sample letter to employees who missed open enrollment

if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { (Feel free to copy-pastewe won't tell.) Please review the information . Legally, employers are not required to do anything for employees who have missed the open enrollment deadline. Hopefully, we'll be able to restore your employment after this critical time. SHRM Online, September 2019, 10 Questions for Employees Choosing a Health Plan, The email is simply an introduction. Managing Organizational Communication]. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM China "); Hire, onboard, manage, and develop productive employees. The call-to-action lets them know the open enrollment date, where they can find information, and when enrollment packets will become available. We also keep your employer insurance premium costs in check so that your company has protection without placing undue stress on your budget. Demonstrating to your employees that their needs are important to you will instill high employee morale, and ensuring that you have done all that you were required to do in regards to ACA regulations will protect your business in the event that an employee misses the open enrollment deadline. Thank them in advance for doing their part to make this a successful open enrollment. Stop the sniffles I missed open enrollment for my insurance and now I need to - Workest Accessibility and clarity of complex information give employees and employers a better experience and promote higher levels of participation. 4 in 10 employees who are able to save for retirement are now saving less as they continue to face financial hardships. This can cause important ones like open enrollment to fall through the cracks or simply be skimmed so they can move on to the next thing. PDF From: Mary Beth Morgan For Dave, it would make more sense to set money aside for that before he puts money into his 401K, even if his company offers a match. Why? Make a corrective contribution to the plan for the employees that compensates for their missed deferral opportunity. Learn more, Money Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life. Enrollment ends Jan 15th in most states. But why stop there? is a benefits enrollment strategy that employers use to simplify the process and maintain benefits participation. Copyright 2023 Financial Benefit Services: Employee Benefit Solutions. Keep in mind, though, that employees must make changes to their flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts each year. Changes in marital status - Getting married, divorced, separated, or if your spouse passes away. * This content is for educational purposes only, is not intended to provide specific legal advice, and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice of a qualified attorney or other professional. "Thank you" Benefit Cooperatives In order to ensure that none of our employees in this status were missed by the cutoff date,HR Leave Administration will email an Open Enrollment reminder this week to allemployees currently on a leave of absence regardless of pay status. But since he has high-interest credit card debt, Greg probably shouldnt contribute any more money to his 401Kbeyondthe match until his debt is repaid. If you are looking to outsource Paychex can help you manage HR, payroll, benefits, and more from our industry leading all-in-one solution. Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. Some are closer to retirement than others, some have a larger savings safety net than others, and some have more pressing upcoming expenses than others. Why? Close the email out by reminding employees of the importance of benefits enrollment. Its their opportunity to enroll or make changes to their employee benefits. If the open enrollment dates are Nov. 15 through Dec. 15, consider giving your employees a deadline of Dec. 5, suggests Starr Harry, client success manager at G&A. Why Send an Open Enrollment Email to Employees? (Or in the event of very rare circumstances, such as a legitimate error in which your administrator may or may not be able to allow you to fix). 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. Your friend isn't necessarily looking to get placated when they give you the bad news, and they may not have prepared for the adversity. Making your employees aware of these tools doesnt guarantee theyll use them, of course. Join 22,000+ HR pros who receive monthly employee benefits insights, straight to their inbox. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I am aBrokerCarrierEmployerCOBRA Participant. Turning 26 and being dropped from a parent's coverage, Change in number of eligible family members due to birth, death, adoption, or other family status change, Change in work hours or job position that could affect insurance eligibility. G&A Partners is a leading professional employer organization (PEO) that offers world-class HR services and a team of experts who can help you navigate employment issues, safety initiatives, and moreduring (and after) the pandemic. It starts valuable dialog on whats being offered and how to take advantage of it. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including a change in family status, work or information overload, or challenges in navigating the benefits enrollment process. Your teams need ample time for payroll processing. For exactly that reason, its important to make sure you go beyond encouraging higher and higher 401(k) contributions (which only some employees can manage) and, instead meet your entire workforce where it iswith more empathetic, targeted, holistic financial guidance. You heard it here first! If you are asking for a longer leave of absence, send this letter as early as possible. Think of it as an invitation. The open enrollment process is often confusing and time-consuming. Subject Line: Heads Up: Open Enrollment Details Coming Your Way. Now What? Specifically, his 401(k)-related gains7%-9% annually, on averagewould most likely be less than the losses he would take on his credit card, lets say, 13%-17%. 2. Sample Termination Letter to Employee Template | Workable These employers must offer affordable, minimum-essential coverage to their full-time employees or potentially face the employer shared responsibility penalty. What Is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). Remote employment has become popular in the past few years, with more employers opting for this new way of doing things. If you improperly included an employee, you may have a . [Instructions or refer to additional resources]. Health Insurance Renewal Sample Letter to Employees By Mary Gormandy White, M.A., SHRM-SCP, SPHR YinYang / iStock via Getty Images If it's time for your company's group health plan to renew, it's advisable to notify your employees about the new plan options in writing. Mr. James holds many different licenses in the insurance industry including the Insurance Counselors License through the Texas Department of Insurance. ), Subject line: Lets get smarter about 401K savings. Section 125 plans are used by most employers that offer health coverage, as they are the mechanism that allows . He currently serves as the benefit consultant for several of the FBS Benefit Co-Operatives and many standalone school districts. Most companies operate on a calendar fiscal year. Drive more engagement in money-saving programs throughout the year. 1.) We've got great ideas for top health purchases before the Grace Period deadline. SAMPLE EVERGREEN OPEN ENROLLMENT NOTICE . 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. Were hiringsee all of our open positions. Although many of these suggestions are not legal requirements, it is in your best interest to take these steps in order to protect your business and its productivity. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University holds many different licenses in the insurance industry including the Insurance Counselors License through the Texas Department of Insurance. So, for Joan, it makes sense to fund her 401K up to the company match and beyond, as much as she can afford. And because theres a limited amount of time to make these important decisions, it can be a confusing (and often overwhelming) experience for employers and employees alike. Here are a few theme ideas to get you started: Rock Enroll - Music Theme Benny & The Benefits - Music Theme Lets use a fall open enrollment as an example. Financial Services Agreement Sample 1: Excuse letter for work absence due to family matters. Ensure they know exactly what theyre supposed to do next. ", 2. Open enrollment begins [DATE] and closes [DATE]. 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 periodsuch as before the new plan year begins. During open enrollment, HR representatives often block off hours in their calendars to respond to employee questions about coverage, requirements, and deadlines. Plans like, short-term coverage and critical illness allow year-round enrollment but are not regulated by the. What Happens if an Employee Misses Open Enrollment? If you're married, discuss your elections with your spouse to ensure that the whole family is on the same page for the upcoming benefit year. Please submit the email address associated with your account to reset your password. What makes the email essential is that you can send it to every employee through the companys email system. Here are a few tips to make OE emails engaging and drive participation. Capture employees attention with benefits messages that stick. 1 NOTICE TO ALL EMPLOYEES - 2020 ANNUAL OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR OPTION CHANGES IN HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE PLAN COVERAGE. In order to prevent these issues, it is important to understand what it means when an employee misses open enrollment and how it can affect your businessbefore it actually happens. Bookmark () Riia O'Donnell on Nov 27, 2018 else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { Writing a Good Job Rejection Letter. Provide information in a wide variety of ways including: Ask your employees if they like the way information is being provided, if they would prefer information be distributed in different ways, or if they have questions that have yet to be answered. *All Shipping prices displayed are for the lower 48 states only. (800) 583-6908 Category. Para garantizar que brindemos la informacin ms actualizada y de mayor precisin, algunos contenidos de este sitio web se mostrarn en ingls y los proporcionaremos en espaol una vez que estn disponibles. This can cause important ones like open enrollment to fall through the cracks or simply be skimmed so they can move on to the next thing. Pick A Theme Lose the stiff, corporate lingo and put a little fun back into open enrollment. Theres no better time to talk about what to do with your free dollars than when an employee has just landed more free dollars, courtesy of payroll. University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 | 530-752-1011. Have an upbeat message to let employees know this is a positive engagement. Its equally important to understand why they missed the deadline and help them avoid the same mistake in the future. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. When looking into the issue, work with the employee and the health insurance broker to make sure there wasnt an administrative error. 12 Encouraging Messages to Share After a Job Loss | Cake Blog Hi team, Putting money away for your retirement is important, but how important depends on the financial . What Happens if an Employee Misses Open Enrollment? - LHD Benefit Advisors Employees disseminate information differently, so you may need to consider other methods of engagement. Its that time of year again! 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. To prevent these issues, its important to communicate to your employeesahead of timethe consequences of missing the open enrollment deadline. ", "Americans tend to miss the mark when they stick with what they were doing before without double-checking their assumptions," said Kelley Long, a member of the AICPA Consumer Financial Education Advocates panel. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google, Minimum of 1 special character ($%/()[]{}=? Get ready to discuss all things benefits! document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Give us a ring, send an email, or fill out the form below. Drafting A Sample Email Most employees receive a flood of work-related emails every single day. You can purchase coverage through the marketplace, but you wouldn't be eligible for any subsidy or anything (sounds like you make too much to qualify anyway). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but no, once you make your open enrollment elections, you don't have the option to change them later in the year unless you experience a qualifying life event. Benefit terms would run from January 1st to December 31st. Putting money away for your retirement is important, but how important depends on the financial boat youre in. 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. If you have questions please send to [email] or attend the upcoming Q&A [Date, time location]. 