benefitsCONNECT® Quick Reference Guide

Bookmarking benefitsCONNECT®

The web address for benefitsCONNECT® is https://www.benefitsconnect.net/admin. However, upon loading that page you are redirected to https://www.benefitsconnect.net/Login.cfm. If you bookmark it here you will have to put admin into the address every time you visit the site. To bypass this step, right-click the link in your Favorites Menu, go to Properties, Edit and then Save the correct address in your URL box.

Once logged in, you will be at the Main System Menu. You can click on Company Management then Edit Company to go into a particular company or Employee Administration then Edit Employee to search for an employee. At all times, there is a navigation menu at the top which can be used as a breadcrumb trail (see image below) of where you are within the site. You can click on the trail to step back and go to a previous menu.

Changing Your Own Password

When at the Main System Menu, go to System Variables & Settings and then Change Password.

Selecting A Company

You can jump right into a particular company by going to Company Management > Edit Company and selecting a company from the list provided. Once a choice is made, you will be viewing that company’s information only. To step back, use the Navigation Menu (or breadcrumb trail) and click on Select Company.

Company Administration Menu

Once you have selected a company, you will be at that company’s Main Menu. From here, you have four sub-menus you can choose from:

Company Administration – Use this section to view basic company information, employee groupings like divisions and categories, payroll schedules and overall system activity via the history file.
Employee Administration – Use this section to add or edit an employee’s demographic data as well as their election information.
Benefit Plan Administration – Use this section to view current and prior plans grouped by benefit.
Company Reporting – Use this section to run reports such as Plan Enrollment or Dependent Census.
Company Communications – Use this section to view current forms available for employees to download and/or send email broadcasts to employees.

Searching for an Employee or Dependent

You can search for an employee or dependent in numerous ways. Go to Employee Administration > Edit Employees to bring up the Search Screen. You can choose what type of member you are looking for (employee, spouse, child(ren) or ex-spouse) and what criteria you would like to use to search (last name, first name or Social Security number). You can search names using only the first few characters of a name, you can search SSNs with or without dashes or you can also narrow the results by selecting the division where the employee works. If you choose not to select the company, the system will search all members in all companies.

Employee Administration Menu

Once you have selected your employee, you will be at that employee’s Main Menu. From here, you have three sub-menus you can choose from:

Personal Information Menu – Use this menu to view/change employee demographic information such as profile/address information, employment details and payroll information. You can also use this menu to change an employee’s status and their password. Additionally, you can use the Personal Information Menu to view an employee’s activity history and any notes other admin users may make for an employee.
Dependent Information Menu – Use this menu to view, add, change or delete an employee’s dependents. You can also use this menu to indicate disability or student status.
Benefit Plan Information Menu – Use this menu to view/change an employee’s current elections as well as see their enrollment history. You can also check employee eligibility, view the beneficiaries on file and see a summary of all employee demographic and benefit information in the system.

Adding A Dependent

Adding a dependent can be done by going under the Dependent Information Menu and selecting Add Spouse or Domestic Partner or Add Child. Fill in the general info, contact info and any other additional details related to the dependent and click SAVE at the bottom. Be sure to include any student information, if applicable, in order to make overage dependents eligible for coverage.

Changing A Dependent’s Status

To make a dependent ineligible for coverage, you can change their status from active to inactive. You can also change a spouse’s status to ex-spouse, if necessary. To make this change, go to the Dependent Information Menu and click the down facing arrow next to the dependent’s name. A drop-down box will appear with the status options. Once a selection is made, enter the effective date of when the dependent will be removed from coverage.

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TIP: Employees do not have the option to change a dependent’s status. Entering inactive or ex-spouse along with using a date in the past will remove the dependent from past coverage.

Viewing an Employee’s Current Elections

You can see what benefits the employee is currently enrolled in as well as any future benefits by going to the Benefit Plan Information menu and selecting Benefit Plan Enrollment. You can view a summary or outline of benefits by clicking the pair of eyeglasses (shown above) next to the benefit.

Making A Benefit Election

To make a change or to see what an employee may be eligible for, click the type of benefit under current enrollment or use the Eligible Plan Types menu located in the upper right of the screen. Once a benefit is chosen, make an election from the available choices and elect family members, if applicable. If it is during open enrollment or within an employee’s new hire window, you can make changes to benefits without providing a reason. A screen pop-up will alert you if you are outside of these windows. If you wish to make an election any other time, you need to provide a Qualifying Event reason for the change and an effective date for the new election. Select the reason from the drop-down selection box and enter an effective date for the new election and then save the election.

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TIP: You can add additional Qualifying Event reasons to the system to meet your needs. Simple click on Benefit Plan Information >Qualifying Events to add your own customization.

Viewing an Employee’s Previous Elections (Enrollment History Screen)

To see elections an employee has had in the past, go to the Benefit Plan Information menu and select Enrollment History Report. Choose the date span in which to show elections and click SELECT. Results displayed will show the plan name, covered members, effective period, the date the election was created, the date the election was terminated (if applicable), how the election was created and who entered it. You can narrow the results by selecting a particular plan type.

Viewing Beneficiary Information

Beneficiary information can be viewed by going to the Benefit Plan Information menu and selecting Beneficiary Information. Here, you can view current beneficiaries or add new ones. Current beneficiaries are listed at the top and covered beneficiaries are listed at the bottom under each applicable benefit. Once a beneficiary is added using Click here to add a new beneficiary record, they can be designated by benefits and percentages can be allocated based on how many beneficiaries are listed. You can delete beneficiaries by clicking the X next to an individual’s name.

Viewing The Consolidated Enrollment Form

The Consolidated Enrollment Form allows you to view a summary of an employee’s overall information on one page. It can also be used as an actual enrollment form or confirmation statement. To view an employee’s Consolidated Enrollment Form, go to Benefit Plan Information and click Consolidated Enrollment Form. The upper portion of the page displays all of the employee’s demographic information, the middle portion shows their dependent data and the bottom portion shows their current elections. Please note an employee's login status must be set to "Complete" in order to view.

Terminating an Employee

You can terminate an employee by going to the Personal Information Menu and selecting the Status option. Once you have selected Terminated from the drop-down menu, indicate whether the termination is Voluntary or Involuntary and then enter the Reason for the Status Change. Use the last day of employment as the Status Change Effective Date. You also have the option to disable the login to prevent the employee from entering the system.

Changing an Employee’s Username or Password

Occasionally an employee will need to have their password reset or username confirmed. You can do both by going to the Personal Information Menu and choosing Password. The system default password is the first six letters of the employee’s last name, the first letter of their first name and the last 4 digits of their Social Security number. If necessary, you can change the username to a different one. To change the password, enter a new password in the Enter New Password box and retype the password into the Confirm New Password box. The employee can then change their own password once they login by going to the same menu options noted above.

Accessing The Client Site to Test Username and / Or Password

If an employee is still having difficulty logging into the system, it is sometimes necessary to go to the client website itself and attempt to login using the employee’s information. If a successful attempt is made, then the issue is usually related to the individual’s physical computer at their location.

Viewing The Forms Library

Employees have the ability to download forms directly from the website. Forms can be accessed by going into the appropriate company and choosing Forms Library from the Company Communications menu. Forms listed here can be viewed or downloaded by clicking the form name or clicking the eyeglasses to the right of each form. Employees can access the forms from the same menu.