2022 Group Benefits Program SPDs Now Available – NRECA Employee Benefits Weekly

Starting in December, your cooperative should have received one or more Message Center notifications directing you to 2022 summary plan description (SPD) and summary of material modification (SMM) documents for the Group Benefits Program.

SPDs and SMMs for plans with special or exception designs will continue to be released during January. By January 31, all documents will be available for download. They must be distributed to current participants and beneficiaries no later than March 1, 2022.

Also give SPDs and SMMs to employees you hire during 2022 (within 90 days of their hire date) and to directors elected or appointed during 2022. COBRA plan participants, retirees, surviving dependents and any children under a qualified medical child support order must receive their own copy if they do not reside with your employee.

Before distribution, ensure that your SPDs correctly reflect the elections you made during annual renewal (e.g., eligibility, premium cost-sharing, deductible amounts and coinsurance). If they do not match, contact the benefits compliance team right away. Also, ensure the plan provisions in your SPDs properly reflect your co-op’s human resources policies and procedures.

The BA Guide has a full distribution checklist, guidelines for who must receive SPDs, and electronic distribution guidelines. Check the COVID-19 page on timeline extensions to find out if your co-op can use certain temporary electronic delivery methods during the pandemic. All SPDs and SMMs are in Adobe Acrobat format. Your notification includes a link to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader if you do not already have the application. Once you distribute the documents, acknowledge all outstanding distributions using the “Documents Requiring Acknowledgement” section of the Group Plan Documents page.

If you have questions about downloading or accessing your SPDs, contact the Member Contact Center at 866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop. For all other SPD questions, call the benefits compliance team at 866.673.2299, option 7, or email us at group.compliance@nreca.coop.