Frequently Asked Questions

Employees are required to complete training on a regular basis. Some courses must be completed on an annual basis, while others are every two, three, or four years. CSU Learn will track your completions and begin notifying you 60 days in advance of your due date.

Most trainings have a rolling due date, meaning their due date is based on your last completion. For example, courses due annually will be have a due date exactly 365 days after your previous completion. When your due date is approaching, CSU Learn will notify you that your training will be expiring soon, as in "your period of being in compliance will be expiring." If a training becomes expired, employees will be able to access training but they will be considered out of compliance as they were outside the time frame window. In this instance, employees should complete the training as soon as possible.

New employees usually gain access 24-48 hours after their start date and will be notified via email of new training assignments once they have access. This process is automatic and occurs nightly. Please email ssutraining@sonoma.edu if more than 72 hours lapsed and you are unable to access CSU Learn.

Generally, yes. These courses are designed to meet not only legal requirements, but requirements set forth in Executive Orders and include CSU specific information. Because of this, completions from other institutions and organizations generally can not be transferred.

The only exception to this is if the training was completed at another CSU campus. In that instance, depending on courses completed and the dates you completed them, Sonoma State may be able transfer credit. To see if your completions can be applied to your Sonoma State record, please email a copy of your training transcript from the other campus to ssutraining@sonoma.edu.

No, training is only required of active Sonoma State employees. Access to CSU Learn is dependent on an active employment status and users will therefore loose access and notifications will end once your status changes to "Inactive."

If you are no longer working for the university but are still receiving email notifications regarding training, Learning and Development recommends reaching out to either hr@sonoma.edu for staff, or facultyaffairs@sonoma.edu for faculty, to confirm your employment status has been updated to "inactive" and then to ssutraining@sonoma.edu if additional assistance is required.
 

There are several ways to confirm if a completion has been recorded properly. Employees will receive a Completion Confirmation notification email when they have successfully completed a training, the training will be removed from the "Assigned Learning" tab and will be noted on an employee's training transcript.

If you believe you've completed a training but none of the above has happened, reopen the training to confirm that you have met the time requirement (if there is one) and that you have properly closed the training. Contact ssutraining@sonoma.edu if doing so does not resolve the issue.

Some trainings require the user to register before starting the training. Please click the word “Register”- the START button will become visible after you register.

• Log into PeopleSoft using your LDAP login and password.
• In the Menu bar, click on Self Service.
• Select Time Reporting
• Select Report Time
• Select Report and View Absence
• Select the Absence Name from the drop down menu
• Select the Begin and End Dates
• To enter Partial Days, select Partial Hours from the drop down and enter the appropriate hours in the “Hours Per Day” field.
• Click on “Calculate Duration” and validate that the number of hours are correct.
• Review the information carefully and click on the “Submit” button.
• Click “OK” on the confirmation page

Please see Employee Absence Entry Quick Reference Guide (pdf)

Business Process Guide for Employee Self Service in Absence Management (pdf)

You have the ability to access and maintain your personal information, eliminate forms, and expedite changes at any time through SSU Online Services. In order to update/change the following information, log in to MySSU and make the changes yourself:

• Address – Home and Mailing
• Phone Numbers
• Emergency Contact Information

For Name Changes, you must email Employment Services to request the Employee Action Request form.  You will also need to schedule a meeting to show an original, non-laminated Social Security Card with your new legal name.

If you do not have regular access to a computer, you may still make personal information changes by going in person to Employment Services.

Direct Deposit means that your funds are deposited to your bank account as soon as the funds are released from the State Controller’s Office.  For hourly employees please see the Student Employee, Intermittent/Hourly, & Special Consultant Payroll Calendar.  Direct Deposit posting dates for Salaried employees are available on the State Controller's Website for Direct Deposit posting dates.

The SCO has permanently suspended the printing of direct deposit advice statements. Employees with direct deposit are encouraged to retrieve their earnings statements by visiting the State Controller’s Office site for CSU employees: Cal Employee Connect.

