One of the most important job advantages to employees besides their paycheck is employer-sponsored benefits. Millions take advantage of the coverage with employers offering benefits to employees and sometimes even their families.
Many employer groups are renewing insurance products or have renewed insurance products during the last few months. Employees enroll in the benefits or the employer enrolls them. However, it is up to the employer group to make sure that all the employees who have enrolled are in fact receiving the benefits for which they are entitled.
Every month, the employer or a representative of the employer receives an invoice to pay the premium for their group health, life, dental, vision, short-term disability and/or long-term disability coverage. Although it may be painstaking, depending on the number of employees and dependents on the bill, it will save a lot of headaches if the invoice is checked each month or two to ensure that all the employees and their dependents eligible for the coverage are indeed on the coverage.
In this day and age of email and electronic enrollments, we tend to trust that what is sent has been received and consequently put into effect. But mistakes and omissions do happen sometimes, and it is a good practice to thoroughly scrutinize the invoices, especially if changes of any kind have occurred. Sometimes mistakes can go on for years without notice especially on coverage that is not routinely used, like short-term disability, long-term disability, and life and AD&D.
A thorough check of the invoice can prevent an oversight destined to create a multitude of issues and problems both for the employee involved and the employer offering the coverage.
For more information about employer-sponsored benefits, contact Patty Smith at the 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or email psmith@mbausa.org.
