• Free Confidential Counseling:  Employees can call the confidential EAP line about concerns such as marital, relationship and family problems; stress, anxiety and depression; grief and loss, job pressures and substance abuse.
• Work-Life Solutions: Qualified referrals and customized resources for child and elder care, moving, pet care, college planning, home repair, buying a car, planning an event, selling a house and more.
• Legal Support:  Speak with on-staff licensed attorneys about legal concerns such as divorce, custody, adoption, real estate, debt and bankruptcy, landlord/tenant issues, civil and criminal actions and more. 
• Financial Information:  Get answers to your questions about budgeting, debt management, tax issues and other money concerns 
• GuidanceResources® Online:  Go online to access elder and childcare provider searches as well as information on thousands of topics, including relationships, work, school, children, wellness, legal, financial and free time. 

1. Call 855-410-7628. You’ll speak to a counseling professional, on a confidential line, who will listen to your concerns and can guide you to the appropriate services you require.
2. Visit GuidanceResources® Online at www.guidanceresources.com and enter our company ID:  USMEAP

The University of System of Maryland recently confirmed that regular faculty and staff will receive a 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) effective January 1, 2020.  This includes regular faculty, staff, Contingent II and Graduate Assistants that were hired on or before December 31, 2019. 

Contingent I employees are not eligible for the COLA. 

Faculty, Staff and Contingent II employees will receive their increase and 3 days retroactive earnings on check dated January 24, 2020.  Graduate Assistants will receive their increase on check dated January 10, 2020.  The Department of Human Resources will send a separate communication to campus departments regarding the processing of these actions.   

Additional information regarding the Fiscal Year 2020 Salary Guidelines can be found at: https://umbc.app.box.com/v/CompGuidelinesPDF 

• To ensure that all leave is recorded and processed correctly for the 2020 calendar year, it is imperative that time sheets (electronic and paper for pay period 14 and prior) are submitted and approved by Thursday, January 9, 2020. These time sheets must be processed in time entry for PR15.
• IMPACT:  Processing late time sheets after PR15 time entry, for leave eligible employees, will result in leave reductions from the 2020 leave and post inaccurate balances.
• Personal leave hours for calendar year 2020 were available to employees for usage as of January 1, 2020. Starting with the time sheet for pay period 15 (1/5/2020 thru 1/18/2020) until the year-end process occurs, employees will notice the personal leave balance will reflect the unused personal hours from 2019 in addition to the hours for 2020. Any personal leave hours used or processed in the system after January 4, 2020 (ie. late time sheets or excess usage) will be deducted from the 2020 personal leave balance.
• Supervisors should submit a Holiday Leave Carryover Exception Request Form (https://umbc.box.com/HolLeaveCarryoverExceptionPDF) for any employee approved to carry over unused holiday leave into calendar year 2020. The form must be signed by the Department Head and forwarded to my attention for review and processing.
• Employees will notice updated leave balances, inclusive of processed year-end figures, on the time sheet for pay period 17 (ending 2/15/2020). This time sheet will reflect leave balances as of the end of pay period 15. 
• Payroll Preparers will be able to run the detailed leave report (use pay run id 2020016) to review leave data inclusive of year-end processing. Helpful note: The steps for year-end leave processing are as follows:  (1) roll back excess or unused leave from 2019--applicable to annual and personal leave; (2) deduct leave used reported on time sheet 15; (3) add the leave accrual earned for PR15; (4) process manual adjustments entered by HR; and (5) calculate new ending balance.

• To ensure that all leave is recorded and processed correctly for the 2020 calendar year, it is imperative that time sheets (electronic and paper for pay period 14 and prior) are submitted and approved by Thursday, January 9, 2020. These time sheets must be processed in time entry for PR15.
• IMPACT:  Processing late time sheets after PR15 time entry, for leave eligible employees, will result in leave reductions from the 2020 leave and post inaccurate balances.
• Personal leave hours for calendar year 2020 were available to employees for usage as of January 1, 2020. Starting with the time sheet for pay period 15 (1/5/2020 thru 1/18/2020) until the year-end process occurs, employees will notice the personal leave balance will reflect the unused personal hours from 2019 in addition to the hours for 2020. Any personal leave hours used or processed in the system after January 4, 2020 (ie. late time sheets or excess usage) will be deducted from the 2020 personal leave balance.
• Supervisors should submit a Holiday Leave Carryover Exception Request Form (https://umbc.box.com/HolLeaveCarryoverExceptionPDF) for any employee approved to carry over unused holiday leave into calendar year 2020. The form must be signed by the Department Head and forwarded to my attention for review and processing.
• Updated leave balances, inclusive of processed year-end figures, will be reflected on the time sheet for pay period 17 (ending 2/15/2020). This time sheet will reflect leave balances as of the end of pay period 15.