Return to flip book view

G&A Benefit Overview -- 2023-2024

Page 1

HR Benefits Payroll gnapartners.comG&A Partners Benefits OnboardingClient Overview Booklet

Page 2

Welcome to your new benefits program with G&A Partners! To help ensure that the implementation of your organization’s benefit plans goes as smoothly as possible, we have prepared this booklet as a high-level overview of the G&A Partners benefits program. Please be aware that this booklet is intended to serve as a reference of general benefits best practices, as well as processes specific to G&A Partners. As such, it includes information about only the G&A Partners master benefits products. For information about your organization’s selected benefit options, please refer to your signed confirmation statement, Summaries of Benefit and Coverages, and Certificates of Insurance. If you have any questions about your organization’s benefit options, or if you would like more information about enhancing your benefit package with any additional offerings, please contact your G&A Account Manager. If G&A Partners is not currently administering your organization’s benefit plans and you are interested in adding this service to your G&A Partners Customer Service Agreement (CSA), please contact your G&A Benefits Account Manager or Client Advocate for more information.

Page 3

Your G&A Benefits Team Below is a high-level overview of the members of the G&A Partners Benefits team who may be involved in servicing your account: Account Manager Your Account Manager is your organization’s main point of contact during your onboarding and open enrollment periods. Their role is to ensure your organization is presented with the best-possible benefit options, and to oversee the entire enrollment and/or renewal process. Benefits Specialist Your Benefits Specialist will handle the day-to-day administration of your plan(s), including payroll deductions for benefits and employee questions. Benefits Administrator Each Benefits Specialist has an assigned Benefits Administrator to serve as the backup Benefits Specialist for their accounts. COBRA Specialist If your organization is required to offer COBRA coverage, G&A Partners will administer it on your behalf. The COBRA Specialist acts as a liaison between our third-party COBRA vendor (WEX) and any participants. Reconciliation Specialist The Reconciliation Specialist handles the payment and reconciliation of carrier invoices each month. 401(k) Specialist The 401(k) Specialist will handle the day-to-day administration of your retirement plan. AccessHR The G&A Partners AccessHR team acts as the front lines to answer questions from your employees regarding coverage, carriers, printing ID cards, obtaining proof of coverage, registering online, etc.

Page 4

Master Products Carrier Contacts Please note that the table below shows carrier information for all G&A Partners master products and may differ from your organization’s specific benefit package. Product Carrier Contact Information Group Number(s) Group Medical 1-800-244-6224www.cigna.com3344327 Group Dental 1-800-541-7846www.guardiananytime.com400822 Group Vision (through Guardian) 1-877-814-8970www.guardiananytime.com400822 Group Life/ Accidental Death & Dismemberment 1-866-679-3054www.unum.comER Paid: 0219704-002 Vol. Life: 0219705-002 Group Long -TermDisability 1-866-679-3054www.unum.comER Paid: 0219704-002 Voluntary: 0604827-001 Group Short-TermDisability 1-866-679-3054www.unum.comER Paid: 0219704-002 Voluntary: 0604827-001

Page 5

Legal Assistance 1-713-545-2222www.legalshield.com/info/gnapartners 104733 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 1-800-854-1446www.unum.com/lifebalanceN/A Accident & Critical Illness 1-866-679-3054www.unum.comR0655654 Flexible Spending Account (FSA)/ Dependent Care Account (DCA)1-866-451-3399www.wexinc.com37779Telemedicine N/A Section 125 Plan 37779401(k)/ Retirement Plan 1-800-356-3009www.slavic401k.comcustomers@slavik401k.com N/A Employee Wellness Program 1-866-497-4222www.gnapartners.comevolve@gnapartners.com N/A G&A Partners AccessHRThe G&A Partners AccessHR team is available Monday through Friday to help answer questions you or your employees may have about your organization’s benefit plans. • Hours: Monday – Friday | 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT• Phone: 1-866-497-4222• Email: accesshr@gnapartners.com• Web: www.gnapartners.com/contact-us/1-866-451-3399www.wexinc.com1-800-Teladoc (835-2362)www.teladochealth.com

