FAQs

If you have questions that are not answered on the Benefits website, please contact Sr. Benefits Specialist Rita Calderon at rita.calderon@emory.edu or 404-727-7627.

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New Hires

Eligible new hires can enroll through Self-Service anytime during the first 31 days of employment. View Step-by-Step Enrollment Instructions.

If you do not enroll during your first 31 days of employment, you will not receive coverage. Your next opportunity to enroll will be during annual enrollment. 

Current Employees

Current employees are provided an opportunity to make changes to their benefits each year during annual enrollment. During the annual enrollment period, go to Self-Service to complete your enrollment online. You will need your network ID and password. If you don’t know your password, call 404-727-7777 for assistance.

Note: Duo Security Two-Factor Authentication is required to log in to Self-Service from outside the Emory network.

Computer Access

You can enroll online using any computer that has Internet connectivity. To access Self-Service, you will need your network ID and password. If you don't know your network ID or password, call the Office of Information Technology help desk at 404-727-7777 (M-F, 7:00 am - 6:00 pm).

Source: Eligibility and Enrollment

Making changes to your benefits is normally allowed only once per year, during annual enrollment in the fall for the following January, due to IRS regulations. However, if you experience a qualifying family status change, you can make benefit changes mid-year as long as you make the change within 31 days of the event. View list of common qualifying family status changes.

If you experience a family status change, you can make changes to your benefits as long as the requested change is consistent with the qualifying event (for example if you have a baby, you may add the new child to your plan, but you cannot add a spouse).

In most cases, the effective date of the qualified family status change is the actual event date. However, in some situations (divorce, legal separation, change to employment), the effective date of the change is the first of the month following the actual event date.

Use Self-Service to complete your family status change. View step-by-step guide to making a family status change

In most cases, once you enter your family status change through Self-Service and make your elections, the process is complete. However, some mid-year changes also require documentation to be submitted within 31 days of the event.

Source: Making Benefit Changes

An FMLA leave request should be initiated by the employee (or the employee’s representative), however, the department may initiate an FMLA leave request on the employee’s behalf.

1. Log into Self-Service.
2. From the Self-Service page, click the tile for Time and Leave.
3. Click on the tile for FMLA and Medical Leave, then log into the FMLA Leave Request System.
4. Under Employee Requests, click Request a Leave of Absence.
5. Enter all requested fields. In the HR Representative field, be sure to select your department's HR support contact. If you are unsure of the leave start date or end date, make your best guess.  Employee Relations can adjust the dates later if needed.
6. Once all fields are completed, submit the leave request.
7. Print out a copy of the FMLA Healthcare Provider Certification Form. The employee should give it to the medical provider to complete and fax back to the number on the first page of the certification form.

Your FMLA request will route to your supervisor and your department's HR support contact. Your HR support contact will verify your eligibility for FMLA and provide a Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities. Once the required medical documentation has been received, your HR support contact will provide a letter of designation confirming the approval of your leave.

Source: Family Medical Leave

Staff

To be paid during FMLA, you will need to submit leave:

• Monthly paid staff: submit leave in the Exempt Leave Tracking System in Self-Service. Please do so as far in advance of the FMLA start date as possible.
• Biweekly paid staff: enter your leave on your timecard in the Emory Timecard Adjustment System (ETAS) using the applicable leave type(s) in the Pay Code Type field. Please review the payroll schedule for the calendar of bi-weekly pay periods (log in required) to ensure you are entering the leave on your timecard before the pay period deadline.

Types of Leave During FMLA

If you are on FMLA due to your own serious medical condition, you must use available sick leave. If your sick leave balance is exhausted, you have the option to use vacation leave/floating holidays.

If you do not use vacation leave or floating holidays after your sick leave balance exhausts, then you will be placed on unpaid leave for the remainder of your FMLA period. If you have Short Term Disability coverage, you can file a claim with Unum.

If you are on FMLA to care for a Care Recipient, you have the option to use sick leave, vacation leave/floating holiday, or to be unpaid.

