Welcome to February’s UCPath Monthly Newsletter, UCPath Connection. Formerly Walking the UCPath: Tips and Topics, this newsletter has been expanded into a comprehensive monthly publication. 

Office Hours

UCPath holds office hours every other Wednesday at 1:00pm via Zoom. Be sure to subscribe to the office hours calendar by clicking here. The next office hours are 2/12/2025. Office hours are open to all, with breakout rooms available for discussing sensitive information in a confidential setting. Join by clicking here.

DCP & 2025 FICA Adjustment Schedule

In July 2024, UCPath Center informed locations of a system error that resulted in missed deductions of federally mandated payroll taxes when employees made the transition from student to non-student employment. UCPath Center has completed adjustments in October and November 2024 for employees who had Social Security and Medicare impacts for years 2021 through 2024. This has been communicated to the impacted employees. Adjustments for the remaining periods (2022 and 2023 for Social Security and Medicare, and 2021 through 2024 for Medicare-only) will be processed according to the Adjustments Processing Schedule.

Enhancements to UCPath Phone Virtual Assistant 

On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, UCPath enhanced its customer phone support with Conversational AI to improve efficiency and provide a smoother experience.

What’s Changing:

  • Streamlined Access to Help – A simplified process allows employees to get quick answers to common questions without authentication, improving access for general inquiries
  • Friendlier Assistance – The virtual assistant now offers alternating greetings and a more welcoming tone while assisting with tasks like paycheck inquiries and leave balance reviews
  • Faster Problem-Solving – Improved guidance helps callers resolve issues quickly, with seamless escalation to a team member when needed
  • Smarter Call Routing – More efficient call direction for specific issues (e.g., overpayment, former employee access, benefit billing), reducing wait times and enhancing accuracy

Resources:

Coming Mid-2025: UCPath Training Redesign

We're improving the way we deliver UCPath training. Starting in mid-2025, UCPath training will transition from instructor-led sessions to a self-paced format, giving you the flexibility to learn when it works best for you and your new hires. 

This updated approach ensures you can access training at your own pace, revisit key topics as needed, and gain the knowledge necessary to navigate UCPath efficiently—all without the constraints of scheduled sessions.

More details will be shared as we get closer to launch. We look forward to providing a more convenient and accessible training experience.

This redesign will also include a new knowledge base in service now for UCPath, making your UCPath Job Aids and artifacts all in one searchable repository.

Now Live: Expansion of Paid Sick Leave

UC has now expanded access to paid sick leave for staff and academic personnel in alignment with the new system-wide policies APM-710 and PPSM 2.210 as of January 1, 2025.

Policy Changes

The University of California’s leave policies for staff and academic personnel have been revised to: 

  • Expand eligibility for paid sick leave to include part-time employees
  • Expand the reasons for which employees may use paid sick leave
  • Provide “protection” for use up to 6 days (prorated by appointment) of paid sick leave for a qualifying reason
  • Extend reinstatement period for re-employment after separation

UCPath July Release

July 2025 will mark the launch of two projects in the UCPath system: Improve Self-Service and the Annual UCPath Upgrade. 

The Improve Self-Service project aims to improve the user experience for both Employee and Manager Self-Service portals in UCPath by leveraging new Fluid functionality. Features of this project include a mobile-friendly layout, accessibility improvements, and modernized benefits enrollment.

The Annual UCPath Upgrade will update the UCPath system from PUM 47 to the latest Oracle  PeopleSoft HCM software, PUM 49.

 

UCPath Monthly Connection Newsletter Schedule: The next newsletter will be sent on 3/11/2025.