Setup Section and Template Editor
Contents
1. 9 CUSTOM RATEGROUPINGS W HEN USED FLEX PLAY A MOUNTS GENERAL PROCEDURE SECOND QE QUALIFYING EVENT MAXIM IUM CONTINUATION a CIR EE ES Ee RE eed stent e dE tte det den det Becca cade nate Eed ut ar y Pelete ACOBRA Et EE EE NE oo ables Mes iio Ue Gk MASA 14 ETA OER RAN A EE A A E a eet a 1 Rates forMultiple Plan Kuere Ee r EE dree d EE dE tiesa 15 Displaying COBRA Rates for Multiple Years Next Scheduled Rate Change Date Change at Renewal ooooonncccinnnccnannnnanonnnncnonnnnnnononnnnc non nc cano nrnn nera nn ncannn ccoo 15 CUSTOM RATE GROUPINGS AGE BANDED RATES AND HEALTH ESAG ccssscssscsssssssesssersseeee 15 ENTERING ENROLLED QUALIFIED BENEFICIARIES ssccssssssssssscssceesesssecssssesessscesscsesessscessesevees LO ENS EALRLGCI IEF ER E LE TASTE IN ODIO eegen tet alee TT LkfrEMt R SEa N R E A EE EAE A EE AETA 5 LECTION FORM FOR PRINTING WITH A COBRA NOTICE FOR AN INITIAL QUALIFYING EVENT occa i ENRE E EEN OM PLEX EDITS INCLUDING DELETING AND REPLACING THE TEXT ee gt AA e oh a AS PPP eege etc y 111 L GENERAL INFORMATION READ ME FIRST Purpose of this Manual Initial Setup The purpose of this manual is to assist you in the process of entering Vendors Contracts Benefit Plans and COBRA Rates Once the basic Setup is accomplished you will want to refer to the Solo User s Manual for procedural assistance including renewals revisions to the origi2. 14 Edit a Contract N umber 10 Set Up New 10 Terminate a Contract 10 What is a Contract 9 Coupon Information 7 Delete a COBRA Plan 14 E dit a COBRA Plan N umber ii 14 Edit Procedure Troubleshoot Printing Extra Pages 19 Flex Plans 14 16 Grace Periods 4 Health FSAs 15 Importing Data See User s Manual 3 Location Codes Must be Unique 7 Set Up Locations 7 Logon Process 1 Choose Y our Company 1 User s Name and Passwords 1 Notices Editing 19 Reviewing and Editing 19 Password Protected Security 2 Plan 12 13 14 Plan Set Up Contacts and Contracts 8 Edit Plan Number 3 Location Codes 7 Policy 13 Premium Due Date 4 Premium Payment Instructions Premium Payee and Contact Information 7 Premium Rates Add Rates 14 Flex Plan Amounts 14 16 Multiple Plan Y ears 15 Renewal Procedures 15 Premium Settings Pro Rated Premiums 7 Program Groups and Icons 1 Solo COBRA Manager D atabase Manager CO BRA Notices 1 Red Data Fields Required 4 Renewals Changing Key Dates 15 Sample Setup Matrix 8 Set Up Procedure New Company 10 14 Password Protected Security 9 13 Set Up Sample Matrix 8 13 Social Security Disability 12 Status 19 Troubleshooting What are the Three Icons 1 Utilities Back Up Data 1 Export Data 3 Vendor 9 10 13 Vendors Setup 9 services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 20
3. 5 Enterthe Administrative Load Percentage 6 Enterthe N ext Rate Change Date 7 Enterthe N ext Renewal Date The following are optional and do not appear on any reports 8 Open Enrollment dates 13 ERISA Plan number 9 Original Effective Date 14 Contract Termination D ate 10 Renewal Month D ay 15 Contract terms 11 Premium Due Day 16 Comments 12 Form 5500 Due Month Day Terminate a Contract If you terminate a Contract you will also need to terminate each Benefit Plan associated with that Contract and each Premium Rate Delete a Contract If you need to delete a Contract select the Contract from the drop down box and click on the Delete button Edit a Contract N umber If you make an error in the Contract Number you can change it at the Plan level in Edit Plan Data from Utilities on the main menu bar This will not edit the master entry displayed on the Contract Setup tab but it will change it on the Plan level In general this will solve the problem services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 10 Tab Seven COBRA Plan and Rate Setup Overview Plan Setup Summary Screen Big Blue Screen When you first use Solo this blue screen will be blank and you will start the process by Adding your COBRA Plans and Rates After you have entered your Plan s they will be displayed 24 Solo Da base Manade l x Company and Database Setup Screens 1 Select a COBRA Plan a by clicking anywher
4. COBRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers This document can be edited on the fly for a specific qualified beneficiary during the print process Status There are two pages Y ou may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a COBRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers Termination You may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a CO BRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers This document can be edited on the fly for a specific qualified beneficiary during the print process 8 BASIC EDIT PROCEDURE The Template Editor has sample Notices Election Forms and other letters to help you get started with creating your own personalized notification documents Editing may be necessary to bring these samples into compliance with your health plans and your own company policies 1 Start by selecting the Notice or letter you wish to edit and test print 2 Review and as appropriate edit the text To begin the Editing process click on Edit pages A screen will open that will display from left to right the text pages that can be selected for editing by click on Microsoft Word Document Complex Edits Including Deleting and Replacing the Text It is important to understand that you are creating an image in Microsoft Wo
