Page 17 - Work Force January 2021

Enhancements to State Flexible Spending Accounts
CSEA members:
Get ahead with Skills for Success courses and webinars
CSEA members employed
by New York state, local government agencies and the private sector are eligible to take Skills for Success courses and webinars offered this spring by the NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training.
Live, instructor-led courses and webinars provide CSEA- represented employees with
the knowledge, skills and tools needed to meet their personal and professional development goals. In-person training will not be available this semester due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent restrictions on public gatherings.
Online courses and webinars allow employees to take part in training by using a computer or mobile device and an Internet connection. Courses and webinars must be taken in a remote setting to allow for social distancing.
Thirty-four courses and webinars are scheduled from February through May 2021
under the adult education basics; computer skills; individual development; interpersonal communication; trades, operations, and maintenance;
work management and writing skills categories. Courses and webinars are available at no cost to employees or agencies.
For more information
A web catalog of the Skills for Success courses and webinars
is available on the Partnership’s website at nyscseapartnership.org. The catalog contains course and webinar descriptions, dates, start and end times, and an application form that can be downloaded
and printed. Employees may also register for courses and webinars through the Statewide Learning Management System (SLMS)
For more information about Skills for Success courses and webinars, call 518-486-7814 or, for areas outside the Capital Region, call 1-800-253-4332, or email at learning@nyscseapartnership.org.
The Flex Spending Account (FSA) is a negotiated employee benefit that helps state employees save money by allowing certain expenses to be paid with pre-tax dollars.
Employees eligible for FSAs
are subject to the use-it-or-lose-
it rule, meaning that any account balances remaining at the end of the plan year are typically forfeited. Unprecedented events, closures and restrictions during 2020 resulted in a reduction of qualified expenses for many participants of Flexible Spending Accounts (state’s HCSA
or DCAA). The Flexible Spending Accounts for state employees have been enhanced to allow for IRS provisions to help reduce potential forfeitures.
The Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) helps state employees pay for health-related expenses with tax-free dollars. The state’s Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) is
being enhanced to allow participants to carry over up to $500 of remaining HCSA funds at the end of 2020 to use toward eligible expenses incurred during the 2021 calendar year.
The Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAA) helps state employees pay for custodial
child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care while they are
at work. New York State’s DCAA account is being enhanced to allow an additional 2 1⁄2 month grace period (Jan. 1, 2021 to March 15, 2021). This additional grace period will enable participants to incur dependent care expenses that can be reimbursed using 2020 account balances.
Participants can check 2020 remaining balances on their HCSA or DCAA accounts by the NYS
Flex Spending Account hotline
at 1-800-358-7202 or online at participant.wageworks.com/nysfsa.
CSEA Legal Services Program
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS LEGAL SERVICES PLAN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS
PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM
VETERANS DISABILITY BENEFITS
The CSEA Legal Department oversees the Legal Services Program. One component of that program is the Taking Care of Business / Legal Services Plan which is a members-only benefit program that provides quality legal representation at pre-negotiated, discounted fees for personal non-injury related matters. For more information, call the CSEA Legal Department
at 1-800-342-4146, ext. 1443. A second component of the Legal Services Program is the injury-related legal plan. For over 25 years, CSEA has endorsed the statewide firm of Fine, Olin & Anderman, LLP (FOA) to provide quality attorney representation to members for injury/illness related matters at
little or no out-of-pocket costs. For further information, call the CSEA Legal Department at 1-800-342-4146 or FOA directly at 1-800-522-9001.
WE CAN HELP!
17
January 2021
The Work Force