Hurricane Helene Guidance

• The UNC System Adverse Weather and Emergency Event Policy defines the the Condition Levels used for Communicating the status of operations. In Condition 1 (Reduced Operations), The university remains open, but non-mandatory operations may be reduced due to limited staffing. Mandatory employees must report to or remain at work. All other employees have the option to report late, leave early, or not work on-site at all; however, employees are responsible for informing their supervisory chain in a timely manner of all such decisions. Employees who telework should continue to work off-site if able to do so. Employees may use Adverse Weather Make-Up Leave to cover absences or use other available paid leave.
• Although normally permanent employees have up to 90 calendar days to make up the time from the point of use, OSHR has extended the makeup provisions for an additional 90 days to allow employees up to 180 days (March 26, 2025) to make up work time missed due to Hurricane Helene during the period between Sept. 27, 2024 and Oct. 31, 2024.

• When permanent employees are unable to work during Condition 1 or 2 Adverse Weather, they may use available vacation or bonus leave, go on leave without pay, or use adverse weather make-up leave, in which the employee receives paid leave currently and must either make up for the leave with additional work hours or otherwise later charge the time to available vacation or bonus leave.
• Although normally permanent employees have up to 90 calendar days to make up the time from the point of use, OSHR has extended the makeup provisions for an additional 90 days to allow employees up to 180 days (March 26, 2025) to make up work time missed due to Hurricane Helene during the period between Sept. 27, 2024 and Oct. 31, 2024.

• If a permanent employee’s living situation is still evolving either 1) due to ongoing safety risks from damage to their primary residence, or 2) due to other serious hurricane related impacts, the employee may be eligible for Other Management Approved Leave (OMAL).
  
• As a short-term step, for the period of Friday, Sept. 27 through Thursday, Oct. 3, up to 40 hours of OMAL will be made available to the employee. The employee will be responsible for providing documentation of their hardship to their manager. Institutions will ensure that the application of this benefit is applied in a fair and consistent basis.
  
• Based on available institutional funds, institutions may provide up to 80 hours of OMAL to permanent employees who are unable to work remotely either because 1) road conditions due to hurricane-related impacts prevent them from getting to work or because 2) the employee had to evacuate their residence due to hurricane-related impacts, and the area to which they evacuated is not within a “reasonable driving distance.” This uses the same 80-hour pool of leave as the OMAL identified below.
  • If an employee is able to work remotely (regardless of whether they typically work remotely) the employee shall not be entitled to this type of OMAL.
  • If an employee who typically works remotely is unable to work remotely but is able to work from an onsite location within a “reasonable driving distance” where they can reasonably perform their job duties, the employee shall not be entitled to this type of OMAL.
  • A “reasonable driving distance,” for the purpose of this exception, is defined as being either beyond 90 minutes travel time or beyond 50 miles traveled (miles on the road, not straight line).
• Please note that Charlotte’s payroll office has identified OMAL leave as OMAL in Kronos.

• Based on available funds, institutions may pay up to 80 hours of OMAL to permanent employees who need time off to address loss of or substantial damage to their primary residence that was sustained between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4. This will be available to affected employees in the first 90 calendar days after damage occurs. It will be up to the institution to determine how to document this, but best practices would include meetings with contractors, job estimates or receipts for purchased supplies.
• Please note that Charlotte’s payroll office has identified OMAL leave as OMAL in Kronos.

• Other UNC System institutions may have remote working arrangements for employees who reside in one of the affected designated disaster area counties. For those employees, the University will operate under Adverse Weather Condition 1 throughout the period of the disaster area designation, and affected employees may use adverse weather make-up leave as applicable to their situation. Other leave options, such as the OMAL described above, may also be applicable in individual circumstances.
  
• For permanent employees who work at unaffected institutions but who have a designated work site within the affected area, Condition 3 paid leave would be provided while those facilities are not available.

• Employees who are volunteers for an emergency response organization or the American Red Cross may receive paid time off under the Other Management Approved Leave Policy to provide support services to affected areas. Other UNC Institutions may also provide assistance to affected institutions through temporary work reassignments for employees to assist with restoring campus operations.

