Distribute 2026 Group Benefits Program SPDs by March 1

2026 summary plan description (SPD) documents for the NRECA Group Benefits Program must be distributed to current plan participants and beneficiaries no later than March 1, 2026. Also give copies to employees you hire (within 90 days of their hire date) and to directors elected or appointed during 2026. 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, deductibles, and coinsurance). If they do not match, contact the benefits compliance team. Also, ensure the plan provisions in your SPDs properly reflect your co-op’s human resources policies and procedures.

The 2026 SPD updates document lists general plan provisions that have changed since 2025. Your SPDs will also reflect any eligibility changes that you made during annual renewal, if applicable.

The BA Guide has a full distribution checklist and guidelines for who must receive an SPD. Cooperatives may use the Employee Benefits website to deliver their SPDs electronically to participants eligible under the 2002 Electronic Distribution Safe Harbor.

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.