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. But most advisors suggest putting away 15-20% of your paycheck if you can. What's New 2023 Open Enrollment Announcement Health, Dental and Vision Plan Costs PPO Saver - High Deductible Health Plan Information Open . If your organization doesn't offer auto-enrollment, then workers who miss the window may be left out in the cold without any coverage. The attachments can include: Getting essential information to employees is vital but shouldnt overwhelm the employee. Use a format that addresses the employee by name. Format for absence excuse letter. By 'setting and forgetting' a benefit plan, you not only run the risk of getting stuck in one that isn't right for you, but also one that costs you extra. Since Greg has an emergency fund in place, it makes sense for him to fund his 401K until his employer match is reached. Did the employee miss open enrollment because of. If an employee misses . Posted on December 9, 2021 Open with an engaging subject line and immediately set a positive tone. Joan has a few thousand dollars saved for emergencies and no high-interest credit card debt. Pretty good! 7 Creative Ways to Announce and Promote Open Enrollment Your teams should start strategizing well before the announcement for open enrollment. Coby joined FBS in 2007 as a Benefit Consultant and then rose to Vice President of Sales in 2013. pliance is currently $0. Still, missing open enrollment can make a bad situation worse. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; Notice to All Employees - Annual Open Enrollment Period Missed the open enrollment for my employer's benefits. I realize that you, too, need to meet your monthly obligations in a timely manner, and such delays do not help. Surveying your employees will help you clarify benefits options and the open enrollment process, demonstrate your willingness to set aside time to help answer their questions, and potentially reduce the number of employees that miss open enrollment. My enrollment period at my job is in July and I missed it last year without being aware. Open Enrollment Email to Employees (Templates). ** 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 Log-in Now! ", [SHRM members-only toolkit: If feasible, send your excuse letter before you miss work. It can be beneficial to ask your employees if they like the way information is being provided to them, if they would prefer information to be distributed in different ways, or if they have any questions that have yet to be answered. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); Be sure to communicate the time period with employees. This will give you the ability to answer any lingering questions from employees and build in extra time for those who are apt to miss deadlines, without placing any extra burdens on your HR team.. In fact, there's a good chance that the terms of your employer's benefit plan don't allow any exceptions or changes for employees who make mistakes or miss the open enrollment period altogether. To avoid such frustrations in the future, we are changing to a computer system that will prepare checks a week in advance for distribution on payday. In your hook, you want to get employees ready for open enrollment. Every employee has his or her own preferences when it comes to receiving important information. A special enrollment period is a designated time outside of the standard open enrollment period for employees to change or update their insurance plan elections that are granted when the employee experiences a qualifying life event. Sample 3: Letter of permission for missing work due to an important matter. The ConnectorCare program in Massachusetts (for people who are newly eligible or who haven't enrolled before). The portal can also include a count-down counter to encourage employees to enroll. 3 Open Enrollment Reminders for Employeesand HR At many organizations, the open enrollment season for 2020 benefits is underway or about to begin. If appropriate coverage is offered to employees (regardless of whether they enroll) these employers will not be subject to the penalty. 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. Here's what to expect: DOCX Vermont Education Health Initiative VEHI Changes in dependent status - children can age out of dependent status or become eligible for dependent status during the year. Helping Employees Navigate Health Benefits During Open Enrollment - SHRM All rights reserved. While employers have little ability to "bend the rules" for employees when they have missed open enrollment at work, there are some options that can help both employer and employee. } COBRA Service Agreement, Benefits Consulting 75082. Here we have provided you with a template for your open enrollment email to employees. 1. The The open enrollment announcement email should go out two weeks before your benefits packages are made available to employees. Make Sure You're Getting the Best Deal, Jaleigh White, a member of the AICPA Financial Literacy Commission, noted that "even though the volume of an open-enrollment benefits package can seem overwhelming, employees would benefit from taking 30 minutes, at least, to read through all materials and explore the impact of any changes the company is making to their benefits, and carefully consider any changes to their personal situation that could impact their elections for the coming year.". Depending on your circumstances, your opportunities to enroll after the end of the annual open enrollment period may be limited. For that time frame, announcements would go out in the middle of September. All Rights Reserved. Provide contact information to let employees know how they can access Q & As, learn more about their benefits, and how to contact the human resources benefits specialist. At Ignite HCM, we assist human resources administrators in streamlining processes. Announce your benefits portal and upcoming benefits fairs. Her past insurance experience includes roles as Marketing Supervisor, Account Management, and Account Executive at one of the largest insurance carriers of some of the largest employers in the state of Texas. Get the cold and allergy relief you deserve. Were sharing some sample 401K communication to employees that you can use to get your message across. Open Enrollment Period: October 10, 2022 - October 31, 2022 This is the annual opportunity for you to make changes to your benefits and to add or drop eligible dependents from coverage. 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is urging employees to carefully review their family's financial situation and insurance options to pick the best coverage plan for their household. To provide managers and supervisors with the guidance they may need in times of crucial . UCSB HR Leave Administration Open Enrollment Reminder, UCPath Leave without Pay Open Enrollment Letter, Open Enrollment Form for employees on unpaid leave of absence, ******************************************************************************************************, 3101 Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building (SAASB), 2022 Open Enrollment communications to employees on leave of absence, The UCPath Center mailed an Open Enrollment notice and Open Enrollment Form to employees who were on an unpaid leave of absence as of September 30, 2021. "There are many factors, both in a benefits plan and in one's personal life, that can change every year. Its a good idea to create simple and comprehensive policies and procedures so youre prepared in the event of an SEP. Applicable large employers (ALEs) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have additional concerns.