Use Your Flex Spending Dollars Before You Lose Them

Time is running out to spend your Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Reimbursement (HRA) dollars on approved medical expenses.

Employees have until Dec. 31 to use their FSA/HRA on doctors’ office visits, prescription copays, eyeglasses and contacts, dental work and many other health expenditures. For a complete list of eligible purchases, please refer to ASI Flex.

All documents and supporting receipts are due on or before March 31, 2018.

In addition, you may be able to roll over some of your unspent 2017 funds into 2018. Employees can carry over up to $500 into their 2018 Health Care FSA or HRA. The $500 is a combined amount for the FSA and the HRA. This IRS guideline applies to employees not enrolled in a high deductible health care plan.

If you are not sure how much you have left in your FSA or HRA, check your account balance through ASI Flex’s website.

Reminder: Dependent Care Flex Spending Account dollars do not carry over

For more information on the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits division, visit their website on InSite.

Best of the Batch

There’s a delicious County Employees’ Charitable Organization announcement. The 2017 CECO Bake-Off champion is Donatella Aguinaldo! Her fresh mango cheesecake cupcake beat out the competition of other cakes, cookies, cobblers and other confections earlier this month during the annual fundraiser.

Aguinaldo, a Departmental Payroll Specialist with the Department of Animal Services, is an avid baker that likes to whip up both sweet and savory treats in her kitchen. She said her cupcake is a favorite with friends and family.

If you missed the bake sale, no-knead to worry. You can still give to CECO. Here’s how to get involved.

Glam Up Season with ERG Holiday Party

Get red-carpet ready and come celebrate the holidays with your fellow County employees at the annual Employee Resource Group holiday party!

This year’s Hollywood Holidays-themed fete will be on Dec. 16 from 6-11 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in San Diego (8110 Aero Dr., San Diego, 92123) and will include a nod to everyone’s favorite films. Anyone can come to the three-course, plated meal. The night will include entertainment, prizes and, of course, a red carpet. The fun is open to employees, ERG members, families, friends and kids under two are free with a paid guest.

Tickets are $36, but if you snag one before Nov. 30, you’ll get a free raffle ticket. Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $1 each, 10 for $5 or 25 for $10. They’ll win you things like gift cards, baskets of goodies and there are even a few special surprises.

RSVP at Eventbrite, but make sure you purchase your tickets by filling out the bottom of this form and send it with cash or check payable to APACE to Mailstop P-511H Attn: Mary Grace Sadile (APACE). You also have the option of paying via Venmo (@APACE-APACE).

Got more questions? (Yes, wear that sparkly dress or the navy dapper suit.) Email apace@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Shop at AmazonSmile and Support CECO

Donating to charity is as easy as a smile. Simply shop on AmazonSmile and a portion of the sale will go to the County Employee’ Charitable Organization (CECO).

AmazonSmile functions the same as Amazon, but the online retailer donates 0.5 percent of purchases to a charity of your choice. You don’t pay anything extra. So get shopping! Smiles are just an online purchase away!

Using AmazonSmile is easy.

1. Instead of visiting the standard Amazon website, go to smile.amazon.com.

2. Sign in to your Amazon account or create one.

3. If it is your first visit, pick your own charitable organization. Type “San Diego County Employees' Charitable Organization” or “CECO” as your charity.

4. Shop as you normally would! (You will see eligible products marked as “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on product detail pages.)

5. Save the AmazonSmile link as a favorite and always shop from there.

CECO donates all the money it collects to community organizations and employees in need. See recent recipients.

There are several other ways to support CECO throughout the year. Make a biweekly donation via payroll deductions for as little as $2 per pay period. See CECO pledge instructions. Or you could make a one-time donation by contacting your CECO Department Representative or a member of the CECO Executive Committee.

Employee Wellness Softball Tournament Is a Hit

Team Scared Hitless won the 2017 Employee Wellness Intramural Softball Tournament.

Sixteen teams took the field at Sweetwater Lane County Park on Sunday in the first-ever Employee Wellness Intramural Softball Tournament. The day-long event was a sure hit!

Congratulations to team Scared Hitless for clinching the championship. The runner-up was team Center City.