If you are on FMLA due to the birth/adoption of a child and are eligible for paid parental leave, you have the additional option to use paid parental leave during your FMLA period.

• Paid parental leave can only be taken after the date of birth or adoption occurs.
• Leave must be taken within the first twelve months of the date of birth or adoption. If you do not use your eligible balance of paid parental leave within that time frame, it will not roll over.
• Leave may be taken all at one time, or intermittently in full or half days only.
• Paid parental leave does not apply for foster care placement.

Faculty

Faculty members typically receive salary continuation while on FMLA due to their own serious medical condition. Questions related to faculty-only leave types as well as any requests for FML or Parental Leave should be directed to the faculty’s departmental chair and to their ECAS divisional dean in the Office of Faculty. For more information about ECAS Faculty leaves please see the Office of Faculty website: Leave Policies (emory.edu)

Sources: Family Medical Leave, Paid Parental Leave,Office of Faculty - Leave Policies

Eligibility for paid parental leave is managed through the online FMLA Leave Request located in Self-Service, even if parental leave is planned to be used outside the FMLA period.

You are strongly encouraged to submit the online request as early as possible (at least 30 days in advance) so that documentation and approval are complete before the birth or adoption occurs. You will be required to provide evidence of birth or adoption. 

To apply for paid parental leave:

• Log in to Self-Service
• Select FMLA and Medical Leave
• Log in using your Net ID and password, and select Make New Request
• Complete the form using the expected date of the birth or adoption
• Your department's HR support contact will verify your eligibility. Once the required medical documentation has been received, your HR support contact will provide a letter of designation confirming the approval of your leave.

 Source: Paid Parental Leave

Paid parental leave can only be taken after the date of birth or adoption occurs. You can take paid parental leave during the FMLA period, or any time within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption event. Paid parental leave does not extend or shorten the FMLA period.

If you choose, you can take paid parental leave outside the FMLA period. In this case, paid parental leave must be approved by your supervisor, similar to vacation leave.

Supervisors are encouraged to be flexible in granting approval for parental leave requests not designated as FMLA.

You are strongly encouraged to plan in advance for when you expect to use your paid parental leave, and communicate your plans to your supervisor so they can do the necessary departmental work planning.

Monthly paid staff and librarians

Once you have been approved for paid parental leave through the process described above, to use the leave you will submit a leave request using the Exempt Leave Tracking System in Self-Service the same way you would request sick/vacation leave. You will select "paid parental leave" from the Leave Type dropdown. You should enter your requested leave days in full or half day increments, in advance of the leave period.

Biweekly paid staff

Once you have been approved for paid parental leave through the process described above, to use the leave you will submit the leave using the "paid parental leave" pay code in the Emory Timecard Adjustment System (ETAS). You should enter your requested leave days in full or half day increments.

Post-doctoral fellows

Paid parental leave is tracked according to departmental practices. Please contact your department's lead staff for more information.

Faculty

Questions related to faculty-only leave types as well as any requests for FML or Parental Leave should be directed to the faculty’s departmental chair and to their ECAS divisional dean in the Office of Faculty.

 Source: Paid Parental Leave

When you have a direct report who has placed an FMLA request, you will receive an automated email notifying you of the request. Your department's HR support contact will verify the employee's eligibility for FMLA by providing you and the employee with a Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities via email.Once the required medical documentation has been received, your HR support contact will provide a letter of designation confirming the approval of the FMLA leave. You will receive copies of these notices when sent to the employee and they do not require any action on your part unless indicated by your HR support contact.

If you are unfamiliar with how FMLA coordinates with sick leave, vacation leave, and paid parental leave, please review the information provided on the Family and Medical Leave page and the Paid Parental Leave page.

It is your responsibility to confirm with the employee what portion of their FMLA period will be paid. You should communicate this with your department's HR support contact as far in advance of the FMLA start date as possible. Failure to do so may result in an employee being overpaid or receiving no pay during a typically already stressful time if they are managing their own serious health condition. Please note, it is the department’s responsibility to contact the employee to ask for reimbursement due to any overpayment error.

