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.

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

On Friday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., we will be hosting Drake’s annual Benefits & Wellness Fair in Levitt Hall. Please come!

We will have benefits and wellness partners and vendors on hand to answer questions. There will be snacks, freebies, and the chance to enter a raffle for prizes. Most importantly, this is an opportunity for you to be sure you understand and take advantage of the benefits and perks offered to you as an employee of Drake University.

The Fair is an important annual event to help prepare you to make benefit elections for January 1, 2023.

To entice attendees to meet with our guests, we’ll hand out passports that will be stamped by the visitors you meet. If you get enough stamps, we’ll enter your name in a raffle for prizes.

November is open enrollment month! Throughout the month you can enroll in benefits for 2023. Please check OnCampus and review HR communications for additional benefits-related information and events throughout the month of November.

— Marlene Heuertz, Linda Feiden, and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

Because Drake has a mandatory retirement plan, employees who choose to contribute to the voluntary/supplemental retirement plan, may contribute up to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contribution limits. In 2022, the contribution limit is $20,500.

On Oct. 20, 2022, the IRS announced the contribution limit for 2023 will be increased to $22,500. This limit applies to employees who participate in Drake’s voluntary/supplemental plan offered by Drake through TIAA.

Additionally, the IRS increased the “catch-up contribution limit” for employees age 50 and over to an additional $7,500 in 2023, up from $6,500 in 2022. Thus, employees who are age 50 and older may contribute up to $30,000 ($22,500 plus $7,500) pre-tax dollars to Drake’s voluntary/supplemental retirement account, starting Jan. 1, 2023.

Questions about your Drake retirement plan?

Our TIAA vendor will attend Drake’s Benefits & Wellness Fair on Nov. 4 (9–11:30 a.m.) in Levitt Hall. If you have questions related to your Mandatory or Voluntary retirement plan, please stop by the Fair and speak directly with a TIAA Field Consultant. If you are unable to attend the fair, please reach out to drakehr@drake.edu with any benefits questions.

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

The maximum contribution limit for Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) will increase to $3,050 during the 2023 Plan Year. That’s $200 more than this year’s $2,850 limit.

Drake’s Health Care FSA Plan will allow participants to carry over up to $570 of unused 2022 contributions to the 2023 Plan Year. Contributions carried over, in addition to newly elected amounts, may be used to pay for eligible expenses incurred during the 2023 Plan Year.

For example: Participants who elect $3,050 for the 2023 Plan Year and carry over $570 of unreimbursed contributions from 2022 will have a total of $3,620 in their Health Care FSA effective January 1, 2023. Additionally, at the end of the 2023 Plan Year, participants may carry over up to $610 to the 2024 Plan Year.

The maximum contribution limit for Dependent Care FSAs will remain at $5,000 in 2023. Drake’s Health and Dependent Care FSAs are administered by Advantage Administrators.

Important Note about FSA Participation: Your enrollment in an FSA does not automatically continue from year-to-year. If you want to participate in Drake’s FSA plans during 2023, you must make a new election during Open Enrollment this month. If you forget to enroll or re-enroll, you will not be able to enroll once Open Enrollment has closed. Every year at least one person forgets to re-enroll and learns the hard way. Don’t be that person this year!

Questions about flexible spending accounts?

Advantage Administrators will be present at Drake’s Benefits & Wellness Fair on Nov. 4 (9–11:30 a.m.) in Levitt Hall. If you have questions related to flexible spending accounts, please stop by the Fair and speak directly with their representative. If you are unable to attend the fair, please reach out to drakehr@drake.edu with any benefits questions.

— Marlene Heuertz and Maureen De Armond, Human Resources