Below are our most frequently asked questions regarding the Wellness Program. If your question is not listed below, feel free to submit it via e-mail to wellness@wayne.edu.
ENROLLMENT
- Who can participate?
- Can I participate if I have "cash in lieu" of medical insurance?
- Can I participate if I am a Graduate Research Assistant or a Graduate Student Assistant?
- Can I participate if I am a regular student/part-time faculty/temporary or contract employee/other part-time employee?
- I'm new -or- I just decided that I want to sign up now. Can I join?
PROGRAMMING & SERVICES
- Do I get to use the Fitness Center for free?
- Do I have to buy a Fitness Center membership to participate?
- How do I schedule my fitness assessment, nutrition consultation, or register for a Wellness Warriors-only class?
COMPLIANCE & INCENTIVES
- What exactly do I have to do?
- What do I get for participating? What are the incentives?
- How do I get my incentive for my annual physical?
When will my 12-month incentive be in my paycheck?- What if I was non-compliant during the first half of the year? Can I be compliant for the second half? Am I out of the program?
HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENTS
- Is my Health Risk Assessment data confidential? Will the information get back to my supervisor or insurance carrier?
- What kind of blood test did I take?
- I never got my Health Risk Assessment results!
- I registered on the IHS website, but they gave me a sheet with a special code on it when I took my HRA. What should I do with that?
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Any benefits-eligible employee can participate. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment for the 2010 program is coming soon. Watch your inbox! (Return to top)
Q: Can I participate if I have "cash in-lieu" of medical insurance?
Yes. All benefits-eligible employees are eligible, even if they elect "cash in-lieu" or have otherwise opted out of WSU medical plans. (Return to top)
Q: Can I participate if I'm a Graduate Research Assistant or a Graduate Student Assistant?
Yes, as long as you are benefits-eligible. (Return to top)
Q: Can I participate if I'm a regular student/part-time faculty/ temporary or contract employee/other part time employee?
No, not at this time. In order to earn incentives and participate in Wellness Warriors, you must be benefits-eligible faculty or staff or a graduate student assistant with benefits. Generally speaking, eligible employees are 50% time or greater. There are some programs you will be able to participate in as a non-Wellness Warrior (example: some selected seminars or activities), but incentives and Wellness Warrior-only benefits are not available at this time. (Return to top)
Q: I'm new -or- I just decided that I want to sign up now. Can I join?
Enrollments have ended for the 2009 Wellness Program. Please join us during our Fall enrollment. More information on registration will be e-mailed to you as it is available. (Return to top)
Q: Do I get to use the Fitness Center for free?
No and yes. For any Wellness Warriors-specific programming like special Wellness Warriors-only classes, the fitness assessment, and the nutrition assessment, you will be able to enter the Fitness Center at no charge. If you want to work out on a regular basis, however, you will need to purchase an employee membership to the Fitness Center (currently $240/year). Free access is provided to confirmed Wellness Warriors participants for the class or activity only. Many of our previous Wellness Warriors utilized their cash incentives to pay for their memberships. You may find this is also a good way to offset all or part of the costs of your Fitness Center membership. (Wellness Warriors are not required to have a membership.) Note: Our 9- and 12-month Graduate Student Assistant participants do have student access to the fitness center as part of their tuition and fees. For GSA participants only, an additional membership is not required. (Return to top)
Q: Do I have to buy a Fitness Center membership to participate?
No, you do not have to buy a Fitness Center membership to participate. You can use the Mort Harris Recreation & Fitness Center for free only for Wellness Warriors classes and seminars (see question above). We encourage our Wellness Warriors to think about their how increasing their physical activity may increase their health. Physicial activity can happen at home, at your own gym or fitness center, or at Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center. However, one of the benefits to having a Fitness Center membership is the close proximity to work and the favorable rates for faculty and staff. Many past Wellness Warriors utilized their cash incentives to offset all or part of the cost of their membership to Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center. This may be a favorable option for you, too! (Return to top)
Q: How do I schedule my fitness assessment, nutrition consultation, or register for a Wellness Warriors-only class?
Schedule a nutrition assessment by CLICKING HERE. Contact a personal trainer to discuss your FREE online training by CLICKING HERE. Register for Wellness Warriors-only classes by visiting Pipeline > EMPLOYEE TAB > Trainings, Seminars, Events. For a fitness assessment, contact your wellness coach. (Return to top)
Q: What exactly do I have to do?
