ACR 30981 — USPS System Change
Dec. 31, 2011
Introduction
ACR 30981 created the Tobacco User Premium Differential Deduction in the Uniform Statewide Payroll/Personnel System (USPS) effective Dec. 31, 2011.
Issue
Senate Bill 1664, 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, mandated that tobacco users pay a premium differential for their health insurance coverage starting Jan. 1, 2012. If an employee or a covered family member uses tobacco, an additional $30, $60 or $90 in additional health insurance premiums will be assessed each month. Employees in 90-day wait or Opt Out will not pay the Tobacco User Premium Differential. USPS did not store a deduction for tobacco user premium.
Solution
USPS was modified to store and process this additional line of coverage on the HMTU1 (Group Insurance/TexFlex Participant Information) screen and generate a payroll pre-tax deduction (#34) to deduct from employees’ wages. The deduction will be sent to USAS with a unique vendor ID (33273273277015) and will be sent to the Employees Retirement System nightly with final payrolls.
This table represents the different cost levels for the deduction:
| Tobacco Users | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Member only (MO) | $30 |
| Spouse only (SO) | $30 |
| Child only (CO) | $30 |
| Member + spouse (MS) | $60 |
| Member + child (MC)* | $60 |
| Spouse + child (SC)* | $60 |
| Member + spouse + child (MF)* | $90 |
*Note: The charge for a child is the same regardless of how many children in the household use tobacco.
Screens affected
- HMTU1 (Group Insurance/TexFlex Participant Information)
- HRHMT (HMT Transaction Audit Record)
Reports affected
- Report 006 (Benefits Profile)
- Report 959 (Benefit Totals Reported to ERS)
- Report 993 (Employee Insurance Information)
- Report 999 (Daily Insurance Change)
Extracts affected
- Interface Data Dictionary (T-Z)
- Layout (HMT – Group Insurance/TexFlex Participant Info)
- Layout (I – Insurance Record)