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Additional Resources

  • Employee Assistance Programplus or minus

    Employee Assistance Program (EAP): NexGen EAP is your confidential EAP, Work/Life, Wellness, Health Advocacy and Financial Counseling benefit provided at no cost to you.

    Part time and full time staff and your eligible family members can trust the NexGen EAP services to address your total wellbeing from accessing counseling services to maximizing work/life balance to providing personalized wellness resources.

    With the recent surge in media coverage and articles, it can be difficult to keep up with important, relevant information about the Coronavirus. With NexGen EAP, you have a reliable source of concise information available to you 24/7, 365 days a year.

    To access NexGen EAP:

    • Call 1.800.EAP.CALL
    • Log on at: www.nexgeneap.com
      • Enter your Highmark member id, located on your health plan card, or your social security number
      • Company ID: 1549

  • Flexible Spending Account(s)plus or minus

    Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA): A dependent care FSA enables you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified dependent care expenses. Funds can be used to pay for day care, preschool, elderly care or other dependent care. To qualify for a DCRA, the IRS requires that the dependent care is necessary for you or your spouse to work, look for work or attend school full-time.

    With so many schools and day care centers closing as a result of Coronavirus, participants may want to re-evaluate their need for a DCA, or re-consider the amount they have elected for 2020.

    Closure of day care or school as a result of Coronavirus triggers a “qualifying event”, which allows a FSA participant to make a change, or reduce, the amount they have elected for their Dependent Care Spending Account (DCA) for 2020. A participant may also increase (or even open a new) DCA if a school closure creates a new need for day care coverage.

    Please keep in mind that the IRS has not issued an extension for the use of DCA funds, so the same timelines for service dates and filing of claims apply.

    Medical Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA): A healthcare flexible spending account (FSA) is a smart and easy way for employees to save money while protecting themselves from the out of pocket cost of medical Because FSAs are set up as a tax-advantaged account, participants can save up to 40% on thousands of eligible everyday expenses.

    In March, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) into law. The law, which has a retroactive start date of January 1, 2020, allows healthcare FSA funds to be used for over-the-counter drugs and medicines and includes menstrual care products as eligible items.

    Once merchants have updated their lists of eligible products, you should be able to use your MyAmeriflex Debit Mastercard to purchase over-the-counter items without issue. This may take several weeks or months, however, and your patience is needed until the updates have been completed.

    To review a few list of eligible expenses, log in to MyAmeriflex and visit the “Resources” tab.

    To purchase FSA-eligible items online, visit the FSA Store.

    Please feel free to contact Human Resources with questions about these and any other University benefit at (570) 941-7767 or via email to hr@scranton.edu.

  • Health and Medicalplus or minus

    Benefit Information is available on the Office of Human Resources website. The following information is offered in addition to these resources and addresses items specific to COVID-19:

    • Highmark Health Plan Coverage:  If you are a Highmark health plan member, cost-sharing associated with physician-ordered diagnostic testing for novel coronavirus will be waived for all members.
      • When you receive care from an out-of-network provider, coverage is almost always paid at the lower level - unless it is an emergency or you are referred by Highmark to an out-of-network provider because the non-emergency service is not available from a network provider. That’s why it is critical - in all cases - that you check to see that your provider is in the network before you receive care.
      • For questions about coverage, or to ensure that your treating physician is a network participating provider for your health plan, call toll free:
        • Highmark PPO Blue and Classic Blue members 1-800-241-5704
        • Highmark HMO Plus members 1-800-822-8753
    • Swift MD:  SwiftMD is a telemedicine service for University of Scranton Health plan subscribers that delivers quality health care directly to patients in need. You can seek some medical support electronically to avoid an in-person office visit. Visits are unlimited and are offered without co-pay.
      • SwiftMD members can engage consults with doctors via phone or videoconference. The doctor is able to make a diagnosis and may recommend treatment. SwiftMD doctors can call in prescription when appropriate. As a SwiftMD member, you can talk to a doctor 24/7!

