2012 Dependent Care Benefit Plan Enrollment Period is November 1-30
The dependent care flexible benefit plan allows you to pre-tax child, spouse or elder care expenses that you incur in order to allow you (and your spouse, if married) to work. If married, both spouses must be working to claim dependent care expenses. A dependent is defined as:
• A dependent of the employee who is under 13 years of age
• A dependent, spouse or parent who is physically or mentally disabled
The Agency’s dependent care flexible benefit plan runs on a calendar year basis, from January through December. Enrolling in the plan is voluntary and allows you to deduct out-of-pocket dependent care expenses from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis.
If you are interested in learning more about paying for your dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis, or if you have been a participant in the past, but have questions about how the plan works and what type of child care expenses you can deduct on a pre-tax basis, check out the video on the Intranet under Benefits > 2011 Benefit Videos > Dependent Care.
If you are currently participating in the dependent care plan, an information packet with an enrollment form for 2012 will be mailed to your home address the first week of November. A statement showing dependent care expenses that have been reimbursed to you through late October will be included in the packet. Those not currently participating in the dependent care plan, and who would like an enrollment packet, may request one from Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385.
The deadline for submitting your dependent care enrollment form for the 2012 plan year is November 30. Forms may be faxed to Kathy Martin at (515) 270-6562 or e-mailed to kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us. Please follow up by sending your form with original signature to Kathy at the Johnston Administration Center.
Dependent Care Claims Reimbursement Deadline
Two dates are important to remember for employees enrolled in Heartland’s dependent care flexible benefit plan:
• All expenses for the 2011 plan year must be incurred by December 31, 2011.
• All claims for the 2011 plan year must be submitted to Kabel Business Services for reimbursement no later than 60 days after the end of the plan year. This year, the last day they will be accepted is February 29, 2012.
These dates relate to the dependent care flexible benefit plan and do not relate to the medical flexible benefit plan. The plan year for the medical flex plan is June 1 through May 31.
If you have questions about the balance you have remaining in your dependent care account, please contact Kabel Business Services at (515) 224-9400 or (800) 300-9691.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Process for Communicating Office Closings & Class Cancellations
It’s that time of year…time to start thinking about the winter months and the not-so-pleasant weather that comes with it. In preparation for the possibility of office closings and class cancellations due to inclement weather, please read below for the process that the Agency uses to communicate about these events.
First, click here to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy.
Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14416.
Communicating Office Closures
Last year the Agency implemented a new system for notifying staff members of office closures due to inclement weather. Using the media to communicate our closings was no longer effective, so we decided to use the following four venues to communicate about office closures:
SchoolReach
SchoolReach is an online system that is able to send voice messages to staff when there is an office closure. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call.
We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from a person at SchoolReach.
We have previously asked you to update your phone contact information in the Agency’s Employee Online system. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ABOUT SCHOOLREACH:
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety.
What can be done to avoid any problems in message delivery:
• Do not say “hello” more than once. If the system detected your answer incorrectly, all noise will reset the three-second counter.
• If, after you answer, the message does not immediately play, cover the mouthpiece of the phone to cutout all background noise. The message should begin after three seconds.
Please make every effort to update your contact information in Employee Online any time there is a change to ensure that you do not miss important communication. Your phone data will be used exclusively by Heartland to communicate important information to you; it won’t be accessible to anyone else.
Website
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.aea11.k12.ia.us) at the top of the Latest News section.
Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that.
Social Media
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA).
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14474.
First, click here to read the Agency’s Inclement Weather policy.
Remember that the Temporary Remote Workplace Program can be used in extraordinary circumstances with supervisor approval. More information about the program can be found in the Staff Handbook. In an inclement weather circumstance, staff members who complete timesheets have the option of taking unpaid leave, even if they have other leaves available.
If you have any questions about the Inclement Weather policy, contact Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14416.
Communicating Office Closures
Last year the Agency implemented a new system for notifying staff members of office closures due to inclement weather. Using the media to communicate our closings was no longer effective, so we decided to use the following four venues to communicate about office closures:
SchoolReach
SchoolReach is an online system that is able to send voice messages to staff when there is an office closure. When used, the service will call selected phone numbers in our employee contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busies will be automatically retried twice in 15-minute intervals after the initial call.
We will contact only those staff members who are assigned to offices that close. For example, if the Newton and Indianola offices are closed, we will only call the staff members who are assigned to those offices. Staff in other offices won’t receive a call. The calls that SchoolReach makes will be generated by the Agency’s Communications Department—they will not come directly from a person at SchoolReach.