5. Disability Disability Extension Forms There are two notices One is the cover letter and one is the election form Y ou may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier Premiums payment instructions You may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a COBRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers This document can be edited on the fly for a specific qualified beneficiary during the print process Maximum Continuation You may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a COBRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers This document can be edited on the fly for a specific qualified beneficiary during the print process Late Payment You may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a COBRA TPA you will have one set for all of your customers This document can be edited on the fly for a specific qualified beneficiary during the print process Medicare There are two documents One for a PQB and one for a spouse Y ou may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier If you are a services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 18
6. once you have completed the process Please refer to the section Benefit Plan Rate D isplay Example of a custom rate grouping when completed Coverage Class Description Cov Class Abrev Assigned Rate John Smith EE Spouse Smith Ee Sp 450 00 Mary Jones Ee Only Jones Ee 250 00 Bob Ray HAS Amount Roy FSA 102 00 General Procedure 1 During the Add New Plan process select Rate Grouping Five 2 Each time you need to issue an Election Notice go to Coverage D escriptions and set up the Coverage Class D escription and Coverage Class Abbreviation 3 Finally you need to assign a rate to the Coverage Class A bbreviation Highlight the Plan and then click on Add E dit Rates 4 From the next screen click on the Add button and the Add Rate box will open Complete the data boxes The termination date should be blank if it is an active rate 6 ENTERING ENROLLED QUALIFIED BENEFICIARIES If you have qualified beneficiaries enrolled on COBRA at the time of set up you can enter them and have Solo help you with the tracking and administration Refer to your Quick Start Guide in Section I of your COBRA notebook for instructions services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 16 7 SOLO TEMPLATE EDITOR This feature requires Microsoft Word The Template Editor allows you to review for possible edits the COBRA notices and other frequently used letters and notices Once edited the new text will appear on
7. the next notice or letter you issue S Solo Template Editor Version 8 File Utilities Help Tools File Format Disability Medicare Premiums Late Payment Max Continue Termination General Notice Elect Notice 18 Custom Elect Forms Status Change 2nd QE Election Notice 5 ist Page of Notice 1 Summary Page 6 2nd Page of Notice 2 Election Instructions 7 3rd Page of Notice Hes Election Form A Sth Fage oF holce 3 see Election FormsTab 8 dth Page of Notice H Sth Page of Notice 4 Optional Custom Page see Custom Tab 10 Eth Page of Notice Affordable Solutions Inc and COBRA Management Services LLC nor its re sellers or partners shall not be held responsible for any legal action taken against the Company Plan Administrator or any user in any aspect of the programs operation or its documents for COBRA non compliance Menu Bar File Close or Exit Login Change users or if you are a COBRA TPA change companies Utilities ReLink or Reconnect Data Help Link to the Set Up Manual or the User s Manual lt lt lt lt Start the Review Process Test Print You will want to review all of the documents be fore you issue them for the first time Y ou can either view them or test print them 1 Start by selecting the document s you wish to edit by clicking on the Tab 2 Select the Notice There may be more than one Notice in