  • Resources for Those Affected Financiallyplus or minus

    • CARES Act Provisions
    • Employee Assistance Program (EAP): NexGen EAP is your confidential EAP, Work/Life, Wellness, Health Advocacy and Financial Counseling benefit provided at no cost to you
      • To access NexGen EAP:
        • Call 1.800.EAP.CALL
        • Log on at: www.nexgeneap.com
          • Enter your Highmark member id, located on your health plan card, or your social security number
          • Company ID: 1549
    • Food and Farm Resources

  • Resources for Those With Childrenplus or minus

  • Retirement plus or minus

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, (The CARES Act) was signed into law as an additional piece of legislation crafted to help Americans during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

    The CARES Act includes several retirement plan provisions that offer relief for participants. Please see provisions below that may provide relief for you and your family.

    Highlights of the CARES Act

    The provisions of the legislation apply to participants who have been affected by COVID-19 as specified in the CARES Act.***

    For those who qualify, the CARES Act distribution and loan provisions have been implemented for the Mandatory 403(b) plans and the Voluntary 403(b) plans. :

    • you may receive Coronavirus-Related Distributions up to $100,000.
    • Early plan withdrawals (taken under age 59 ½) will not be subject to the 10 percent tax penalty on early plan withdrawals for Coronavirus-Related Distributions (up to $100,000).
    • Coronavirus-Related Distributions may be re-contributed to a retirement plan over three years. You will also be permitted to pay taxes on these distributions over three years.
    • Retirement plan loan flexibility is available for plans that offer loans, including Mandatory and Voluntary 403b plans, allowing for a pause (and related extension) in repayment for payments due through December 31, 2020.
    • The amount available as a plan loan for plans that offer loans, including Mandatory and Voluntary 403b plans for qualified Coronavirus relief is basically doubled so that the limit is increased to the lesser of $100,000 or 100% of your vested account balance in the plan.

    If you are subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) rules, they have been waived for all retirement plans for 2020. Generally, RMDs are paid to participants who attained age 70½ in years 2019 or earlier (or attained age 72 in years 2020 or later).

    ***Contact your Retirement Plan Customer Service Center for more information. You may also want to talk with your tax advisor to see how these changes may affect you.***

    Transamerica Retirement Solutions
    1.800.755.5801  *  www.trsretire.com
    Teachers Insurance Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA)
    1.800.842.2776  *  www.tiaa.org

  • Tips for a Work-Life Balance When Working From Homeplus or minus

    • Tips when feeling overwhelmed or fearful (from New Directions)

      • Don’t inflate the risk:  Our brains are used to taking something that is made to sound scary and unknown, and inflating the risk of it actually happening to us. It’s a part of our brain’s intrinsic, built-in fight-or-flight response. Big and scary gets attention. Ordinary but also potentially bad for our well-being gets less attention.
      • Take normal, healthy precautions:  Both flu and Coronavirus are spread through everyday contact, through touch, a cough, or a sneeze. If you’re sick, stay home and don’t go to work or out in the world. If you’re not sick, stay away from close contact with a person who is and engage in healthy habits when it comes to cleanliness. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly. Carry a small travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly.
      • Avoid over-consumption of media: Limit your consumption of media and stories related to the outbreak. Scientists and public health officials are working overtime to better understand the virus and are looking at ways to limit its impact. Trust in their work and efforts. If you need updates, check out a government resource for the best, most accurate information, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
      • Use your past coping skills: Use what’s worked in the past to help manage anxious feelings. Maybe it’s engaging in self-talk, to undo the irrational thoughts coming into your head with rational, fact-based responses.

  • Total Well-Being plus or minus

    Spiritual Wellness:


    Physical and Emotional Wellness:


    Social Wellness:


    Ergonomic Wellness:

  • Training and Development Opportunitiesplus or minus

    The Office of Equity and Diversity and the Office for Human Resources provides an array of learning opportunities for faculty and staff, including online programs:

    Please explore the following resources:

    • PA SafeColleges provides online training on topics ranging from awareness, health, social behavioral and other human resources, diversity and inclusion topics.  Login using your Royal ID#.  If you have not previously accessed SafeColleges, you will be prompted to create a password.  Click on <Courses> to view those available.
    • NexGen EAP provides online courses ranging from professional development, human resources and other topics.  To access, on the left navigation school and find <More>, then click on <E-Learning>, click on <Learn> in the top left area, click on <course catalog> for course selection.

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