Travis Software Official Blog

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Last month, Travis announced the “Tuesday Tips” blog series that has helpful suggestions and instructions for various functions in either our desktop or web-based systems. A new “Tuesday Tips” blog will be posted the first Tuesday of each month and will discuss and demonstrate a common feature or a recently introduced functionality of the system.

In this second edition of “Tuesday Tips,” we focus on handling secondary qualifying events in WebCOBRA, our web-based system. When the Dependent of a Qualified Beneficiary (QB) experiences a qualifying event of their own (called a “secondary event”) and that person has an existing record in the system, their information can be updated in WebCOBRA to reflect that secondary event, and any applicable correspondence will be generated at that time.

In Shrimpton v. Quest Diagnostics Inc., 2011 WL 2648117 (N.D. Ohio 2011), a former employee alleged that he and his wife were improperly denied COBRA benefits after he was fired due to gross misconduct. The details of the case involve Shrimpton being fired from his job after Quest Diagnostics learned of a prior felony conviction and of his status as a sex offender. Because his termination was a result of gross misconduct, Quest denied Shrimpton’s COBRA benefits on the premise that a termination resulting from “gross misconduct” is not a qualifying event under COBRA. Shrimpton claimed that Quest had waived the exception by telling him during his termination that he would receive COBRA paperwork and by actually sending him a COBRA election form.

In 2010, the court in Hearst v. Progressive Foam Technologies, Inc. ruled that the TPA raised a presumption of COBRA compliance regarding the mailing of an election notice by presenting a daily “manifest” of notices that was date-stamped by the U.S. Postal Service. In addition to the proof of mailing by the post office, the TPA also showed that, upon notice of a qualifying event, there was a systematic process used to print and mail COBRA election notices to individuals. The case primarily focused on alleged retaliation regarding the QB’s FMLA leave, but included this COBRA violation allegation as well.

In some cases, former employees are rehired as current employees of a company, and therefore need to be reactivated to Active Employee status in WebCOBRA. Because it is May and the end of the academic school year is quickly approaching, plan administrators for teachers, for example, may need to convert these Active Employees into Qualified Beneficiaries in WebCOBRA, as teachers are often considered “terminated” from current employee status at the end of each academic school year (usually May or June).

Some of these teachers are then re-hired as current employees at the beginning of the next academic school year (usually August or September). WebCOBRA® currently allows a User to re-activate a non-archived former employee to Active Employee status and maintain the participant’s data throughout each status change.

As the end of the availability of ARRA premium subsidy approaches, certain assistance eligible individuals have already or will soon be coming off of their 15-month period of federal government subsidy. Though not required under COBRA, both WebCOBRA and TravisCobra systems include an “ARRA Subsidy Termination Notice” that automatically generates thirty (30) days prior to the last day that a participant is eligible for the subsidy. In this post, you will find helpful information on administering COBRA to qualified beneficiaries who are transitioning from a subsidized coverage period to a normal COBRA coverage period.

Since the beginning of 2011, in only 6 short weeks, Travis has added nine new features and capabilities to WebCOBRA®, making it even more efficient and beneficial to your COBRA administration needs. These recently released enhancements fall in the categories of general functionality, letters/notices, and reports.

Recently released enhancements include…

Recently, the Missouri Western District Court acknowledged an employer’s effort of “good faith” compliance, evidenced by implementing a COBRA notice tracking program, which provided an ability to show documentation and proof of the mailing of correspondence. This statement further confirms the value that TravisCobra and WebCOBRA may have in a case where penalties for non-compliance with COBRA requirements are being sought.