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Upcoming Feature in WebCOBRA – New Qualifying Event of “HCTC / VEBA Eligibility”

2012-01-31T15:56:00Z

Travis is currently working to add a new Qualifying Event entitled “HCTC/VEBA Eligibility.” This Qualifying Event includes a 72.5% subsidy that is automatically applied and expires at the end of 2013.

A court recently approved the creation of an “Auto Retiree VEBA Trust,” which is a Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association designed to provide health benefits to eligible retired auto workers. A VEBA provides a way for employers to make a one-time contribution and satisfy the health liabilities of retirees. This VEBA is unique in that it is not tied to any one employer, but covers regional eligible retirees in the auto industry.

A benefit of the VEBA is that it qualifies for the recently expanded HCTC program. Legislation passed in late 2011 increased the HCTC tax credit to 72.5% of the applicable premium for qualifying coverage. This expanded program is currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.

As background, the HCTC program was introduced within the Trade Act of 2002 and provided a 65% tax credit for COBRA coverage for (i) individuals that receive Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), (ii) qualifying Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PGBC) pension payees, and (iii) qualified family members of TAA recipients and PBGC payees. The program was enhanced to a 72.5% tax credit of the applicable premium for qualifying coverage that continues to allow for VEBA-related coverage to qualify for the credit. This VEBA will be welcomed by retirees, because they will be able to purchase coverage through the VEBA as a pass-through, but the federal government will subsidize 72.5% of the cost.

The new “HCTC/VEBA Eligibility” qualifying event will automatically apply a 72.5% federal subsidy and will automatically expire at the end of 2013. Admittedly, the new “HCTC/VEBA Eligibility” is a rare qualifying event, but we strive to provide a wide range of functionality and system options, so that our customers can choose the features that best fit their business.

Welcoming The Year 2012

2012-01-18T16:00:00Z

As Travis welcomes the new year 2012, we wanted to take a moment to briefly discuss the landmark events that occurred during 2011 and let you know of the exciting new things that are planned for 2012!

We hope that each of you are off to a great start in 2012 and are pleased to have another year of annual enrollment period behind you!

Travis had an “interesting” 2011. Organizationally, the most visible change was that Alan Williams, Travis’ Founder, stepped back from the business so that Lauren Williams, his daughter, could take over the day-to-day operations of the company. Alan is certainly still involved in the company, but he is just spending more time away from the office.

One of the important improvements that we as a company have worked on in 2011 was the streamlining of the Support department so that issues are addressed in a more efficient manner with a goal of providing a quicker turnaround. We also worked to professionalize our administration department to make sure that orders are processed efficiently and invoices are provided to customers both in a timely and accurate manner.

We added over 30 new features to TravisCobra, as well as several to TravisFlex and our TBILL system during 2011, and plan to add other new features during 2012 and in the coming years.

Many of you who use WebCOBRA are interested in the upcoming availability of Release 2.0 of that system, which we worked on all during 2011. We are excited about Release 2.0 – it employs a new and even more stable system architecture and offers the features you’ve become accustomed to in the current WebCOBRA system together with several major new features discussed in previous emails.

As a first step in the process of upgrading you to WebCOBRA Release 2.0, we have now begun to schedule training sessions on the new release followed immediately by your having access to a fresh instance of the new release so that you can familiarize yourself and your staff with the system. This “test” instance of Release 2.0 is made available in addition to your being able to continue to use the current WebCOBRA release for production. If you are interested in scheduling your WebCOBRA 2.0 introduction, please contact Travis Whitmeyer, Travis’ Director of Sales and Marketing, at (281) 496-3737, ext 159.

Also during 2012 we will expand our system offerings to include a full Benefit and HR system – TravisBenefits/HR. We’ll be providing you with more information about that system as it comes closer to completion.

2012 has all the makings of an exciting year at Travis. We want to thank you for your support and are looking forward to delivering these new systems to you.

Announcement of Upcoming Enhancement to WebCOBRA On Demand & TravisCobra systems

2012-01-09T16:02:00Z

ObamaCare changed the future landscape of healthcare, but one change that is currently in effect is that a group health plan or health insurance issuer that offers group health insurance coverage must make dependent coverage of children available until a child’s attainment of 26 years of age. Specifically, for plan years beginning on and after January 1, 2011, a group health plan must provide health coverage for employees’ children until the child turns 26.

