The UAB Benefits Office and UAB’s retirement providers, the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and TIAA, offer free retirement counseling and investment support for mandatory and voluntary retirement plans to benefit-eligible UAB employees.
- TRS, the provider for UAB’s mandatory retirement plan, offers individual counseling appointments for one-on-one discussions about your personal TRS Retirement Benefit Estimate. Schedule an appointment by contacting Member Services at 334-517-7000 or 877-517-0020.
- UAB's voluntary retirement plan comes with free personal investment support from TIAA financial consultants who can help you answer questions about your retirement plans, see how investments are performing and if you are on track to meet retirement goals. Visit tiaa.org/schedulenow to make an appointment.
- Don’t know where to start? Employees can schedule an appointment to discuss their options for retirement with a UAB Benefits Counselor at benefits@uab.edu or 205-934-3458.
The UAB Benefits Office has received multiple reports of fraudulent calls and emails from companies claiming to be authorized to discuss UAB retirement reports or offering retirement counseling to UAB employees in an attempt to gain information about UAB employees’ retirement accounts.
Please be aware, representatives of the UAB Benefits Office and UAB’s retirement providers are the only entities authorized to discuss UAB retirement accounts. If you are contacted by other vendors claiming to be authorized, do not give out your personal information.
For more information, contact UAB Benefits or visit the UAB Benefits Retirement webpage.
— Published August 30, 2024
Two additional holidays have been added to the 2024 designated holiday calendar for eligible UAB and UAB Medicine employees — December 24 and December 31. These dates are in addition to previously designated holidays December 25 and January 1.
Essential employees of UAB Hospital, UAB Police and UAB Call Center and units that receive personal holidays instead of designated ones will have 16 additional holiday hours added to their holiday banks, and they should check with their supervisors regarding staffing. As with all UAB holidays, most campus operations will be suspended, but essential services will continue. UAB’s holiday schedule is available online.
— Published August 16, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a change to the criteria for determining employees’ status as nonexempt (paid bi-weekly) or exempt (paid monthly) under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is not a UAB decision; it is a federal law all employers must follow. The final rule has a two-part implementation (unless the ruling is blocked by legal challenges, in which case UAB would suspend changes):
- On July 1, 2024, the new minimum salary threshold for exempt employees will move from $35,568 to $43,888. This change will be effective for the pay period beginning June 30, 2024.
- On January 1, 2025, the minimum threshold will increase to $58,656.
If these minimum compensation thresholds fall above the minimum/maximum range for the UAB position’s pay grade, the position must transition to nonexempt (bi-weekly) on the dates listed above. While this would require some people to begin “clocking in/out” as nonexempt (bi-weekly) employees and thereby become eligible for overtime pay, their compensation will remain unchanged if they work their scheduled hours. The change from exempt to nonexempt will not affect current benefits.
UAB Human Resources is currently assessing the impact of this change on individual employees and/or positions while proactively strategizing to minimize disruptions. Strategies may include limited salary increases, pay grade changes and/or employees transitioning from exempt to nonexempt status. Impacted employees will be notified by June 3, 2024.
Please continue to look to official UAB communications for updates and guidance. Visit go.uab.edu/flsa for more information including resources for affected employees.
— Published May 16, 2024
Dr. Sheryl LeAnn Perkins will join UAB Human Resources as Assistant Vice President — Benefits & Wellbeing, effective May 6, 2024.
Perkins has more than 25 years of experience planning and overseeing employee benefits programs, most recently as Associate Vice President for Benefits at Arkansas State University System (ASU), where she oversaw ASU's $10 million self-insured health plan fund. While managing the benefit and retirement programs for the ASU System, she was committed to keeping the benefits package competitive and affordable to employees and institutions. Additionally, she ensured compliance with federal regulations, oversaw annual enrollment processes, and developed new benefits programs while driving the establishment and execution of organizational objectives, policies, and protocols.
Perkins earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in Health Administration from William Woods University in Missouri, a Master of Public Health from AT Still University in Missouri, and a Doctorate in Health Administration from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
— Posted April 5, 2024
