Carolyn Elizabeth (Liz) Thomas

Laurel, Maryland *0723

Phone: 240-***-****

acxc22@r.postjobfree.com

Corporate Senior Benefits Manager

Experienced, energetic, focused, highly motivated and competent Corporate Senior Benefits Manager with comprehensive knowledge and experience is the solution to your Human Resources needs. Design, implement, communicate and administer a wide range of human capital, retirement, investment management, health care, total compensation and talent management strategies. Seasoned professional, enthusiastically executing key initiatives as outlined by the company vision, value and goals.

Knowledge and Expertise includes:

Benefits Administration – end-to-end execution of plan design creation, administration and audit.

Vendor Management – education to insure vendors respond to company requirements and culture.

Policy & Regulatory – maintain plan integrity and insure plan compliance with Federal and State rules.

Employee Relations and Diversity – manage, develop and deliver sound issue resolution.

EXPERIENCE

Apex – Laurel, Maryland July 2015 – January 2016

Benefits Implementation Consultant – ADP

Conduct analysis and consultation project initiation activities.

Analyze existing client systems, interface requirements, business process and operational needs-Responsible for development of design documents.

Provide professional consulting services in the areas of product/service customizations, business process, complex custom reports and special projects as related to implementation effort.

Participate in establishing and monitoring of client implementation schedule and report status to Project Team members.

Prepare individual work plans in conjunction with established project milestones and presents to the client.

Ensure issues and risks are documented and work with team members to resolve.

Overall knowledge of multi-service project interdependencies and Benefit Administration.

Aerotek – Hunt Valley, Maryland January 2015 – May 2015

Client Service Manager - Connect Your Care

Coordinate and manage all aspects of implementation and ongoing support for enrolling and managing employee benefits utilizing the Connect Your Care enrollment and administration platform.

Develope relationships with large clients.

Act as extension of client HR Department

Aon Hewitt – Hunt Valley, Maryland 2012 – 2015

Benefit Service Manager

Coordinates and manages all aspects of implementations and ongoing support for enrolling and managing employee benefits utilizing the Hewitt CBA benefit enrollment and administration platform.

Developed relationships with large clients.

Act as extension of client HR Department as Benefit Manager.

Responsible within the BeST team for managing the overall implementation project and overseeing ongoing account support and renewals.

Tasks include completing detailed benefit design and rules discovery, developing eligibility criteria, documenting employment and life events, establishing website content, coordinating testing efforts and proactively managing customer service issues.

Establish goals and objectives for the implementation and ongoing support of the account and leverage internal and external resources needed to complete all objectives successfully and on-time.

Complete the initial and full discovery of Client benefit plans and benefit carriers to determine business requirements necessary for system set up during the Implementation and during subsequent changes and renewals.

Set up and document benefit plan rules, carrier and employer eligibility rules, and rates for all employer group enrolled plans.

Human Capital Consulting Source, LLC – Laurel, Maryland 2012 – 2012

Human Resources Consultant

Provide HR solutions designed to help clients optimize their performance in the short term and prepare for inevitable strategic, operational and financial challenges of the future.

Design, implement, communicate, launch, and successfully transform services and activities of health insurance, hospital, professional, pharmacy, vision, dental and medical policies.

Policy and regulatory management of Federal and State regulations to insure policies reflect regulations and company remains in compliance.

Perform both pro-active and reactive issue resolution related to questions concerning adhesion to policy within the company for both internal and external staff.

Coach and dispense employee relations support using pragmatic problem-solving skills with the ability to articulate solutions through: Healthcare advocacy – claims assistance, provider location and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Provide sound work life balance recommendations including team building and morale booster exercises for groups after downsizing event.

Maxim Healthcare Services – Columbia, Maryland 2011 – 2012

Senior Benefits Manager for healthcare staffing company employing over 50000 employees.

Supervise 1 manager and 7 Benefits Administration staff.

Establish objectives and strategic plan that outlines the department goals and major projects.

Measure results, and ensure employee accountability and development based on company values and performance principles of collaboration and performance excellence.

Develop robust orientation presentation for new hires so new employees are informed and better understand benefit options.

Update Summary Plan Description (SPD) and Plan Document policies for distribution to employees and managers.

FBR & Co. – Arlington, Virginia 2008 –2011

HR Benefits Manager for an investment bank with 800 employees.

