sample letter to employees who missed open enrollment

These employers must offer affordable, minimum-essential coverage to their full-time employees or potentially face the employer shared responsibility penalty. (A version of this article appeared in Plan Sponsor magazine in February 2018.). At this point, there is not much more that you can do for him or her unless he or she qualifies for an SEP. In this second sample, look for employees who should have been excluded from participation. An acknowledgement of benefits formfor those who opt in to coverage, A waiver of coverage formfor those who opt out or miss the deadline to enroll in employer-based benefits packages, One-on-one appointments with HR representatives, Seminars, webinars, and/or self-paced e-learning modules. a global pandemic that's been hard to predict, improve or enhance open enrollment communication. Your teams should start strategizing well before the announcement for open enrollment. You will not be subject to this penalty if you have offered appropriate coverage to employees, regardless of whether they enrolled in coverage. The open enrollment announcement email should go out two weeks before your benefits packages are made available to employees. Here's what to tell them. Has my employer made changes to its current benefits plan? Surveying your employees will help you clarify their benefits options and the open enrollment process, and it can demonstrate that you are willing to set aside time to help answer employee questionspotentially reducing the number of employees that miss open enrollment. To learn more, schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable business advisors. As you know, open enrollment is open now and closes [DATE]. Copyright 2023 Financial Benefit Services: Employee Benefit Solutions. Financial Services Agreement Howevereven when it's for their benefit(s)your priorities are not always their priorities, and some workers may put it off, thinking they'll have more time to ask questions and get clarification later. Employees digest information in different ways. Russ continues to support districts across the state with their risk management programs. Therefore, your open enrollment for the new year will take place in October. The open enrollment announcement email should go out two weeks before your benefits packages are made available to employees. If employees do miss open enrollment, provide opportunities for them to meet with HR or attend informational meetings that discuss their options to obtain coverage for the next year. ** ALL OPTION CHANGES WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2020** The period from DECEMBER 11, 2019 through JANUARY 10, 2020 has been designated as the Annual Open Enrollment period during which employees who desire to change their health and/or dental insurance Here's what to expect: Tips for writing a professional excuse email. See attached flyer. After all the time and attention that HR pros give, missing open enrollment can make a bad situation worse, An employee may be in luck if they have a, a change to an individuals circumstances, which allows them to, Short-term, or limited-duration, coverage is a health insurance plan that is meant to only last a short time, like a few months to a year. ), Subject line: Lets get smarter about 401K savings. Employees who experience qualifying life-changing events (such as getting married, divorced or legally separated, having or adopting a child, or moving to a new residence or work location that affects benefits eligibility) are eligible to enroll in or make changes to their benefits elections outside of the open enrollment period. Open enrollment can be an extremely stressful and overwhelming time for both you and your employees. If feasible, send your excuse letter before you miss work. Never miss out get the latest content delivered straight to your inbox. Its that time of year again! Another way to increase engagement is to provide helpful resources and quick tips for employees to reference. The IRS and FSA administrators understand that life changes and that you may need to make adjustments to your elections to accommodate for those changes. 3 Open Enrollment Reminders for Employeesand HR At many organizations, the open enrollment season for 2020 benefits is underway or about to begin. You can buy your own insurance if you want. } Get a demo of the ALEX platform and learn more about how our software can help you boost benefits engagement, drive better financial decisions, and save your team time, money, and headaches. Heres what this kind of targeted advice might look like in an email you send to your workforce. Whenever someone loses their job, they want to hear that their loss is validated. Keep your health in check In the same way 401(k)s use automated deposits to make retirement savings easy for employees, mobile apps likeAcorns,Robinhood,Stash,DigitsandTallyuse automation to help people build emergency savings funds, pay down credit card debt, and invest in smart, manageable, and automatic ways. HR is still the caretaker of company culture, even when administering benefits. Stacia has been with Financial Benefit Services since 2014 bringing with her 5 years in insurance billing and accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UT Dallas. Communicating potential consequences to employees will encourage them to take the open enrollment deadline more seriously. Short-term coverage is typically cheaper than traditional health plans, but only relatively healthy individuals will qualify. Open enrollment begins [DATE] and closes [DATE]. If you missed open enrollment through your employer, you've probably already asked for their help but there may be nothing they can do. In order to offset any decrease in morale, it is important that you provide opportunities for the employee to meet with HR or to attend informational meetings that discuss his or her options to obtain coverage for the next year. We encourage all employees and supervisors to treat others with equality and respect. Coby now serves as the Senior Vice President of FBS managing a team of