FAQs: Hoos Well Portal and Rewards

There are 10 ways to earn rewards, up to $500 each per participant. For details, view the rewards chart on our Earn Rewards webpage.

Once you log on to your portal, hover on the Home icon and click Statement to display your balance.

You can complete as many reward-eligible activities as you choose. If all or part of an activity's reward will cause you to exceed $500 in rewards, you will automatically receive only the amount that will bring you up to the $500 maximum. For example, if you have earned $475 in rewards and then complete a Well Check, you will automatically receive $25, rather than the normal $100 reward.

Please contact Virgin Pulse Member Services, available weekdays by phone at 833.724.8638 between 8 am – 9 pm ET, by chat between 2 am – 9 pm ET, or e-mail at support@virginpulse.com.

Incentives will be directly deposited into the health plan subscriber paycheck after each quarterly rewards period. Please allow approximately one month for rewards to be processed after the close of each quarter. For example, rewards earned by March 31, 2024 will be paid to the subscriber by late April or early May.

To be compliant with federal regulations, earned rewards are considered taxable income. Taxes will be deducted from the reward that you and/ or your eligible spouse have earned at the time of payout. As a reminder, please be sure to complete your reward eligible activities by November 30, 2024.

All applicable taxes will be withheld from the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan subscriber's paycheck. This includes federal and state withholdings and the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, which is comprised of Social Security and Medicare.

No. All rewards earned during the 2024 program year will be deposited into the subscriber’s paycheck.

No. Your spouse must be enrolled in the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan at the time of payout. If they are no longer enrolled in a qualifying health plan, they will be ineligible for Hoos Well rewards.

You must be actively employed, enrolled in a qualifying health plan, and receiving a paycheck at the time of payout. If you do not meet these criteria, you are ineligible to receive incentives. Retirees, COBRA enrollees, and grant-funded postdoctoral fellows are unable to earn rewards.

Yes. Non 12-month faculty will receive second quarter rewards during the payout period, even though you are not receiving an active paycheck. Second quarter rewards are generally paid into the Health Plan subscriber's paycheck in late July or early August. 

At this time, putting money towards your Health Savings Account is not available.

For optimal user experience, Android 6.0 or better and iOS 13.0+ on an iPhone 6s or newer device, is recommended. To download the latest version of the Virgin Pulse App for free, please go to either:

• Google Play Store
• App Store [Apple]

• Google Chrome (preferred for optimal performance)
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox

Connecting a fitness tracker via a device or app can be completed in three simple steps:

1. Select “Devices & Apps” from the menu that appears when you hover over your profile picture in the upper right of your screen.
2. Choose the device you’d like to connect. Note: For complete functionality and an optimized user experience, the Virgin Pulse App must be downloaded to your smartphone. Recommendations for connecting a device or application may also be generated based upon your preferences, modes and frequency of physical activity.
3. Once you’ve identified your device or app, click on it, and follow the device-specific instructions that appear on your screen.

To reset your password, click the "Forgot password?" link on your login page and enter the email address you used during registration. If you do not receive a reset link to your inbox, be sure to check your spam folder. If you are still having issues resetting your password, please contact Virgin Pulse at Support@VirginPulse.com or 833.724.8638. Phone support is available weekdays 8 am – 9 pm ET. 

A Next-Steps Consult is a concierge-like service is a one-time conversation with a Health Guide provided by Virgin Pulse. Health Guides help you understand the results of your health assessment and navigate the resources available through Hoos Well during a 15-minute telephone conversation. Your Health Guide can also connect you with a certified health coach to assist with goal setting and provide long-term support.

A live health coach can help you formulate a plan to improve your personal health and well-being. All eligible employees and their spouses will have the opportunity to work with a certified health coach. Unlike a Next-Steps Consult, coaching is an ongoing relationship whereby the dedicated coach is supporting your pursuit of a personal well-being goal. 

Employees are encouraged to schedule a Next-Steps Consult. Next-Steps Consults, a concierge-like service, are one-time conversations with a Health Guide provided by Virgin Pulse. Health Guides help you understand the results of your health assessment and navigate the resources available through Hoos Well. There is no goal setting or long-term support, however, your guide can connect you with a live Health Coach who is able to help you formulate a plan and execute measures to improve your personal health and well-being.

All eligible employees and their spouses will have the opportunity to work with a certified Health Coach. Unlike a Next-Steps Consult, coaching is an ongoing relationship in which a dedicated coach supports your pursuit of a personal well-being goal. 

The Triple Tracker is a feature in the portal that enables members to engage in and track healthy behaviors. Eligible employees and spouses can participate in the Triple Tracker activity beginning each month and earn $25 by completing 15 minutes of physical activity or 15 “workout” minutes, or by logging 7,000 steps for 20 days throughout the calendar month. Participation in the monthly Triple Tracker activity begins on February 1, 2024 and concludes November 30, 2024.

The Healthy Habits feature facilitates the adoption of healthy behaviors through customized activities generated by your responses to the Health Assessment and interests you have selected. Report Healthy Habits for 20 days over a period of one calendar month to earn a reward.

The Virgin Pulse Nutrition Guide is a comprehensive tool within the portal that offers practical guidance, nutrition improvement tips, evidence-based sample nutrition programs, and healthy recipes.

The Virgin Pulse Sleep Guide helps you improve sleep and establish sleep goals. You can track and monitor sleep metrics, including quality and duration.

Yes. You can invite up to 10 non- Health Plan family members or friends to participate. Though invited participants can enjoy many of the portal’s features, they are ineligible to earn rewards.

All UVA employees and spouses on the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan are eligible to earn $500 each for completing actions toward good health. You must be enrolled in the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Plan as a subscriber or spouse and actively earning a paycheck at the time of payout. All rewards will be paid quarterly into the Health Plan subscriber’s paycheck. All rewards are considered taxable income. Retirees, grant funded post-doctoral fellows, COBRA enrollees, and child dependents are not eligible for rewards.

Employees must have elected their benefits, and be enrolled in the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan to be eligible to earn Hoos Well rewards. If you are a new employee, or have recently elected Health Plan coverage and benefits, it can take 30 days from the date you submit your health benefits election for your information to be recognized in the portal. Contact Hoos Well at hooswell@virginia.edu or AskHR at 434.243.3344 if you have questions about your eligibility or benefits enrollment.

If you created a new account in any of the last 3 years (2021 - 2023), you will not need to re-register in order to participate in 2024. You will need to create a new account if you did not register in 2021, 2022 or 2023.

Your spouse will need an individual account in order to participate in activities and earn up to $500. If your spouse created a new account in any of the last 3 years (2021 - 2023), they will not need to re-register in order to participate in 2024. Your spouse will need to create a new account if they did not register in 2021, 2022 or 2023.

In an effort to protect your privacy and offer a secure tracking portal, you will only be able to see your own personal information and progress in the portal. In order to participate, your spouse must create an account and sign in separately from your account. Our system will recognize him/her as your spouse when they submit their details. Encourage your spouse to participate to earn additional rewards if they are eligible!

All rewards earned by the spouse on the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan is taxable income and will be deposited into the Health Plan subscriber’s paycheck (See more details under the "Receiving rewards in your paycheck" section on this page.)

Hoos Well is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Information collected and housed on the Hoos Well portal is in compliance with federal rules for employer-sponsored wellness programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others. Any information shared with Virgin Pulse will not be disclosed, except in accordance with federal regulations. 

See UVA HR's 2024 Notice Concerning Employee Well-Being Program and the Virgin Pulse Privacy Notice for details.

Participation in any Hoos Well initiative is completely voluntary. You may choose to participate in any activities in which you’re interested. For more information, please read the 2024 Notice Concerning UVA's Employee Well-Being Program.

All information is subject to validation and audit from Virgin Pulse and/or the UVA Hoos Well Program.

We understand that you may have recently had a well check or have a regular time period in which you visit your Primary Care Provider for a yearly physical exam. We will accept any visit between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024. 

A well check or exam (sometimes called a check-up), is a preventative measure ensuring you get your key health numbers measured. It is also a time for communication with your physician. Some examples include a general physical exam, a women’s well exam, and an OB/GYN visit.

Check with your Health Plan Administrator (Aetna or Anthem) to identify in-network providers near you. Please be aware that if you establish care with a new physician, you may incur a fee.

Both the UVA Health Plan and the UPG Anthem Health Plan cover in full one annual preventive well check or general physical exam at 100%. Any discussion of symptoms, procedures performed during the visit, or any follow-up visits will be paid according to the copay and cost-sharing provisions of your particular plan. To ensure that you are not billed for a medical office visit, please schedule your appointment as a preventive “annual physical” or “wellness check.” Please be aware that if you establish care with a new physician, you may incur a fee.

Like all other Hoos Well activities, completing the Health Assessment is completely voluntary. However, information you provide helps suggest recommended Journeys and other activities unique to you and your health needs and interests. The more information you submit, the more accurate and personalized your health recommendations and portal information will become. Use the portal to track your health information, learn about resources available to you, select meaningful goals, and engage in your well-being in a deeper way.

The Health Assessment can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes, depending on the pace with which you choose to answer the questions.

If you are unable to access your measurements through a patient portal, you can still complete the Health Assessment by advancing the survey to the next page. Keep in mind that your final report upon completion will not include the missing measurements.

Please refer to the section on this page entitled "Your Health Information and Privacy."

Once you start the Health Assessment, you can save and come back to it when you are ready to complete it to earn your reward.

Though the Health Assessment does not allow for updates to individual questions, it will allow you to retake the entire assessment and generate a new report. You will only be rewarded for the initial completion of the assessment.

You can print your current Health Assessment as a PDF with a synopsis of your answers. Please be aware that any Health Assessment information completed with previous vendors, including RedBrick Health, will not transfer into the Virgin Pulse platform.

Upon completion of the Health Assessment and/or personal profile, health activities unique to your interests and health goals will show in your portal based on your answers.

A Journey® is a way to make small changes and help you reach your specific goals, unique to you and your needs or interests. There are 40+ Journeys available with a specific focus on topics such as nutrition, physical activity, financial well-being, emotional well-being, and remote work.

Each Journey is worth $25.00. You can complete as many Journeys as you would like, but you can only earn rewards for up to 10.

Each Journey is different. It can take anywhere from 10 – 28 days, depending on the nature of the Journey and how active you are on the portal.

Typically, each stage can be completed within approximately 4-5 steps.

You’ll have the ability to adjust your notification settings within the portal by scrolling down to “Email preferences” under “My profile.”

In 2024, there are three reward-eligible challenges:

1. the 20-Day Triple Tracker physical activity challenge (monthly)
2. the 1% Challenge in the eM Life mindfulness website and app (early fall 2024)

The Triple Tracker is a feature in the portal that enables members to engage in and track healthy behaviors. Eligible employees and spouses can participate in the Triple Tracker activity beginning each month and earn $25 by completing 15 minutes of physical activity or 15 “workout” minutes, or by logging 7,000 steps for 20 days throughout the calendar month. Participation in the monthly Triple Tracker activity begins on February 1, 2024 and concludes November 30, 2024.

Simply practice mindfulness for 1% of the day - just 14 minutes - for 30 days to learn how to meditate, build healthy habits, and rewire your brain for better focus, mood, and resilience. This year's 1% Challenge, offered by our mindfulness partner eM Life, will begin in September 2024.

Participation is simple, quick, accessible, and open to UVA employees and spouses on the UVA or UPG Health Plan. UVA participants in the 1% Challenge have reported a 21% reduction in their perceived stress.

Please note: eM Life offers a 1% Challenge each January that is open to everyone, with separate rewards provided through eM Life. UVA's 1% Challenge that is eligible for a $50 Hoos Well reward will begin in September 2024. Stay tuned to our eM Life webpage for more information. 

Yes! You can participate in both at the same time. The choice is yours – pick what is most meaningful to you!

In 2024, participants in the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan can earn $25 in rewards for participating in up to four Hoos Well-sponsored webinars. While you are encouraged to participate in all webinars that are of interest, you may claim a reward for one per quarter. 

After participating fully in the webinar, record your attendance in the Hoos Well portal to receive your reward.

Hoos Well partners with UVA’s Faculty and Employee Assistance Program (FEAP) to offer hour-long educational webinars that support your emotional well-being and help you learn how to manage stress, cope with life challenges, and thrive. A different topic is offered each month. More than 7,000 UVA employees have participated in our emotional well-being webinars, and their average rating satisfaction was 94%.

Browse upcoming reward-eligible webinars by clicking “Hoos Well Reward Eligible” under “Filter By" on the FEAP events page. Click on a webinar’s tile to view the description, learning objectives, presenter’s bio, and registration links.

Hoos Well partners with UVA vendors TIAA, Fidelity, and Virginia529 to offer live, financial well-being webinars to improve your “Financial Fitness.” You can choose from a quarterly rotation of topics that includes spending, saving, investing, and retiring.

Financial well-being webinars are offered between February - November 2024. 

In collaboration with multiple partners, including IM-Rec, UVA Work-Med, UVA Nutrition Counseling Center, and Virgin Pulse, Hoos Well offers webinars to support your physical well-being, by furnishing evidence-based recommendations to engender healthy eating and physical activity habits. Enrollees in the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan can earn $25 in rewards for participating live in up to 4 of these educational webinars each year.

Watching recordings of previous webinars is NOT eligible for Hoos Well rewards. Webinars are reward-eligible when you attend at the time the event is held.

Only Hoos Well-sponsored webinars are eligible for rewards.

To record your participation in a reward-eligible webinar, log into your Hoos Well portal. Click on the “Benefits” tab in the top toolbar. Scroll to the Hoos Well Webinars tile (or type Hoos Well Webinars in the search bar) and click on “Start Now.” Complete the fields in the self-attest box (webinar title, webinar type, and webinar date). Check the self-attest box and submit.

For questions about emotional well-being webinars, email EmotionalWellbeing@virginia.edu

For questions about financial and physical well-being webinars, email HoosWell@virginia.edu. 

In 2024, employees and spouses enrolled on the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan can earn a $25 reward for getting your annual flu vaccine—a simple way to reduce the risk of flu-associated illness, doctor’s visits and hospitalization. Receive your flu vaccination between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024. Record the date and location of your vaccination in the Hoos Well portal to receive the reward.

There are many other ways to earn rewards in the Hoos Well portal. Choosing not to get a flu vaccine will not impact your ability to earn up to $500 in rewards by participating in the other healthy activities listed above.