Scared Hitless Team Roster:

1. Cecil Ashley, Protective Services Worker

2. Loriann Carroll, Senior Protective Services Worker

3. Jose Cintron, Protective Services Worker

4. Steven Gachette, Protective Services Worker

5. Rosina Flores, Assessment Clerk

6. Brian Morris, Protective Services Worker

7. Jade Nieto, Protective Services Supervisor, CWS South Region

8. Carlos Olmeda Jr., Program Specialist II

9. Lisa Quadros, Protective Services Worker

10. Richard Pagdilao, Protective Services Worker

11. Lisa Salsbury, Protective Services Worker

12. Chris Soriano, Admin Analyst II

13. Nicole Turner, Protective Services Worker

14. Karlis Thorpe, Protective Services Worker

15. Sergio Vazquez, Human Services Specialist

Miss out on the fun? Don’t worry, you can click through the gallery.

Catch the Employee Softball Tourney This Weekend

Come out to the ballpark to cheer on your co-workers this Sunday at the County’s first-ever Intramural Softball Tournament. Sixteen teams will take the field and go to bat for the championship.

The tournament, which promotes camaraderie, teamwork and fun physical activity, will take place at Sweetwater Lane County Park, 1312 Sweetwater Lane, Spring Valley, CA 91977. Games start at 10:30 a.m. with the championship game taking place at approximately 7:15 p.m.

Join us for what promises to be an exciting, fun-filled day!

6 Reasons Why You Should Get a Flu Shot

So you still haven’t gotten your flu shot! What are you waiting for?

A higher number of flu cases is being reported in San Diego County compared to previous years. And things are likely to get worse during the holidays when more cases are typically reported.

There are many reasons to get vaccinated against influenza. Here are six of them:

1. The flu shot is the best protection against getting sick.

2. The flu is serious and can lead to severe complications, including death.

3. Every year, about 200,000 people end up in the hospital due to the flu, even people who are not at high risk of developing complications.

4. People die from the flu. Last season, 87 San Diegans died from complications due to influenza.

5. Young kids and the elderly are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from the flu. Get them vaccinated, and get yourself vaccinated, too.

6. The flu shot is safe. It can’t make you sick because the virus in the vaccome is inactive or dead.

Get your flu shot now before the virus starts to spread. Getting vaccinated is easy.

Call your medical provider to get a free vaccine. You can also get your flu shot a local retail pharmacy. If you are a Kaiser member, you can get vaccinated Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at KP Care Now, located on the 2nd Floor of the 5530 building in the County Operations Center. 

UPDATED: Help Needed to Count the Homeless

Last year, 515 County employees signed up to count homeless people in San Diego.

Were you one of them? If so, would you join again?

If not, will you help this time around?

The Board of Supervisors is once again encouraging County employees to volunteer and spend a few hours early in the morning to help count homeless people in the region. The annual Point-in-Time Count will take place Friday, Jan. 26, 2018 from 3:45 a.m. to 7 a.m.

The Board believes this is such a worthy cause that County employees who participate will be paid on County time.

The Point-in-Time Count is part of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless’s WeALLCount campaign. The annual count gives a snapshot in time of the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the San Diego region. The numbers help the region apply for federal funding and identify solutions on how to best serve this at-risk population.

Last year, there were 9,116 homeless men, women and children in the San Diego region, the fourth largest homeless population in the nation behind New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Volunteers will work in teams in specific locations and simply tally how many homeless people they see.

If you are interested in participating, review the registration guidelines and FAQs and then obtain approval from your supervisor via the supervisor approval form.

Once completed, you can register for the WeALLCount campaign on the Task Force’s website.

HHSA Employees Keep Food Pantries Well Stocked

Employees of the HHSA North Central Family Resource Center held a bake sale fundraiser to restock their food pantry. The employees all wore burgundy that day in a show of unity and raised nearly $150 to purchase easy-to-open and nutritious items. Most HHSA FRCs have food pantries - stocked entirely by employee contributions - to provide immediate help to homeless customers and those with emergency food needs.

Volunteer for the Warrior Hike on Veterans Day

The County’s got a way for you to give back on Veterans Day.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is looking for some volunteers to help out with this weekend’s Warrior Hike Challenge. They need people to help with check-in and “celebration stations” throughout the trails.

Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing to include layers, as it warms up. They should wear sturdy shoes or boots - no open toed footwear! Remember to wear hats and sunscreen and bring water and snacks. Our VALOR employee resource group will provide some snacks, as well.

Sound like a nice way to spend Veterans Day? Email Cheryl Wegner or call her up at 858-966-1335 for more information, including parking and signing up.