8. A Rate Change Date will be completed for you from the entry in Contracts This date can be edited 7 The N ext COBRA Renewal Date will be completed for you from the entry in Contracts This date can be edited 8 G enerally you will not be entering a Plan Termination Date at this time unless you are establishing a retroactive plan history 9 Select the most appropriate COBRA Rate Grouping one through four Do not use rate grouping five unless you are setting up age rated plans or a health FSA 10 Save and Continue Entering Plans or Exit You can continue entering Benefit Plans or you can Exit Add Plans services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 13 D elete an Entire Contract and Benefit Plan s Generally you will do this only when the information was entered in complete error To completely remove all of the data from Solo you need to go through a reverse entry process Y ou delete the Plans first and then the Contracts and finally the Vendor 1 In Utilities and then Edit from the Menu Bar select Plan D ata Records Highlight the Plan you wish to Delete and click on the D elete button 2 Delete the Contract Select the Contract from the drop down list and click on D elete 3 Delete the Vendor E dita COBRA Plan Number To edit a Plan Number use E dit Plan D ata from Edit on the Menu Bar Delete a COBRA Plan If you need to delete a COBRA Plan you use Edit Plan D ata fromUtilities on the main menu bar l Step
9. Sao Setup Section and Template E ditor See the Q uick Start G uide for abbreviated instructions services affordablesolutions com www cobramangement com support Version 8 0 2004 Affordable Solutions Inc TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 GENERAL INFORMATION READ ME FIRST cssssssscssssssscsssesssesssessseessessssseesseessese sess sess sess sese sees 1 EE OA OP daa drid dsd dE densos MA a a a Lo eo Do a a ade es ad ie Dt asi A DEI RE Ra DEE US A a a a iia aia 2 MAIN MENU BAR AND PASSWORD PROTECTED SECURITY 0 ccsssssccccssssssssssccsssssssssssscsssssssees 2 PAPEL AT TENG corte A PROM ae veda uP A tata l Password Protected Secure ti A EEEE a DEEN 2 Update deae sa aa ene e cebu Tn 3 ReLink or ReConnect Dot 3 Importing Data il idear E E EEE oben a cn EE AE EEEE devs AAKER E EEEE 3 E Data aiie areae Gaee A iii 3 Edit Data Records Edit or Delete Employee POB Dependent and Plan Data Caution oooooonnnccnnacinnnncnnnnnnnns 3 3 SETUP OVERVIEW siscsssisssssesiarsieasssectecstnecsessisecsenstetsseeciersvenstecsteesseessansisasssestetsvensdetsseestesscenedeessesssenstensteessens 4 CAREEN ET E E EE 4 SETUP MODULE OVERVIEW AND PROCEDURES cccsssssssssssccssssssssssccssssssssssscessecsescsssssscessecsssss 5 TEEST E O EE PEETI EDI SM a EE EEL TIN EE f Employer or Contract Administrator 6 Grae e POO e a a e i esbabee ace 6 Premium Due Day 0 deed Ed A A A E E E E E an 6 Reminder
10. Two Enter Y our COBRA Plan Rates When you return to the Benefit Plan Summary screen you will need to select by placing your mouse cursor anywhere on the row and clicking the benefit plan for which you want to enter rates Then Click on Add E dit Rates at the bottom of the screen 1 In the rate matrix at the bottom enter your active plan premium rate Based on the Admin Load entered your CO BRA rate will be automatically calculated Y ou can edit the rate if the rounding is slightly off If you want to calculate and enter your own COBRA Rate or Flex Plan Amount leave the Admin Load field blank when setting up the Contract or the COBRA Plan 2 Choose Save or Cancel Repeat the process until all rates are entered E and Datahaca Gabun pan Wes A Contract Number Admin Load Nex Rate Ch Date 01 0 Plan Number ext Rate Change Date Initial Plan Effective Date Plan Name Selections Dental Nex Renewal Date 01 01 2002 Plan Termination Date 01 01 2000 M 01 01 2001 2 Active COBRA Active COBRA Active COBRA po 8200 00 8204 00 200 00 204 00 soo 153 00 f 8400 00 408 00 ETT 357 00 350 00 357 00 550 00 561 00 services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 14 Rates for Multiple Plan Y ears If your renewal is just before or after the setup process it may be necessary to enter both pre and post renewal rates If you are entering multiple sets of rates by de
11. at Start Up nenie e A eG Mite is hea Meee e Ole ii 6 Enable Election Notice Completed Dote 6 Active EE 7 PYO RGtEPLOMIUINS nesena e e OES dE See Dee EES ge A aba BMG at Been R EES 7 Number of Days in year for Pro rate Coalkculotions nora nonnn nono ccoo nar ranc cra nn cnn canarios 7 TAB TAREE ADMIN PREM TUM PAYEE AND CONTACT INFORMATION corro oro rororooroonoonoonororonororororororororrrorrrorrrrrrrororooos 1 The E ERR TA AO EUR REENEN Numeric Location Code For identification purposes Must Be Unique ooooonnnccnnnccnonancnnnnonnnnonanononnnnnana conan ccna nano 7 Location Name Does Not Need to Be Unione 7 TABS ESTE Ae DDT A A NDC E RE f Sample Setup Matrix for a single employer ccccccssccsssccsessessssecssceceseceeseceesececeececencecesaeceaaecesaeecsueecsuaesssaeensaeensaee 8 WHOLIS EE 9 What is a Contract How is it Different from a COBRA Don 9 Specials Self Funded Pl a aia ida 9 SiepOne Vendor Sel upusii anan a ica 9 Step Two TEE 10 NAAA EE 10 Dele an ia 10 TADA Cd RA Gr ADA EA A A A eR A RE ven 11 Overview Plan Setup Summary Screen Big Blue Aereen nn nora c nana nonn ano nnn nar nncnnns 12 Plan Setup Summary Screen Orgontzoanton 12 SET UP CO ERA EEEN BA CRG ROD eT WO TE PRO CEU cr a aaa 11 PERRE E TEA GE E A KEE 13 Delete an Entire Contract and Benefit PIAN S cccccscccccesssceeees cece see cecesesececesesececsensececseeaecenseseeeenaeeceneaeecensaas 14 Fdt a COBRA Plan Number nia 14 5 6 7
12. carrier or health plan You can access the Coverage Class Descriptions from the bottom of the Plan Setup Summary Screen You can add more Coverage Class D escriptions by clicking on the Add button at the bottom of the screen In many instances the easiest approach is to establish a unique coverage class description and abbreviation for each PQB And then assign a rate to it On the other hand if you have high tumover it may be worth your time to create the complete matrix See the next page for those guidelines NOTE If there are family members who are Qualified Beneficiaries it will be necessary to edit the Election Form for dependents in the Solo Template Editor You will need to add some language advising them to contact you if they need additional COBRA Rate combinations For example if the Qualified Beneficiaries are an employee and spouse on the Election Form the employee spouse rate only will be displayed Therefore if only the employee or the spouse is interested in electing they will need to contact you for those unique rates services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 15 Flex Plan Amounts If a Qualified Beneficiary wishes to continue a Flex Plan contribution it is possible to set up each unique Flex Amount as a premium rate It is easiest to do this just before you issue the Election Notice In order to keep your D esign Election Notice and Elections options uncluttered you can remove a rate from the View Mode
13. e on the row UR SA a J SS OUEN IS i PE e Function Buttons Le Plan Setup Summary Screen O rganization To Add a new COBRA Plan click on the Add button To E dit or enter rates for a COBRA Plan highlight the plan with your mouse and click on the Add Edit Rates button If you need to edit the Coverage Classification Descriptions available to you click on the button Set up COBRA Plans Background Two Step Process Setting up a new benefit plan is atwo step process First you will establish each COBRA Benefit Plan and Rate G rouping and then you will enter the COBRA Rates for each Plan What is a COBRA Benefit Plan A Contract may have multiple benefit plans with sub numbers because of differing plan design or rates For example you may have an HMO and aPPO Plan Or higher rates for a Social Security Disability Extension will necessitate a second benefit plan to be set up under the same Contract Number Please refer to the Sample Matrix Tip Reports Sort by COBRA Plan Number services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 12 Step One Set Up the COBRA Plans 1 Click on the ADD NEW PLAN icon at the bottom of the screen Plan N umber amp Name are created by you and are ancel Save displayed on Notices letters and reports od Database a Plan Setup Try to use one of the four standard e Rate Groupings Plan Termination Date esa Age Gender C
14. e End of the Month The other choice is the day after the Qualifying Event and then you would have a pro rated first month and last month premium amount Required Data Red Data Fields When you see a red data field you will know that you need to enter data or make a choice from the options available to you If you forget Solo will not let you Exit services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 4 4 SETUP MODULE OVERVIEW AND PROCEDURES Overview Seven Tabs Work Left to Right There are seven file folders reading from left to right and you typically perform each setup task working from left to right When you are finished with the Setup Module you will want to close Solo and go to the Solo Template E ditor Tab One Company Setup The company name address phone and fax are required along with the second set of contact data fields must be completed RS Company and Database Setup Screens Company Setup Settings 1 AA view Dive l OEGE Name of COBRA Plan Administrator cesez i aor Title Phone SI Phone En Phone 112 Ges Email soma E NN MN wich Site adden RN Tax ID Numbcr BN Primary Business SIC Code PMA services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 5 Tab Two Settings Menu Global Settings The Settings Menu is critical to the proper functioning of Solo and must be completed with care The following is a graphic of the Settings Menu E S Company i and Database Setup Scr
