NRECA Affiliate Membership May be Required for Your Subsidiary

Is your cooperative planning to begin offering NRECA employee benefits to its subsidiary employees? If so, NRECA affiliate membership may be required.

Electric co-op expansion into new business areas often leads to the formation of a new subsidiary or a change in purpose for an existing subsidiary. During the planning stages, benefits administrators may be tasked with providing cost estimates for employee benefit plans.

If the goal is to offer NRECA employee benefits to subsidiary employees, that subsidiary may need its own affiliate membership. A subsidiary that is owned or controlled 50% or more by one or more NRECA voting members must become an affiliate member to become eligible to offer NRECA employee benefits.

While your NRECA field representative is your source for information about our benefits plans, it’s important to contact NRECA’s membership staff early on, to learn whether affiliate membership will be required for your subsidiary.

The onboarding of new affiliate members can take months, as approval of new members is determined by NRECA’s board of directors at a regularly scheduled meeting. 

Membership staff are available to address your questions and review your timing goals. To schedule a brief conversation about eligibility requirements and the application process for NRECA affiliate membership, please contact Susan Mortensen, Member Relationship Manager, at susan.mortensen@nreca.coop.