Human Resources Benefits Specialist

Benefits Specialist - Human Resources

Burlington School District

The Burlington School District believes a diverse and culturally proficient faculty and staff are pivotal to the creation of a strong learning and working environment that supports student achievement and success. BSD administrators lead inclusive school communities with our vision: "Cultivating caring, creative, and courageous people. - Join the journey.”

The Mission of the Burlington School District is to graduate students who:

• Value different cultures;
• Engage with the community;
• Communicate effectively;
• Think creatively;
• Skillfully solve problems; and
• Achieve at their highest academic, intellectual and personal potential

Burlington School District is seeking a passionate and energetic Benefits Specialist to assist in the Human Resource department. The Benefits Specialist is responsible for administering, managing and communicating employee benefits programs and compliance relating to insurance benefits, cafeteria plans, COBRA, retirement plans, and other employee benefits for new and existing employees; assists with research and provides advice on benefit program options and improvements. The position assists in maintaining a professional, friendly, positive and respectful work atmosphere by approaching internal and external interactions and collaborations with a strong customer service orientation.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Manage enrollments, changes, and cancellations for newly hired, newly eligible, employees with qualifying events/changes, and at time of separation.
• • Review benefits eligibility, plan information, plan costs, and enrollment forms with employees, as applicable, ensuring timely completion as required by law, plan documents and district procedures.
  • Manage enrollment or cancellation of coverage process with benefit carriers, ensuring timely notification of coverage changes.
  • Update HR system with benefit elections and ensure paperwork and forms are filed in employee files in a timely manner.
  • Enter, or collaborate with payroll team to enter, benefit deduction amounts in HR system, ensuring information is shared in a timely manner so payroll deductions and reporting is accurate.
• Manage cash-in-lieu benefit.
• • Manage eligibility, annual election and termination of election, ensuring complete and accurate documentation is on file for employees receiving benefits.
  • Maintain list of elections and benefit amounts, prorate benefit amount as necessary for separations or changes in eligibility, provide information to payroll for processing and timely payment.
• Manage annual open enrollment process.
• • Work with vendors to create and/or update informational/educational materials.
  • Regularly review retirement plan eligibility for employer matching contributions as required by plan document and collective bargaining agreements. Notify newly eligible employees and ensure information is shared with the payroll team in a timely manner so accurate contributions are made during the payroll process.
• Manage approval and completion of retirement plan requests for withdrawal.
• Serve as primary contact with insurance carriers and vendors.
• • Collaborating to develop and distribute communication materials to help inform employees of their benefits.
  • Work with vendors to create and distribute information related to benefit offerings, including required notices.
  • Coordinate employee informational meetings with benefit carriers/vendors as necessary.
• Reconcile monthly enrollments and carrier charges for all plans, follow up on any inconsistencies, and correct errors or discrepancies.
• Process, balance, create and maintain purchase orders in order to pay carrier invoices
• Create monthly Journal Entry backup detailing Medical FSA, Dependent Care FSA and HRA transactions, ensuring information is shared with accounting in a timely manner.

Employment Separations/COBRA

• Provide COBRA notice to employees at hire or eligibility change as required by law.
• Create and distribute COBRA notices and separation paperwork for employees, and/or adult dependents at time of separation or loss of coverage as required by law.
• Calculate benefit accrual at time of separation or eligibility change to ensure usage and payments are accurate (ie: paid leaves, PD funds, Insurance, retirement incentives, reimbursement for unused sick leave).
• Manage and track COBRA participants, collect and process monthly payments and follow up on late or missed payments as needed to ensure payments are received and enrollment status is updated in a timely manner.
• Manage communication to COBRA participants as needed for open enrollment, rate changes, plan updates, etc.

Benefit Compliance

• Distribute required notices to employees (CHIPRA, Medicare Part D, Special Enrollment, Open Enrollment, etc.) as required by law and district practices.
• Healthcare Declarations (VT Form HC-2)
• • Manage collection of form at hire, enrollment change, and/or annually for all employees.
  • Update the HR System to reflect form responses in a timely manner, when changes occur and at time of annual collection.
  • Collaborate with business office to review list of employees we are being assessed on before payment is processed and report is submitted quarterly; ensure we are not paying an assessment for any employee who has allowable coverage
  • Create/update forms and instructions as necessary.
• Maintain all Section 125 and Cafeteria Plan Documents and SPDs
• • Work with carriers to create/update and maintain plan documents for each plan (cash-in-lieu, premium conversion, HRA, FSA, HSA)
  • Maintain the most current version of each Plan Document
  • Review the Summary Plan Description for accuracy
  • Maintain most recent SPD on website and distribute as required
  • Create and maintain practices and systems, ensuring compliance with Plan Documents

General Administrative Duties

• Maintain benefit enrollment and deduction data in HR/Payroll systems, ensuring accurate and timely updates as needed.
• Create, maintain and distribute information regarding value added benefits, including EAP services.
• Complete unemployment request forms; consult with the Assistant Director of HR in unusual or difficult cases; participate in hearings as needed/requested
• Serve as the primary contact for all benefit related questions, as well as a general contact and informational resource for the human resources department. Assist with general questions and triage to the appropriate person when needed.
• Coordinate with the HR team to create and maintain district web pages relating to benefits, ensuring up to date forms and information remain available to employees.
• Coordinate, initiate, prepare, process, and/or monitor various forms, records, reports, schedules, and other documents, ensuring timely and accurate completion.
• Serve as support to the HR team as needed.
• Assist other HR and payroll personnel with special projects as requested.
• Other duties as assigned

Skills And/Or Abilities:

• Have previous experience or looking to get experience in the HR field.
• Enjoy talking with people and being the "face" of a district, engaging with new employees and existing staff.
• Have excellent organizational and communication skills, written and verbal.
• Take pride in maintaining files and records and enjoy compliance with recordkeeping regulations and best practices.
• Have an exceptional ability to multi-task and a willingness to participate in multiple assignments.
• Eager to learn in an office setting and learn new tasks.
• Proficient with computer systems.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

These are the physical and mental/reasoning requirements of the position as it is typically performed. The inability to meet one or more of these physical or mental/reasoning requirements will not automatically disqualify a candidate or employee from the position. For a full Job Description please contact Human Resources

Include but may not be limited to:

• • Face-to-Face contact
  • Noise Levels
  • Verbal contact with others
  • Judgment/decision making
  • Inside air conditioning and heat

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS/TERMS:

• SALARY: This is a Salary Exempt position paid Bi-Weekly.
• CALENDAR YEAR: 260 workdays (based on start date), 8 per day/40 per week
• BENEFITS: Benefits-eligible on start date. 30 days to enroll in coverage from the first day of employment. BSD Benefits!
• PAID TIME: Sick Time / Personal Time / Vacation Time as per the Personnel Manual.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

Burlington School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.

Applications from women, veterans, individuals with disabilities and people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged.

The Burlington School District will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.