In 2010, the IRS issued Temporary Regulations regarding the coverage requirement. Travis Software usually does not make changes based upon temporary regulations, however, we received customer suggestions to incorporate this new change and felt it appropriate considering all of the attention ObamaCare is getting.

Next week, both WebCOBRA and TravisCobra systems will be enhanced with a new benefit plan option regarding child dependents and whether the plan seeks to extend coverage through to: the child’s (i) actual birthday, (ii) the end of the month that the child turns age 26, or (iii) the end of the year that the child turns age 26. This new option will work with a current existing option titled “Coverage Termination Method” that determines the first day after loss of coverage. The system will simply review a specific child dependent’s age and, if either such child is 25 or 26, the system will first look to the new option to determine the first day after loss of coverage. If no selection for this new option has been selected, the system will default to the existing option in place.

The temporary regulation permits an Administrator to terminate coverage as of the actual child dependent’s birthday, but the additional alternatives were added for flexibility since there are multiple interpretations that employers/insurance companies may take.

Upon the enhancement’s release, we will issue Release Notes that further detail the enhancement and the instructions on how to change the system default for each benefit plan.

To review the IRS Temporary Regulations, click here: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=a35eb6b50b3f548d078afc85dc7aebd7&rgn=div8&view=text&node=26:17.0.1.1.5.0.1.76&idno=26.

January's Tuesday Tips for WebCOBRA

2012-01-03T16:00:00Z

Welcome to the first Tuesday Tips blog of 2012! This edition of Tuesday Tips outlines the process for correcting a Site User security role assignment in WebCOBRA On Demand.

The system is designed for Site Users to have just one security role assignment. In certain instances the system permits the assignment of multiple security roles to one Site User, but this is unnecessary when the “Supervisory Administrator” security role is selected.

The “Supervisory Administrator” security role allows the user to complete all of the functions in the system and is intended for such individuals that need unlimited access to the system. If a user is a “Supervisory Administrator,” then the other security roles, such as “Client Administrator” or “Compliance Administrator,” are already incorporated in the “Supervisory Administrator” security role. If multiple security roles are checked in addition to the “Supervisory Administrator,” the system interprets the additional security roles that are selected as an override and may potentially block the Site User from completing other system functions, permitted for a “Supervisory Administrator.”

This Tuesday Tips serves as a “check” so that you can make sure each “Supervisory Administrator” does not have the other security roles checked, as this is unnecessary and could potentially block certain data from being viewed such as Client names in report selections or the ability to search for specific Qualified Beneficiaries.

To modify the security roles for a Site User, perform the following steps:

1. From the WebCOBRA home screen, select “Supervisor Only,” and then “Users.”

2. Scroll down and click “Site Users” from the table.

3. Select the “Edit” link next to the Site User login for which you want to correct a security role assignment.

4. You will be directed to the “Security Roles” tab for the User. Select “Yes” next to the appropriate role, and “No” to the other selections.

5. Click the “Save Security Settings” button when done.

6. A message will appear stating, “Editing User Roles saved correctly.”

Travis Holidays 2012

2011-12-20T15:30:00Z

All of us at Travis hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a great New Year! As we do each year at this time, we want to give you the days in 2012 when Travis’ offices will be closed for holidays.

Monday, January 2nd – New Year’s Day

Monday, January 16th – Martin Luther King Day

Friday, April 6th – Good Friday

Monday, May 28th – Memorial Day

Wednesday, July 4th – Independence Day

Monday, September 3rd – Labor Day

Thursday, November 22nd – Thanksgiving

Friday, November 23rd – Day After Thanksgiving

Tuesday, December 25th – Christmas Day

Thank you again for being a Travis customer and for your support during this past year. We hope you find joy in the New Year!

December's Tuesday Tips for TravisFlex Users

2011-12-06T16:00:00Z

Welcome back to Tuesday Tips, December 2011 edition! The holiday season has begun, which means the new year is just around the corner. We here at Travis know that this time of year is especially busy for our TravisFlex system users, and wanted to give you a review of a couple functions in the system. This month’s Tuesday Tips includes instructions for re-exporting claims and re-importing daily settlements that did not export or import. Also, we have included an overview of Year End Processing in TravisFlex.