Page 6

Frequently Asked Questions General Questions Do I have to offer benefits to my employees? It is your organization’s choice whether or not to offer benefits to its employees. If, however, your organization has 50 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and chooses not to offer health care coverage, it may be subject to penalties under the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If your organization does choose to offer benefits to its employees, G&A Partners offers a full array of benefit options, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, as well as a number of other worksite products. Does being a G&A Partners client make my organization subject to the ACA’s employer mandate? No. If your organization has 50 or more FTE employees, however, it may be considered an applicable large employer (ALE) under ACA regulations and therefore would be subject to the law’s employer mandate. If you have any questions about whether or not your organization meets the requirements to be considered an ALE, please contact your Account Manager. What are the advantages of utilizing G&A Partners master benefits products? As a national HR outsourcing provider and professional employer organization (PEO), G&A Partners is able leverage the employee pools of all of our clients’ employees in order to negotiate high-quality benefit options from top carriers at low rates that most organizations could not access on their own. What is G&A Beneficial? G&A Beneficial is a full-service life and health brokerage firm that is affiliated with G&A Partners. If you would like to obtain a health plan separate from the G&A Partners master health plan, you can work with G&A Beneficial or your current life and health broker. When does coverage for my group begin? Coverage begins on the plan effective date for each plan.

Page 7

Who do I contact if I have questions about my benefit plans? If G&A Partners is the administrator of your organization’s benefit plans, your Benefits Specialist will work with you on any benefits-related questions, including but not limited to eligibility, enrollment, and billing. How do employees find an in-network provider? The easiest way to find an in-network provider is to visit the carrier website listed in the “Master Products Carrier Contacts” section of this guide and follow the instructions the carrier provides. Employees can also contact the G&A Partners AccessHR for help finding an in-network provider. What is evidence of insurability? Evidence of insurability is an application process in which employees provide information on the condition of their health and/or their dependents’ health in order to be considered for certain types of insurance coverage. Ongoing AdministrationWhen is an employee eligible for benefits? Benefit eligibility is determined by the waiting period established at the initial implementation of your organization’s benefit plans. For more information about your organization’s specific benefit eligibility, contact your Benefits Specialist. When will new employees receive information about how to enroll in coverage? Benefits-eligible new hires will receive information specific to your organization’s benefit plans about 30 days prior to their benefits effective date and will have the option to enroll in benefits packages at that time. NOTE: This timeline is specific to groups with waiting periods of at least 30 days after the date of hire. Groups with shorter waiting periods should contact their Benefits Specialist for information about when your organization’s new hires will receive information about enrolling in coverage. When do I need to notify G&A Partners that an employee has been terminated? You should notify G&A Partners that an employee is going to be/has been terminated as soon as possible, but no later than the date of termination. This is especially important if the employee is terminated towards the end of the month. Delays

Page 8

in notifying G&A Partners of a termination in accordance with the timeline stated above may result in carriers charging an extra month of premiums for the employee. What happens to an employee’s benefits when he/she is terminated? If the terminated employee is enrolled in any of your organization’s benefit plans, the benefits termination will take place at the end of the month the carrier is notified. If G&A Partners is the administrator of your organization’s benefit plans, your Benefits Specialist will notify the carrier to terminate the elections once you submit the termination to G&A Partners. Your Benefits Specialist will then update the payroll records to reflect this change, and a G&A COBRA Specialist will notify our COBRA vendor, if applicable. What is Texas Senate Bill 51 and how does it affect me? Texas Senate Bill (SB) 51 states that group policyholders are required to provide coverage for the enrollee or insured individual, under the policy, until the end of the month in which the group policyholder notifies the insurer that the enrollee or insured is no longer part of the group and eligible for coverage. This means that coverage mustremain in effect for a plan participant until the last day of the month in which G&A Partners is notified of the employee’s termination. Do I need to notify G&A Partners if there is a change in an employee’s status? Yes. Upon receipt of a status change, G&A Partners will need to determine whether a qualifying event has occurred with regards to benefits eligibility. If the employee is eligible, your Benefits Specialist will facilitate a special enrollment opportunity for the employee based on the qualifying event. What happens when an employee experiences a qualifying event? If an employee experiences a qualifying event, they will need to contact the G&A Partners AccessHR to disclose the qualifying event. This must be completed within 30 days of the qualifying event or family status change. Documentation proving the event will be required. Where can I and/or my employees view the plan documents for our plans? The plan documents (summary of benefits and coverage and/or certificate of coverage) for G&A Partners master plans are available on our website: www.gnapartners.com/sbc.

