Benefits Analyst

Position Purpose/Summary

This position supports the Employee Benefits Department with a wide variety of duties involving all benefits offered to employees. Including, but not limited to training of less experienced team members, liaison with the Group Insurance Commission, payment of all bills relative to the department, billing and collection of off payroll billed employees, tracking and billing for benefits for employees on short term and long term LOAs, and resolving complex eligibility issues. Work is performed under the supervision of the Insurance Director. No supervision is exercised over other employees.

Essential Functions

• Serves as contact for all benefit-related questions from employees, retirees, and surviving spouses.

• Conducts new hire benefit orientation. Informs new employees of benefit programs, policies, and related enrollment deadlines.

• Performs data entry of benefit elections made by new hires. Determines benefit effective dates and makes plan/rate calculations. Confirms enrollment with GIC and verifies payroll deductions are correct.

• Supports the billing, tracking and collection of premiums for employees, retirees, and surviving spouses.

• Performs quality checks of benefit related data.

• Manages the benefits of employees on a leave of absence (LOA). Determines the amount owed and when to begin and end billing. Negotiate payment plans with payees that are delinquent in payment.

• Administers off-payroll billing, tracking and collection of premiums for employees, retirees, and surviving spouses paying the City directly for their benefits.

• Manages employee leave of absence's (LOA) and payment arrangements.

• Processes all enrollments for City and School newly hire employees, confirms enrollment with the GIC, and verify that payroll deductions are correct.

• Enters employee enrollment, changes, and terminations for all voluntary benefits.

• Assists with performing monthly reconciliation to confirm correct deduction amounts for all employee benefits. Creates reports to compare payroll deductions to amounts sent to benefit vendors.

• Processes payments of all bills relative to the office.

• Conduct monthly tracking, reconciliation, and payment of Springfield Parking Authority benefit deductions and invoices.

• Assists with the following projects as needed: open enrollment, new products launch, MUNIS rollouts, pre-retirement seminars, etc.

• Guarantees compliance with HIPAA and COBRA requirements in all relevant work.

• Performs other related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced computer skills, customer service, billing, and collection procedures.

• Ability to develop situational correspondence.

• Technical insurance knowledge including eligibility requirements, HIPAA and COBRA laws, and a thorough understanding of benefits and how they are paid.

• Ability to research and resolve problems independently.

• Ability to track and maintain billing and payments and to resolve customer issues with regards to those payments.

• Ability to maintain complex records and develop summary reports.

• Advanced knowledge of the MUNIS system, in addition to vendor systems: Magic, Cigna, Guardian, Wageworks, and AFLAC.

• Knowledge of state and federal regulations.

• Ability to assist in processing mapping procedures within the Department.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration or a related field AND three (3) years of experience in the health insurance industry with knowledge of administrative and eligibility practices; OR, any equivalent combination of seven (7) years