Steps to Re-Export Claims

If an incorrect amount was entered for a claim or if a claim was just not included in the original file, a User would need to re-export claims to Evolution in TravisFlex, as outlined in the steps below.

1. Reset to the Admin/Employer for which the manual claims were originally created.

2. Open the specific Employee’s record and click the “Claims” button.

3. Select the claim to be re-exported, and click “Edit.” Click the “Unaccept” button, and then “Yes” to confirm. Click “OK.”

4. The status of the claim will change to “Open.” Select the claim and click “Edit” again. Click the “Accept” button. Click “Yes” to confirm, and then “OK.”

5. Enter the Accepted Amount and click “OK.”

6. From the “File” menu, select “Debit Cards” and then “Evolution.” Click “Create Export File” and continue with the normal export process for claims.

Steps to Re-Import Daily Settlements

If there is a network time-out or there has been some kind of network-related error, daily settlement import files can become corrupted during the import process. In this situation, you would need to re-import daily settlements, as outlined in the steps given below.

1. Locate and open the “EbInbox” folder in your TravisFlex directory.

2. Click the heading to sort by the “Date Modified.” Look for the latest daily settlement file.

3. Rename the file that did not get imported (for instance, you could add the letter “A” to the end of the original file name).

4. Open your TravisFlex system and reset to the Admin level.

5. From the “File” menu, select “Debit Cards” and then “Evolution.”

6. Click “Import Daily Settlements” and continue with the normal import process.

Overview of the Year End Process in TravisFlex

TravisFlex tracks information by years: prior, current, and future. The Year End Process in TravisFlex is used to move current year claims to the prior year, and the future year will become the current year. For example, we are going into 2012, so the current year, 2011, will become the prior year, 2012 will become the current year and 2013 will be the future year.

Please note that the Prior Year Purge Process and the Year End Process require exclusive use of TravisFlex. No other users may be logged into TravisFlex.

1. First, we highly recommend that you make a backup of the system before running these processes.

2. Run reports on the current Prior Year data (2009 data), as this data will be deleted during the Prior Year Purge Process. Recommended reports to run include:

Forfeiture Report: Employer Report C
Pended Claims: Payment Report C
Paid Claims: Payment Report D
Pending Claims: Payment Report E
Account Balance by Category: Payment Report F
Account Balance by Employee: Payment Report G
Benefit Account Listing: Benefit Report A
Medical Expense Overdraft: Benefit Report E

3. In order for the system to move the current year data (2011 data) into the prior year, the records that are currently prior year (2010) must be purged.

To do this, run the “Prior Year Purge Process” from the “Utility” menu. This process will permanently delete all 2010 (Prior Year) data and is done per Employer.

During the process, you will be asked if you would like to archive the data. If you have already created a backup, this information is already saved. If you chose to archive the data, it will be done on a per Employer basis, so you can view each Employer’s information individually.

4. The final step is to move the future year data (2012) into the current year data. This final step is done by executing the “Year End Process” from the “Utility” menu.

If you have the Evolution debit card module, you will be prompted during the Year End Process, “Has employee information for the upcoming plan year been sent, and successfully loaded into Evolution?” IMPORTANT: Only click “Yes” if you have sent over future year debit card information to Evolution before starting the Year End Process. This is usually the case if you have been using Evolution throughout the year and future year benefits were added. Choose “No” if you have not sent over future year debit card information. This is usually the case if you are new to Evolution and will be setting up new employees next year.

For more information on system operation functionality for Year End Processing or any questions regarding TravisFlex, please contact the Travis Support Team either by phone, (281) 496-3737, option 3, or by logging into the Self Service Portal.

Reminder of Office Closures for the Upcoming Holiday Season

2011-11-18T16:23:00Z

As the holiday season approaches, we at Travis wanted to send a quick reminder of the days that the Travis office will be closed. With the exception of the holidays listed below, our office will be open as usual and the Travis Support Team will be available from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, Central Standard Time, at 281-496-3737 and select Option 3.