• Many agencies and universities have asked about the opportunity to expand Community Service Leave in order to assist communities in their recovery. While many state agencies are engaged in these activities on a regular basis, OSHR will offer a temporary expansion of the Community Service Leave Policy. This expansion will allow state employees to volunteer for organized storm-related efforts coordinated by a local government entity (county or municipality) in addition to established nonprofits.
  
• Accordingly, each employee will have available an additional 16 hours (two days) of paid CSL leave specific to storm-related activities to expire on December 31, 2024. This increases the maximum amount of paid CSL leave from 24 hours to 40 hours for the remainder of 2024. Employees should obtain prior approval from their supervisor and will be responsible for providing documentation that additional hours used are storm-related, according to institutional HR office guidelines.
  
• Please note that Charlotte’s payroll office has identified this leave as COMSVC – Disaster Relief in Kronos.

Open Enrollment is currently underway and ends, Sunday, Oct. 25. For employees who reside in the North Carolina counties listed below, the Plan will be extending Open Enrollment by one week. Impacted employees will have until Friday, Nov. 1, to complete their enrollment. To ensure all members receive new ID cards in a timely manner, the Plan is unable to extend Open Enrollment past this date.

The Plan will, however, continue to assist members impacted by Hurricane Helene via the enrollment exceptions process. As a reminder, members can call the Eligibility and Enrollment Support Center at (855) 859-0966 to enroll by phone.

North Carolina Counties included in the Hurricane Helene exception, based on FEMA disaster designation and subscriber residential address include: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Yadkin, Yancey, Watauga, and Wilkes. There are areas outside of North Carolina that are also included in the Helene exception. These areas are designated by the FEMA Disaster Designation & Subscriber residential address as well.

Important Additional Information:

• Tobacco Credit: For the members in the effected counties that do not take action during Open Enrollment, the Plan will be placing them in the Base PPO Plan (70/30) for the 2025 benefit year with the tobacco credit applied. In other words, they will not be charged the tobacco surcharge.
• Enrollment Changes: After Nov. 1, members that would like to enroll in the Enhanced PPO Plan (80/20), add or remove dependents or cancel their enrollment for 2025 should contact the UNC Charlotte Benefits Office at (704) 687-8134.
• 2025 ID Cards: 2025 ID cards will be mailed at the end of November-early December. We realize that some members have been displaced and/or currently do not have access to receive mail. These members will also have access to a virtual ID card through Aetna. They can access their ID card via the Aetna member portal or through Aetna’s app. For assistance, members can call Aetna at (833) 690-1037.
• While the focus is currently on 2025 Open Enrollment, we have not forgotten that there are other enrollment transactions with timelines that may be difficult to complete because of Hurricane Helene. Impacted members should contact the UNC Charlotte Benefits Office at (704) 687-8134 to request a potential delayed qualifying life event (QLE) exception.

Please review these important benefit updates.

• Virtual State Health Plan ID cards are available and can be accessed by logging into Blue Connect via eBenefits. This is also available via the Blue Connect app. For assistance with medical benefits, members can call Blue Cross NC Customer Service at (888) 234-2416.
• CVS Caremark, the Plan’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager, is also available to help those that have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. If members need assistance with their medications, they can call (888) 321-3124.
• Aetna, the Plan’s TPA as of Jan. 1, 2025, is offering members the use of Teladoc services for free during this time. Secure access to a board-certified doctor or licensed provider 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and prescriptions, if needed, will be sent to a pharmacy of your choice.

Plan-Specific Needs, Vendor Resources and More:

• NCFlex is available to assist members and work with plan vendors to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene with any Accident, Accidental Death and Dismemberment or Group Term Life claims they may have.
• NCFLEX – MetLife Legal Resource Free Legal Assistance: Metlife Legal Plans is offering free attorney document review and consultation services to all NCFlex employees who have been impacted by the storm. The employee does not have to be enrolled in the legal plan to contact an attorney for help with issues related to this event. With this offer, employees can contact an attorney for consultation and document review for issues such as:
  • Reviewing documents related to federal aid and insurance claims
  • Providing consultation for identity theft issues due to lost personal documents
  • Answering questions about damaged property for renters or homeowners
  • Providing advice on dealing with creditors and bill collectors
  • Employees can access the MetLife Legal Plans self-help document library to complete wills, living wills, and power of attorney documents at legalplans.com/why-enroll.
• This free assistance is available through December 31, 2024. To get connected to an attorney, employees should call MetLife’s Client Service Center at (800) 821-6400. They will need to identify themselves as a NCFlex employee and indicate they are interested in the document review and consultation services being offered as part of the Emergency Response Legal Assistance Plan.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: It is expected that the federal government will release a statement or guidance on substantiation of requests or an extension of runout days for affected employees. NCFlex and P&A – the FSA vendor – will keep employees, HBRs and UBAs updated on any federal guidance, so keep an eye on your inbox.
• EyeMed Cares: EyeMed has Customer Care Center representatives ready to provide the following services for members affected by the hurricane via a dedicated emergency toll-free line at (866) 652-0018.
  • Eligibility reinstatement: Members who’ve exhausted their benefit but need new glasses or contact lenses due to the current disaster can request reinstatement.
  • Temporary adjustable glasses: These glasses enable individuals to adjust for different distances for reading, computer and distance and will be shipped free of charge. If an employee is displaced, EyeMed will work with the employee to determine a location where the glasses can be picked up.
  • Free shipping for glasses and contacts: EyeMed agents can provide discount codes that can be used online at Glasses.com and ContactDirect.com to receive free, expedited shipping for replacement lenses and contact lenses.
  • EyeMed also understands the need for immediate assistance may extend beyond just members and has partnered with OneSight, a non-profit organization that provides eye care and eyewear solutions for those in need around the globe. Non-EyeMed members can reach out to OneSight for assistance at (888) 935-4589 or onesight.org.
• Mandatory Retirement Plans: No in-service withdrawals are permitted from the ORP or TSERS mandatory retirement plans.
• UNC Supplemental Retirement Plans (UNC 403b & UNC 457b): Hardship withdrawals are permitted from the UNC System 403b plan and Unforeseeable Emergency withdrawals are permitted from the UNC System 457b plan. UNC supplemental retirement participants should contact TIAA (800) 842-2888 for forms; they are ready and waiting to assist our impacted employees.
• UNC Supplemental Retirement Plans (NC 401k & NC 457b): The state supplemental retirement plans, through EMPOWER, also have hardship withdrawal provisions for the state’s supplemental NC401k and NC457b retirement plans. Visit the NC Plans website for more details.
  • Participants affected by a federally declared major disaster may be eligible for disaster recovery distributions from the NC 401(k) and NC 457
  • Plans, as well as special provisions on a loan taken from the NC 401(k) and/or NC 457 Plans.
  • If a participant’s primary residence is located in the FEMA-designated area during the incident period and at the time the Emergency Declaration was declared and the suffered economic loss due to the declared disaster, the participant is eligible to withdraw up to $22,000 per disaster.
  • If a participant is eligible for a disaster recovery distribution, the participant may also be eligible for a loan from their plan account and/or an extended repayment period for a current loan.
  • If you are a participant or employer and need more information or have specific questions, please call (866) 627-5267 (1-866-NC-PLANS) to speak with a representative for the NC 401(k) and NC 457 Plans. The call center is available Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. EST and Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EST.

What: North Carolina homeowners and renters in 25 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who had uninsured damage
or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for assistance through the FEMA Individual Assistance program. FEMA may be
able to help with serious needs, emergency cash, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or
other disaster-caused needs.

Who: Homeowners and renters in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can apply.

How to Apply: There are three ways to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance:

• Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Use the FEMA App on a mobile device
• Call 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET daily. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.

For more information: Visit FEMA’s Individual Assistance website.

For more Hurricane Helene information: Visit the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Helene website or the FEMA disaster website for North Carolina.

What: The North Carolina Division of Employment Security has announced 25 western North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Helene as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokees have been approved for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. People in these counties who are unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene may be eligible for unemployment benefits under the DUA program. Business owners and self-employed individuals affected by the storm may also qualify for benefits.

Who: DUA benefits are available for residents of the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina. Additional counties may be added to the list of those eligible for DUA at a later date.

How to Apply: Individuals have 60 days from Tuesday, Oct. 1, to file an application for DUA at des.nc.gov; call the DUA Hotline at (919) 629-3857.

For more information: Visit DES’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance website.

For more Hurricane Helene information: Visit the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Helene website or the FEMA disaster website for North Carolina.