To re-designate your account and/or financial institution, log in to your account with Cal Employee Connect, select Employee Services from the top navigation bar and follow instructions within the application. Do not close your old account until your first payment is deposited into your newly designated account and/or financial institution. Contact the Payroll and Benefits Office with any questions.

Most Primary Care Physicians will honor a copy of your enrollment form that is mailed to your home address after the Benefits Office has processed your enrollment. If your provider will not see you until you receive your I. D. card, contact the Benefits Office. We will contact your provider to determine additional options.

CalPERS is a defined benefit program unlike a 401(k), 457 or 403(b), defined contribution accounts. Therefore, you are unable to roll these funds into CalPERS. However, CSU does provide several investment options under the defined contribution program. These accounts or employee funded accounts only. There is no employer contribution to the defined contribution plans. Other rollover options may apply. Contact CalPERS directly for specific details.

The CSU contributes an amount that is determined each fiscal year based on the CalPERS valuation process.

You can enroll within 60 days of your eligible appointment, or qualifying family status life event, and during our annual open enrollment period (normally the month of September). The effective date of when your coverage can begin is based on the date your sign your enrollment authorizations and submit these documents to Payroll and Benefits.

If you were covered by another group policy by your former employer, you may be eligible to continue under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), a federal law that allows for continuation of group health coverage. This coverage will cost you at least 102% of the group premium. You will need to contact your former employer for additional information.

You may consider an individual policy offered by several health insurance programs. Check the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s (CalPERS) web site for information regarding the health plan options. You will need to contact the health plans directly to determine provisions and available benefits. However, these programs may have pre-existing conditions and increased co-payments. (Covered services will vary from Plan to Plan.)

Currently, your spouse, your domestic partner, your natural-born children, adopted children, stepchildren, and economically dependent children who reside with you in a parent-child relationship and who are under the age of 26. Eligible dependent children do not have to maintain student status.

You must provide dependent social security numbers and a copy of your marriage certificate. If you are enrolling an economically dependent child (a child who is not your natural-born child) who resides with you in a parent child relationship, you must provide a copy of the court order or sign an Affidavit of Eligibility. A birth certificate is also required for adding any dependent children.

You may cover your overage disabled dependent who has never married and is incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical condition that existed prior to age 26 on your initial enrollment subject to approval by CalPERS. A Member Questionnaire for the CalPERS Disabled Dependent Benefit form and a Medical Report for the CalPERS Disabled Dependent Benefit form must be approved by CalPERS prior to enrollment.

HMS securely destroyed the documents received during the DEV project to protect the privacy of you and your family members.

If your child's 26th birth date coincides with your re-verification cycle, CalPERS will administratively remove your child from health benefits on the birth date.  Your benefit office will remove your child from dental benefits, if enrolled. 

The DRV is separate from the process to recertify a PCR dependent or a disabled child age 26 and over. Follow the instructions on these notices to recertify these dependents.

You should provide copies of the documents and write "Not for Official Use" on them.

Yes. Only courses in regular academic programs may be taken under the tuition waiver program. Tuition waiver is not applicable to courses offered through Extended Education. Tuition Waiver for Summer Session is available only at certain CSU campuses. It is the student's responsibility to verify with the other campus whether a course or program of study qualifies. It is recommended to submit an application to ensure eligibility is considered. Auditing a course is not permitted.

The Education Code and Collective Bargaining Agreements forbid waiving or reducing certain fees for non-employees.

All CSU Bargaining Units need to obtain the Appropriate Administrator and Dean or Department Head signatures except for CSUEU Units 2, 5, 7 & 9, for which only the Appropriate Administrator’s signature is required.

No, release time is granted at the supervisor’s discretion.

If release time is not granted, an adjusted work schedule may be authorized. An adjusted work schedule is a temporary schedule that allows the employee to take classes during normal work hours by making up class time. The supervisor approved adjusted work schedule must be attached to the Tuition Waiver Application form.

Forms are available on the Sonoma State University Payroll & Benefits Forms. For easy access to a particular form, click on the link for that form where you find it mentioned in this FAQ.