Thursday, November 24th – Thanksgiving

Friday, November 25th – Day After Thanksgiving

Monday, December 26th – Day After Christmas

Monday, January 2nd – Day After New Year’s Day

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Travis Software Presents November's Tuesday Tips for WebCOBRA and TravisCobra

2011-11-01T15:30:00Z

Tuesday Tips is back with helpful hints for WebCOBRA and TravisCobra! In our Tuesday Tips blog posts, we discuss and give step-by-step instructions for common features or recently introduced functionality in our systems.

November’s Tuesday Tip illustrates how to perform rate changes in both our WebCOBRA and TravisCobra systems. Rate changes are generally performed when an Administrator is notified by a Carrier of new premium rates that begin on the Plan Anniversary Date.

A step-by-step list of instructions for performing a rate change in WebCOBRA and in TravisCobra is provided below.

Steps to Perform a Rate Change

WebCOBRA

1. From the WebCOBRA home screen, select “Benefit Plan – View All” from the Benefit Plans section.

2. Select “Edit” next to the Benefit Plan for which you want to make a rate change.

3. From the Benefit Plan’s “Rates” tab, select the “Make a Rate Change” button to begin the “Rate Change Wizard.”

4. Complete Step 1 – Plan Selection. Review the Benefit Plan’s basic information and verify that this is the plan to which you would like to make a rate change. Click “Continue” when done.

5. Complete Step 2 – Current Rates. Review and verify the Current Plan Information for this Benefit Plan, including Current Premium Rates and Current Rate Start Date. Click “Continue.”

6. Complete Step 3 – Effective Date. Enter the “New Rates to Start on” date. Optional fields allow Users to increase or decrease the total number of tiers for tier-based plans, automatically increase rates by a percentage, and/or enter in the rate expiration date and the date for a reminder notification to generate. Select “Choose and Continue.”

7. Complete Step 4 – Edit Rates. Enter the new rates for the Benefit Plan. Click “Choose and Continue.”

8. Complete Step 5 – Print Coupons. Select whether you would like to send the QBs affected by the rate change an updated Premium Coupon set. If you select “Yes,” a Date Range (Start and End date) must be entered. Select “Continue.”

9. Complete Step 6 – Review and Save. Review and verify the Rate Change Wizard Summary information. Select “Conduct Rate Change” when done.

Please note that rate changes may not immediately be visible on QB ledgers or immediately available for disbursement. Please allow a few hours before processing disbursements or accepting Premium Coupons generated in correspondence while QB ledgers are being rebuilt.

TravisCobra

1. Reset to the Employer in which the Benefit Plan you want to make a rate change to resides.

2. Select the “Edit Benefits” icon.

3. Select the appropriate Benefit Plan from the list.

4. Click the “Rates” button.

A pop-up message will appear to remind you that no one should currently be working in the system with PQBs that will be affected by the rate change. Click “OK.”

5. Enter in the new “Rates Take Effect” date and new Premium Rates. Please note that the year format is limited to 2 spaces. For example: If the new rate takes effect January 1, 2012, the “Rates Take Effect” date should be entered as 01/01/12. Select “OK” when done.

6. A pop-up message will appear asking, “You have entered a new Start Date. Will plan rates go into effect on this date?” Confirm the rate change by selecting “Yes.”

Travis Software Announces New President, Lauren M. Williams

2011-10-28T18:15:00Z

Travis Software is pleased to announce that Lauren M. Williams has been promoted to President of the Company effective October 28, 2011. Lauren will continue to fill the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Company, a role she has held since January of this year.

In her new role as President, Lauren will increasingly be the chief spokesperson for the Company, responsible for managing relationships with customers as well as continuing to maintain the Company’s growth and smooth operation.

“Having practiced as an ERISA attorney for several years prior to joining Travis in 2009, Lauren brought a wealth of capability to the Company. She has made a tremendous contribution guiding the Company’s transformation from an adolescent to a mature organization over the past two years,” said Alan Williams, Chairman of Travis. “I’m delighted she has agreed to take on her the responsibilities of President so that she can continue to guide how we serve our current customers as well as realize the growth and new product directions planned for Travis in the next several years.”

Administer COBRA the Way YOU Want to, with WebCOBRA and TravisCobra from Travis Software Corp.

