Comments or suggestions?

about this or future e-newsletters.

Where proficiency meets potential: New Ceridian benefits technology enhancements help your business thrive

Anyone who administers employee benefits knows just how much difference technology can make. As employees began to use computers to view and manage benefits programs, HR professionals watched piles of paperwork begin to abate. The insistent sound of the ringing phone occurred less frequently. And employees, empowered by the ability to access their own information, discovered that they were able to make better decisions for themselves and their families.

Ceridian has always offered the kind of technology that helps proficient organizations reach their full potential. In our continuing effort to make life easier for our customers and their employees, we recently put into place two new technology enhancements that help organizations better align employee benefits functions to business and financial strategies and goals. Technology improvements like these streamline and improve core business processes for your organization and deliver better reporting, more meaningful analysis and streamlined workflow. Read more about these enhancements by visiting the following links.

• A new Web platform for companies that use Ceridian pre-tax employee benefits services
• Fresh new design and functionality for COBRA participants

A new Web-based platform for companies that use Ceridian pre-tax employee benefits services

"There's nothing I like better than sharing great news," says Amanda Johnson, Ceridian senior manager of Product Strategy. "And our new Web-based benefits administration platform is definitely great news for employers who use our pretax benefits services. Employers and their employees now have an integrated experience across all spending account and consumer-driven health plan services such as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA)."

Two-thirds of Ceridian's customers already utilize the new platform and the remainder will do so between now and the first quarter of 2009. "Because the new platform offers increased access to self-service features, enhanced benefit card capabilities and more efficient reporting and claims processing," Johnson says, "the feedback has been tremendous. Our customers are serious about using their time wisely, so they find real value in a system that is Web-based. They see right away that improved functionality and easier navigation -- for both HR staff and employees -- can create real opportunities for efficiency."

With access to one platform for all reimbursement programs, benefits administrators have a single place to log on to when they need account information. Employers can receive reports in PDF or Excel formats, creating an opportunity to manage and sort their data in ways that provide meaningful information. Ceridian also automatically notifies the employer when reports are available for viewing and download. All this translates into increased productivity, efficiency and flexibility.

For employees, Johnson says, there's a new ability to submit information for claims online. "The IRS still requires substantiation of expense eligibility," says Johnson. "But because this system allows employees to enter their claim information online, it dramatically improves the quality of data submitted. This new technology puts an end to one of the greatest challenges associated with claim submittal: denials due to incomplete information. The new platform walks the employee through the online claim submittal process, step-by-step, until all required information has been entered. This online navigation creates the opportunity for better information to move more quickly -- ultimately putting reimbursement dollars in the hands of employees quicker then ever before."

The new system is especially valued by organizations that rely on HR to set strategic direction. "Our customers keep their focus on the future," Johnson says. "And they appreciate the ability of this new Ceridian technology to help them become more innovative and more responsive to organizational needs. After all, health care pre-tax programs are considered crucial to consumer-driven health care -- and a viable way for employers and their employees to offset rising health care costs." Enhanced capabilities include easier enrollment options to drive up employee participation for maximum savings. Ceridian can also offer existing customers enhanced capabilities, such as a multipurpose benefit card.

"This new system was built with consumer-driven health care in mind," Johnson says, "because we recognize that the needs of employers and employees are changing as health care costs rise. The day may come when traditional health care is no longer viable for many companies, so employers are getting creative about providing some level of benefit to their workforce without breaking the bank, perhaps pairing a high-deductible plan with an HSA or HRA, or providing rewards to health-conscious employees by putting money in their pre-tax accounts."

Ceridian's pre-tax benefits services can help you create programs that build employee loyalty, retain top talent and keep costs under control. To find out how these services can work for you, contact your Ceridian representative.

Fresh new design and functionality for COBRA participants

One of the most complex experiences for benefits participants and employers alike is COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). COBRA provides certain former employees, retirees, spouses, dependent children and former spouses the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates. Since Congress passed the legislation in 1986, employers have been challenged to keep COBRA administration from claiming valuable time from HR staff.

Long the industry leader in COBRA administration, Ceridian recently introduced technology that provides a fresh new online experience for COBRA participants.

"The change is apparent at the login page," says Laurie Angyn, Ceridian project manager. "Ceridian customers who use the www.ceridian-benefits.com Web site for their online services will discover a new look to our general login page -- and their COBRA-only participants will experience a new personalized Web site that's unusually intuitive. This technology is going to make a real difference for employers, because it makes COBRA clearer and easier for participants to understand. The net result is fewer calls to HR and more time to focus on strategic needs."

Ceridian Product Manager Geri Lodato is equally enthusiastic about the launch of this new technology. "Ceridian manages COBRA administration for a wide range of organizations across the country," she says. "Many have more than one Ceridian solution, so we are excited to be working toward a single portal from which all their solutions will launch. Phase One is the release of a participant site for companies who have only our COBRA solution. As we bring more solutions in, all of an employer's Ceridian benefits solutions will launch from the new portal."

Lodato explains how the new technology assists COBRA participants. "To say that COBRA is complex is an understatement," she says. "Especially for COBRA participants who are making important decisions about health care coverage during a time of transition in their lives. We wanted clarity for these participants. We wanted ease of use. So we created a technology approach that is not only powerful -- it is intuitive. It works to make a complex process clear and easy for everyone involved."

The new technology allows COBRA participants to view their personal election options, key dates, account details and billing information. They can perform online account management, too. "To help COBRA participants move through the various phases of the process," Lodato says, "we use proactive messaging and deliver timely information based on status. If someone is in the beginning of the process, ready to make decisions about electing COBRA, their personal dashboard presents them with all the information they need at that point in the process. As they move from electing COBRA to active participation, their dashboard will change. Now they are presented with new information that is helpful to them at this specific stage."

An Account Summary area provides COBRA participants with the information they need relevant to the state they are in. "In this way," Angyn says, "we present only the information participants need -- when they need it."

Long the industry leader in COBRA administration, Ceridian provides COBRA administration services to thousands of companies nationwide. To find out how we can help you manage this complex process while providing participants with easy-to-use tools, contact your Ceridian representative.