Benefits Specialist

Description

***This role is a hybrid position.***

Summary: This position is responsible for the administration of all financial, health, and mental-health benefits. This includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, FMLA, ADA, EAP programs, 403B plan and other benefit offerings that may be added.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Ensure the accuracy of all benefits enrollments in the benefit system to provide vendors with timely and accurate eligibility information.
• Serve as champion for wellness resource group.
• Assist with presenting benefits during new hire orientation and with employee communication and education about benefits and enrollment.
• Perform quality checks of benefits-related data.
• Assist employees regarding benefits claim issues and plan changes.
• Distribute all benefits enrollment materials and determines eligibility.
• Enroll employees with carriers and process qualifying event changes.
• Respond to benefits inquiries from managers and employees on plan provisions, benefits enrollments, status changes and other general inquiries
• Process and administer leave-of-absence requests and disability paperwork: medical, personal, disability and FMLA.
• Accurately interpret FMLA and ADA implications as they relate to leaves of absences/disabilities.
• Responds to 403b inquiries from managers and employees relating to enrollments, plan changes and contribution amounts.
• Lead role in annual open enrollment process and implementation of any changes in benefit management platform.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations as well as each benefit plan’s benefits, limitations, and exclusions.
• Communicates and coordinates changes with Payroll to ensure employee deductions and employer contributions for benefits are accurate and timely.
• Communicates regularly and manages relationships with benefit providers and vendors.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

•     None.

Compliance/HIPAA:

• While performing the duties of this job, employee will comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations pertaining to Easterseals Arkansas.
• This employee has no access to client files.  Employee will not attempt to access protected health information.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:                                            

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources or related field of study.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in human resources benefits administration.
• SHRM or HRCI professional certification credential preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Valid Arkansas Driver's License

Competencies:                                              

• Extensive knowledge of employee benefits and applicable laws.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or similar platforms.
• Ability to present to groups and answer questions – both in person and via video conference.
• Strong orientation to deadlines and detail.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with employees with various  levels of experience, education, and backgrounds.

• Demonstrated commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. 
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Easterseals Arkansas has designated this position as a “non-safety sensitive” position under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment.