UBA’s compliance team leverages the collective expertise of its independent partner firms to advise 36,000 employers and their 5 million employees. Lately, a common question from employers is: If a health and welfare benefit plan has fewer than 100 participants, then does it need to file a Form 5500?
If a plan is self-funded and uses a trust, then it is required to file a Form 5500, no matter how many participants it has.
Whether the plan must file a Form 5500 depends on whether or not the plan is “unfunded” (where the money comes from to pay for the self-funded claims).
Currently, group welfare plans generally must file Form 5500 if:
The plan is fully insured and had 100 or more participants on the first day of the plan year (dependents are not considered “participants” for this purpose unless they are covered because of a qualified medical child support order).
The plan is self-funded and it uses a trust, no matter how many participants it has.
The plan is self-funded and it relies on the Section 125 plan exemption, if it had 100 or more participants on the first day of the plan year.
There are several exemptions to Form 5500 filing. The most notable are:
Church plans defined under ERISA Section 3(33)
Governmental plans, including tribal governmental plans
Top hat plans which are unfunded or insured and benefit only a select group of management or highly compensated employees
Small insured or unfunded welfare plans. A welfare plan with fewer than 100 participants at the beginning of the plan year is not required to file an annual report if the plan is fully insured, entirely unfunded, or a combination of both.
A plan is considered unfunded if the employer pays the entire cost of the plan from its general accounts. A plan with a trust is considered funded.
For smaller groups that are self-funded or partially self-funded, you’d need to ask them whether the plan is funded or unfunded.
If the employer pays the cost of the plan from general assets, then it is considered unfunded and essentially there is no trust. If the employer pays the cost of the plan from a specific account (in which plan participant contributions are segregated from general assets), then the plan is considered funded. For example, under ERISA, pre-tax salary reductions under a cafeteria plan are participant contributions and are considered plan assets which must generally be held in trust based on ERISA’s exclusive benefit rule and other fiduciary duty rules.
By Danielle Capilla
Originally Posted By www.ubabenefits.com
It’s not surprising that 2017 stands to be the year many will have an experience to share using a Telemedicine or a Virtual Doctor service. With current market trends, government regulations, and changing economic demands, it’s fast becoming a more popular alternative to traditional healthcare visits. And, as healthcare costs continue to rise and there are more strategic pricing options and digital models available to users, the appeal for consumers, self-funded employers, health systems and health plans to jump on board is significant.
Check out this short video and contact us to learn more!
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) requires employers to offer covered employees who lose their health benefits due to a qualifying event to continue group health benefits for a limited time at the employee’s own cost. The length of the COBRA coverage period depends on the qualifying event and is usually 18 or 36 months. However, the COBRA coverage period may be extended under the following five circumstances:
Multiple Qualifying Events
Disability
Extended Notice Rule
Pre-Termination or Pre-Reduction Medicare Entitlement
Employer Extension; Employer Bankruptcy
In this blog, we’ll examine the first circumstance above. For a detailed discussion of all the circumstances, request UBA’s Compliance Advisor, “Extension of Maximum COBRA Coverage Period”.
When determining the coverage period under multiple qualifying events, the maximum coverage period for a loss of coverage due to a termination of employment and reduction of hours is 18 months. The maximum coverage period may be extended to 36 months if a second qualifying event or multiple qualifying events occur within the initial 18 months of COBRA coverage from the first qualifying event. The coverage period runs from the start of the original 18-month coverage period.
The first qualifying event must be termination of employment or reduction of hours, but the second qualifying cannot be termination of employment, reduction of hours, or bankruptcy. In order to qualify for the extension, the second qualifying event must be the covered employee’s death, divorce, or child ceasing to be a dependent. In addition, the extension is only available if the second qualifying event would have caused a loss of coverage for the qualified beneficiary if it occurred first.
The extended 36-month period is only for spouses and dependent children. In order to qualify for extended coverage, a qualified beneficiary must have elected COBRA during the first qualifying event and must have been receiving COBRA coverage at the time of the second event. The qualified beneficiary must notify the plan administrator of the second qualifying event within 60 days after the event. Example: Jim was terminated on June 3, 2017. Then, he got divorced on July 6, 2017. Jim was eligible for COBRA continuation coverage for 18 months after his termination of employment (the first qualifying event). However, his divorce (the second qualifying event) extended his COBRA continuation coverage to 36 months because it occurred within the initial 18 months of COBRA coverage from his termination (the first qualifying event). The health plan should indicate when the coverage period begins. The plan may provide that that the plan administrator be notified when plan coverage is lost as opposed to when the qualifying event occurs. In that case, the 36-month coverage period would begin on the date coverage was lost.
By Danielle Capilla
Originally Posted By www.ubabenefits.com
When we hear something’s magnetic, it’s likely the first thought that comes to mind is attraction. By definition, a magnetic force is the attraction or repulsion that arises between electrically charged particles because of their motion. What perfect framing for an organization – the desire to attract (or repel) people to help advance your organization. With this framing comes the assumption that there’s motion, which is, hopefully, a result of intentional action.
If we follow the thought of intentional action, there are seven steps (and many more details for each step that would be too lengthy to include here) that attract what’s desired and repel what’s not desired.