Page 9

BillingWhen are premiums paid to the carriers? If G&A Partners is the administrator for your organization’s benefit plans, the collected premiums for each plan are paid to the carriers on a monthly basis. What happens if an employee misses a payment? If an employee does not receive a paycheck during a payroll cycle, the benefit premiums are billed to the client and the employee portion goes into arrears. When the employee receives their next paycheck, arrears are collected and credited back to the employer. Will I still get a bill from our benefits carrier? It is important that G&A Partners be listed as an administrator with your carrier(s). This allows our Reconciliation Specialists to have access to invoices. If you, or someone else at your organization, is also listed as an administrator with a carrier, you/they may still receive an invoice. How will I be billed for benefits? G&A Partners’ preferred billing method is to collect benefit premiums from clients on the first payroll of each month. Clients are then paid back from their employees for the employee portion of the premium on each payroll. Below is an example of the monthly billing method for benefit premiums: 1st Pay Period 2nd Pay Period 3rd Pay Period (as applicable) Employer Deductions: Full cost of monthly premiums (employer + employee) Credits: Amount deducted from employees Deductions: N/A Credits: Amount deducted from employees Deductions: N/A Credits: N/A Employees Deductions: 1/24 of annual employee premium Deductions: 1/24 of annual employee premium Deductions: FSA and/or HSA contributions only

Page 10

How is billing reconciliation handled? G&A Partners collects both the client and employee benefit premiums on the payroll invoice and pays the carrier(s) using those funds. G&A Partners will also audit the bill and ensure that it reflects accurate enrollment on a month-to-month basis. What happens when an employee is on a leave of absence? As long as an employee’s employment remains active, his/her coverage must also remain active. Similar to what happens when an employee doesn’t receive a paycheck during a payroll cycle, the benefit premiums for an employee on a leave of absence are billed to the client and the employee portion goes into arrears, to be collected when the employee returns from leave. NOTE: It is very important that you notify your Benefits Specialist when an employee plans to return from a leave of absence. Otherwise, our system will automatically collect the accumulated arrears on the employee’s first paycheck processed after he/she returns to work. If G&A Partners is notified beforehand, we can spread the retro deductions over multiple pay periods. Open Enrollment When will my plans renew? G&A Partners master benefit plans renew annually on July 1. Even if your organization comes on the plan halfway through the plan year, you will still go through the open enrollment process when the master plans renew. What happens during open enrollment? The open enrollment period allows employees to enroll, decline, or change their benefit elections. This process is facilitated between you, your broker, and the G&A Benefits team, as applicable. What is the timeline for open enrollment? At least 60 days prior to the renewal date, G&A Partners will contact you to discuss the upcoming renewal, including any changes in rates and/or plans. You will then be required to sign off on the renewal rates and contribution strategies before G&A Partners begins setting up the online enrollment process (if applicable), or scheduling enrollment meetings.