15. each tab 3 Test Print 4 Or you can View each page of the document by clicking on the Page Number services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 17 General Notice previously the Initial N otice This is issued to an active plan participant and if any their spouse With the exception of the Summary Page it can be edited If you wish to add additional text you can use the custom Page By checking the box it will be printed with the Notice If you are a COBRA TPA you can have a unique optional Custom Page for each customer Election N otice This is issued to qualified beneficiaries losing coverage due to a qualifying event With the exception of the Summary Page it can be edited If you wish to add additional text you can use the custom Page By checking the box it will be printed with the Notice If you are a COBRA TPA you can have a unique optional Custom Page for each customer Custom pages You can create a custom page to print with a General or Election Notice If you are a COBRA TPA you can do this for each company If you want it to print check the Include box Election Form for printing with a COBRA Notice for an initial qualifying event Y 0u can edit the default instructions If you area COBRA TPA you can create custom instructions for each customer Second QE qualifying event You may need to edit these forms to bring them into compliance with your own policy or those of your insurance carrier
16. eens af Company Setup Settings EH p LEO Vendors Contract Setup Plan Setup em Pretendo Manufacturing Company Contract Administrator 9 Employer Reminder at Startup 1 E Grace Period Days Enable Election Notice Completed Date H Premium Due Day 15 E 9 Day after QE Pro Rate Premiums W End of Month after QE Number of days in year for Pro Rate Calculation Employer or Contract Administrator This controls the deadline for issuing the Election Notice Choose Employer unless you are a Contract Administrator COBRA TPA Grace Period The minimum required by the Regulations is 30 days You must select one grace period for all COBRA Plans The CO BRA notices reference a 30 day grace period and you would need to edit them if you chose a different grace period Premium Due Day You must select one premium due day for all COBRA Plans Typically premiums are due on the first day of the month Reminder at Start Up Default is yes This can tum the Reminder Report pop up screen off or on Enable E lection N otice Completed Date Default is yes This allows you to manually enter the Election Notice Completed date in Print Election or Print G eneral Notice services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 6 Active Coverage Ends The default is End of the Month after the Qualifying Event The other choice is the day after the Qualifying Event If the latter you will need to pro rate p
17. fault all rates will be displayed Displaying COBRA Rates for Multiple Y ears To control the display of rates in Design Election Notice and Elections use the check boxes above the rate column Update Rates in Setup If you are not changing plans the process is easy Go to Plan Setup highlight the plan you wish to update click on Add Edit Rates and then when the form opens enter the new active rates in the renewal year s column set Click the box next to the effective at the top of the column set Change the Next Renewal D ate and the Next Rate Change Date N ext Renewal Date Change at Renewal To initiate the renewal process enter the Next Renewal Date A new rate column will appear N ext Scheduled Rate Change Date Change at Renewal To complete the renewal process it is important that this date be changed Before you use Solo the first time after the renewal date you should make this change If you change the date too early incorrect dates may appear on various letters and reports 5 CUSTOM RATE GROUPINGS AGE BANDED RATESAND HEALTH FSAS Custom Rate Groupings When Used If you cannot use of the Standard Rate Groupings during Plan Setup you will need to use Category Five Custom Rate Grouping In particular if you have an age rated plan or health FSA you will need to use this category If you use the Custom COBRA Rate Group you are able to create your own coverage classes to reflect those of your insurance
18. k EditPlan KREEG KK REGER i a Password for the Database Manager 1 From your Start button menu and Programs select the program group labeled Solo D atabase Manager 2 The first screen will be the User Login Screen The password should be left blank until you set up a new password s in Password Protected Security 3 After you Login Security is found in Utilities 4 Assign a Password for the Database Manager services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 2 5 If desired you can tum off permissions by de selecting the function descriptions This would however be unusual for the D atabase Manager not to have access to all functions Be careful in creating the Database Manager s password If you make a typing mistake and can t re create your password you will need to uninstall Solo and start over To test your password exit Solo and then Logon Adding Users By default and until you change the permissions each user will have access to all functions EXCEPT the Setup section of Solo 1 Choose Add to enter a new User 2 Enter the User Name Password User Description and check the permissions for each function that the new User will have access to while using Solo Update This utility is used when installing an update or upgrade to Solo ReLink or Recomnect Data Used after a network or an installation to other than the default C Directory Instructions are on the Network Installation G
19. lowing from the menu bar Utilities Password Protected Security This is an optional feature and can be set up at any time Please note that at the present time the Solo Template Editor is not password protected Until you establish password protected security affordable will be the default User Name and there will be no password Anyone opening Solo will have access to all functions The person designated as the D atabase Manager will want to establish their password right away Secondarily they will want to establish the User Name Password User D escription and permissions of each user Be careful in creating the Database Manager s password If you make a typing mistake and can t re create your password you will need to uninstall Solo and start over To test your password exit Solo and then Logon see A Security AS affordable Add Delete Cancel W User IS Administrator PET ANA A Solo Database Manager Database Manager Main Switchboard Options Status Elections V COBRA Plan Data Records Gr Coupons Premiums Family Data Personal Data Print Initial Notice COBRA Qualifying Ewent Design Election Notice Print Election Notice COBRA Termination Add POB Notepad Report History Snapshot Envelope eee affordable 3 COBRA PGB Data Records COBRA Dependent Data Records Connect Re Link Data Files Import Export Data COBRA Coverage Descriptions Setup I Add New Plan
20. nal data entered and entering or importing COBRA eligible plan participants All manuals can be used electronically from Help or they can be printed Solo Desktop Icons After Solo has been installed there will be two icons on your Windows Desktop One is labeled Solo and the other is the Solo Template Editor Solo COBRA Application This is where you set up Solo and perform all day to day COBRA tasks Solo Template E ditor This is where you review test print edit the sample COBRA Notices Election Forms and a variety of other frequently used notices and letters You DO NOT issue N otices here The Logon Process Y ou open Solo by clicking on the Solo icon on your Windows desktop Each time you open Solo you will go through the Logon procedure and then you will come to the Main Menu If you don t change the default security settings the User Name will always be affordable and the password will be left blank This can be done at any time Solo Main Menu At the Main Menu you can choose to go to Setup Admin or Help Backing Up Your Data Please refer the separate document for Utilities and Importing Data Contacting Us for Service Email services affordablesolutions com or telephone 206 729 1571 ext 3 services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 1 2 MAIN MENU BAR AND PASSWORD PROTECTED SECURITY After you go through the Logon process and open Solo to the Main Menu you will find the fol
21. or health plans as a Vendor In the instance of self funded ERISA Plans the Plan is set up as a Vendor and then you assign a Contract Number What is a Contract How is it Different from a COBRA Plan Contract is a generic term to describe what might be an insurance policy administrative agreement or other type of agreement issued by a Vendor It is possible for a Contract to have more than one COBRA Plan For example you may have a Medical PPO Medical HMO and Dental plan all with one carrier Typically the Contract Number will be provided to you Special Self Funded Plan In the case of a self funded ERISA Plan the Vendor Name can be something like the following Pretendo Health and Welfare Plan The Company s Self Funded Plan is assigned a Contract Number that is in most instances created by the user Step One Vendor Set up The first step is to set up your Vendors Of prime importance is to set up Vendors who have issued Contracts that will form the basis of your COBRA plan offerings If you are a COBRA TPA Vendors will be shared across all of your companies being administered f BJ Company and Database Setup Screens e Setup Settings Admin Locations Vendors Contract Setup Plan Setup Pretendo Manufacturing Company Inc Enter Contract Number 23412 Select Yendor Add Made ADA U alth ns ap e a Open Enrollment from EY to 2 31 USA Health USA Health Insurance oree Eitecit
