Due to the Holiday schedule in November, the biweekly pay date that would typically be paid on Thursday, November 27th will be moved up one day to Wednesday, November 26th. Monthly paid employees will also be paid on Wednesday, November 26th, allowing for an earlier pay date than originally scheduled.
The Thanksgiving holidays observed for staff members are Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th.
December Holiday closedown for 2025 begins on Wednesday, December 24th and concludes on Friday, January 2nd. Staff will return to work on Monday, January 5th. Staff can enter their floating holiday requests after November 11th (Veterans Day – the last floating holiday to accrue for 2025).
Paid holidays will be December 25th and January 1st. Per President Gold’s email sent on July 1st, 2025, an additional day of paid leave was granted for Wednesday, December 24th – this day should be entered as “declared leave”. For staff who have been employed for the entire calendar year, there are 5 accrued floating holidays which should be used for December 26-31st and January 2nd. All leave-eligible employees should submit their leave requests through Firefly. If you have questions or you do not have enough leave time to cover this time period, please contact Human Resources at 865-8184.
The annual Employee Benefits and Wellness Fair will be held on Wednesday, November 5th, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Ponderosa Room of the Nebraskan Student Union. Come explore the wide range of benefits and wellness resources available to you! Connect with insurance vendors, community partners, and wellness experts to learn more about your options and discover new tools to support your well-being. We hope to see you there!
Annual NUFlex Benefits Enrollment began on Monday, October 27th and will end Friday, November 14th, 2025 at 5:00pm. Employees have the opportunity to enroll, update, or end participation in their benefits plans every year during this time in Firefly. We encourage you to enroll/update benefits early to avoid any last-minute complications.
Reminders:
If you contribute to the Flexible Spending Account – Health Care and/or Dependent Care, you will need to enter amount(s) for 2026.
Complete the Health Risk Assessment to receive enhanced wellness and preventative services benefits for 2026.
You will need to update your Tobacco/Nicotine designation status each year if you are enrolled in or increase your Voluntary Life Insurance.
For a complete list of the benefits, please visit Health Benefits
Human Resources will be available to answer questions regarding NuFlex Benefits Enrollment. For any questions, please call Erica Oliver (308) 865-8522 or email benefitsunk@unk.edu.
See and access your benefit coverage breakdown, insurance card, etc. through our health insurance vendors’ member portal sites. Our vendor’s direct links to their member login sites can found here: Health Benefits. Direct links will be located on the right side of the screen. If you have not already registered for an online account with that vendor, please do so first.
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is an educational tool designed to help you learn important information about your current health status and how to improve it. Participation is voluntary; however, by completing this short survey (takes about 10-15 minutes), you will receive Enhanced Wellness Benefits for the next calendar year.
Benefits of completing the HRA include:
Annual preventative care allowance of $400 (for insured age 2 and over)
$0 copay for seasonal vaccinations administered at an in-network pharmacy and submitted to the prescription drug program.
$0 copay for generic prescription drugs non-specialty through the EmpiRx Health mail service program with no annual deductible.
100% coverage for a routine preventive colonoscopy once every 10 years beginning at age 45
You will be able to carry over up to $660 in unspent Health Care Flexible Spending Account funds from 2025 to the 2026 plan year. This means that Health Care flexible spending care account amounts you do not use during the 2025 year can be carried over to the 2026 year subject to the IRS maximum carry over of $660. You must remain in an benefits eligible employee status in order to access the carry-over funds. If you are planning to enroll in the qualified high deductible health plan and utilize a health savings account in 2026, you may want to waive your Health Care FSA carry over. If this is the case, please contact the benefits office.
New in 2026: There will be a new third-party administrator for the Health and Dependent Care FSA Program. All 2025 claims including the run-out period will be processed with WageWorks. All 2026 claims will be processed by Inspira Financial. Inspira Financial will provide debit cards for claims payments, support via an online website, and dedicated customer service to plan participants. Additional information regarding the new plan administrator will be sent to FSA plan enrollees after the NUFlex benefits enrollment period.
New in 2026: The annual contribution limit for the Dependent Care FSA will be increasing to $7,500. The annual contribution limit for the Health Care FSA will be increasing to $3,400.
