President Houston Davis authorized a one-time $200 incentive to UCA staff who have been voluntarily vaccinated against Covid-19 on July 15.
This incentive mirrors the one that has been authorized for state government employees by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas, according to UCA Human Resources.
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education issued follow-up guidance on June 20 following the state-wide incentive, leading UCA to discuss logistics of the new incentive program.
All full-time and part-time employees who were vaccinated voluntarily are eligible for the incentive.
The $200 incentive is taxable but is not available to student workers or graduate assistants.
According to UCA Human Resources, to receive the vaccine incentive, employees must provide proof of having received at least one dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine: Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
Submissions, including proof of vaccination, are being collected by UCA’s wellness coordinator and will remain confidential in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA, ADA, and EEOC guidelines, according to UCA’s wellness coordinator, Moriah Bruner.
“The university will not be creating a database to monitor vaccination status of faculty and staff. Information submitted by employees to request the vaccine incentive will only be used to award the incentive,” Bruner said. “Aggregated and de-identified data, such as the number of submissions received, will be shared with various internal and external stakeholders to report on progress with this initiative.”
“UCA’s pandemic planning and response team estimates that 900 employees, 60% of the University’s workforce, will submit documentation to receive the incentive,” Bruner said. “The estimated cost of the vaccine incentive is $180,000.”
“There are two sources of funding for this incentive program,” Bruner said. “The source of funding for incentives paid to benefits-eligible employees that are enrolled in UCA’s health insurance is UCA’s health plan fund. The source of funding for incentives paid to employees that are not benefits-eligible, or who have waived insurance coverage, is Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF).”
Bruner stated that the majority of funding comes from the health plan for this initiative because most employees have health insurance through UCA.
“We encourage all members of our campus community to be vaccinated,” Bruner said. “Students have received financial support during the pandemic via American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.”
UCA is anticipating in-person classes to return in the upcoming weeks, despite the recent increase in cases across central Arkansas.
“Vaccination is the pathway to a healthy campus community and a full and robust campus experience,” Bruner said. “Vaccinations continue to remain our focus for preparing campus for a successful fall semester.”
Although UCA staff are eligible for vaccination incentives like the one mentioned, students cannot receive any incentives regarding vaccination thus far.
“Currently, there are no plans to offer students a vaccine incentive,” Bruner said.
According to USAfacts.org, only 35.95% of Arkansas’s population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The CDC has issued new mask guidance for students and teachers regarding the upcoming fall semester.