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YOUR TRUSTED BENEFITS PARTNER

We sweat the small stuff so employers don't have to.

In addition to offering COBRA Administration since 1997, since 2004 BenefitsAssist, inc. offers administration of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

We also offer the use of the Alegeus benefits card for claims reimbursement. We look forward to working with you!

Thank you for visiting our website. We strive to exceed expectations regarding COBRA and Flexible Benefits.

I appreciate that you’re so helpful and easy to work with

— Tony, Broker

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BenefitsAssist has been a great COBRA provider for our company. They are quick to respond when we have questions or concerns. I would highly recommend them.

— Cheryl, Employer

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I have greatly enjoyed working with you and your entire group!  You’ve always been very prompt and helpful and kind!

— Debbie, Employer

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WE HELP EMPLOYERS MEET THEIR BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION NEEDS AND HAVE WORKED WITH EMPLOYERS SINCE 1997.

BenefitsAssist, inc.'s cost-effective and lawful method ensures companies meet COBRA regulations accurately and efficiently while freeing their own benefits team for more immediate employee concerns.

BenefitsAssist, inc. helps employers implement Flexible Benefit plans that save employers and employees taxes while effectively paying for healthcare.

OUR MISSION

BenefitsAssist, inc. allows employers to focus on their core business while saving dollars for both employees and employers.  We provide service through our attention to detail while being professional, reliable, and trustworthy.

What We’ve Achieved Since 1997

Our Services

    • Mail all DOL General Notice for new hires and/or new dependents

    • Send COBRA Election Notice to employees and/or dependents who lose coverage

    • Notify beneficiaries concerning benefit changes and rate increases

    • Track COBRA timetable for each COBRA participant

    • Collect monthly premiums

    • Inform insurance carriers and employer of the status of COBRA participants on a monthly basis

    • Act as liaison between COBRA participants and insurance carriers

    • Act as contact between COBRA participants and employer, answering COBRA questions and concerns

    • Send monthly reports to employer regarding payments and enrollments

    • Provide a website for employers and employees to manage accounts 24/7

    • Support state continuation administration

    • Collect premiums

    • Reconcile accounts with carrier and/or employer

    • Send payment to carrier

    • Administration of the following types of Flexible Benefit Plans:

      • Health FSA - Health Flexible Spending Account

      • Dependent Care FSA - Daycare/dependent care Flexible Spending Account

      • HSA - Health Savings Account

      • LSA - Lifestyle Spending Account

      • POP - Premium Only Plan

      • HRA - Health Reimbursement Arrangement

      • ICHRA - Individual Coverage HRA

      • QSEHRA - Qualified Small Employer HRA

    • Creation of custom plan documents – plan document, SPD, enrollment form, claim form, change form

    • Debit card option

    • Adjudication of card purchases per IRS rules

    • Check or direct deposit reimbursements

    • Monthly reports e-mailed to employer

    • 24/7 access to online portal to check balances and submit claims

    • Apple and Android app to manage participant account

    • Quarterly e-mails to participants for account balances

    • Employer website to run reports and view participants

    • We also support complex plan designs such as:

      • Limited Health FSA that is HSA compatible

      • Complex HRAs such as reimbursing after HRA deductible and HRAs that reimburse on a percentage basis

    • Wrap plans to consolidate benefit plans under one document for ERISA and Form 5500

    • Form 5500 preparation

    • Discrimination testing

    • ACA reporting and compliance

    • Integrated with Employee Navigator for employee additions, changes and terminations

    • Ability to accept automated file transmissions from payroll and other providers such as ADP, BenefitWerks, Paycom, Paylocity, Ultimate Software

  • COBRA ADMINISTRATION

    • Assurance that COBRA is being administered according to IRS rules and regulations

    • Freedom to deal with other Human Resource issues

    • Knowledge that COBRA is being handled in a timely and cost-effective manner

    • Reliable record keeping

    HOW DO WE DIFFER FROM OTHER COBRA ADMINISTRATORS?

    • We offer complete process administration from the General Notice to the end of COBRA while some administrators only cover the Event Notice

    • BenefitsAssist, inc. covers all plans as employers change carriers, i.e. Medical, Dental, Vision, and Health Flexible Spending Accounts while some administrators will include one plan, such as Medical

    • We offer personal service with attention to detail

    • We maintain compliance with new and changing regulations

    FLEXIBLE BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

    • BenefitsAssist, inc. offers complete process administration from the plan design to implementation

    • Participants can use a Mastercard debit card to access their account. No fees for extra cards for spouse and dependents.

    • Employees can submit claims via web, app, e-mail, fax, or mail

    • Claims are reimbursed bi-weekly via check or direct deposit

    • No extra fees for direct deposit

Industry Partners

Our partners are respected in their fields as the best in their industry.
We appreciate the opportunity to deliver our services with their continued support.

FAQs

COBRA ADMINISTRATION

  • All premiums are due on the 1st of every month with a 30-day grace period. All premiums must be post-marked within the 30-day grace period or else the coverage will end.

  • Yes, participants have 24/7 access to their records online

  • Yes, employers have 24/7 web access and can see when a letter was mailed to a certain participant, check the status of the participant's payment, view reports, etc.

  • Yes, BenefitsAssist, inc. allows participants to pay their premiums with either MasterCard or Visa. There is a 3.0% convenience fee added to the premium.

    • Termination - 18 months

    • Reduction in hours - 18 months

    • Divorce, separation - 36 months

    • Ineligible dependents - 36 months

    • Employee death - 36 months

    • Disability with Social Security letter - 29 months

FLEXIBLE BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

FSA

  • Most employers are eligible! Sole proprietors, partners, members, and shareholders > 2% ownership of S corporations (and their family) cannot participate on a pre-tax basis in a Section 125 plan (including Premium Payment, Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and HSA). But the plan can be created to benefit the employees of such organizations.

  • Plans run on a 12-month basis chosen by the employer. Most plans coordinate with either the calendar year or the year of the health plan renewal or the health plan deductible year.

  • No. The employer keeps all FSA payroll deductions.

  • Services include manual claim reimbursement by check or direct deposit. We process claims bi-weekly (every 2 weeks). If employers choose the debit card then the card is included. Employers are informed of applicable Section 125 changes in regulations.

  • No.

  • Employees submit a claim form via fax, e-mail, or mail along with copies of the insurance carrier’s Explanation of Benefits or provider's invoice forms showing: Employee or dependent name, Provider name, Date of service, Description of service, and Charge. We cannot accept cancelled checks, credit/debit card receipts, non-itemized cash register receipts, previous balance statements, balance forward statements, or claims for future services.

  • Employees can use the WealthCare Portal or app to submit claims online.

  • The date of service must be between the employee’s plan year enrollment date and the plan year end date. For terminated participants, the date of service must be between the plan year enrollment date and the termination date.

  • For Health FSAs the law requires that a person be reimbursed up to the amount of the election regardless of if the payroll deductions have taken place. This means that a person can claim more than what was payroll deducted. For Dependent Care FSAs the law only requires reimbursement up to the year-to-date payroll deduction amount at the time the claim is made.

  • The employee submits manual claims to BenefitsAssist, inc.

  • We reimburse claims every two weeks. Claims received by the previous Thursday are included in the bi-weekly Monday claims process (if that Monday is a holiday the claims are processed the following business day). We will issue a check or direct deposit based on the employee’s choice.

  • The FSA debit card is a MasterCard that can be used at valid health related merchants such as doctor’s offices, pharmacies, etc. Employees must keep receipts and other documentation to prove the expense was eligible. If the card swipe matches an employer co-pay then the employee may not have to submit documentation to BenefitsAssist, inc. Otherwise, the employee will receive an e-mail requesting documentation validating that the purchase is eligible for the FSA.

  • The claims filing deadline is the earlier of 90 days after termination or 90 days after plan year end. Any unused funds are forfeited back to the plan.

  • Employers should collect and destroy any Health FSA cards. Payroll deductions should continue to the date of termination. Participants can file manual claims for up to 90 days after termination but the date of service cannot be after the termination date. If the participant has overdrawn the Health FSA account (see Question #9) the employer is not permitted to accept payment or initiate extra payroll deductions to cover the difference. The employer can use plan forfeitures to offset the risk of a person overdrawing the Health FSA.

  • BenefitsAssist, inc. drafts the employer’s bank account shortly after it has processed bi-weekly manual claims. Debit card charges are drafted from the employer bank account on a daily basis.

  • Yes! Employees can login and view their account online.

  • The following reports are e-mailed to the employer: Bi-weekly manual claims report, Daily card charge report, and Monthly account report.

  • BenefitsAssist, inc. currently does not charge an annual maintenance fee. If the Employer wishes for BenefitsAssist, inc. to perform discrimination testing on the plan the charge is $125/hr and usually takes 1-2 hours. If the employer wishes BenefitsAssist, inc. to prepare a draft Form 5500 the fee is $125/hour with a minimum of $300 per Form 5500.

  • The Document creation fee is charged separately at $350 each for the Section 125 plan and HRA plan since they are separate written plans. The Setup fee is charged once at $200 per Employer since the fee covers getting employees into the system. The Administration and Debit card fee for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and HRA is charged once per employee not per account. So an employee can have multiple FSA and/or HRA accounts and the employer is billed the quoted per employee per month charge.

  • The Document creation fee is charged once at $350 since it is one written Section 125 plan. Instead of paying two Setup fees at $200 each the total Setup fee to cover both FSA and HSA is $300. The Administration and Debit card fees are per the FSA and HSA proposals.

HRA

  • Most employers are eligible! Sole proprietors, partners, members, and shareholders > 2% ownership of S corporations (and their family) cannot participate on a pre-tax basis in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). But the plan can be created to benefit the employees of such organizations.

  • Plans run on a 12-month basis chosen by the employer. Most plans coordinate with the health plan deductible year.

  • Services include manual claim reimbursement by check or direct deposit. We process claims bi-weekly (every 2 weeks). If employers choose the debit card then the card is included. Employers are informed of applicable HRA changes in regulations.

  • No.

  • Employees submit a claim form via fax, e-mail, or mail along with copies of the insurance carrier’s Explanation of Benefits or provider's invoice forms showing: Employee or dependent name, Provider name, Date of service, Description of service, and Charge. We cannot accept cancelled checks, credit/debit card receipts, non-itemized cash register receipts, previous balance statements, balance forward statements, or claims for future services.

  • Employees can use the WealthCare Portal or app to submit claims online.

  • The date of service must be between the employee’s plan year enrollment date and the plan year end date. For terminated participants, the date of service must be between the plan year enrollment date and the termination date.

  • The employee submits manual claims to BenefitsAssist, inc.

  • We reimburse claims every two weeks. Claims received by the previous Thursday are included in the bi-weekly Monday claims process (if that Monday is a holiday the claims are processed the following business day). We will issue a check or direct deposit based on the employee’s choice.

  • The HRA debit card is a MasterCard that can be used at valid health related merchants such as doctor’s offices, pharmacies, etc. Employees must keep receipts and other documentation to prove the expense was eligible. If the card swipe matches an employer co-pay then the employee may not have to submit documentation to BenefitsAssist, inc. Otherwise, the employee will receive an e-mail requesting documentation validating that the purchase is eligible for the HRA.

  • The claims filing deadline is the earlier of 90 days after termination or 90 days after plan year end.

  • Employers should collect and destroy any HRA cards. Participants can file manual claims for up to 90 days after termination but the date of service cannot be after the termination date.

  • BenefitsAssist, inc. drafts the employer’s bank account shortly after it has processed bi-weekly manual claims. Debit card charges are drafted from the employer bank account on a daily basis.

  • Yes! Employees can login and view their account online.

  • The following reports are e-mailed to the employer: Bi-weekly manual claims report, Daily card charge report, and Monthly account report.

  • BenefitsAssist, inc. currently does not charge an annual maintenance fee. If the Employer wishes for BenefitsAssist, inc. to perform discrimination testing on the plan the charge is $125/hr and usually takes 1-2 hours. If the employer wishes BenefitsAssist, inc. to prepare a draft Form 5500 the fee is $125/hour with a minimum of $300 per Form 5500.

  • The Document creation fee is charged separately at $350 each for the Section 125 plan and HRA plan since they are separate written plans. The Setup fee is charged once at $200 per Employer since the fee covers getting employees into the system. The Administration fee and Debit card fee for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and HRA is charged once per employee not per account. So an employee can have multiple FSA and/or HRA accounts and the employer is billed the quoted per employee per month charge.