Telehealth Services Health plan members and dependents will have access to telehealth services. In 2026 telehealth services will be offered by Telescope. To schedule a virtual appointment, log in to myNebraskaBlue.com and select Telehealth or call the telehealth number on the back of your member ID card. Telehealth services can be utilized for common conditions such as sinus infection, cold, flu, ear infection, sore throat, migraine, fever, and dermatology, rash, pinkeye, and behavioral health. Telescope gives you access to medical providers through the convenience of phone, video or mobile app visits. These services are subject to coinsurance and deductible amounts.
You can update your Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation via Firefly Employee Self Service (ESS) – Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation. This application allows you to electronically manage your Life Insurance beneficiaries. To update retirement plan beneficiaries, login to your online TIAA and/or Fidelity account.
Allocation of tuition remission credits for the Spring 2026 semester can now be entered, and final submission is Friday, February 06, 2025. Allocate credits via Firefly/ESS, under Benefits, click “Employee & Dependent Scholarship”.
Employees may update their coverage elections outside of Open Enrollment only when a Permitted Election Change Event occurs such as marriage or divorce, birth/adoption, gaining or losing other coverage, or a change in employment status that affects eligibility. Changes must be made within 31 days of the event (60 days in the event of a birth/adoption). Note that employees may adjust their coverage category (e.g., Employee Only to Employee + Children) but cannot switch between different medical plan level mid-year. If you experience a life event, contact the Benefits Office as early as possible to ensure timely processing.
The University of Nebraska system allows all employees to opt to receive their W-2 through Employee Self Service (Firefly). Please consider opting for the electronic version to save paper and distribution time. Those who choose to receive an electronic W-2 through Firefly will receive their W-2 statement about a week earlier than those who receive paper W-2 forms. Only employees who elect an electronic W-2 will be able to view their W-2 form throughout the year. To enroll, log into Firefly>Employee Self Service>W-2 Form>Enroll for W-2 Online Delivery. Please contact Human Resources at 865-8184 with any questions.
This is also a good time to review your address listed in Employee Self Service (About Me - Personal Information>Address & Emergency Contact) to confirm that your contact information is current. The address listed in an employee’s “permanent address” is where all benefit and payroll related information is sent, so it is important that the information is correct.
Accounting Terminology - a helpful overview of terminology commonly used in university settings. If you're new to university financial systems or just need a refresher, understanding key accounting terms can help you navigate budgeting, Business Intelligence and SAP financial reporting more confidently. Here is a list of commonly used terms and their meanings.
What to Bring: Your own laptop for hands-on learning
Questions or unsure which session is right for you? We're happy to help! Reach out to discuss your needs and find the best fit. Karen Labenz at 308-865-8785 labenzk@unk.edu or Heather Foradori 308-865-8540 foradorih@unk.edu
Please consider donating to the crisis leave program. This program allows any employee who earns vacation leave to donate up to five accumulated vacation days per calendar year. The donated leave goes to a pool of crisis leave hours that are used to help an employee who is experiencing a crisis and does not have sufficient leave to cover their absence period. Donation forms can be accessed through SAPPHIRE or the following link:
Please submit completed forms to the Human Resources Office.
When employment changes occur, review if that change warrants an update in spending and viewing authority for NU Foundation Funds. Changes in Fund Authority can be made by completing a Fund Authority Form found in NUFFO (UN Foundation Funds Online).
UNK’s Annual Budget Overview is available for viewing on the Business and Finance webpage. The Annual Budget Overview provides the campus community with the details of resources that are used to manage the campus. See https://www.unk.edu/bf/budget.php. Please contact Chris Moran at morancl@unk.edu with any questions.
This program permits employees working full-time to reduce their work hours to no lower than a .75 FTE equivalent. Approval is required by the supervisor and the respective Vice Chancellor. View Policy
Employees and Departments/Groups of Employees can be nominated for different awards. The awards are presented monthly during the Staff Senate meetings.
Please consider nominating a staff member or group who has demonstrated excellence. It’s time to show our colleagues how much we appreciate what they do and why we’re so very proud to be Lopers!!