sales, marketing, and client implementation personnel. Some states, however, do have penalties for individuals without minimum essential coverage. The call-to-action lets them know the open enrollment date, where they can find information, and when enrollment packets will become available. Regardless of the reason, this common situation can result in added financial burden on the employee, additional missed days at work due to lack of proper health coverage, and frustration for both employee and employer. Many employers even offer benefits education during open enrollment to help employees understand their options and make informed decisions. So, open enrollment can easily pass some by. Changes in dependent status - children can age out of dependent status or become eligible for dependent status during the year. Open enrollment begins one month from now, beginning [DATE] until [DATE]. . Lets use a fall open enrollment as an example. Thank them in advance for doing their part to make this a successful open enrollment. When writing an open enrollment letter, here are 5 things you should include: Timing: Open enrollment periods are often only a few weeks long. Make Time for Employees Who Missed Open Enrollment. The more visibility you give them, the more likely your employees will dig in. I apologize for the delay in sending last month's paychecks. The information must get to vendors to ensure employees elections are accessible on day one of your companys benefits plan year. Deadlines are vital when it comes to open enrollment. Access exclusive research and insights on the future of employee benefits. He currently serves as the benefit consultant for 15 of the 20 Educational Service Centers in the State of Texas. Like Every Letter, You Need To Start By Addressing Your Staff. All rights reserved. By requiring employees to sign either an acknowledgement of benefits form for those who opt in to coverage, or a waiver of coverage form for those who opt out or miss the deadline to enroll in employer-based benefits packages, you will create a uniform policy. Benefits Administration Your session has expired. For you, when employees miss this deadline, it can result in additional administrative burdens and unhappy or unproductive employees. While just keeping whatever health coverage they had this year is tempting for employees, doing so may come with a substantial financial downside. It often brings many questions and can be stressful on both sides of the communication flow. Standalone Consulting Agreement He currently serves as the benefit consultant for several of the FBS Benefit Co-Operatives and many standalone school districts. Changes made at open enrollment are effective January 1, 2023. If you have not defined any specific goals, then start by focusing on the enrollment experience as a whole, for example what did your employees like and what do they want to be different for next year. ACA open enrollment is through Dec. 15th. We also keep your employer insurance premium costs in check so that your company has protection without placing undue stress on your budget. document.head.append(temp_style); You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. *All Shipping prices displayed are for the lower 48 states only. Here we have provided you with a template for your open enrollment email to employees. In fact, the terms of your benefits plans may prohibit you from making exceptions for employees who do not make benefits elections within a certain time period, such as before the new plan year begins. var currentUrl = window.location.href.toLowerCase(); Get benefits strategy and communication tips that will make you even better at your job. money left over after basic living expenses are covered. This is the time for you to [Instructions], Were excited to bring you [Detail plan options and info]. The most common option for employees who missed the 30-day enrollment period is simply to wait until the next enrollment period to register for benefits. Remind your employees about these resources regularly by highlighting a single resource every month. For employer-sponsored health coverage, special enrollment period rules are in the Code of Federal Regulations. Youcouldadd the examples above into your general 401K messaging and call it a day. Earn FSA Perks Points, unlock member-only rewards, and speed up the checkout process. (800) 583-6908 If you don't have time to send a formal letter, consider sending an excuse email instead. Most employees receive a flood of work-related emails every single day. Letter Template #1. Make it easy on you and your team by taking advantage of our action plan and timeline. If you experience one of these life events, you'll want to get in touch with your FSA administrator within 30 days of the event to find out if you are eligible to make changes to your plan. (Feel free to copy-pastewe won't tell.) Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. Here are the key components of the email. During open enrollment, HR representatives often block off hours in their calendars to respond to employee questions about coverage, requirements, and deadlines. Here's what can happen and how HR can help. Each year host a debriefing session to understand what worked and how to improve open enrollment the following year. The IRS and FSA administrators understand that life changes and that you may need to make adjustments to your elections to accommodate for those changes. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. All rights reserved. "Thank you" Were sharing some sample 401K communication to employees that you can use to get your message across. To avoid these penalties, document that coverage has been offered by requiring employees to sign either: To help your employees make the most out of the open enrollment period and the benefits your company provides, consider implementing the following strategies: Offering benefits education to your employees prior to and during the open enrollment period can help minimize confusion and cut down on time spent addressing commonly asked questions.

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