2011-10-27T13:41:00Z

WebCOBRA continues to dominate the COBRA administration software market with over 500 administrator and employer organizations using the system! And TravisCobra, the leading Windows-based system for COBRA administration, continues to have several hundred users as well. Why is that? Our customers consistently tell us it’s because both systems are feature-rich, dependable, and because we listen to and accommodate our customers’ suggestions rather than forcing our own beliefs of how COBRA ought to be done and how the systems ought to work. Both systems are constantly updated to make them extremely flexible. With both systems, YOU get to choose from an array of options allowing you to administer COBRA the way you see fit.

Travis is unique not only because we invented COBRA software in 1986 through the initial release of TravisCobra and reinvented COBRA software in 2005 with WebCOBRA, but also because both systems continue to be the most flexible COBRA systems available today. We view that as part of our obligation in being the market leader, a position we’ve held for 25 years.

While some requirements of COBRA administration are “black letter law” and can only be done one way, there are many, many situations that come up daily in COBRA administration that are subject to varying interpretation by the administrator or employer. We at Travis focus on accommodating a variety of COBRA situations and customer opinions to incorporate the flexibility and functionality into our systems required to meet the varying opinions about how COBRA should be administered. There’s usually not just one way to interpret a COBRA issue, and we want our systems to support you with automated functionality no matter what your interpretation.

By using either WebCOBRA or TravisCobra, you get the benefit of opinions and the experience of hundreds of COBRA administrators who, over the past 25 years, have asked Travis to enhance our systems to accommodate various routines and situations they have encountered. We are aggressive in adding these capabilities when customers provide us with their suggestions and ideas, typically adding new options to allow for the various interpretations rather than try to impose our understanding of how COBRA administration “should be done” by not making those options available.

For more information about WebCOBRA or TravisCobra, feel free to contact Travis’ Sales & Marketing Department at (281) 496-3737, ext. 159.

October's Tuesday Tips for WebCOBRA and TravisCobra

2011-10-04T14:53:00Z

Hello again! Welcome to the October edition of “Tuesday Tips” where we discuss and demonstrate a common feature or a recently introduced functionality of the system on the first Tuesday of the month.

October’s Tip explains how to add the Social Security Disability Extension period to a Participant’s record in both our WebCOBRA and TravisCobra systems.

Generally, when a certain Participant with a qualifying event type of termination or retirement is approved for disability payments by the Social Security Administration (SSA), they become eligible for 11 additional months of COBRA continuation coverage.

When the Participant becomes eligible for the Social Security Disability Extension, the Participant’s record can be updated to reflect the extended period of coverage and the system will generate the applicable letters.

A step-by-step list of instructions for adding the Social Security Disability Extension to a Participant record in WebCOBRA and in TravisCobra is provided below.

Steps to Add Social Security Disability Extension to Participant Record

WebCOBRA

1. Navigate to the eligible QB’s record.

2. Select the “Information” tab.

3. Next to the “On SS Disability” setting, select the “Yes” radio button.

4. Click the “Save QB Information” button. A confirmation will appear – “QB Information Management saved correctly.” The QB’s “Scheduled End of Continuing Coverage” date on this screen now reflects the 11 additional months of coverage provided by the Social Security Disability Extension.

5. Select the QB’s “Ledger” tab, and click “Build Payment Schedule.”

6. The additional months of payments now appear in the payment schedule.

TravisCobra

1. Navigate to the PQB’s record.

2. Select the “Action” button at the bottom.

3. Click “Create SS Disability Extension.”

4. The “Social Security Disability” pop-up window will appear. Check the box for “Eligible For SS Disability.” This window gives additional information about the Social Security Disability Extension period, such as the original COBRA coverage end date, and the new coverage end date with the Social Security Disability Extension period added.

5. Click “OK.” Please note that if any of the PQB’s plan assignments currently have an end date effective the original COBRA coverage end date, then you may need to correct the end dates for those assignments to accommodate the 11-month Social Security Disability Extension.

6. The PQB’s record will now reflect the activation of the Social Security Disability Extension.

Status Update on DOL’s Expansion of Electronic Disclosure

2011-09-15T15:15:00Z

In May 2011, Travis blogged about a new “Request for Information” by the Department of Labor regarding the possible expansion of electronic disclosure by employee benefit plans, including COBRA disclosures.

