Office of Human Resources

FAQs

General

Q.  What do I need to do to change my name and/or address?

A. The Office of Human Resources has a Personal Data Form that should be completed and signed.

Q.  Where are the Tuition Remission Forms located?

A. Forms for Tuition Remission are located in Human Resources and are available for download on the web.

Q.  What is the deadline date for the Tuition Remission Forms?

A.  The Registrar's Office can be contacted about the date, but usually the forms are due to Human Resources 30 days before registration.

Q.  What jobs do we have open?

A.  For available job vacancies, please check the web address, which is www.savstate.edu or the Office of Human Resources.

Q.  What are the requirements for applying for job vacancies

A.  The credentials that are requested include resume, application, three current letters of work-related reference and an official transcript from any college or technical school attended.

Q.  Who handles payroll issues?

A.   Dawn Cone in the Office of Human Resources or Vivian Brannen in Payroll.

Q. Who handles benefits issues?

A.  Carolyn Fletcher or Sandra McCord Best

Q.  Who handles recruitment and advertisements? 

A.    Pauline Harris and Dorothy Johnson

Q.   Who handles time sheets and student employment?

A.    Dorothy Johnson

Q.   Who handles policy/procedures issues?

A.    Sandra McCord Best

Q.  Can sick leave be used for an illness or death of a grandmother?

A. Sick leave can be used only for immediate family (spouse, children, step-children, grandparent, etc.).

Q. Can employees pick up payroll checks prior to the distribution date and time?

A.   Employees will not be able to pick up payroll checks early. Employees are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit in order to circumvent any situations whereas they will need to get their checks early.

Q.  Can students deliver, pick up or mail payroll checks? 

A.  Students are not allowed to handle any payroll checks for departments.

Frequently Asked Benefits Questions

Q.  What do I need to do in the event of the death of my spouse or dependent?  What does my family need to do in the event of my death?

A. Please submit an official death claim.  You or the family will be contacted for personal information about the beneficiaries.

 Q.  What can I do to get another insurance card?

A. Please make the request to Human Resources.  Our office will contact a Blue Cross Blue Shield representative and make a request to re-order another card.  You can contact Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) directly at 1-800-424-8950 and request that another card is mailed to you.

 Q. What do I need to do to drop/add a dependent because of death, divorce, marriage, marriage of a dependent, attainment of maximum age, or because your spouse loses coverage because of loss of employment?

A. Please come to the Office of Human Resources and complete a drop/add form with necessary supportive documents.  If reason is other than those listed, you will have to wait until open enrollment, which usually is mid October through mid November.

 Q. What do I need to do to get my retirement process started?

A. Please come to the Office of Human Resources to pick up a Retirement Packet or contact Teacher's Retirement System of Georgia.

 Q. Where do I get information from to provide to BCBS to show verification that my dependent is a full time student?

A. Verification can be received from the Registrar's Office of the school that your child is attending.

Q. What is the number to Blue Cross Blue Shield?

A. The number is 1-800-424-8950.

Q. What do I need to do to change my beneficiaries on my life insurance and teacher retirement?

 A. To change your beneficiaries on life insurance and teacher's retirement coverage, please come to the Office of Human Resources and complete a card/form to change beneficiaries.

Q.  What is the number to Express Script? I want to find out if a certain medication is on the preferred list of drugs.

A.   The Express Script number is 1-877-650-9341.

Q.  How much am I paying for Health insurance and what type plan did I enroll in?

A.  This information is provided on your payroll check stub.  Also, the Office of Human Resources can verify that information and provide that information from our system.  There are three plans at Savannah State University, HMO, PPO and Indemnity.  There are different rates for employee only, employee plus spouse, employee and child , or employee and family.

Q. When can I change my health plan or get more life insurance?

A. Open Enrollment is designated as the time that employees can make health and life insurance changes.

Q.  Who is our life insurance carrier?

A. CIGNA Life is our life insurance carrier.  All eligible employees receive, as a benefit, $25,000 life insurance at no cost to the employee. 

Q. What holidays and how many do we get per year?

A. You may pick up a schedule from the Office of Human Resources or retrieve this information from our website.  Eligible employees receive 12 paid holidays per year.

Q. Can we borrow from our retirement plan with Teacher's Retirement?

A. Employees cannot borrow from their Teacher's Retirement plan.  Please contact the Teacher's Retirement System of Georgia at 1-800-352-0650 (within Georgia) for additional information or you may wish to view their website at www.trsga.com  

Q. How many days can one be out before they need a doctor's excuse?

A.  A doctor's excuse is needed for an employee to return to work after that employee has been absent for five consecutive working days.

Q. How many vacation days or hours can I carry over into the next year?

A. Employees can carry over only 45 days or 360 hours of vacation into the new calendar year.

Q. Do we get paid for our sick leave if we terminate with Savannah State University?

A.  While we do not get paid for sick leave if we terminate employment, sick leave hour balances may be converted to days and applied to your retirement with the Teacher's Retirement System.

Q. How may I determine if a certain physician is on the physician's list of approved doctors within the network?

A. This information is located of BCBS web site at www.bcbsga.com  or come to the Office of Human Resources to review the participating physicians directory.

