Vol 9. Issue 32 / October 26, 2009

In Brief

Library Tip: Let's Talk About SFX
Want quick access to full-text articles without leaving the database you're currently searching? Click on the "SFX@TSRI" buttons that appear in all of the library's databases, and you'll see a menu of options available for a given article. These include a link to the full-text for subscribed titles, a link to the library catalog for titles only available in print, or a link to request a copy via interlibrary loan, and SFX even fills out the form automatically. Try it out on your next search or ask a library staff member for a demonstration. For more information, contact the Kresge Library Help Desk, x4-8705 or helplib@scripps.edu.

Payroll Office: California Employees Subject to New State Withholding Schedules
The Scripps Research Payroll Office advises California employees that new California Personal Income Tax (PIT) Withholding Schedules are in effect as of November 1, 2009.

Because of the passage of Assembly Bill x4_17, the California Withholding Schedules for 2009 have been replaced effective November 1, 2009, to accelerate withholding. The modified schedules are available online at http://www.edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Taxes/Rates_and_Withholding.htm (Select 2009 PIT Withholding Schedules).

The new schedules increase the tax bracket withholding percentages by 10%. For example, an individual who has taxable biweekly earnings of $1,750 and claims Single with One personal allowance currently has withholding for CA PIT of $63.75. Using the new schedules, the individual's withholding would be $70.13.

The new schedules are effective with the paycheck of November 6, 2009.

dditional Franchise Tax Board information and announcements may be viewed at the following links:

To view your current CA PIT status log in to https://eo.scripps.edu/EmployeeOnline/ and select State Tax from the Payroll menu in the left column.

To Change your current status log in to https://eo.scripps.edu/EmployeeOnline/ and complete a new CA DE 4 by selecting State Tax from the Payroll menu.

Please note that payroll staff members are not qualified to answer personal tax questions.

Open Enrollment Begins for Both CA and FL Participants
Open Enrollment begins Monday, October 26 and runs through Friday, November 6, at 5 PM Pacific time. This is the annual opportunity for participants to make changes to their Scripps Research benefit selections and, if eligible, enroll (or re-enroll) in the Healthcare and/or Dependent Care Spending Accounts for the 2010 plan year. New plan information was emailed to participants' Scripps Research email addresses and should have been received by October 12.

Some things to keep in mind during Open Enrollment:

  • Beginning with the 2010 plan year, the Comprehensive PPO, Catastrophic and Scripps Research Graduate Student plans will be administered by UMR, a division of United Healthcare, rather than Principal Financial.
  • In addition, the network for the Comprehensive, Catastrophic, and Scripps Research Graduate Student plans will be changing to United Healthcare (UHC) Options PPO.
  • The Comprehensive PPO premium will increase by $10 a month for all coverage levels.
  • New Comprehensive and Scripps Research Graduate Student PPO Benefit cards will be mailed in late December for all enrolled participants.
  • The HMO plan will continue to be administered by Aetna and will see NO cost increase this year.
  • All plans will be updated to comply with the federal Mental Health Parity Act. Therefore, qualified mental health and substance abuse treatment will be considered the same as physical illness relative to coinsurance, co-pays, and out-of-pocket maximums, and day/visit limitations will no longer apply.
  • Please note if you participated in the Health Care or Dependent Care Spending Accounts in 2009, you still must log on and elect a new deferral amount to participate in 2010. Your 2009 election WILL NOT roll over to 2010.
  • UMR will also be taking over administration of the Health Care and Dependent Care Spending Accounts. All claims for 2009 and 2010 submitted on or after January 1, 2010 should be sent to UMR.

Participants with questions regarding Open Enrollment should contact Human Resources at the Benefits Line, 858-784-8487 or benefits@scripps.edu.

For information on the California Benefit Fair—which will be held Wednesday, October 28, from 10 AM to 1 PM in the Beckman galleria, go to http://www.scripps.edu/hr/benefits/forms/cabenflyer09.pdf.

For information on the Florida Benefit Fair—which will be held Thursday, October 22, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM in Rooms B158 and B159, go to http://www.scripps.edu/hr/benefits/forms/FLBenifitFair2010.pdf.

For a schedule of other Open Enrollment events on the both campuses, go to http://www.scripps.edu/hr/benefits/calendaroe.html.

To log in to the Open Enrollment system, go to https://openenrollment.scripps.edu.

Help a Family in Need this Holiday Season
Scripps Research employees who would like to help a disadvantaged family during the holiday season can work through employee volunteer group ScrippsAssists, which is helping employees connect with Home Start, an organization that provides services to children living in poverty. Home Start's Adopt-a-Family program matches volunteers with families in need. For more information about Home Start, visit http://www.home-start.org/. For a sign up form or more information about Scripps Research participation, contact Marcia McRae, mjmcrae@scripps.edu or x4-8402. This year's sign up deadline is Thursday, November 5.

Food Drive Gears Up for the Holidays
Employee volunteer group ScrippsAssists is hosting a holiday drive for the San Diego Food Bank from Monday, November 2 to Monday, December 7 (or possibly to a later date). The San Diego Food Bank—whose slogan is "hunger has no season"—collects the donated food through the holiday season, as well as afterwards, and the food will serve the San Diego community for months to come.

Marked red bins will be available in locations across The Scripps Research Institute's La Jolla, California campus:

  • Beckman Building Lobby (2nd floor)
  • ICND Building
  • 3377 Human Resources Building (2nd floor)
  • MB Building (1st floor)
  • 3030 Science Park Building
  • CIMBio Building
  • Gluck Childcare
  • 3301 Administration Building

Most-needed items include:

  • Canned meat and tuna
  • Canned meals (chili, stew, ravioli, etc.)
  • Tomato products
  • Canned fruits and vegetables (especially corn and green beans)
  • Canned soups
  • Peanut butter
  • Dry cereal
  • Powdered milk

ScrippsAssists can only accept non-perishable items labeled with ingredients. The group cannot accept home canned or baked products, cans that are leaking or bulging, glass containers, and baby food in glass jars.

Monetary donations are welcome. Every dollar converts into 10 pounds of food and enables the group to distribute enough food for three meals. For more information, contact Taylor Cohen, taycoh@scripps.edu. Checks should be made out to the "San Diego Food Bank" and sent to Taylor at mail drop BCC169.

 

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu