If your company utilizes TRS, you know how important employee zip codes are. Nearly all TRS plans are based on zip code eligibility – you might say zip codes are kind of a big deal. But don’t worry! We have the solutions to finding employees enrolled in a plan they are ineligible for due their zip code, and how you can fix them.
Before we get into that, though, let’s take a moment to discuss why this can happen. You would think employees couldn’t enroll in a plan at all if they are ineligible, and you’re right. However, let’s say Benny HUBster enrolled in a plan, then moved, and forgot to update his benefit plan. Now he is ineligible for the plan he selected. Or let’s say he walked through open enrollment and forgot to update his address. Employees can be enrolled in plans that their zip code is ineligible for because of situations like these.
Let’s go over how to find and fix these employees.
Running the Report:
Step 1: Go to the IMNS Dashboard (if you need a refresher on how to do this, check out our previous post on the IMNS Dashboard basics).
Step 2: Select the ‘Zip Code Eligibility’ box. Leave the division selection area alone if you want to know who out of everyone in the company is ineligible for an active benefit due to zip code eligibility. Otherwise, you can limit this report to the desired specific division (substitutes and all employees).
Step 3: Click ‘Run’ at the bottom of the page. This will give you a brief description of the report and the employees ineligible for an active plan due to zip code eligibility. You will be able to see the employee name, employee division, and ineligible benefit name, among other information.
Fixing the Problem
Step 1a: If you are currently in your open enrollment period, contact your employee directly and ask them to elect in the correct plan for their zip code.
Step 1b: If you are outside your open enrollment period but within the 45-day window, you will have to do a Benefits Administrator Correction or Broker Correction qualifying event. Then, contact your employee directly and ask them to enroll in the correct plan.
Step 1c: If you are outside your open enrollment period and outside the 45-day window, you will need to escalate the issue by contacting our TRS Laison, Amy Newton, at amy.newton@allsynx.com.
Step 2: Add that journal entry saying your employee was elected in the wrong plan for their zip code and you contacted them to make the change. We highly recommend adding another entry once they’ve made the change.
To ensure this fix is as easy as possible, we suggest running this report at least twice a week during your open enrollment period. That way, it’s as easy as notifying your employee to make the necessary changes!
We hope this helps solve any errors or potential discrepancies you might encounter, and as always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us! We are always happy to provide a dash of knowledge.