Q:  How long does an eligible employee have to be employed before annual leave increases?

A:  1 to 5 years - 10 hours of vacation accrued

      6 to 10 years - 12 hours of vacation accrued

      Over 10 years - 14 hours of vacation accrued

Q:  When is leave posted to a monthly employee's leave balance?

A:   Leave is posted at the end of each month.  The accrual amount of the previous month is shown on the following month's paycheck.

Q:  When an employee goes on sick leave for a long period of time, should a leave of absence form be submitted by the supervisor or secretary in their absence or should he/she wait until they return and submit a leave report all at once for the time they were out?

A:    If the employee knows or has an idea as to how long he or she will be on leave, the employee can complete a leave of absence form beforehand. If not, then a leave application should be submitted by the supervisor/secretary of someone in charge on a weekly basis. The employee also needs to complete and return Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms before the employee is on leave.  A Physician's Certification form will also need to be completed. Once employee returns, he/she will have to submit a physician's statement covering them for the actual time they were absent.

Q:    If I am out sick and do not have enough sick leave, can I use annual leave, if it is available?

A:    Annual leave can be utilized when an employee's sick leave balance has been exhausted.

Q:    If I take more annual leave that I have accumulated, can I use sick leave?

A:    Sick leave can not be utilized when the vacation balance has been exhausted.

Q:    How do I quality for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?

A:    To qualify for FMLA, you must have been employed with SSU continuously for at least 12 months.  FMLA allows eligible employees to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave in a 12 month period for birth, adoption, serious health condition or care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition.

Q:    If I experience an on the job injury or illness, what steps would I take?

A:     For critical injuries or illnesses, seek medical attention immediately.  In all other instances, you must first notify your immediate supervisor.  The supervisor is to report your injury/illness via telephone to DOAS at 1-877-656-7475.  This will generate the First Report of Injury/Illness Report.  Notification should also be made to the Office of Human Resources at 356-2180.

Frequently Asked Payroll Questions

Q:  When are timesheets due for non-exempt employees and student workers?

A:  Timesheets are due by 10:00 a.m. on the Thursday prior to the scheduled check issuance date or as requested.

Q:  What can I do as a student to insure that I get a payroll check?

A:  Please make sure you have completed the necessary paperwork in The Office of Human Resources on schedule, your timesheet has been submitted to Human Resources, and that you and your supervisor have signed your time sheet.

Q:  Who is eligible for direct deposit?

A:  All regular employees are eligible for direct deposit and are encouraged to participate.  Students are not eligible to enroll in direct deposit.

Q.  When and where are payroll checks issued?

A:  Payroll checks are issued according to payroll schedules which are available in the Office Human Resources and via our website.  Employee checks are issued at the reception desk in the Business Office located on the second floor of the Colston Administration Building.

Student checks are issued at the Cashier's Window located on the first floor of the Colston Administration Building.

Q:  What happens if my payroll check is lost or stolen?

A:  If your check is lost or stolen, please submit a letter to the Office of the Comptroller requesting a stop payment.  After the letter is received, the bank for the University is informed of the stop payment; after which, if the check has not cleared the bank, it takes approximately 3 working days for another check to be processed.

Q:  How do I know if the tax deductions are correct? How do I make changes in my Federal and State deductions?

A:  The amount of taxes deducted from your payroll check is printed on your payroll stub each pay period. If changes need to be made, forms can be completed in Human Resources or via our website. Generally, the number of allowances you claim and your filing status determine your deduction amount. Please remember that we are not tax practitioners, but we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

Q:  If I'm absent when timesheets are due how will I get paid?

A:  Make sure someone in your department submits a timesheet for you, along with the supervisor's signature, on the scheduled date and time or we will be happy to receive your time sheet in advance.

Q:  Where should I request a timesheet if I do not receive one or if mine is lost?

A:  Timesheets are available in the Office of Human Resources.

Q.  What do I need to do to enroll in direct deposit?

A.  You will need to complete the direct deposit form, attach a voided check/savings deposit slip to it, and submit them to Human Resources.

Q:  How will I know that my direct deposit has started?

A:  Generally, the period required to start direct deposit is one payroll period for monthly employees and two payroll periods for employees paid biweekly.  When your direct deposit begins your pay will be deposited in your account(s) with your bank(s) and you will receive an advice from Payroll.

Q.  How often does students workers need to complete paperwork?

A.  All students are required to submit new paperwork each Fall Semester.  Subsequent employment requires proof of enrollment with a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Q.  Who should I contact if I think my check is incorrect?

A.  If you have questions about your paycheck, you may contact Human Resources at 356-2180 or the Payroll Office at 353-3036.

Q.  Can someone else pick up my payroll check for me?

A.   An authorized representative for you will be able to pick up your check. We request your written authorization, which should provide documentation to our office with the name of the person who has permission to receive your check and the issuance date of the check.  The person must have a picture ID with them when the check is picked up.

Q.   What are some reasons that I might not have a paycheck on payday?

A.   Reasons that will delay your not receiving a paycheck on payday include no timesheet received in Human Resources, no approval for you to work, no work-study or student employment contract received, and/or no hire documents.