22. owerage Coverage Coverage Coverage Coverage Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5 B anded Rates or Employee Single Enrollee Employee Single This option will 5 Spouse Two Enrollees Spouse Family require you to Flex Plans will use 1 Child Thee Enrollees Child ren build your own Option Five 2 Children Ee and Spouse a E SR descriptions Be Senso Ee and Ch ren advised that it Ee and 1 Ch Spouse and Ch ren will nottake Ee and 2 Ch EE Sp and Ch ren advantage of Spouse and 1 Ch some Solo s E Ce Zi auto features Spouse and 2 Ch Ee Sp and 1 Ch Ee Sp and 2 Ch c fe a ae eee nee ee ee pL ets ee dl A E 3 Enter a unique Plan Number If you are a single employer this can be the same as your Contract Number But if you want your plans to sort in a certain order use your company number plus 100 200 300 etc An example would be 1 100 1 200 1 300 See the sample matrix for an example If you are a COBRA TPA you will use the company s number plus 100 200 300 etc For example company number 3 would have a plan number sequence of 3 100 3 200 etc 4 Enter a Plan Name This description will be on many letters and reports and should be concise It can be edited later 5 The Administrative Load amount will be completed for you from the entry in Contracts If it is different for a specific plan it can be edited at the plan level This will be used to calculate your CO BRA Rates 6 The N ext COBR
23. rd that must fit exactly into the frame for each page within Solo You may need to copy and paste text between pages Troubleshoot Printing Extra Pages When printing if you have extra pages or some other unexpected result double check that your Page Margins are ALL setto zero Go to File and select Page Setup 3 Solo Template Editor IQE 1 Edit Letter Text no header Select Query P File Utilities Help Tools File Format Election Instructio Page 1 SS E Page T Page Page y Page4 Page 4 Page e Se J Page D S S Microsoft Word Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Document Word Word Word Word Word Word Document Document Document Document Document Document Solo Template Editor i You may edit any of the Pages by double clicking on the appropriate cell of the data table services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 19 9 INDEX Age Banded Rates 15 COBRA Notices Adding Y our Own Notices 19 Custom Pages 18 Disability Notice 18 Edit Procedure 19 Election Form 18 Election Notice 18 General Notice 18 Late Payment Letter 18 Maximium Continuation Notice 18 Medicare Letter 18 Premiums payment instructions 18 Reviewing and Editing 1 2 17 Second QE qualifying event Notice 18 Status 2 QE Disabity Change in Status form 19 Termination Notice 19 Contract Delete a Contract 10 Delete Entire Contract and Plan
24. remiums Pro Rate Premiums If you pro rate the first and last month s premiums check this box and make sure that the default calculation is satisfactory N umber of Days in year for Pro rate Calculations D efault is 365 days This affects the calculation of the pro rated premium amount Tab Three Admin Premium Payee and Contact Information This information is displayed on many letters and reports Y ou can edit this data at any time and it will display on all future transmittal letters v Premium Payee Name To whom the check or money order should be payable This is printed on the Premium Payment Instructions and on the Coupons v Administrator s Name This can be the name of the person in charge of COBRA for the Employer or that of a person responsible at the office of a Contract Administrator v Company Name This can be Employer s name or that of the Contract Administrator v Address v City State and Zip v Phone there is space for two numbers v Fax v Email Tab Four Company Locations Optional If you wish to track Active Employees or PQ Bs by location you will want to set up this area to reflect your company s unique location codes There are three Reports that will sort by location N umeric Location Code For identification purposes Must Be Unique Location Name Does Not Need to Be Unique Functions O pens in the Edit Mode To add a location select the Add button and the cursor will go to the nex
25. t empty line To delete a Location click on the left scroll bar and then use the D elete button on your keyboard To edit an existing Location just write over the current data When done click on either Save or if you wish to cancel the data you entered Cancel services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 7 Company and Database Setup Screens ea 0432 Seattle Washington lees SE A Tabs Five and Six Vendors and Contracts Before you get started read the following overview of Vendors and Contracts see below Sample Setup Matrix fora single employer If you area COBRA TPA you will use the company s number plus 100 200 300 etc For example company number 3 would have a plan number sequence of 3 100 3 200 etc ee BlueCross Delta Vision Vendor Name Blue Cross DeltaDental Vision Services Contract 23567 3451 453 Number Plan N umber 1 100 1 200 1 300 Plan Description PPO Plan D ental Plan Vision Plan Coverage Class or Rate Grouping Single E nrollee 200 00 35 00 15 00 Ee Spouse 400 00 70 00 30 00 Adult and Children 350 00 60 00 25 00 2 Children 400 00 70 00 30 00 Family 600 00 75 00 45 00 services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 8 What is a Vendor In the process of setting up your COBRA benefit plans and rates you will start by entering data or information on your insurance companies