Page 11

Medical Who is the insurance provider for G&A Partners master medical/health plan? Cigna is the carrier for the G&A Partners master medical/health plan. When will my employees receive their medical ID cards? Your employees can expect to receive medical ID cards 10 to 15 business days after the enrollment process is completed. Employees with urgent ID card requests should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR team. NOTE: ID cards will be sent to the home address employees provided to G&A Partners during the enrollment process. What if my employees don’t have their medical ID cards yet and need to seek services? Employees with appointments that cannot be rescheduled to later in the month should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR team prior to the date of their appointment to inquire about receiving a temporary ID card. NOTE: G&A Partners can only provide temporary ID cards for participants who are already in the carrier system. Carriers typically enter participant information into their system within 10 business days of the enrollment being completed. What can my employees do now to prepare in case they don’t receive their ID card prior to the plan effective date? Employees with urgent, recurring, or anticipated needs can/should do the following if they are worried about not receiving their ID card prior to the plan effective date: • Fill any prescriptions prior to the plan effective date.• Reschedule any non-urgent appointments for later in the month.What if my organization’s enrollment was processed late? Even if your enrollment has not been processed by the carrier or your employees have not received their ID cards, the coverage will be retroactive to the plan effective date.

Page 12

How can my employees find an in-network provider? The easiest way to provide an in-network provider is to visit the Cigna website: hcpdirectory.cigna.com/web/public/consumer/directory. How do my employees find information about prescription coverage? Prescription coverage information can be found on the Cigna website under Individual and Families then Employer Drug List: https://www.cigna.com/individuals-families/member-resources/prescription/. Please pick the Value 3 Tier Drug List under the plans offered by Employers.What is the myCigna member portal?The myCigna member portal is where Cigna members can manage their account online. Within the myCigna member portal, your employees can: • View coverage,• Access a temporary ID card,• Find in-network provider,• And more!Once they are enrolled in coverage, your employees can register for the member portal online at myCigna.com. Are the deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums per calendar year? Yes. Even if your organization’s medical renewal is mid-year, the deductible and out-of pocket maximums will remain on a calendar year basis (January 1 – December 31).

Page 13

Dental & VisionWho is the insurance provider for G&A Partners master dental and vision plans? Guardian is the carrier for the G&A Partners master dental plan. VSP (through Guardian) is the carrier for the G&A Partners master vision plan. When will my employees receive their dental/vision ID cards? Your employees can expect to receive dental/vision ID cards 10 to 15 business days after the enrollment process is completed. Employees with urgent ID card requests should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR. NOTE: ID cards will be sent to the home address employees provided to G&A Partners during the enrollment process. What if my employees don’t have their dental/vision ID cards yet and need to seek services? Employees with appointments that cannot be rescheduled to later in the month should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR prior to the date of their appointment to inquire about receiving a temporary ID card. How can my employees find an in-network provider? The easiest way to find an in-network provider is to visit www.guardiananytime.com. The PPO dental network to search under is DentalGuard Preferred.

Page 14

Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), DisabilityWho is the insurance provider for the G&A Partners master life, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and disability plans? Unum is the carrier for the G&A Partners master life, AD&D, and disability plans. Will my employees receive an ID card? The G&A Partners life insurance and disability policies will not issue an ID card. When can my employees update their beneficiary information? Unlike most other insurance coverages, employees can update their beneficiary at any time by contacting G&A Partners AccessHR. What is Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)? AD&D is a policy that will pay out a lump sum in the event that a covered individual dies as a result of an accident or is dismembered, as a result of an accident. What is guarantee issue? Guarantee issue applies to insurance coverage individuals are able to obtain without having to answer medical questions at the time of initial enrollment. The guarantee issue for the G&A Partners master life insurance policy is $200,000 for employees, $50,000 for spouses, and $10,000 for children. How will my employees be deducted if they elect over the guarantee issue? Employees will only be deducted for approved benefits coverage. When and if an election amount that exceeds the guaranteed issue is approved, deductions will be updated accordingly. How do my employees file a disability claim? Employees should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR team to be provided with a copy of either the claim form. There are three portions of the claim: employee statement, employer statement, and physician statement. (G&A Partners will assist in completing the employer statement portion of the claim.) Once all three portions are complete, the form should be submitted to the insurance carrier. What happens to an employee’s life insurance policy if he/she is terminated? G&A Partners master life insurance policies are portable or may be converted to a personal policy if an employee is terminated.

