Electronic consent for Form 1095 tax document begins Dec. 6
Faculty and staff can consent to receive their Form 1095 tax document electronically starting Dec. 6. Some tax preparers require a Form 1095 for federal returns, and it is beneficial to retain for personal records. U-M is required to provide copies of the Form 1095 in electronic or hard copy format as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. Form 1095 documents that the university offered 2021 health care benefits to an eligible employee. U-M is required to verify these offers, even if eligible employees did not enroll in health care benefits. If consent was given previously, that consent remains in effect for future years. Employees will receive emails about the dates and process for downloading Form 1095 in January. To consent, go to Wolverine Access > Employee Self Service > Benefits > Form 1095 Consent. Hard copies will be mailed to those who have not consented to electronic delivery. For help, contact the Shared Services Center and use option 1 at 734-615-2000 locally, or 866-647-7657 toll free, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The following are important dates for Form 1095 access:
- Dec. 6-Jan. 4 — Consent for electronic distribution.
- Dec. 31 — Deadline to enter address changes for hard copy mailing. Hard copies will be postmarked by Jan. 31.
- Week of Jan. 24 — Self Service portal for employees who have consented to electronic delivery opens. Employees who have consented will receive an email with instructions.
Leadership messages regarding recent trial verdicts, deaths
President Mark Schlissel and Vice Provost Robert Sellers sent a campuswide message of support on Nov. 24, acknowledging the emotions some may be experiencing after the conviction of three men in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, Kyle Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict, and deaths and injuries at a Wisconsin parade. Read the full message. Schlissel also sent a message to the campus community Dec. 1 on behalf of the leadership team and the Board of Regents offering condolences for the four lives lost and those who were injured in the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School. Read the full message.
UM-Dearborn, UM-Flint set plans for commencement ceremonies
UM-Dearborn graduates will hear an address by internationally renowned alumna, entrepreneur and Huda Beauty CEO Huda Kattan at a series of ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 18 and 19. Fall 2021 commencement ceremonies will include remarks — some of which will be recorded in advance — by the chancellor, provost, dean of the college, a U-M Regent, student speaker and commencement speaker Kattan. Each ceremony, organized by college, will be capped at 175 graduates and will be approximately 90 minutes each. More information. UM-Flint will return to a modified, in-person commencement ceremony for 2020 and 2021 graduates, who are invited to participate in the December 2021 commencement ceremony at the Riverfront Center. Students will participate in a ceremony of the school or college that houses their degree program in one of several ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 17, 18 and 19. For more information, visit umflint.edu/commencement/.
Natural COVID-19 infections protect against gamma and delta variants
Natural infection with COVID-19 offered protection from reinfection when the gamma and delta variants predominated, according to a new University of Michigan study that also provides levels of antibodies needed to protect against reinfections. According to the study, which took place in a community setting in Nicaragua, having infection-induced antibodies provided 69 percent protection against infection and 79 percent protection against moderate or severe illnesses. The study showed that second infections were less severe than first infections. The study has been published as a preprint while it undergoes peer review. Read more about the study.
U-M, city of Flint partner on fiscal reporting pilot program
The lead-in-water crisis in Flint and the bankruptcy in Detroit were separate events that had a common theme: They had been caused in part by fiscal challenges decades in the making. Avoiding or limiting similar problems in the future could be tied to greater transparency in local fiscal reporting, U-M experts say. A pilot project by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, in partnership with the city of Flint, will examine whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism can help create that openness. The project is made possible through a $120,000 grant to U-M from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. This effort with Flint will help modernize and digitize municipal financial reporting in order to better share the information with the public, the state of Michigan and others. More information.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
