Distribute Summary of Benefits and Coverage Documents by Deadline

November 1 is the deadline to download and distribute 2025 summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) documents to plan participants and beneficiaries. SBCs were released beginning in September.

If you haven’t done so already, download your cooperative’s SBCs from the Group Plan Documents page of the Employee Benefits website. If your co-op offers either health flexible spending accounts or health reimbursement arrangements, create your own SBC using model notices that are available on the respective pages linked above (under “For Participants”).

Review the distribution instructions online. Verify who should receive each SBC and check to see if your participants qualify to receive required notices electronically.

When open enrollment materials are provided, the SBC must be included with the open enrollment materials.

If renewal is automatic (with no opportunity to elect different benefits), the SBC must be given to participants no later than 30 days prior to the first day of the new plan year.

Once you’ve distributed the SBCs, fill out the acknowledgment form on the Employee Benefits website. You can acknowledge distributing SBCs for multiple plans in one step.

If you have any questions about distributing your SBCs, contact the benefits compliance team at 866.673.2299, option 7, or at group.compliance@nreca.coop.