First you took your free Health Risk Assessment. Once you have your results, get ready! You will be required to attend three events or activities each quarter (just 1 hour per month or 3 hours per quarter!). Expect to spend one hour per month minimum, but we strongly encourage you to go above and beyond that requirement. You earn incentives as you complete the requirements for compliance. You can participate both on- and off-campus in special events, regularly scheduled programming, and even doing activities outside of work that you enjoy like bowling or running, to name just two. The program is structured so that it will be easy to complete your requirements and keep earning those milestone incentives! Want to start tracking? CLICK HERE to download a Tally Sheet. (Return to top)
Q: What do I get for participating? What are the incentives?
Each time you hit a program milestone, you will receive a cash incentive. For example, you get $100 just for taking the HRA (this was paid in December 2008, Pay 26). You receive $50 after 6 months of compliant participation, $50 after 12 months of compliant participation, and $50 for getting your annual physical exam from your physician (payable from 1/1/2009 through 12/31/2009. Proof required.) In addition, you will be eligible to win prizes throughout the year and again at a "Grand Prize" drawing. The Fitness Center also has a separate schedule of incentives called "Wellness Bucks," including free training sessions, free massages, and more! (Read more here about Wellness Bucks.) There will be plenty of incentives to keep up the momentum. (Return to top)
Q:How do I get my incentive for my annual physical?
Fill in your monthly Wellness Bucks Tally Sheet, check the box for "Annual Physical," fill in the date, and attach a receipt or doctor's note indicating the physical. Please note: We DO NOT need to know your results! We only need to know that you completed the physical appointment. At the end of the month when your coach compiles your data, a report will be generated and sent to Total Compensation & Wellness, who will apply the $50 incentive to your paycheck. (Return to top)
Q: When will my 12-month incentive be in my paycheck?
If you are compliant, you will see the $50 12-month incentive in Pay 3, which is the pay of February 3, 2010. (NOTE: A participant is compliant only if he or she has at least 6 participation hours (3 hours per quarter or 1 hour per month) between July 1 and December 31, 2009. Compliance data can be finalized only after tally sheets are returned post-closure break, with a due date of January 8. Based on processing times for the tally sheets and data entry cycles, the first available pay-out date for incentives is Pay 3, or February 3, 2010.) (Return to top)
Q: What if I was non-compliant during the first half of the year? Can I be compliant for the second half? Am I out of the program?
If you were non-compliant during the first six months, you will not earn the 6-month $50 incentive. However, you can still earn a $50 incentive for being compliant July-December, 2009! You are never "out" of the program! If you don't meet your compliance goal the first half, you can aim to stay compliant the second half. It's that easy! (Return to top)
Q: Is my Health Risk Assessment data confidential? Will the information get back to my supervisor or insurance carrier?
Yes, your data is confidential. It will never get back to Human Resources, your insurance or your supervisor. WSU Human Resources receives aggregate data, meaning data that summarizes WSU as a whole, not with individual results. Your health data is held in compliance with HIPAA, the laws governing personal health information. Please read more about IHS's compliance with HIPAA here. (Return to top)
Q: What kind of blood test did I take?
Interactive Health Solutions ("IHS") is an industry leader in HRAs. They sent teams of phlebotomists to Wayne State to perform the HRAs and draw blood. Each participant had to fast for 12 hours, but coffee and water were acceptable beverages. For more information on the 34 factors that IHS tested for, please CLICK HERE. (Return to top)
Q: I never got my Health Risk Assessment results!
If you took the Health Risk Assessment and did not get your results via postal mail or on their website, please contact them directly at (800) 840-6100. You will need your 9-digit Banner ID from your OneCard. Total Compensation & Wellness cannot give you your results because your health data is confidential and we do not receive it. (Return to top)
Q: I registered on the IHS website, but they gave me a sheet with a special code on it when I took my HRA. What should I do with that?
The special code given to all HRA partcipants is only for those who have not yet registered online. This special code links the individual's test results with their online account. If you registered online for your appointment, you do not have to do anything. If you did not yet register at the IHS website becasue you registered for your HRA by phone or walked-in and would like to get your results electronically, you will need to use that special code to register. (Return to top)
Q: Is the Wellness Warriors program free?
Yes, the program is free for eligible employees. (Return to top)
Q: Who are the vendors that WSU is working with?
We have two vendors. For our Health Risk Assessments, we have contracted with Interactive Health Solutions. IHS is a Chicago-based vendor that is a proven market leader in wellness programs. They will be conducting our HRAs and will be doing some follow-up as well. The second vendor for our on-campus program is Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center. They will lead theprogram from January through December 2009 and will be the driving force behind the continued success of the Wellness Warriors program. (Return to top)
Last updated 9/11/2009