University Times

The Staff Association Council (SAC) has established a new committee and modified an existing one.

The new research and information committee will be responsible for fact-finding and pertinent data accumulation for use by SAC officers and representatives on University committees in their proposals and presentations.

SAC’s internal communications committee has been renamed the communications and marketing committee. This committee will support the efforts of the vice president for communications in marketing SAC to Pitt staff, as well as promoting an overall consistency in SAC publications and press releases. Ann Ostroski was named chair of the committee.

In other SAC developments: • The fall assembly is set for Oct. 28, with former pharmacy dean Randy Juhl, Pitt vice chancellor for research conduct and compliance, as the speaker. Juhl is expected to address the rising cost of prescription drugs and provide insight into the differences among prescription, generic and over-the-counter drugs. The time and location of the assembly will be announced at a later date.

SAC President Rich Colwell noted that the assembly subject is timely in light of recent rulings by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding the eligibility of over-the-counter drugs for flexible spending accounts. The IRS announced Sept. 3 that over-the-counter drugs can be paid for with pre-tax dollars through health care flexible spending accounts. (See Sept. 11 University Times.)

Colwell urged all Pitt flexible spending account participants to begin saving their over-the-counter drug receipts in anticipation of pre-tax eligibility, which is being evaluated by Pitt’s benefits office. “Hopefully, in the very near future you will be able to deduct over-the-counter drugs from your flexible spending account,” he reported to SAC. “Following the IRS announcement, [Pitt’s benefits team] began to immediately work with the service provider that manages the flexible spending plan for the University. The details are being worked out. An announcement and procedures will be forthcoming hopefully in the next couple of weeks.”

• Colwell is soliciting complaints from staff on the current UPMC Health Plan options. “I am in the process of putting together examples of problems to bring to the attention of our health care provider,” he said. Colwell added that being aware of staff complaints would aid in future health plan contract negotiations.Colwell’s e-mail address is: rrc2@engr.pitt.edu

• SAC is a sponsor of this year’s American Heart Walk, scheduled for Oct. 4. Registration is at 9 a.m., and the Heart Walk is set for 10 a.m. – noon, beginning at Heinz Field. For more information, contact Mary Beth Mengel, SAC secretary, at 412/624-4236.

• The next issue of SAC Tracks newsletter is due out in mid-November.

• Colwell reported that 1,984 tickets were sold for the Aug. 3 Pitt Kennywood Day.

—Peter Hart