Paid status requires that the employee’s leave of absence be debited from their leave accrual. You can confirm this by checking that the employee has submitted sick/vacation or, if applicable, paid parental leave in the Exempt Leave Tracking System for the consecutive dates of their FMLA period duration.

There are many factors that may determine when an employee should be placed on unpaid FMLA leave, including:

• The end of an Short-Term Disabilty (STD) elimination period
• The employee runs out of paid leave
• The employee runs out of sick leave, and does not wish to use vacation/floating holidays
• The employee is out to care for a Care Recipient and does not wish to be paid while on leave
• The employee is out due to the birth of a baby and the medical incapacity period has ended (typically 6 weeks).The employee does not wish to use vacation leave for the remaining bonding period.

Changing your Chosen Name

Except when the use of an individual’s legal name is required by law or policy, employees can be identified in Emory University data systems by the name they have designated in PeopleSoft. Updates to your chosen name will display in the Emory Online Directory, Office 365 Email Address Book and the PeopleSoft Employee Search. This name is also used on many HR-related communications such as automated emails and service awards. Faculty and staff may edit chosen name at any time.

Making these updates does not change the Legal Name currently used for payroll and tax information.

To change your chosen name:

1. Login to Peoplesoft Self-Service
2. Go to the Self-Service tab and click on the Personal Information tile and then the Preferred Name tile
3. Update your name. The First/Middle name field does not require that you enter your middle name. Only include a middle name or initial if you want it displayed in the Emory Online Directory, Office 365 Email Address Book, and PeopleSoft Employee Search.

Changing your Legal Name

You should notify your department HR Rep as soon as possible after your name changes legally. An updated electronic  Form I-9  is required by the Federal government to verify identity and employment eligibility.

To change your legal name:

1. Present your Social Security Card or receipt from the Social Security Administration to your department HR Rep.
2. The HR Rep will then complete Section III of the electronic Form I-9 and scan/attach a copy of the Social Security Card or receipt via Emory's Pre-Start System.
3. You can update your marital status on your tax forms, W-2 (Federal withholding) and G-4 (Georgia Withholding), through Self-Service (go to Payroll and Compensation).

If you are changing your legal name, you may be eligible to make changes to your benefits. Learn more about making benefits changes.

Source: Change Your Name

Employees can choose the name they would like to appear in their email address. Self-assigned names must be at least 9 characters long and will be reviewed for appropriateness. The option to self-assign your email name is available a maximum of three times.

To change your Email Name:

1. Go to https://it.emory.edu/catalog/email-and-calendaring/email.html
2. In the Related Resources callout box to the right, click on Set Email Alias (Login to MyNetID). You must be logged into VPN to connect to this site.
3. Click the Select An Email Name tile
4. On the Email Name drop-down, choose select/edit self-assigned name and follow the prompts

This process will not change your chosen name nor whether you appear in the external online or printed directory. To change your directory visibility, select "Directory Entry Visibility” once you have completed selecting an email name.

Source: Change Your Name

1. Login to Peoplesoft Self-Service
2. Go to the Self-Service tab and click on the Payroll tile and then the Direct Deposit menu option from the left sidebar
3. To ADD, EDIT or DELETE account information you will be asked to enter an existing account number. Please have that information on hand. If you do not currently have a Direct Deposit record, you will be asked to verfiy the first five digits of your Social Security Number before you can add a record. If you do not have a Social Security Number you will need to come to the Payroll Department at 1599 Clifton Road to complete a Direct Deposit form in person. After three failed attempts, the system will sign you out of PeopleSoft. Please contact payroll at (404) 727-6100 if you need additional assistance.

If you move, be sure to update your address on record at Emory. Human Resources often sends important documents about your benefits or taxes to your home address.

1. Log in to Self-Service
2. Select the Personal Information tile
3. Click on the Personal Details tile
4. Click on the Local Address Box
5. Make your address changes and click Save

Source: Change Your Address