Seven Steps to Being a Magnetic Organization 1. Decide what you want for the company
Simple, right? Yes. However, often an assumption is made that everybody knows what’s wanted. The best way to determine if you know what’s wanted is to ask the question, “Can I paint a clear, colorful and compelling story of the future?” This is one of the most important roles of leadership in an organization. Create, and tell a compelling story worthy of the effort it will take to get there. 2. Get 100 percent buy-in from top leadership
It’s not enough for the CEO or owner to own the future story, every top leader who’s responsible for the performance and experience of employees and customers needs to be 100 percent committed to the future. This is perhaps the most telling test of how quickly and assuredly you will achieve the goals to support the future state. It’s critical to check for this buy-in up front as well as at key milestone points along the way. 3. Communicate
As important as the first two steps are, a pinnacle point in the process is sharing with your employees, customers, and other stakeholders what you intend to do.
This is a step that is often overlooked and undervalued. If you ascribe to the rule of seven for marketing, it takes at least seven exposures for a person to hear something with the likelihood of remembering the message. Communicate often and keep your message clear and consistent. Also, keep in mind that people absorb information differently. This absorption is relative to learning styles. Presenting information will be accepted differently if someone is visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, or solitary in their learning style.
As you design your communication plan, explore not only what you’ll share, but how you’ll promote the messages. 4. Build Your Culture
This speaks to the actions necessary to achieve desired outcomes. It’s intentionally ordered after communication. Reinforce the mission of the company, or roll it out if it’s newly created. To move forward, you need every employee to be aware of the direction and expectations for the organization. Share organizational goals and keep leaders accountable to create alignment for their teams, including working with each person on their team to understand how his or her unique role fits into the overall picture. This will drive interactions that contribute to, or detract from, success.
Involve employees in the early phases of culture change and share quick wins. Consider including stories and testimonials from employees that show how the company is already making strides to get to the future vision.
Assure the right fit of employees. Clearly identify the top three expectations for each role and then find people who will be on fire to do these things well.
David Pink, in his book Drive, explores exactly what motivates people and claims that true motivation consists of: 1) autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives; 2) mastery, the desire to continually improve at something that matters; and 3) purpose, the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves.
In addition, make a habit of catching people doing the right things right. Recognition of work well done continuously reinforced will add fuel to building a positive culture. Finally, allow people to be who they are and find ways to insert moments of fun. 5. Evaluate
There are many evaluation tools to help identify what’s happening. Asking for feedback from employees and customers can be a highly effective way to help understand where the best practices exist and where improvements are needed. Measuring what’s happening on a regular basis offers identification of value in processes and with products.
According to the Predictions for 2017 Bersin by Deloitte report, “Driven by the need to understand and improve engagement, and the continuous need to measure and improve employee productivity, real time feedback and analytics will explode.” 6. Assess
The intention of assessment is to determine how things are going and then focus on improvement. The people who know the operations the best are the ones working the business. Trust your employees. As you understand the frustrations and barriers employees encounter, there’s an opportunity to reengineer how to tailor processes, deliver services, and provide products to support the changing needs of the customer. 7. Adjust
When you identify what’s working and what needs to be changed – act with a sense of urgency to make the necessary changes. The organizations who adapt are the ones who have the greatest longevity. Market changes are constant and the ability to understand what’s happening and move toward what will occur in the future is not only admirable, but necessary for sustainability.
It’s obvious how these steps attract people with desired talents and attitudes to help advance your organization, but how will these same actions repel those who don’t align? When there’s consistent reinforcement of the culture, those who don’t fit will have a sense that your company just isn’t the right place for them, like trying to fit into a jacket that is too small or too large. This will be true for current employees and potential employees.
Not getting the results you want? Consider revisiting these actions – one step at a time.
Many employers have invested in benefits administration systems to streamline their processes and connectivity with payroll systems as well as external vendors. From an efficiency and reporting perspective, this works wonderfully. However, when it comes to leveraging that technology for open enrollment and benefits communication, there can be gaps that limit effectiveness.
Our recent survey found that while technology plays a big role (47 percent of surveyed employees used a platform to enroll in their benefits), only 15 percent used an online tool to learn about their options. The good news is that of those who sought information, 90 percent found that interactive digital experience to be helpful.
The question then is, how do we encourage employees to seek information about the benefits available to them?
In a previous blog post, we talked about the power of personalization. Employees want the ability to customize their benefits package to meet their needs. This can seem challenging if your enrollment experience is limited to a simple (or overly complex) menu of benefits, only accompanied by the ability to elect participate, or waive (some may include links to product information). From a data perspective, this can be a seamless HR experience—but is it a great experience for employees?
There are several ways to create a better employee experience and your UBA advisors and vendor partners can help.
When you are planning your next open enrollment, ask your benefits administration partner what, if any, benefits communication tools they may have. Some platforms have started to incorporate dynamic video and animated presentations that help personalize the enrollment experience. Highlight these tools to your employees as part of the pre-enrollment communication package.
Insurance providers and other vendors are also great resources. Insurers may have product calculators to help employees determine coverage amounts that make sense for them. They may also have videos as well as single sign-on links that provide employees additional information. The same types of tools may be available from other vendors, such as health savings account (HSA) administrators.
Consider one-to-one employee meetings with a benefits counselor. Eighty-six percent of surveyed employees said they want a clearer explanation of benefits choices, and 80 percent want one-on-one time. Remember, your employees learn differently, and many could benefit from having a personal conversation about their needs. In many cases, it is possible to work with a carrier, or vendor, that can actually conduct the meetings and enroll employees on the benefits administration platform. The one-on-one meetings help employees learn about options specific to their circumstances, and the on-site representative can help guide them on how to use the system. This can also be an opportunity to update employee information such as dependents, beneficiaries, and contact information. Successfully blending personalized benefits communication strategies with benefits administration technology can help increase employee engagement and streamline your processes.
By Kevin D. Seeker
Originally Posted By www.ubabenefits.com