Page 15

Accident and Critical IllnessWho is the insurance provider for G&A Partners master accident and critical illness plans? Unum is the carrier for the G&A Partners master accident and critical illness plans. Will my employees receive an ID card? The G&A Partners accident and critical illness policies will not issue an ID card. What is a pre-existing condition limitation? A pre-existing condition limitation means that these plans will not pay benefits for a claim that is caused by, contributed to by, or occurs as a result of a pre-existing condition. How can my employees file for the wellness benefit? Employees should contact the G&A Partners AccessHR team to be provided with the critical illness claim form.

Page 16

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) / Dependent Care Account (DCA)Who is the provider for the G&A Partners master FSA and DCA plans? WEX is the carrier for the G&A Partners master FSA and DCA policies. What is the purpose of a flexible spending account (FSA)? An FSA is a type of tax-advantaged medical account that reimburses employees for eligible health care expenses not covered by their health plan. Will my employees receive a debit card? Employees will receive an FSA card for medical expenses, but not for dependent care expenses. What is a FSA “short plan year”? Since the open enrollment period is in July for benefits, employees who wish to participate in the FSA will have to enroll every year. The initial year may be considered a ‘short plan year” if you have not been on the plan for 12 months. What historic information will I need to provide G&A Partners regarding current year-to-date (YTD) FSA employee contributions? FSAs have limits on annual calendar-year contributions. Clients should provide information about year-to-date (YTD) FSA contributions to G&A Partners as part of the onboarding process so we can ensure that employees do not over-contribute to their FSAs. How do my employees submit claims? To file a claim, employees simply need to log into their account via the FSA carrier website (listed in the “Master Products Carrier Contacts” section of this guide) and either follow the instructions to file electronically or download a claim form. As part of either process, employees would complete the form by listing their expenses, attaching/uploading their receipts, and signing and dating the form. Employees are encouraged to complete a direct deposit form (also available on the carrier website), as direct deposit is the fastest way to receive a reimbursement. Employees do have the option, however, of requesting a paper check.

Page 17

How do my employees view their account balances? Employees can view their account balance online via the FSA WEX carrier website: https://benefitslogin.wexhealth.com/Login. They can also inquire about their balance by calling WEX carrier at the number listed in the “Master Products Carrier Contacts” section of this guide.Can my employees use their FSA funds for family members even if they are not dependents under their medical plan? Yes. Employees can use their FSA funds to be reimbursed for medical expenses incurred for themselves, their spouse, and/or their tax dependents. What happens to an employee’s FSA funds if his/her employment is terminated? The FSA enrollment will be terminated as of the date of employment termination. Employees will have 90 days from the date their employment was terminated to file any claims and can be reimbursed for expenses up to the amount that has been deducted from their paychecks prior to their separation date. If the employee’s incurred eligible expenses prior to the separation are less than what has been deducted from his/her paycheck, any unused funds would be forfeited unless the employee elects to continue contributions to the plan on an after-tax basis through COBRA. Employees may use their entire FSA prior to completely funding the plan. If the employee leaves, that money will be absorbed by the plan. If the client leaves in the middle of the contract, the client may be billed for the entire premium.

Page 18

Health Savings Account (HSA) Who is the provider for the Health Savings Account (HSA) plan? G&A Partners’ preferred carrier is HSA Bank; however, employees can choose any HSA provider they would like. Can my employees participate in the health savings account (HSA)? To be eligible to participate in an HSA, employees must be actively enrolled in a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP). How do employees set up an HSA? Employees can set up an account online through HSA Bank at www.hsabank.com. Employees wishing to use a different HSA provider will need to follow the instructions provided by their chosen carrier. Once they have set up an account with an HSA provider, employees will then need to complete the HSA Direct Deposit Form, which should be included as part of the open enrollment packet materials, and submit the completed form to G&A Partners. This form provides G&A Partners with the necessary account information we will need to process HSA contributions. What historic information will I need to provide to G&A Partners regarding HSA year-to-date (YTD) contributions? HSAs have limits on annual calendar-year contributions. Clients should provide information about year-to-date (YTD) HSA contributions to G&A Partners as part of the onboarding process so we can ensure that employees do not over-contribute to their HSAs. What happens to an employee’s HSA funds if their employment is terminated? Terminated employees will receive their last HSA deduction on their final paycheck. All funds in the account at the time of termination will continue to be available to terminated employees. How can I, as an employer, make contributions to employees’ HSAs? Employers wishing to contribute towards their employees’ HSA accounts simply need to notify G&A Partners about how they would like to make the contributions: either as a lump sum or on a recurring basis (per pay period, monthly, quarterly, etc.).

