Wellness Clinic News
Spring Break:
The 4J Wellness Clinic will be closed March 23, 2015 through March 27, 2015. Regular clinic hours, which will resume March 30, 2015, are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The clinic is closed for lunch from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. If you will need a prescription refilled over spring break, please plan ahead. Remember; call your pharmacy for refills, not the clinic. The pharmacy will then contact your provider if necessary.
Cholesterol Screening:
The next drop-in cholesterol screening at the 4J Wellness Clinic will be held on Wednesday, April 1st. These screenings are done on a first come, first-served basis from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and are a FASTING cholesterol finger stick with results available in 5 minutes. FASTING means nothing to eat or drink but plain water for at least 10-12 hours. The final drop-in cholesterol screening test of the 2014-15 school year will be on: Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Retiring This Year?
Retirement is something that takes a lot of planning and shouldn’t be rushed into. Please allow yourself plenty of preparation time.If you are considering retirement sometime this spring or at the end of the school year, there are three steps you’ll need to take: contact PERS to begin your Service Retirement process, notify your supervisor, and then contact me to learn about your 4J benefits.
To get advice regarding your PERS retirement, you will need to work with your financial planner or directly with PERS. 4J does not give PERS advice. The phone number for PERS is 1-888-320-7377, their website is http://oregon.gov/PERS/. You can find a great deal of information on the PERS website, and can download forms and sign up for education sessions as well.
Classified Sick Leave Bank 2015-16 Enrollment Coming in May!
Enrollment Packets will arrive the first week of May at your building site. The Classified Sick Leave Bank is intended to extend, to contributing members, additional sick leave days should a long-term illness or injury exhaust the employee’s own paid leave. Watch for the yellow packet!
PEP Fund Reminder
There are still funds to help reimburse you for job-related trainings activities, tuition reimbursement, registration or material costs, and conferences and workshop. Don’t miss out! Reimbursement forms can be found on the HR website or by calling me at x7679. Second requests are now available up to $200. Again, both first and second requests will be processed on a first come, first served basis until funds run out.
OEBB Healthy Futures
Signed up to get your 2015-16 $100 lower deductible? Just a few simple steps will get you there.
Log into the MyOEBB system by March 31 and make sure your Healthy Futures election is set to “Yes! I want to participate!”
COMPLETE the online (confidential) health assessment on Moda’s website before May 31, 2015. ♦Go to modahealth.com and log into your myModa account or register for a new account, then under myhealth click Momentum, powered by Moda Health.
TAKE two actions to improve or maintain your health before August 15, 2015.
♦You can find detailed Healthy Futures information on the OEBB website: www.oregon.gov/oha/oebb/pages/HealthyFutures.aspx.
REPORT your two actions during Open Enrollment 2015 ♦ August 15, 2015 – September 15, 2015.
REMEMBER – if you cover a spouse or domestic partner, they will need to participate as well.
March is National Nutrition Month
The 2015 theme for National Nutrition Month is: Eat Right. Your way, Every Day by Creating Healthy Habits. How can you achieve a healthier lifestyle? One “bite” at a time! A bite is a small action with daily commitments that lead to a greater cause. Small, steady changes over time lead to big rewards!
Here are some good first “steps”:
- Eat 2-5 servings of fruits/vegetables per day, 5 days a week.
- Reduce sodium intake by reading food labels. Look for items that contain less than 20% of the daily value for sodium per serving.
- Reduce red meat consumption to 2-3 times per week.
- Eat more whole grains by consuming at least 3 servings of whole grain products per day, 5 days a week (1 serving is equivalent to 1 slice of whole-wheat bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked brown rice, whole grain pasta, or cooked cereal).
Reference Price Program
The Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB) has established a reference price program. This program currently includes Bariatric Surgery (effective10/01/13), and most recently Major Joint Replacement Surgery and Oral Appliances (effective10/01/14).
A reference price means a set price for a specific covered service, established for certain medical services. If an OEBB member chooses to use a provider who charges above the reference price threshold, the member will be responsible for paying the difference between the reference price and the provider’s contracted rate. At this time, there are no providers in the Eugene/Springfield area who participate in the reference price program. Should you need a knee or hip replacement, an oral appliance for sleep apnea, or Bariatric surgery, keep in mind that you will need to travel out of area to avoid being held responsible for a substantial share of the cost of these services.
For a list of providers who have agreed to participate in the reference price program, you may contact Moda Customer Service at 866-923-0409. You can also find information on the Moda website for OEBB members:
https://www.modahealth.com/medical/referenceprice–
Top Ten Foods to Have On Hand
Oats, non-fat plain yogurt, low-fat string cheese, onions, bell peppers, baby carrots, peanut butter, almonds, black beans, and apples.
Power Breakfast:
100% fruit juice, whole grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee.
Fun Exercise:
Dance with children to your favorite music.
For questions regarding benefits or claims, contact Moda:
- Moda Medical Customer Service –1-866-923-0409
- Moda Dental Customer Service –1- 866-923-0410
- Moda Pharmacy Customer Service – 1-866-923-0411
- modahealth.com/oebb
- Willamette Dental Customer Service – 1-855-433-6825
- willamettedental.com/OEBB For questions regarding eligibility, contact OEBB:
- OEBB Information – 1-888-469-6322
- http://oregon.gov/DAS/OEBB/
To access the Employee Assistance Program:
- Reliant Behavioral Health – 1-866-750-1327
- myrbh.com/
For questions regarding life or long term disability insurance:
- The Standard – 1-866-756-8115
- standard.com/mybenefits/oebb
For questions regarding a Flexible Spending Plan:
- PacificSource Administrators – 541-485-7488
- psa.pacificsource.com/PSA/
This newsletter is reviewed and edited each month by the District 4J and OSEA representatives of the Classified Joint Benefits Committee (JBC).The information in this newsletter is summarized, and is not intended as advice or counsel.