On September 13, 2011, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) followed through on the Request and issued interim e-disclosure policies for participant-fee disclosure regulations. While this policy does not directly affect COBRA administration, it may be a sign for what might be coming.

Previously, the DOL issued the final regulations for participant-level fee disclosure, which raised the level of information required to be disclosed about plan and investment costs to works who direct their own investments in ERISA-covered 401(k) plans and other individual account retirement plans.

Technical Release 2011-03, expands the ability of ERISA plans to use modern electronic disclosure technologies to communicate with participants. This Release allows administrators to comply with the notification requirement imposed by the final participant disclosure rule electronically, as long as certain conditions and safeguards are met. Currently, the Technical Release is limited to the disclosures required under the final participant-fee disclosure regulation, but we believe this is an encouraging sign that the DOL is open to enhancing the notification requirements that can be satisfied through e-disclosure.

As stated in our earlier blog, Travis intends to respond quickly with additional system capabilities, should the DOL expand the types of COBRA documents that may be distributed electronically.

For more information about Technical Release 2011-03, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/tr11-03.html. For the DOL’s New Release, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/2011/ebsa091311.html.

September’s “Tuesday Tips” for WebCOBRA and TravisCobra

2011-09-06T16:00:00Z

Welcome to “Tuesday Tips,” where we discuss and demonstrate a common feature or a recently introduced functionality to one of our systems on the first Tuesday of each month. September’s Tip discusses how to modify a QB’s benefit plan that was incorrectly dropped and instructions for the process in both WebCOBRA and TravisCobra.

At certain times, a benefit plan assignment can be dropped from a Qualified Beneficiary (QB) record. For example, during open enrollment, a QB might decide he or she wants to switch to another benefit plan. In such a situation, the user will set a “plan end date” for the QB’s benefit plan assignment. When the time to drop the plan arrives, the plan assignment is dropped from the QB record on that date.

Pursuant to a benefit plan assignment, the system bills the QB for each month up until that plan’s end date and includes a pro-rata portion of the month, if necessary. Specifically, if a plan end date is set in the system to August 1^st, the QB is billed the full month of July (through July 31^st). However, if the plan end date is set to July 31^st (rather than August 1^st), the system will bill the QB through July 30th, not through the full month of July. If the latter situation occurs, the system may be corrected by following the steps provided below:

Steps for Correcting an Incorrectly Dropped Benefit Plan in WebCOBRA

You will need to first remove the incorrect plan end date that was placed on the benefit plan:

1. Go to the QB’s record.

2. Select the “Benefits” tab. You will see the Benefit Plan Information list. Click the “Remove End Date” link next to the benefit plan with the end date that you want to correct.

3. Confirm the end date removal: Check the box stating that you want to remove the plan listed on screen. Click the “Save and Remove Plan Assignment End Date.”

4. You will be prompted, “QB Coverage End Date saved correctly.”

Next, you will need to add the correct plan end date to the benefit plan.

5. Go to the QB’s record.

6. Select the “Benefits” tab. You will see the Benefit Plan Information list. Click the “Drop Plan” button.

7. Enter the “Effective Date of the Plan Drop.” (Shown as 1 in the screenshot below). Remember: The last day that the QB will be on the plan is the day BEFORE the date you enter here. Therefore, if you want to bill the QB for the entire last month, you will need to put the first day of the following month. (Example: Enter 8/1/2011 to bill the QB for the entire month of July.)

8. Select the plan you wish to drop by selecting the “Select Plan” radio button next to the plan (2). If it is not already, check the box next to the QB’s name from which you want to drop the plan assignment (3). Click the “Drop Plan” button at the bottom of the screen (4).

9. You will be prompted, “QB Coverage Dropped saved correctly.”

Steps for Correcting an Incorrectly Dropped Benefit Plan in TravisCobra

If the Plan Drop Date needs to be modified to a date PRIOR TO the current (incorrect) drop date that is set:

1. Go to the PQB’s record.

2. Select the “Benefits” button.

3. Select the applicable benefit plan in the list and click the “Drop” button on the right-hand side of the screen.

4. Enter the correct Plan Drop Date. This date must be prior to the current drop date. For example, if the current (incorrect) drop date is 08/16/2011, you would enter the correct drop date of 8/01/2011. Click “OK.”

