(Archived) Benefits Specialist

Under general supervision, the Benefits Specialist position supports the Benefits Department by assisting with benefit reconciliations, benefits compliance, and various projects. Assists in the resolution of associate benefit inquiries and claims resolution issues.

&nbspEssential Duties:

• Understands the flow of employee benefit data.
• Participates in reviewing and resolving the enrollment system, the Open Enrollment process, and benefits Self-Service.
• Assists in testing the HRIS system to support accurate benefit reporting and ad-hoc reports. Develops an understanding of Life Events and the benefits enrollment process in the HRIS application.
• May create interface files by utilizing vlookups and pivot tables. Escalates system issues, as appropriate.
• May reconcile and approve payments of benefits billing invoices. Works closely with the Benefits/Accounting/Payroll Departments and researches discrepancies between enrollment and deductions. Ensures required deadlines are met in order to achieve on-time payments.
• Runs the monthly ACA Initial Measurement process and creates the list for distribution. Updates the ACA benefit cover guide monthly to reflect measurement dates.
• Participates with unemployment benefit audits.
• Receives Leave of Absence (LOA check payments, clears the deduction arrears, and provides the deposit allocations to Accounting.
• Generates the Birthday monthly report and distributes to the properties.
• Assists in reviewing, researching, and correcting error reports generated from benefit vendors.
• Assists with day-to-day benefits administration.
• Assists employees and determines proper course of action to resolve customer service issues.
• Assists with other HR and benefits-related duties and projects as needed.

Education/Experience:

• Associate Degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience, plus minimum 2 years benefits administration experience.

Job Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Preferences

• Attention to detail demonstrated through prior work experience
• Knowledge of benefits laws and regulations, including all aspects of the Affordable Care Act, ERISA, and its recordkeeping provisions
• Ability to manage multiple assignments concurrently
• Teamwork - showing a commitment to teamwork and collaboration
• General understanding of Accounting principles
• Familiar with insurance billing reconciliations
• Familiar with administrating self-insured and fully insured plans
• Experience working in a multi-state and multi-site environment
• Experience with HRIS applications
• Proficiency with Excel (vlookups, pivot tables, Word, Outlook, and OneNote