Archives for November 2021

Download (PDF, 191KB)

Thanksgiving Holiday – November 25 – 26, 2021

All timecards for the week of 11/17-11/23 *Must Be received by the Verification Department No Later Than 11am Wednesday, November 24, 2021 to be considered Current and paid on Thursday, December 2, 2021.

Any and all cards stamped in the T & E Department after 11am on November 24, 2021 will be processed for the following pay period which will be paid on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

*No exceptions will be made for this date or time.

Brothers and Sisters: 

All,

Good afternoon. Attached is a draft of the COVID-19 Self-Testing procedures as it pertains to hours of service rules. I have spoken to Adam in the Rules Department and he stated that the rules for dispatchers will be slightly different due to their rest time between assignments. Also these items will most likely be adjusted as our test procedures become clearer. Any questions or concerns please contact me.

Best Regards,

Michael P Minutillo

T&E HOS Compliance Manager

NJ Transit Rail Operations 2^nd Fl. Rm. 232

1148 Newark Turnpike

Kearny, NJ 07032

Email: mminutillo@njtransit.com

Office: (201) 246-2996

Mobile: (973) 392-9033

Download (PDF, 54KB)

Download (PDF, 55KB)

Rail Agreement Employee:

NJ Transit’s Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 2022 Open Enrollment is ongoing through November 30^th.  The FSA program allows you to set aside pre-tax earnings to pay for eligible health care or dependent care expenses.  Pre-tax funds are deducted from each paycheck and automatically deposited into an FSA account.  You decide how much to contribute tax-free (subject to regulatory requirements) for the year. 

You may elect to participate in the Medical FSA, a Dependent Care FSA, or both.

For existing 2021 FSA participants, if you choose to continue to participate you are required to re-enroll for the 2022 calendar year.

Medical FSA allows you to pay for eligible expenses that are not covered by the health plan such as deductibles, coinsurance, dental care and vision care.  The total amount you choose to contribute for the year is available on the first day of the plan year (January 1, 2022). Please note that, per IRS guidelines for calendar year 2022, you may carry over the full calendar year 2021 balance (as of 12/31/2021) to calendar year 2022.

Dependent Care FSA allows you to pay for daycare expenses for your dependent children under age 13 or for older dependents not capable of self-care needed to allow you to work.  The amount you choose to contribute must accumulate in your account before you can request reimbursement. Please note that, per IRS guidelines for calendar year 2022, you may carry over the full calendar year 2021 balance (as of 12/31/2021) to calendar year 2022.

As of the printing of this letter, the IRS has not announced the Medical FSA limits for 2022. Please note that FSA limits are subject to regulatory requirements.  

For reference, the 2021 Medical FSA and 2022 Dependent Care FSA Limits are as follows:

Minimum                  Maximum

Medical FSA (unreimbursed medical expenses):                                $240.00                             $2,850

Dependent Care FSA (childcare and adult care expenses):              $240.00                             $5,000 

As a Rail Agreement employee, if you elect to waive medical coverage in the NJ TRANSIT medical plan, you are eligible to receive a $500 contribution toward your Medical FSA account for the calendar year.  In order to receive this benefit, you will need to complete the FSA Enrollment Form indicating your election to waive medical coverage for 2022.  Waiver monies cannot be applied towards a Dependent Care FSA account.

The deadline to submit your FSA Enrollment Form to the NJ TRANSIT Benefits Department is November 30, 2021. 

Please email or fax completed forms to:

SECURE FAX: (201) 992-9307

OR

EMAIL: SRThomas@njtransit.com

If you have any questions, please contact Shonta Thomas at (973) 378-6035.

Best Regards,

NJ TRANSIT Employee Benefits Department

Enclosures:  FSA Enrollment Form

                        FSA Participant Benefits

                        FSA Eligible Expenses Listing

Download (PDF, 109KB)

ATTENTION EMPLOYEES

NJ TRANSIT has finalized the process by which employees who are not yet fully vaccinated will be tested for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Working with our partner VAULT, COVID testing kits will be mailed to the home addresses of all employees who have not provided proof of being fully vaccinated. These testing kits will be free of charge to employees.

Employees will initially receive two kits for their first two weeks of testing. Following instructions in the kit, employees will self-administer one test per week and return the sample to any UPS drop box. Additional kits will be sent in the coming weeks. More information can be found in the attached “Testing FAQ” document.

Any employee who receives a test kit to their home but is fully vaccinated must submit proof of vaccination as outlined below, and return the test kits to their work location.

Note: Employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination and also do not comply with the testing process will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Further, vaccinated employees are not permitted to choose to undergo weekly testing in lieu of submitting their proof of vaccination. This, too, may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. If you are fully vaccinated, you must submit your vaccination proof.  

For those employees who are fully vaccinated but have not yet submitted proof, please do so by:

• Sending an email, from your @NJTRANSIT address, to COVIDVAXProof@njtransit.com
  
  
• Attach a copy of your vaccination proof to your email (CDC card, screenshot from the Docket app, NJIIS vaccination record, etc.)
  
  
• Please include only your name and employee ID number in the subject line of your email.

This mailbox is automated. Medical Services will not be responding to any email sent to this mailbox. For any COVID-19-related question, please call our hotline at 1-888-890-0729.

Email COVIDSAFETY@NJTRANSIT.com for specific COVID-19 safety questions or concerns.

If you received your vaccination through any internal NJ TRANSIT clinic, you still must submit your proof using the protocol above.

Employees who are not yet vaccinated can make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination with NJT Medical Services or find a provider through NJ COVID-19 Vaccine Finder at https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder.

Thank you.

Brian A. Lapp

SVP & Chief Safety Officer

NJ TRANSIT

Office: (973) 491-7942

Mobile: (973) 558-1405

BLapp@NJTransit.com

Attention Local 60 SMART-TD members,

Upon further discussion, we would like all members to put in a penalty timecard for the following dates: 10/29, 10/30, 10/31, 11/1, 11/2, 11/3, 11/4, 11/5, 11/6, 11/7, 11/8, 11/9, 11/10 & 11/11.

Download (PDF, 95KB)

This email is to provide clarification regarding the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), as it relates to COVID-19 vaccination policies implemented by certain carriers who employ SMART-TD members. As you already know, HIPAA protects certain health information from disclosure and subjects those who unlawfully disclose said information to penalties.

More specifically, HIPAA applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers, prohibiting those specific entities from disclosing protected health information without the patient’s consent. Because employers are not subject to HIPAA, they may require employees to disclose their vaccination status.

Be advised that SMART-TD is working on compiling a list of questions and answers relating to COVID vaccine mandates, and this issue will be addressed in that list. This email is being sent ahead of the release of that Q&A document, to help dispel some of the misinformation that has begun circulating among our membership.

Another email notification will be sent out from this address when the Q&As are published on the SMART-TD website. In the meantime, please direct any questions to the SMART-TD President’s Department at President_TD@smart-union.org

This SMART Union mailbox is unmonitored and emails to it will not be replied to.

Thank you,

SMART-Transportation Division