26. uide and from this utility Importing Data You can import data on active employees PQ Bs and dependents This is addressed in the separate Import and Utilities document found in your COBRA Notebook in Section II Exporting Data This is addressed in the Solo User s Manual E dit Data Records Edit or Delete Employee POB Dependent and Plan Data Caution v Edit PQB or Employee Data This is the only area in Solo where an employee or PQB record can be deleted in its entirety without an audit trail v Edit Family Data This is the only area in Solo where a dependent can be deleted without an audit trail E dit Plan N umber and Data This is the only area in Solo where a COBRA Plan can be edited or deleted without an audit trail Y ou can also change the Plan Number This can create significant problems with data integrity if used incorrectly services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 3 3 SETUP OVERVIEW Information to Have Ready Before you start the set up process try to have as much of the following information available as possible And please review the Set up Matrix to obtain an overview of how the logic tree is laid out for Vendors Contracts Plans and Rates Tip It may be necessary to contact your insurance carriers or health plans to find out how they want you to structure your CO BRA Plan rates 1 Sample of your current COBRA Notice and Rate Sheet that displays the various COBRA plan rates and Co
27. ve Dote 01 1998 Contract Name Description Renewal Month Day UO HMO and Dental Option Premium Die Hl E 5500 Due Month Day HOM ERISA Plan Number EE Contract Termination o l Rate Guarantee Terms Comments aa wo Year Fee Guarantee Still need new SPDs AAA We as EE BA stan BS S 14 By Microsoft Word Ca Solo Ver 5 2 14 it he DA 3 24PM Adding a Vendor 1 Select Add 2 Assign a Vendor N ame Abbreviation This should be an easy to remember For example instead of XYZ Insurance Carrier you could use XYZ There is a limit of ten characters including spaces You cannot use apostrophes Waming You cannot edit the Vendor Name services affordablesolutions com or 206 729 1571 9 Abbreviation If the Vendor Name Abbreviation is wrong you must delete the entire Vendor and start over 3 Enterthe Vendor Name 4 If desired complete the balance of the Vendor categories Step Two Contract Setup After you have set up your key Vendors you will begin setting up your Contracts Add a Contract 1 Select Add 2 Enter a unique Contract Number no longer than 20 characters This master number cannot be edited after you click on Save If you make an error you can either delete the Contract or change it at the Plan level in Edit Plan D ata from Utilities on the main menu bar 3 Select the Primary Vendor from the options in the drop down box 4 Complete the Contract N ame Description For example HMO and Dental Plan
28. verage Classifications This will guide you in establishing your Coverage Classifications 2 For each of the COBRA Plans that you offer have the following information available Tip If your renewal is just before or after the set up process it may be necessary to enter both pre and post renewal rates For example if your renewal is 1 1 05 and you are doing set up in 12 01 you may need to enter the rates for both 2004 and 2005 V Vendor N ames The name of the companies issuing your CO BRA Plan Contracts must be entered as a Vendor If you have a self funded benefit plan review the special instructions Contract Number sometimes called a Policy Number or Group Number If you have a self funded benefit plan review the special instructions N ext COBRA Plan Renewal Date N ext COBRA Plan Rate Change Date usually coincides with the Renewal D ate but can vary due to the CO BRA rules on the Premium D etermination Period Premium Rates charged for each rate coverage classification Grace Period for the COBRA premium payment Y ou must choose one Grace Period for all of your COBRA Contracts and Plans The minimum by regulation is 30 days and that is the grace period used in the notices Premium Due Date Y ou must choose one Premium Due Date for all COBRA Contracts and Plans Even for pro rated plans it can be the first of a month by pro rating the first and last months Date that Active Plan Coverage Ends Default is th
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