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 January 23, 2025
In This Issue
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Welcome to My Benefits Employer News, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about ETF’s new insurance administration system. Save time by only reading the articles relevant to you—the first line of each article identifies which employers and benefits the article applies to. View previous issues.
What You Need to Know About System Cutover Planning
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Before My Insurance Benefits (Benefitplace) goes live, there will be an enrollment freeze on insurance changes. This means that ETF won’t send electronic updates about new enrollments or life changes to its insurance partners during this time. The freeze is a specific point in the cutover process where we pause transactions so the enrollment information can move from its present home in ETF’s current systems to its new home in My Insurance Benefits, which will become the new system of record.
Don’t worry— current member coverage will not be impacted and will stay active during the freeze. ETF will also have backup plans in place to ensure new members can still get needed services, like prescription drugs.
In the coming months, we will continue to share updates about what to expect regarding the enrollment freeze and cutover activity required from employers.
Spotlight on Training
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Training is a critical part of any modernization effort. ETF is busy planning and preparing for employer training in 2025. Please note:
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Training will not be a “one and done” experience. As ETF moves to My Insurance Benefits, employers should expect periodic training from ETF as it continuously refines the system, adds new features, and evolves over time.
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ETF plans to tailor training to the benefits offered. ETF will offer training tailored to the employers’ offerings which means:
- Full training for organizations that offer health, supplemental, life, and ICI benefits.
- A “lighter” option for employers who only offer one or two benefits.
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A mix of live, virtual training, and on-demand resources. We encourage all employers to participate in live, virtual training. After live training, you’ll be able to reference detailed guides, employer procedures, job aids, videos, and FAQs for support.
Watch for updates! Employer training is planned for May and June 2025. A full list of courses and training dates for employers will be published this spring.
End-to-End Testing of My Insurance Benefits Processes
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
In December, ETF began end-to-end testing of the program’s technical applications and processes, including My Insurance Benefits. The team is testing approximately 1,500 scripts, including many aspects of the member and HR administrator roles. A select group of employers who have varying benefit offerings are also involved in the end-to-end testing. During testing, the team is identifying issues, triaging them, and confirming fixes through retesting in preparation for a successful launch July 1, 2025.
Life Insurance Coverage and Premium Effective Dates Align
Local Employers | Life Insurance
My Insurance Benefits will enhance automation in reporting annual salaries, life insurance coverage increases, and age changes. In 2026, the annual local life insurance plan premium rate update will be effective April 1, instead of the current date of July 1. This will allow local employers to align the annual premium updates more closely with the calendar year. This change will be effective April 1, 2026, the year after My Insurance Benefits goes live. See this Group Insurance Board memo for more information.
Who Will Update Member Contact/Demographic Information
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Employers report member contact and demographic data to ETF on behalf of their active employees due to statutory obligations, ETF policy, and employers’ expectations. When My Insurance Benefits goes live, active employees will still need to report address updates to their employer, who then will report the address update to ETF using the insurance-related Employer Transaction Application (ETA). That update will then be sent to My Insurance Benefits. Employers will also continue to report active employee addresses for WRS purposes as they do now.
Active employees will be able to update some personal information, such as a personal email address and marital status, in My Insurance Benefits. This chart gives more details on who will update each contact/demographic item in the future.
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Employer Transition Plan and ETF Local Update Meeting
Local Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Thank you to all who joined the ETF Local Update Meeting on Thursday, December 12, 2024. The My Insurance Benefits Questions and Answers from the session and the Employer Transition Plan are now available.
Frequent Questions
Local Employers | All Insurance Benefits
Q: Will employers who only offer one insurance benefit, such as life insurance or income continuation insurance be required to use My Insurance Benefits?
A: Yes. All health, dental, vision, life, income continuation, and accident benefits will be administered through My Insurance Benefits, which offers easy, secure, online access for both members and employers. Employer participation is not optional.
Q: Will it be possible to have connection files to an internal human resources information system (HRIS) being used to update deductions, coverage and allow for benefit enrollment statements?
A: No, at this point, this is not an option.
All Employers | All Insurance Benefits
My Insurance Benefits Active Employee Announcement
The following article will appear in the first 2025 edition of the WRS News Online for Employees. Please share the WRS News with your staff when ETF delivers it to you later this month:
My Insurance Benefits Set to Launch in 2025
The Department of Employee Trust Funds is set to launch My Insurance Benefits this summer.
My Insurance Benefits is an online application that will allow employees to manage their ETF-administered insurance benefits easily and securely 24/7. With My Insurance Benefits, employees can enroll in, change, or review their current insurance information, including health, dental, vision, accident, income continuation, and life insurance. State employees can also manage their pre-tax savings accounts using My Insurance Benefits. Note: Long-term care insurance is not included in the application.
My Insurance Benefits will be accessed through the My Benefits system, which is part of ETF’s modernization effort to improve online self-service for members and employers.
Several projects are in the pipeline for ongoing modernization, including a multiyear project to provide online access to retirement benefits.
Watch for future updates on My Insurance Benefits from your employer’s human resources office or benefits specialist.
You may also get the latest news from ETF by subscribing to ETF E-mail Updates. Enter your email address, follow the instructions provided, and be sure to check the box for “Member Updates.”
Talking Points to Share with Your Staff:
- Remind your employees that they should inform you of demographic changes, and that you will share the update with ETF.
- Timely updates within My Insurance Benefits will continue to be very important when a member experiences a qualifying event.
- You, the employer, are your employees’ main point of contact and support for My Insurance Benefits.
ETF will continue to provide more detail on the above, communicate additional changes, and ensure you are prepared for the transition.
Local Employers | All Insurance Benefits
If you need support related to My Insurance Benefits, please contact ETF’s employer liaisons at ETFSMBIASEmployerSetupQuestions@etf.wi.gov.
State Employers | All Insurance Benefits
If you need support related to My Insurance Benefits, please contact the IAS Project Manager with whom you currently work.
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