We have previously asked you to update your phone contact information in the Agency’s Employee Online system. If you have provided both a home number and a cell phone number in Employee Online, we will call you at both numbers in the event of an office closing.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ABOUT SCHOOLREACH:
When SchoolReach places a call, if your phone has caller ID, the ID will display the Agency’s main number, (515) 270-9030. When you get a call from the system, there will be a short pause at the beginning of the message. This usually is only a few seconds pause. Answer your phone as you normally would with “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Please inform all family members who may answer your phone of this process. If you rely on your answering machine to screen calls, the system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recorded message to your machine. The phone will ring for up to 40 seconds. Make sure that your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
At the end of the message you will be prompted to “press any key” to hear the message again. This can be helpful if a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then have the message repeated in its entirety.
What can be done to avoid any problems in message delivery:
• Do not say “hello” more than once. If the system detected your answer incorrectly, all noise will reset the three-second counter.
• If, after you answer, the message does not immediately play, cover the mouthpiece of the phone to cutout all background noise. The message should begin after three seconds.
Please make every effort to update your contact information in Employee Online any time there is a change to ensure that you do not miss important communication. Your phone data will be used exclusively by Heartland to communicate important information to you; it won’t be accessible to anyone else.
Website
We will post closing information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.aea11.k12.ia.us) at the top of the Latest News section.
Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” that staff members can call into at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in you will hear a recorded message that says the date and which offices are closed if there are closings. If there are no closings, the message will reflect that.
Social Media
We will post closing information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts (www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA).
Communicating Professional Development Class Cancellations
If a professional development class is canceled, the cancellation will be communicated via the agency website, cancellation hotline and social media.
If you have any questions about inclement weather communications, please contact Courtney Croatt, Communications Specialist, at ccroatt@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14474.
AEA System to Launch Success Story Video & Redesigned Website
Although Iowa’s AEAs have been helping children, families and educators for over 35 years, the comment remains, “People still don’t know what the AEAs do.” The AEAs are possibly one of the best-kept secrets in Iowa’s long history of education excellence. 
The AEA system is preparing to launch a new video and redesigned website in the next few weeks. As an AEA staff member, you have an opportunity to be among the first to see the video and website. The video can be viewed online at http://www.iowapartnersineducation.org. The stories in the video are shared by people who have had positive first-hand experiences with the services offered by our AEAs. The redesigned website can be seen at http://www.iowaaea.org. The public launch of the video and website will occur on November 14, which is the start of American Education Week.
Feel free to share this site with others. When you do, you ensure that Iowa’s AEAs will be there to help kids like Zach and all of Iowa’s kids in the coming years. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail them to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.
The AEA system is preparing to launch a new video and redesigned website in the next few weeks. As an AEA staff member, you have an opportunity to be among the first to see the video and website. The video can be viewed online at http://www.iowapartnersineducation.org. The stories in the video are shared by people who have had positive first-hand experiences with the services offered by our AEAs. The redesigned website can be seen at http://www.iowaaea.org. The public launch of the video and website will occur on November 14, which is the start of American Education Week.
Feel free to share this site with others. When you do, you ensure that Iowa’s AEAs will be there to help kids like Zach and all of Iowa’s kids in the coming years. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail them to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Correction to Staff & Schools Directory
John Steffen is listed as the principal of Southeast Polk High School in the directory. Mr. Steffen is an assistant principal at the school; Chuck Bredlow is the principal. Mr. Bredlow’s e-mail address is chuck.bredlow@southeastpolk.org.
Event to Promote Interest in STEM Careers Among Girls
Microsoft, along with the Technology Association of Iowa, will be hosting a free technology program, Digi Girlz, on November 17 from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines. The event is specifically for 8th-12th grade girls and works to dispel stereotypes of the high-tech industry. During the event, the girls will interact with women in technology, participate in technology tours and demonstrations, network and learn with hands-on experience. Digi Girlz will be held prior to the Iowa Women of Innovation awards dinner that elevates and celebrates today’s extraordinary women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Space is limited and participants must register by November 4, 2011. To register call Mandy Drury at (314) 994-1800 or e-mail v-madrur@microsoft.com.
Space is limited and participants must register by November 4, 2011. To register call Mandy Drury at (314) 994-1800 or e-mail v-madrur@microsoft.com.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
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