5. A pop-up message will appear stating, “Benefit Assignment Record Dropped Successfully. Post Adjustment and Pre-file Processes Starting.” Click “OK.”

If the Plan Drop Date needs to be modified to a date AFTER the current (incorrect) drop date that is set, then the plan must be reassigned and dropped again. You will essentially be re-adding the plan assignment for the length of time from the incorrect drop date to the correct drop date, so that the PQB is covered through the correct date.

1. Go to the PQB’s record.

2. Select the “Benefits” button.

3. Click the “Assign” button on the right-hand side of the screen.

4. Re-add the benefit plan: Enter the Eligibility Date. This should be set to the day after the current Plan Drop Date. For example, if the current Plan Drop Date is set to 7/31/2011, then the plan should be re-assigned as of 8/1/2011.

5. Choose the sponsor, benefit plan, and coverage level. Click “OK.” A pop-up will appear asking if you would like to add another benefit plan. Click “No.”

6. You will be directed back to a list of the PQB’s benefit plans. The re-added benefit plan will now appear. Select the re-added benefit plan and click the “Drop” button.

7. Enter the correct Plan Drop Date. Click “OK.”

8. A pop-up message will appear stating, “Benefit Assignment Record Dropped Successfully. Post Adjustment and Pre-file Processes Starting.” Click “OK.”

Update from the Department of Labor – COBRA Continuation Coverage

2011-09-01T15:09:00Z

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) recently updated the DOL website to address the expiration of the COBRA continuation coverage assistance under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The update modified the introductory paragraph to address the ARRA subsidy expiration on August 31, 2011 and added a new Question/Answer to the “Frequently Asked Questions” page to discuss situations where the 15-month ARRA subsidy may extend beyond the general expiration date of August 31, 2011.

“FAQ1” was added to the FAQs to help determine whether an ARRA subsidy expires on August 31, 2011, or if it may continue beyond such date. Because the 15-month subsidy is available only for individuals that experienced an involuntary termination prior to May 31, 2010, it is generally true that the ARRA subsidy expires on August 31, 2011. However, if a severance agreement or similar arrangement delayed the start of COBRA coverage for an individual, the subsidy might extend beyond August 31, 2011.

The example given by the EBSA involves an individual that was involuntarily terminated on May 31, 2010, but, under the terms of a severance agreement, did not begin COBRA continuation coverage until December 1, 2010. In this situation, the 15-month subsidy remains available through February 29, 2012, unless they otherwise become eligible for another group health plan or Medicare.

To review the updated information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html.

To review the updated Question/Answer that addresses the end of COBRA ARRA subsidy, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-cobra-premiumreduction.html.

Travis Welcomes Its 501st Active Customer!

2011-08-18T15:02:00Z

Travis invented COBRA software in 1986 and continues to be the industry leader for serious COBRA administrators nationwide. We recently welcomed the 501^st administrator actively using our COBRA software, up from 450 at this time in 2010.

We would like to thank each of our customers for your continued, ongoing support. Without you there wouldn’t be a Travis Software, and we remember that every day. Though we serve the entire COBRA administration industry, we work hard to meet or exceed the expectations of each customer and make them feel as though the software was developed to address their specific needs. Our COBRA systems are continuously enhanced based on suggestions from our own customer-base as well as changes to the laws and regulations so that all organizations can enjoy the benefits of industry-suggested and required functionality!

The COBRA administration industry is expanding, and Travis is pleased to be able to serve the following types of organizations who utilize our COBRA systems:

Insurance Carriers
Third-Party Administrators
Benefit Consulting Firms
COBRA Administration Firms
Insurance Brokers
Independent Benefits Administrators
HR Outsourcing Firm (HROs)
Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)
And those single employers who perform COBRA administration in-house

Our latest customer was a large COBRA administration firm in California which had written their own COBRA software in the late 1980s and grew tired of the costs of maintaining the system themselves. Moving to WebCOBRA made sense to them, and we’re delighted to include them as a Travis user.