Page 19

COBRA What is COBRA? The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) requires employers to provide formerly covered employees (and their dependents) who have lost their group health benefits with the opportunity to temporarily continue their group health insurance coverage. Who is eligible for COBRA? Individuals who are covered by a qualifying group health plan and experience a qualifying life event are considered “qualified beneficiaries” and may be eligible to elect COBRA coverage. For the purposes of COBRA, qualified beneficiaries may include covered employees, their spouses, and any dependent children. NOTE: Not all group health plans are COBRA-eligible (such as self-funded plans or plans sponsored by employers with less than 20 benefits-eligible employees). All G&APartners master health plans are COBRA-eligible. How does G&A Partners handle COBRA administration? If G&A Partners is the administrator of your organization’s benefit plans and your organization is required to offer COBRA, we, together with our third-party COBRA vendor, will begin administering COBRA coverage for your organization within 30 daysof receiving the completed COBRA Takeover Form. Upon election of benefits, enrolled participants will be provided with an initial COBRA notice as required by law. Upon notification of a termination by the client, G&A Partners will send the terminated employee’s personal and benefit information to our third-party vendor. A COBRA packet with all pertinent COBRA enrollment information will be mailed directly to the employee within the timeframe required by law. The terminated employee will be instructed to forward COBRA enrollment forms and payment directly to our third-party vendor. Please be aware that G&A Partners will only initiate the COBRA administration process when it receives notification from the client that an employee has experienced a qualifying event. Failure to notify G&A Partners in a timely manner may delay the coverage options for the participant.

Page 20

What is a qualifying event? Below is a list of qualifying events under the COBRA statute: • Termination for a reason other than “gross misconduct,”• A reduction the hours of employment,• Divorce or legal separation,• Change in a child’s dependent status, • • Death of the covered employee, or• Employee enrollment in Medicare.It is important to note that just because a specific event is listed above does not mean that it will necessarily cause a loss of coverage under the plan rules. In order to be considered a qualifying event, the event must be listed in the COBRA statute, cause a loss of coverage under the plan, and occur within the maximum coverage period while the plan is subject to COBRA. What is COBRA takeover? Any active COBRA participants and/or employees who have been recently terminated need to be notified of their rights under COBRA prior to your organization joining any of the G&A Partners master health plans.

Page 21

In order to ensure a smooth transition process for both your organization and these individuals, G&A Partners will need to obtain the following information from you using our COBRA Takeover Form: • Participant name,• Current coverages,• Paid-through dates, and • Original qualifying event date.How long does COBRA continuation coverage last? The length of time a qualified beneficiary is eligible for continued coverage depends on which qualifying event he/she experienced. The maximum coverage period for a change in employment status (i.e. termination or reduction in hours) is 18 months. The maximum coverage period for all other qualifying events is 36 months. In certain circumstances, qualified beneficiaries entitled to 18 months of continuation coverage may become entitled to a disability extension of 11 months (for a total maximum of 29 months) or an extension of an additional 18 months due to the occurrence of a second qualifying event (for a total of 18 months). Continued COBRA coverage will typically terminate at the closure of the maximum coverage period. COBRA coverage may also be terminated for other reasons, including failure to make timely premium payments, the employer choosing to cease providing group health coverage to any employee, or if the qualified beneficiary becomes covered under another group health plan.

Page 22

G&A Partners is committed to providing its valued clients and their employees with the highest level of customer service. If you have any questions, please contact AccessHR and we will be happy to assist you. G&A Partners AccessHRHours: Monday – Friday | 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT Phone: 866.497.4222 Email: accesshr@gnapartners.com Web: www.gnapartners.com/contact