The Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) Human Resources Division has recently updated the State Personnel System (SPS) Employee Handbook and several policies. Following are the highlights of revisions to the SPS Employee Handbook, effective October 12, 2024:

• Added Victims Leave to the categories for which sick leave may be used  
• Removed the requirement for spouses who both work for the State to share FMLA protected leave for the birth or placement of a child or to care for a covered servicemember
• Added a provision for use of Civic Duty Leave for serving as a voting location worker 
• Updated to allow an agency to offer student loan repayment options (dependent upon agency funding and agency needs)
• Added several classifications of covered employees to those eligible to receive meritorious service leave
• Elevated the pre-grievance oral discussion from the immediate supervisor to the Step 1 responding authority in the Covered Employee Grievance Process

You can access and view the SPS Employee Handbook and SPS policies at https://hr.az.gov/about/resources/lawsrulespolicies. If you have questions about the changes, please contact your agency's human resources office.

Active Coverage

• To keep your coverage elections for 2025, you do not need to re-enroll unless you have a Flexible Spending Account. You must re-enroll in your FSA each year. This is your TASC card. To re-enroll in your FSA, click “hrsystems.azdoa.gov > Y.E.S. Portal > Open Enrollment.”
• Staying the Same
• Plans and carriers will remain the same for 2025. Medical and dental premium rates will remain the same for the seventh year, while Avesis vision premiums will increase by a few cents per month.

Changes

• HSA Deductible–Single: $1,650 ($50 increase), all other: $3,300 ($100 increase).
• HSA IRS Maximum Contributions (Optum Card)–Single: $4,300 ($150 increase), all other: $8,550 ($250 increase), Age 55 catchup: $1,000 (no change).
• FSA IRS Maximum Contributions (TASC Card)–Healthcare: $3,200 ($150 increase), Limited Purpose: $3,200 ($150 increase), Daycare/Eldercare: $5,000 (no change).

Retiree Coverage

• You do not need to re-enroll to keep your current elections for 2025. There are NO CHANGES to carriers, plans and premiums for medical and dental. Avesis vision plan annual rates will increase slightly, but the coverage will remain unchanged.

Effective Date

• Changes made during Open Enrollment will become effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Open Enrollment Resources

• Visit benefitoptions.az.gov/oe for enrollment guides with rates, webinars and in-person expos. 

Questions?

• Please contact a Benefit Options representative at 602-542-5008, toll-free at 1-800-304-3687, or email [email protected] or visit benefitoptions.az.gov.

Excess annual leave must be used on or before Friday, January 3, 2025 to avoid forfeiture of excess hours. For agencies, boards and commissions under the State Personnel System, the maximum number of annual leave hours an employee may carry over into a new calendar year is 320 hours for uncovered employees and 240 hours for covered employees. Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture with few exceptions. Employees who use the pilot Paid Parental Leave and / or expanded Family Sick Leave options AND anticipate excess annual leave hours should meet with their agency Human Resources to determine if they are eligible to request an exception.

Employees and managers can monitor annual leave balances by logging in to Y.E.S. and clicking on Leave Activity.

Did you know that as a state employee you can donate to charity through a payroll deduction? Giving back made easy... visit the SECC website at secc.az.gov to make your pledge today!

On Election Day, Civic Duty Leave is available for employees who need time to cast their ballot. Check with your supervisor for details, but if you need time before or after your workday to vote, you may be able to use Civil Duty Leave to ensure you have time to make it to a polling location. For more information on Civic Duty Leave, either to cast a ballot or serve as a poll worker, please visit HRD’s website.

One year has passed since Governor Hobbs tasked the Arizona Department of Administration with establishing a pilot program to expand family sick leave benefits and provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave (PPL) for eligible state employees. 

The initial pilot policy included a temporary eligibility exception in which an employee who would presumably meet the above eligibility requirements within the 12 months following the date of birth or placement of the child would be deemed eligible and thus able to utilize the PPL immediately. This exception has now expired and has been removed from the policy. Effective September 2, 2024, an employee must have worked for the state for 12 months and worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during the preceding 12 months in order to qualify and use PPL.

To read the policy and learn more about the PPL program, visit the PPL webpage. Please contact your HR Representative if you have questions.

State Personnel System (SPS) agency employees are expected to manage and use their excess annual leave balance to ensure they don’t lose it. For agencies, boards and commissions under the State Personnel System, the maximum number of annual leave hours an employee may carry over into a new calendar year is 320 hours for uncovered employees and 240 hours for covered employees.  Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture with few exceptions.  Employees who use the pilot Paid Parental Leave (PPL) and/or expanded Family Sick Leave options AND anticipate excess annual leave hours should meet with their agency Human Resources to determine if they are eligible to request an exception.

It is important that employees closely manage their annual leave balances through the remainder of the year and schedule leave with their supervisor so that impacts on end of year coverage are minimal and carryover exception requests are significantly reduced. 

There should not be any expectation that unused excess leave will be approved for carryover, even if it has been approved in the past. Employees and managers can monitor annual leave balances by logging in to Y.E.S. and clicking on Leave Activity. 

The AZPerforms/RWA system will be offline June 6th, 2024 from 7:00 PM to June 7th 5:00 AM, for routine maintenance. (Arizona Time).

We appreciate your patience.

After the close of each fiscal year, the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) conducts a valuation of the various benefit plans that it manages to ensure they are fiscally sound. From the valuations, contribution rates are set for the next fiscal year.

Fiscal year end of June 30, 2023 was a relatively strong economic period. The ASRS total fund had a return of 8.2 percent, above their assumed earnings rate of 7 percent. As such, contribution rates taking effect July 1, 2024 will actually decrease slightly, from the current 12.29 percent for Employee and Employer, to 12.27 percent. This includes the Pension and Health Insurance Benefit, and the Long Term Disability Income Plan.

Online W-2's for 2023 will be posted by January 31st, 2024. W-2's are currently being published to the YES portal: Pay > Pay Documents. Employees will receive an email notifying them when their W-2 has been posted.