The more prepared employees are for a dependent eligibility verification, the easier the process will be for everyone involved. Below, we have curated our best tips to ensure that your employees are as prepared as possible to verify their dependents.
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Start communication as early as possible.
The earlier you communicate with your employees about the dependent eligibility verification requirements, the better. We recommend starting communications during open enrollment to help deter employees from adding ineligible dependents. Even if open enrollment is months before the audit, it’s still a good idea to give your employees plenty of notice so they aren’t surprised.
Our recommendation is to begin communication no later than one month before the verification launch to give employees ample time to collect any required documentation. It’s important to include detailed document requirements in the initial communications to prevent confusion about what employees are required to provide to maintain coverage for their dependents.
Take advantage of internal communication.
Internal communication is the best approach to prepare employees for a dependent eligibility verification for a variety of reasons. Employees trust communications from their employer, which is very important when asking for personal documentation.
Use internal communications and clear, simple messaging. There are several great options for internal communications; take advantage of as many as possible to help prepare your employees for a dependent eligibility verification.
- Company newsletter
- Company intranet
- Enrollment materials
- New-hire benefit packages
- Employee text message blasts
- Break room flyers
- Traditional mailers, such as postcards
Your dependent audit vendor should be able to provide sample communication materials for you to use.
Educate your employees.
The more educated your employees are about the dependent eligibility verification process and what is expected of them, the smoother the eligibility verification will be for everyone involved. Explain why you are conducting the audit and how it can benefit both the company and your employees.
For each of your communications, ensure you are providing the following information.
When the Eligibility Verification Begins and Ends
Employees need to be fully aware of the dates in which the documentation will be accepted. Employees should prepare for the dependent eligibility verification by gathering all documents to determine if they are missing any required documentation.
What Documents Are Required
Make sure to be as specific as possible to help ensure a smooth and efficient audit. By providing your documentation requirements upfront, you give your employees more time to locate or retrieve any documents that will be needed to verify their dependent(s).
Where They Can Order Missing Documentation
Employees should check with their local probate office, vital records office, or can even use third parties to retrieve their missing verification document(s). Many third-party services, such as VitalCheck, can provide different types of verification documents, some even by the next day.
Where They Can Find More Information About the Audit
The communications should include any established employee resources (such as webpages, call center numbers, etc.) so employees know where to find answers to any questions they may have about the audit.
Help employees understand why you’ve chosen to conduct a dependent eligibility verification.
It’s important to maintain a neutral tone in communications with your employees.
On average, 4-8% of dependents enrolled in a company’s benefits plan are found to be ineligible, and most of the time people only carry ineligible dependents because they don’t understand the plan rules.Click To TweetIn some cases, employees are not even aware they were carrying ineligible dependents. Employees will be much more receptive when they understand that to keep benefits costs low for everyone, your company needs to make sure it’s not spending money unnecessarily on ineligible dependents.
What are some of the challenges you’re facing in communicating with your employees about a dependent eligibility audit? Let us know in the comments so we can help! 👇 👇
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