Watch for 2017 Group Program SPDs and SMMs
New location makes it easy to find and acknowledge your documents
Starting December 20, watch your Message Center for an alert linking to your cooperative’s 2017 summary plan description (SPD) and summary of material modifications (SMM) documents.
Benefits administrators will receive an alert when their co-op’s 2017 documents are available for download and distribution. Watch for the alert, then download your documents and give them to your employees before March 1, 2017. You may receive several alerts as documents for different plans under the Group Benefits Program are released.
2017 SPDs and SMMs
You’ll receive a 2017 SMM for plans that you confirmed (without making changes) during 2017 annual renewal.
You’ll receive a 2017 SPD only for:
- Plans that you changed (e.g., eligibility, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum) during annual renewal
- Medical high-deductible PPO plans for which you elected the embedded deductible feature
- Non-high-deductible health plans when the pharmacy benefit was mapped to one of the three new 2017 plan structures
A list of 2017 group plan changes is available on the Employee Benefits website.
Again, give the SPDs and SMMs to your employees by March 1, 2017. And don’t forget to provide the most current SPD and related SMMs to employees you hire in 2017 within 90 days of their hire date.
Review and Distribute
Before you distribute your documents, review them to confirm that the elections your co-op made during annual renewal (e.g., deductible amounts and coinsurance) are reflected accurately. Use the online checklist to meet the correct deadlines and distribute the documents properly. Go to Cooperative.com > My Benefits > Help & Resources > Your Co-op Responsibilities > Distributing Group SPDs, SMMs and Other Disclosure Documents. There, you’ll find guidelines for electronic distribution, the list of changes made to your group benefit plans in 2017, and acknowledgement instructions.
New Online Location
As part of our ongoing effort to streamline and improve your online experience, you’ll now find all your co-op’s 2017 group plan documents (including SPDs, SMMs, and SBCs) in one central location on the Employee Benefits website. Go to My Benefits > Co-op Insurance > Group Plan Documents (SPD, SMM, and SBC). Links in your Message Center alert will also take you there.
After you distribute the SPDs, complete the online distribution and acknowledgment. Go to My Benefits > Co-op Insurance > Group Plan Documents (SPD, SMM, and SBC). Select your subgroup, if applicable. You can also view any existing group plan documents (including 2017 summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) notices) and finish any outstanding distribution acknowledgements in the same online location.
If you have questions about downloading or accessing your SPDs and SMMs, call the Member Contact Center at 866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop.
For all other SPD or SMM questions, call the benefits compliance team at 866.673.2299, option 7, or email us at group.compliance@nreca.coop.