Furlough repayments

December 16, 2022

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

I hope this message finds you well as we near the end of the semester. Your efforts throughout these past several months have been greatly appreciated. Your work has helped further our institutional mission in every way. Every moment has mattered this semester, and your contributions have made a profound difference in the lives of our students, our faculty and our staff.

I have good news to share with you. Earlier this week, the Nevada State Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee approved Gov. Steve Sisolak’s request that employees who participated in state-mandated furloughs from December 2020 through May 2021 be repaid these funds. The furloughs amounted to a 4.6 percent reduction in compensation for the employees who were part of the furloughs during this time period.

The furloughs came at a challenging time as Nevada and the rest of the nation faced the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The furloughs implemented during this challenging period helped the state of Nevada navigate a time of unknowns and uncertainties in order to steady the state’s budget. It was a great sacrifice that the people of our University made. I remain extremely grateful for the sacrifices that you made, and I am proud of the fact that we did our part for the common good of our state.

Now that the Interim Finance Committee has approved Gov. Sisolak’s furlough repayment request, here is how the repayment will work:

• NSHE employees who were active on Nov. 29, 2022 and contributed furlough while in NSHE employment during December 2020-May 2021 will receive a furlough repayment of the actual amounts withheld;
• The furlough repayment will be a separate check issued on Dec. 23, 2022 with Medicare tax and Federal Income tax withheld;
• For those who receive payments on Dec. 23, the payment is in the 2022 tax year and will be reflected on the 2022 W-2;
• The 2020-2021 furlough reduction did not impact retirement (or fringe amounts), so the repayment will not impact retirement (or include fringe);
• Employees who were active with NSHE on Nov. 29, 2022 and contributed furlough while employed by another state agency are being identified and will receive furlough repayment based on amounts provided to us by the state agency;
• The payment date for these employees will be determined by the timing of when the furlough data is received from the state;
• Classified hourly employees will be paid based on the records of scheduling adjustments due to furlough, and those payments will occur as soon as possible;
• Employees who retired, or whose employment was terminated before Nov. 29, 2022, or are contingent workers, will not receive a furlough repayment;
• Schedules were reduced for temporary hourly and hourly letters of appointment (LOA), so these employees are not eligible for Furlough Repayment;
• Students, Graduate Assistants, Post-Doctoral students, Medical Residents, Letter of Appointment Hourly employees, Temporary Hourly employees and employees hired after May 2021 with no prior State of Nevada or NSHE service are not eligible for the furlough repayments;
• If you do not receive a furlough repayment and believe you should have, contact Human Resources.

I wish to thank Gov. Steve Sisolak, the members of the Interim Finance Committee, Acting Chancellor Dale Erquiaga and the Board of Regents for their instrumental work and collaboration in making this welcome news happen. Here is the message from Acting Chancellor Erquiaga regarding the repayment [External PDF].

In thinking back to that time, it was without question the most challenging moment we have ever experienced at our University. In facing the pandemic, we did so together. The faculty, staff and students of our University made tremendous sacrifices in an effort to help Nevada and the people of our great state. I am pleased that the State of Nevada, with this news, recognizes the financial sacrifices that were made, and truly, what a special group of people we have at our University.

Thank you again for all that you have done, and continue to do, on behalf of the University.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President