Participate with HR and payroll staff to review, select and implement new HRIS System.

Recommend and implement Stop Loss contract to mitigate high claims cost risk to company.

Ensure that all health plan reference materials needed for the employees and HR teams are up to date made available through new hire orientation and ongoing employee support.

Ensure accurate submission of enrollment, demographic, eligibility and other data to third party administrators.

Vendor and broker relationship management with the following vendors, brokers and plan types:

BCBS, Kaiser, Cigna, MetLife, Aetna, Wage Works, Aon Hewitt, Kelly and Associates, Hartford, The Standard, Minnesota Life, UNUM, Health Advocate, Cigna Behavioral Health.

• High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) and related Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

• Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) plan design and administration.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

• Life insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and Travel Accident

• Workers compensation

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) – administration and management

•Commuter benefits plan implementation and employee support.

Management of Federal and State regulations to insure company remains in compliance with rules such as:

•Federal ERISA and IRS eligibility rules

•Short and Long Term Disability (STD and LTD) – administration and coordination with SSDI and Medicare.

•Family Medical Leave (FMLA) – leave coordination and management.

•Disability – Americans with Disability (ADA) and other return to work solutions.

•401k methodology and communication to new hires.

•COBRA administration and timely notice distribution.

•HIPAA –certified to train HR and Benefit staff to insure privacy compliance.

Implemented and Communicated Health Care Reform (HCR) provision for dependent age 26 rules.

Willis Towers Watson - Arlington, Virginia 1990 - 2008

HR Benefits Manager/Associate Advocate for a Human Capital Consulting firm with over 10000 employees.

Manage claims operation using complete knowledge of CPT- 4 procedure coding, ICD9 diagnosis coding.

•Created claims processing check list to improve examiner productivity.

•Created audit procedures to insure claims are processed according to plan document and ERISA eligibility rules.

•Communicated with employees to help them understand plan provisions.

Insure company compliance with Federal ERISA and IRS eligibility rules.

Replace PPO plan with High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and related Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Limited Use Flexible Spending Account.

•Create and deliver wellness program in connection with HDHP plan to enhance employee experience with consumer directed plan design.

•Managed health fairs and biometric screenings.

Work with large retiree population of 600 and managed change regarding their switch from PPO plan to CDHP.

•Assisted and coached retirees with Medicare Part A, B and D enrollment, benefits and coordination of benefits.

•Insured that retirees enrolled in Medicare in a timely manner so as to avoid penalties and insure compliance with rules.

•Assisted retirees with coordination of benefits to insure policies and procedures under Federal Medicare rules were followed and payment integrity was met.

•Advise retirees in succession planning upon retirement eligibility.

Administration and coordination of Short and Long Term Disability (STD and LTD) with SSDI, Medicare and Family Medical Leave (FMLA) rules.

Advise and collaborate with HR Managers regarding compliance with Americans with Disability (ADA) and other return to work solutions.

Monitor COBRA administration in house using a home grown COBRA system to insure compliance with regulations. Outsourced COBRA administration to vendor and managed performance of vendor.

Collaborated with ERISA attorney to draft Summary Plan Description (SPD) and Plan Document policies for distribution to employees and managers.

Pension plan eligibility and administration using pension formula in conjunction with LTD plan.

Created web based enrollment system from paper enrollment procedures and created life event matrix for program administration and adhesion.

Participated in transition including vendor eligibility feed specs and testing from home grown HRIS system to Oracle.

Created and implemented Expat program for employees insuring coordination with country plans and tax rules.

Special Skills, Awards and Interests

Licensed Accident and Health Insurance Producer for State of Maryland

Attended Northern Virginia Community College

Certificate in HIPAA compliance by ERISA attorney on the job.

B.E. Wyatt Award nomination for excellence in Client Service Delivery

Watson Wyatt Achievement Award for “Profit” due to negotiations with healthcare vendors (saved company over $600.000)

“Teamwork” award for work on the Flexible Benefits project.

Created programs for Take Our Kids to Work Day using Who Moved My Cheese.

Conduct health fairs, set up flu shot clinics and biometric screenings for employees.

Developed team building and morale booster exercises for groups after downsizing event.

Committee Chair for company newsletter distributed to employees across the globe.

01012016

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