THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYTEM MEDICAL FOUNDATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PAYROLL When is payday? Employees get paid once a month on the last working day of the month. Working days represent Monday thru Friday. If the last day of the month falls on the weekend the employee will be paid the last Friday of the month. Your pay schedule can be viewed online at the following address (http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/paysched.htm). When do June 24 start residents get paid? Residents who start their program on June 24 th are paid on the last working day of the following month. Their July pay will include 7 days worked in June. Where can I find current house staff stipends? Current stipends can be found online at the following address http://med.uth.tmc.edu/administration/gme/benefits.html How can I get a copy of my payroll direct deposit stub? Paystubs can be viewed or printed online from GMEIS. They are uploaded into the GMEIS software at the end of the month. Please contact your residency coordinator to gain access into GMEIS. Please verify the address and social security number currently printed on your paystub. W-2's are printed using this address. Where can I pick up my monthly check if I am not yet on direct deposit? If you are not yet on direct deposit your check can be picked up at the UT System Medical Foundation's office between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm at the following address, 6431 Fannin Street Suite JJL-301 Houston TX 77030. How can I enroll in direct deposit? In order to enroll into direct deposit, complete a direct deposit form and provide a voided check. The form can be found at the following location http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/utmfdd.pdf Can I make changes to the direct deposit information on file? Yes, direct deposit information can be changed throughout the year as the employee sees a need to do so. A new direct deposit form along with a new voided check would need to be submitted. The direct deposit form can be found online at the following location http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/utmfdd.pdf. The deadline for making changes to direct deposit is the 10th of the month.
Can I make changes to the W-4 tax form that was filled out at the beginning of my employment? The W-4 form can be updated with changes throughout the year as the employee sees a need to do so. The form can be found at the following online location http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf How can I change my address with the UT System Medical Foundation? Employees can change their address online in the GMEIS software under the demographics section. Please contact the GME office at 713-500-5151 or your residency coordinator to gain access into GMEIS. BENEFITS Who do I call for questions or problems with my insurance coverage? You may first call the Medical Foundation at 713-500-5243 to see if there is an easy resolution to your issue. The Foundation will help facilitate a resolution to your problem. I have trouble contacting MHealth. What are their Customer Service Hours? MHealth Customer Service lines are open from 7am 8pm CST, Monday Friday and can be reached at (888) 642 5040 / (713) 338 6535 What are the current insurance premium rates? The current insurance premium rates can be found online at the following location http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/benefitrates.htm. The plan year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. You can expect a coverage or rate change to be announced at the end of April effective for the new plan year that begins in July. When is the open enrollment period? Open enrollment is held during the month of May. Residents can elect to change coverage, add dependants, or drop dependants during this period. Changes made during the open enrollment period become effective July 1. Can benefit changes be made during the plan year? Benefit changes can only be made during the year if there is a qualifying event. Please take the time to read the section on qualifying events on the UT System Medical Foundation website at the following location http://utsmf.uth.tmc.edu/qualifying_events.pdf. Do we receive insurance cards? Residents only receive insurance cards by mail from the health and vision companies. The dental company does not mail out an insurance card. Residents must register on the Delta Dental website http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/benefits.html. This webpage contains links to the insurance providers, contact information and enrollment/change forms.
What do I need to do if I am on Leave Without Pay? If you are on leave without pay, you must contact the UT System Medical Foundation regarding you benefit coverage. What is the policy on maternity/paternity leave? Maternity and paternity leave are covered under Family Medical Leave, which provides up to 12 weeks in any 12- month period. All accumulated sick leave and vacation must be used when taking FMLA leave. When all paid leave has been exhausted, any remaining FMLA leave will be unpaid. Insurance coverage remains in effect while on unpaid leave. Do we have a prescription drug plan? Yes the current medical plan handles your prescription plan as well. Your current health insurance card be can used at the pharmacy to fill your prescriptions. Any questions concerning what medicines are covered can be address to the health insurance company. The contact information can be found at http://utsmf.uth.tmc.edu/mhhnp_contact_info.pdf What is the deadline for filing claims for reimbursement on the flexible spending account? Claims may be filed up to 60 days beyond the end of the plan year (June 30). Is a Dependent Care Spending Account available? Dependent care spending accounts are available through Flexible Benefit Groups. Contact the Medical Foundation for enrollment information. Do UTSMF employees have any other benefits besides health, dental, and vision? Yes UTSMF employees also have life, disability, and accidental death and dismemberment which is provided by the Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust. More information can be found at http://www.tmait.org/index.html. What is the Supplemental Disability that Residents are required to purchase? Disability coverage is critical for physicians who may later become disabled and not able to perform their specialty. The required supplemental disability policy is a true specialty specific and is fully portable to every state. It was selected not only for coverage during training, but just as importantly, because of the guaranteed ability to increase the coverage to $10,000 per month upon transition from UTHSC- Houston. Does the UT System Medical Foundation have a retirement plan? Yes, there is a 403B plan available in which residents can participate. The Foundation does not match any contributions and the plan can be started or stopped at any time during the year. Further information can be found at http://utsmf.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/benefits.html.
