Benefits Specialist

Benefits Specialists

Salary $38,000

Reports to the Benefit Manager. Responsible for assisting with administration of group benefit programs for all eligible faculty, staff, and retirees, including health (medical), dental, vision, long term disability, life, OTRS, workers' compensation, unemployment and FMLA. Responds to benefit inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

Benefits Administration:

• Completes onboarding/orientation with all full-time employees, including processing all insurance forms and entries in prospective benefit portals for new hires, terms, and retirees. Processes exit forms for terminating employees.
• Ensures proper completion of New Hire Paperwork.
• Administers health (medical/prescription drug), dental, vision, long term disability, and life insurance programs and OTRS retirement plan for eligible faculty, staff, pre-65 retirees and Medicare retirees, as well as eligible dependents and designated beneficiaries. Interprets plan policies and coordinates daily and monthly activities in eligibility and billing files.
• Conducts billing processes for self-insured billing for the OKHEEI Trust, through the OKHEEI Coordinator and vendors. Reconciles, balances and processes monthly payment for all health, dental, vision, Section 125 flexible benefits, life/ltd insurance, and retiree benefits.
• Administers statutory benefits programs; worker's compensation and unemployment benefits for all eligible faculty/staff. Maintains OK300 log of injuries/completes DOL survey. Attends WC training workshops/arranges WC/CALM Group onsite presentations as needed. Monitors DOL (state and federal) /CALM changes and interprets operational impact; recommends procedural changes.
• Offers and processes FMLA and shared leave per university policies and federal DOL guidelines.
• Conducts/assists in conducting benefits meetings. Coordinates and conducts enrollments and qualifying event changes of employees, retirees, dependents, and surviving dependents, for all appropriate plans.
• Develops/updates/distributes benefits communications for all benefits and in a variety of media forms, such as HR webpage, emails, letters, PowerPoint presentation (benefit sign-up/payroll sign-up), phone and face to face. Coordinates/liaison with members, insurance carriers, OTRS staff, billing administrators, Section 125 administrator and the OKHEEI Group consultant as needed.
• Actively participates in OKHEEI Group and retirement meetings/conference calls, and networks with RUSO sister institutions.
• Processes prospective retiree paperwork with OTRS and insurance carriers, retiree billing administrator, and OKHEEI Group consultant as needed. Arranges OTRS onsite presentations if available.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal and state rules and laws governing regulations by attending training workshops, conferences, reviewing announcements of changes from the RUSO general counsel, RUSO and OKHEEI Group consultants, and the government agency websites.
• Maintains electronic files within benefit software and processes Qualifying Life Event's in a timely manner as well as maintaining payroll deductions associated with benefits.
• Assist in completing surveys with salary and benefit data. Completes TIAA-Actuarial report, annual DOL survey and Health Cost Study.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Additional Performance Responsibilities (Functions, Duties):

• Attendance and Dependability: The employee can be depended upon to report to the assigned duty station at the scheduled time. Employee can be depended upon to complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner and is conscientious, about assignments.
• Communication and Contact: The employee communicates effectively and professionally both verbally and in writing with superiors, colleagues, and individuals inside and outside of the University.
• Relationships with Others: The employee works effectively and relates well with others including superiors, colleagues, and individuals inside and outside the University. The employee exhibits a professional manner in dealing with others and works to maintain constructive working environment.
• Safety: Employee works safely, attends safety training offered/required, and follows appropriate safety rules and regulations. In relation to level of NIMs training completed, participates in incident management preparation and performs incident duties as assigned.
• Wellness: Work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Wellness coordinator and university wellness committee to promote wellness on Campus.

Minimum Education, Training, and Experience:

• Required: High school diploma and 3 years of professional office experience. Persistent attention to details. Ability to maintain the highly confidential nature of human resources work, working knowledge of university benefits and related university procedures in a university or other public or private agency. Must be tactful and have above average communication skills, both verbal and written; ability to perform duties and meet deadlines with minimal direction in an environment of constant interruption; sound working knowledge of statistical concepts, methods, and data collection procedures.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree with major course work in business administration or related field. Knowledge of Colleague or other equivalent benefit/payroll systems, MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. Experience with ProCard.