of
employment is June 30, your health insurance coverage is effective July 1.)
Premiums are deducted a month in advance for this benefit (i.e., end of June
payroll deduction is for July premium).
- NCFlex Benefits (Flexible Spending Accounts,
Dental, Vision, Cancer, Term Life, AD&D, Supplemental Medical) – coverage
begins the 1st day of the month after you sign the enrollment
form. As a new employee you have 30 days to enroll in these plans;
therefore, depending on your hire date (first day of employment), the effective date and the date you
sign the form, your coverage may be effective the 1st day of the
first month after you begin work or the 1st day of the second
month after you begin work. Remember, it is based on when you sign
the form.
- Retirement Contributions – A monthly
retirement deduction of 6% of your gross monthly salary will begin
immediately, starting with your first paycheck.
- What is the cost of my health insurance coverage?
The university pays the entire cost of the employee’s health insurance
coverage.
- Can I add dependents to my health insurance coverage and what is the
cost?
Dependents can be added to your health insurance coverage during the time
of your initial enrollment at employment. The employee pays the entire cost
of dependent coverage. The university does not supplement the cost of
dependent coverage. Rates are:
| Children (One or many): |
$178.22 per month |
| Spouse only: |
$427.48 per month |
| Children and Spouse: |
$427.48 per month |
- Will I or my dependents have any pre-existing
condition waiting periods on the health insurance?
No pre-existing conditions clauses will apply as long as you enroll you and
your dependents when you are first eligible for coverage (within your first 30
days of employment). Enrollment outside this time frame may result in a 12
months pre-existing conditions waiting period. If you can provide proof of
continuous health insurance coverage, the time you were insured with the other
health insurance may be credited toward the waiting period. This will be
determined by the claims processing contractor.
- Can I add dependents to my benefits at a later date?
- Health Insurance – After your initial
enrollment, dependents can be added or
dropped only when there is a qualified status change (birth, death, divorce,
separation, marriage, etc.) or during an annual enrollment period.
Dependents added during these times will be subject to a 12 month
pre-existing conditions waiting period. If you can provide proof of
continuous health insurance coverage, the time you were insured with the
other health insurance may be credited toward the waiting period. This will
be determined by the claims processing contractor.
- NCFlex Benefits (Flexible Spending Accounts,
Dental, Vision, Cancer, Term Life, AD&D, Supplemental Medical) – Dependents
can be added or dropped only when there is a qualified status change (birth,
death, divorce, separation, marriage, etc.) or during an annual enrollment
period.
- Who is my health insurance company?
Your insurance plan is the NC Teachers’ and State
Employees’ Major Medical Plan (NC State Health Plan). The State of North
Carolina is self-insured. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is the
claims processing contractor for medical claims. Medco is the Pharmacy
Benefit Manager.
- Do I have to see a doctor from a specific list?
No – The State Health Plan allows you to see any
doctor you choose, whether a primary care doctor or a specialist; however, the
plan pays based on 80% of the usual, customary and reasonable charges (UCR)
and the plan does have a list of participating providers who agree to write
off charges that are in excess of the UCR. Non-participating providers do not
write-off excess charges and the member is responsible for paying the charges
in excess of the UCR charge. Participating providers can be located on the
State Health
Plan website. This list is managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC and on
occasion there will be a provider who does not participate with Blue Cross but
does participate with the State Health Plan. If you do not see your doctor on the
website, call them and ask them if they are a participating provider for the
State Health Plan.
- Can I add the NCFlex coverage options at a later date?
You can add NCFlex options for yourself and/or your dependents each year
during an annual enrollment period. This annual enrollment occurs from
mid-October to early November with coverage effective January 1 of the
following year. However, if you do not enroll in NCFlex options when
you are first eligible, several plans may require waiting periods and/or
evidence of insurability that are not required when you enroll as a new
employee. Please review your NCFlex Enrollment booklet carefully or contact
the Benefits Manager for details.
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Payroll
- I am a new employee, when will I receive my first pay check?
- I am a temporary employee, when will I receive my first paycheck?
In Process.....
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Performance Management
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Position Management
In Process....
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Retirement
In Process....
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Miscellaneous
In Process....
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