What does a departing resident need to be think about concerning benefits? A departing resident has the option of electing to participate in COBRA benefits. The resident that is departing will have the opportunity to purchase health and dental coverage for up to 18 months from the previous employers' current plan. From the last day of work the resident has an opportunity to decide for up 60 days to participate in the plan. If the resident decides in the second month after their last day of work coverage start date will be set retroactively to the day after the last work day. Where and to whom are COBRA payments made? COBRA payments are made payable to the UT System Medical Foundation and are mailed to the following address 6431 Fannin Street Suite JJL-310 Houston, TX 77030. PARKING How do I sign up for parking? New/incoming residents can sign up for parking as part of the orientation process. Current residents who do not have parking may sign up for parking only during parking open enrollment in June of each year. Can I enroll for parking at anytime? No. Residents who do not sign up for parking during orientation or open enrollment will have to wait until the following open enrollment period. What do if I need a new badge/parking card? If you have lost/damaged your ID badge you will need to have it replaced immediately. You will go to the Bursar s Office located at 7000 Fannin, UCT, Suite 2240, with a valid ID to have a new ID badge made. How do I activate my ID badge for parking? To activate your ID badge for parking, contact the GME office at 713-500-5151. Please keep in mind that it may take 2 hours to activate a parking card. To activate your security access, contact your program coordinator. What if I do not use my badge to park and have misplaced my PVAMU parking card? If you park in the Prairie View garage and misplace your card go to the GME Office for a new one. The GME Office is located in JJL 310. Can parking be cancelled at anytime? Yes parking can be canceled at anytime. Cancellation can be done through the GME office. They can be contacted at the following number 713-500-5151. Please review the parking rules previously provided to you regarding cancellations.
Can I cancel my parking when I am on an LBJ rotation and restart my parking when I have an MHH rotation? No. Once you cancel your parking you will not be able to re-enroll in parking until open enrollment. MISCELLANEOUS Is there an official GME check-out form? Yes, there is an official check-out form that must be completed by all residents and fellows before leaving. Please follow the attached link to obtain the form and fill it out completely. http://med.uth.tmc.edu/administration/gme/pdf_files/checkout_form.pdf What are some important things a departing resident needs to do? Departing residents are requested to provide the Foundation with a Change of Address. This update will enable us to keep our system current and will ensure that you receive your W 2 Tax statement on time and avoid delays of important payroll information If you are on Direct Deposit, DO NOT CLOSE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT UNTIL YOUR LAST PAYCHECK HAS CLEARED. If you do intend to close your account, please notify our payroll department. Notice of changes must be received within the first 10 days of the month you are scheduled to leave. When can I expect to receive my W-2 statement? W-2 statements are mailed at the end of January and can be expected to be received by the end of February. Do future residents need to attend employee Orientation? Yes, resident orientation is mandatory and incoming residents and fellows must attend their scheduled orientation. What documents must be brought to resident orientation? Future residents and fellows need to bring a voided check for direct deposit and social security card and drivers license for payroll purposes. Additionally, for employment verification as required by the Department of Homeland Security certain documents must be presented. A list of these documents may be found at the following location: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf What is the contact information of the UT System Medical Foundation? The contact of the UT System Medical Foundation is as follows: Phone # 713-500-5243 Fax # 713-500-0699 Address: 6431 Fannin Street, Suite JJL-310 Houston TX 77030 Where is the UT System Medical Foundation located? The Medical Foundation is located in room 301 of the Jesse Jones Library (third floor). The building is located across Weber Plaza from the UT Medical School. Office hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm.