Drake’s EAP utilization rate fell from a high of 3.97% in 2018 to 2.38% in 2021 (our most recent year of complete data). According to the National Business Group on Health, the national average for EAP utilization is around 5.5%. This means that Drake faculty and staff are underutilizing this great benefit. The question is, why?

According to Mental Health America, the three main reasons employees may not use their EAP services include: 1) not being aware that EAP exists, what services they offer, and how to access them; 2) being fearful that their employer may be tracking an individual’s usage of services; and 3) the stigma of mental health and its association with EAPs.

Let’s address these concerns.

Awareness.  Drake’s EAP provider is Employee & Family Resources (EFR). EFR offers a wonderful range of free EAP resources, including confidential counseling, webinars, podcasts, a blog, self-assessment tools, and a free mobile app for employees and their immediate families.  Services also include financial and legal consultation, child/elder care resources, and life coaching by a licensed professional counselor.  If you are unsure whether EFR is the right place to go with your question or concern – please reach out to them and ask.  You may reach EFR by phone (800-327-4692) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit their website.

Confidentiality Concerns.  All EAP services are confidential.  No one at Drake will ever be given details about your use of EAP benefits. In fact, the confidentiality of EAP records is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the identity and details of employee using EAP services. The only information shared with Drake is a very high-level, general report showing the total aggregate number of people who used EAP services over the course of the year and the percentage by categories (financial, legal…). No names or other identifying information are ever disclosed.

Mental Health Stigma.  As noted, the EAP offers a broad range of services to faculty, staff, and their families, including counseling.  Yes, confidential mental health counseling is an important part of any EAP (and most of us could benefit from it), but unfortunately there remains some stigma around it.  You do not need to be in a crisis to use or benefit from the EAP services.  The intention of an EAP is to help you maintain a positive work-life balance and serve as free, convenient, and readily accessible support when life matters keep you from being your best. We could all use a little extra support now and then.

If you would like to learn more about EFR and their EAP services, representatives from EFR are available to attend a department or staff meeting (in-person or virtually) to highlight their resources and help answer any questions.  They will present to groups of any size.  If you would like EFR to speak during one of your meetings, please send an email to Renee Larsen, EFR Account Manager, at rlarsen@efr.org or phone 515-471-2402.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Nov. 30 is the deadline for open enrollment. The Benefits Portal closes at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30. If you want to add benefits, make changes to existing benefits, enroll or re-enroll in a Flexible Spending Account, you still have time to do so.

You can access the Benefits Portal through my.drake.edu. You’ll find it on the left side of the screen above the Employee Dashboard link.

We are happy to report the Benefits Portal has been working well for people. It walks you through your options step-by-step and only takes a few minutes. Of course, if you have any questions or problems navigating the Benefits Portal, reach out to us at drakehr@drake.edu or contact Marlene directly at marlene.heuertz@drake.edu.

If you are still thinking through options, please consider attending one of the benefit overview sessions held on November 18: Join us:

• Live and in person at 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the Olmsted Center: Room 310
• Virtually via Teams at 1:30-2:30 p.m. Click here to join the virtual session (or email drakehr@drake.edu to be added to the meeting invite).

During these sessions, we’ll share highlights of the plan changes taking effect Jan. 1 and answer your questions. We will record the virtual session for people who are unable to attend either session.

If you have not yet enrolled, make sure you don’t wait until the last minute!

Benefits & Wellness Fair Raffle Winners

We so enjoyed those of you who attended the Benefits & Wellness Fair and played our passport game. We drew the 15 names of winners and they had the choice of a range of small prizes or $10 in Bulldog Bucks. Our winners were:

1.      Ofelia Arreola Martinez

2.      Colin Atkinson

3.      Dennis Belieu

4.      Jack Bush

5.      Doreen Dixon

6.      Dennis Goldford

7.      Jorona Johnson

8.       Brianna Leistikow

9.      Cindy Liska

10.  Elvira Mejia De Luna

11.  Samantha Nordstrom

12.  Jeremy Sievers

13.  Charlene Skidmore

14.  Mizuko Takamoto

15.  Kathy Veach

Congratulations to our winners!

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

As many of you already know, the applicant tracking system we are currently using, HireTouch, supported by ImageTrend, is being sunset at the end of this year. We will be rolling out Jobs@Drake, supported by PageUp next month.

This week, we will be reaching out to managers and budget managers with additional information, and we will be looking to schedule a virtual session where we demonstrate Jobs@drake—highlighting similarities and differences to HireTouch.

The HR team is working on a detailed user guide and will also create some bite-sized video tutorials.

As we transition to the new system, it is likely that we will stop posting new jobs in HireTouch and hold them until the Jobs@Drake site is live. The timing is actually perfect. Recruitment from Thanksgiving until the first part of January dramatically slows down. For staff searches already posted, we will vet the existing pools and remove them from the web. If no hires are made, we’ll open them in the new system in late December or early January.

We will work with the academic units on faculty searches—as those will likely require a case-by-case assessment as to which we may want to move into the new system, and which are far enough along in the recruitment process that we may not need to do that (or we only move viable candidates if the application screening process is complete).

This will be a big change and we know there will be some hurdles as we all adjust. This was an unexpected project we had to pick up and run with, due to HireTouch being sunset at the end of the year. However, we are really excited about the look and feel of Jobs@Drake. Once we get the kinks worked out, we are confident this will be a notable improvement and despite the amount of work left to do, we are truly excited about this change.

More to come!

— Kris Brewster, ITS; Maureen De Armond, HR

Drake offers a range of discounts and perks, including discounts on your phone bill, car batteries, Dell computers, free Mango language training, special pricing on Adventureland tickets, car rentals, and much more.

Review the full list of Perks & Discounts available to Drake employees. Three discounts—including a new partnership and limited time offer—are highlighted below.

Bank of America (coming soon)
A new discount program is in the works with Bank of America. Once finalized, we will share more details and add the discount to the list above.

Limited time only—20% discount for Drake employees at Raygun
I am excited to share a limited time discount at Raygun! Drake employees will receive 20% off their in-store purchases at Raygun from Nov. 20–23 only. To get the discount, you must print or show on your phone this Raygun flyer. (This flash sale is only for Drake employees and only for in-store purchases on the applicable dates).

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile discounts available
Recently, I realized I was not taking advantage of a discount offered to Drake employees by Verizon. So, I logged into my Verizon account, searched for “employer discounts,” and followed the simple steps. After Verizon confirmed my Drake email, I got this message:

Access Fee Discount up to: 18%
Accessory discount: 25%
Please allow 1–2 billing cycles for updates to appear on  your bill.

I wish I would’ve taken advantage of this offer sooner!

Review the Perks & Discounts list to learn more about the discounts and deals available to you.

— Linda Feiden and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

No more excuses for not seeing a dentist! Starting Jan. 1, 2023, our dental benefits through Delta Dental will now include CheckUp Plus.

CheckUp Plus encourages you to use preventive services while allowing you to get the most out of your annual benefit maximum. That’s because, with Check Up Plus, diagnostic and preventive services will no longer count toward the annual maximum $1300 benefit in 2023.  Participants will have access to two preventive exams at no cost throughout the plan year (January 1 – December 31, 2023).

CheckUp Plus helps:

• Promote regular visits to the dentist for exams, X-rays and cleanings — which can improve your overall health.
• Save on costs over the long-term because preventive care can help reduce the need for more expensive dental services.

Preventive Services included in CheckUp Plus Examinations  Routine X-rays Cleanings Sealants Fluoride applications

In other dental news: Dental contribution rates will remain unchanged for the 2023 Plan Year. You and your eligible dependents continue to have access to Delta Dental’s PPO and Premier networks, as well as services from out-of-network providers. Your current dental participation will automatically be continued during the 2023 Plan Year. If you wish to make a change, you must do so in the Benefits Portal via myDrake. A summary of Drake’s Dental Plan is available here.

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

Due to the timing of the academic year, the University Benefits Committee (UBC) does not meet in the summer. Instead, the UBC performs the bulk of its annual work in the fall. This year was no different. However, we did welcome several new UBC members. Presently, the UBC consists of:

Mike Daly, who serves as the UBC Chair, along with (in alphabetical order): Maureen De Armond, Linda Feiden, Jennifer Harvey, Marlene Heuertz, Nate Holdren, Elissa Johnson, Lee Jolliffe, Karl Kaiser, Jeremy Kidd, Venessa Macro, Andy Verlengia, Adam Voigts, and Andrew Welch.

UBC is an advising (not decision-making) committee on matters relating to employee health benefits. Drake’s guiding principles regarding benefits is to provide quality benefits that are responsive to the needs of employees and their families. We strive to offer benefits that are competitive with peers and other Iowa employers. Consistent with our fiduciary duties, we also strive to provide straightforward and efficient benefits, while maximizing our limited resources.

Drake University is advised by wonderful outside consultants who have worked with Drake for years and know our institution (and the market) quite well. Last year, Mark J. Becker & Associates joined Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. Drake continues to be advised by Mark Becker, Nick Brown, and now also Madison Pavlich.

Based on feedback from campus, we explored, among other topics, the addition of a new stand-alone optional vision plan and enhancements to dental coverage. The UBC also assessed responses to a Request for Proposals (RFP) regarding Drake’s Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM).

You can review UBC meeting minutes on the Benefits page.

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should.  When this happens, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream.  Over time, this can cause serious health problems, including heart and kidney disease, vision loss, and stroke.

In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled.  That might include you, and you may not even know it.  More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 don’t know they have it.  Another 96 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, which increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, yet more than 8 in 10 don’t know it.  So how do you know if you have diabetes?

First, are you at risk?  There are three main types of diabetes; type 1, type 2, and gestational, but over 90% of those diagnosed with diabetes have type 2.  To check your risk of type 2 diabetes, take this 60-second quiz from the CDC.  Second, check for any possible symptoms (thirsty, tired, losing weight, blurred vision, etc.).  Even if you pass the risk and symptom test, the only way to truly know for sure if you have diabetes is to have your blood sugar checked by your primary care physician.  It is a simple blood test.

If you are diagnosed with diabetes, your health care team will guide you.  If you are at a high risk for diabetes, you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes today by staying at (or getting to) a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and being active.  The steps you take today can make all the difference tomorrow.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

November is open enrollment month for benefit selections that take effect Jan. 1, 2023.  There are some changes and enhancements being made to the benefits through Drake University.

On Nov. 18, we will offer two open enrollment benefit overview sessions for you to learn more.  You have the option of joining a live session or a virtual session (same material—pick which one you prefer to attend):

• In-Person Event: 10:30–11:30 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Room 310
• Virtual Event: 1:30–2:30 p.m. Click here to join the virtual session (or email drakehr@drake.edu to be added to the meeting invite).

During these sessions, we’ll share highlights of the plan changes taking effect on January 1. Drake HR and some of our key consultants and vendors will be prepared to answer any questions you may have.

We will record the virtual session for people who are unable to attend either session and share that link in the Nov. 22 issue of OnCampus.

Naturally, if you have any benefits-related or open enrollment questions, please don’t wait to ask them. You can contact Drake HR at drakehr@drake.edu at any time.

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources