The Leave of Absence & Benefits Specialist is a member of the employee benefits group within the BELFOR HR department. This role works regularly with the Benefits Manager, Head of HR, HR team, and various department, general, and regional managers within the organization. The Leave of Absence & Benefits Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day case management of employees on various leaves of absences and assisting with Benefits related questions, planning, and administration.

Responsibilities

• Work with BELFOR managers to Identify employees on leaves of absences and administer the proper leave process including FMLA, ADA and other state approved leaves
• Identify needs for reasonable accommodations under the ADA and make recommendations
• Advise employees on eligibility and completing necessary documentation
• Review leave documentation and make decisions on next steps in the leave case
• Frequently communicate with employees, health care provider offices, and managers regarding management of the case
• Collect insurance premiums from employees that are on a leave of absence
• Enter and update case management software for each leave and accommodation case
• Work with HR team to make employment decisions related to leaves and accommodations
• Lead case reviews with outside counsel as necessary
• Administer new hire benefits enrollment and assist in planning and implementation of annual open enrollment
• Complete audits, process qualifying life event benefit changes
• Prepare and distribute communications to employees regarding benefits and support benefit questions and concerns
• Assist with wellness program initiatives
• Communicate regularly with benefits broker and benefits vendor contacts
• Assist in the process of Filing disability, accident and death claims
• Term employee benefits, send benefit termination letters, and initiate COBRA notices
• Review and process monthly benefit invoices
• Support compliance to benefits and leave management in regards to pertinent federal and state regulations, filing, and compliance requirements, both adopted and pending, affecting employee benefits programs, including ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, Section 125, and Medicare

• Ability to work onsite in our Birmingham, MI office 5 days/week
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• 5 years' experience in high volume leave of absence administration
• Experience with ADP system
• 1 years' experience with employee benefits administration
• Strong computer skills including advanced experience in MS Excel and MS Word
• Excellent written and verbal communication along with customer service skills
• Caring, empathetic and business minded approach to decisions

Physical Demands

• Occasional lifting from 5-20 lbs, unassisted (from 0-10% of the time)
• Sitting for extended periods of time
• Manual dexterity needed for keyboarding and other repetitive tasks
• The ability to bend, crouch, or stand as necessary.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.