OSPS E-News ~ FW: ACA Policy Implementation- ACTION RQUIRED

[Announcements from OSPS to the users of the Oregon State Payroll Application]

Forwarded on behalf of CHRO.
________________________________
To:                   Human Resource and Payroll Managers
From:              Chief Human Resources Office

CHRO, PEBB and OSPS are closing in on the final implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the State of Oregon.  A new statewide policy (attached) has been simultaneously adopted and put out for comment.  The policy was adopted today to enable implementation, but will be left open for agency comment through December 2014.  In conjunction with the policy we have a new ACA toolkit to assist agencies in navigating the changes.  We are rescheduling consulting sessions for the first week in December for benefits, payroll and HR staffs who will be responsible for implementing the new policies and processes.
In advance of the sessions, we have some good news and a few tips to ensure a smooth transition.  In order to best serve state agencies and affected employees, CHRO will be handling the processing of the initial "transition" group.  These are current active temporary employees who have worked an average of 30 hours per week during the standard measurement period (11/1/13-10/31/14) who, if still employed, will have access to PEBB benefits on January 1, 2015.  Of course, we will be communicating with agencies providing employee information and copies of communications.  In addition, we will be assisting agencies in managing the subsequent group of temporary employees who will be hired between November 1 and December 31, 2014.  For those employees, CHRO will be reaching out to agencies to determine eligibility on a case by case basis.  In order to do so in a timely manner, we are requesting that each agency provide a primary contact for this purpose.  Please send the name and email of your agency contact to CHRO.ACA at oregon.gov<mailto:CHRO.ACA at oregon.gov>  by November 10.
As we get closer to implementation we will be running reports from OSPS and PPDB of active temporary employees to determine benefits eligibility.  In anticipation of this work, agency diligence in entering personnel actions related to temporary employees to ensure report accuracy is greatly appreciated.
We will be covering the details of the policy, process and agency resources at the upcoming scheduled ACA consulting sessions.  We encourage you to bring any staff in your office who are responsible for personnel action entry, benefits and payroll processing.  Effective implementation of the ACA will be dependent upon HR and payroll collaboration.  CHRO is committed to consulting with agencies as we make this transition to ensure timely and accurate implementation.
In the meantime, please send any questions or comments to CHRO.ACA at oregon.gov<mailto:CHRO.ACA at oregon.gov>



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