Benefits Specialist Resume Chicago, Illinois - Hire IT People

SUMMARY

9 years of experience in benefits administration, analysis, coordination, and management. Expertise includes organized administration, detailed research, pragmatic problem - solving, and positive employee and company focus.
Received recognition for improvements in the delivery of benefits administration and in issue resolution. Comfortable with high-volume and fast-paced work environments.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Microsoft Word Microsoft Excel Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Outlook Lotus Notes Ultimate Software
Workday Total Benefits Administration COBRA

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Confidential, Chicago, Illinois

Benefits Specialist

Responsibilities:

Primary and direct contact for health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, wellness programs, and employee perks
Managed all aspects of employee benefits, benefits orientation, temporary benefits associates, and benefits training
Managed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and leaves of absence (LOA) administration and tracking
Managed unemployment insurance claims, investigated termination reasons, and participated in hearings
Completed audits, non-discrimination testing, and surveys for annual reviews, compliance, and benchmarks
Prepared reports for the Health Care Reform and Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements
Led annual open enrollment planning and coordination
Processed all benefits enrollments, changes, terminations, and COBRA administration
Maintained employee benefits files, databases, benefit deductions, arrears and refunds, and records
Facilitated bi-weekly benefits orientation and individual benefit meetings
Generated multiple reports required for management of payroll deductions, vendor invoices and payments,employment statuses and benefits eligibility, new hire enrollments, terminations, and ad hoc
Analyzed reports, updated vendors and broker, and approved communications and documents
Researched and interpreted policies and resolved benefit issues if discrepancies existed
Designed benefits materials, communications, and training, updated procedures, and facilitated meetings
Communicated with all departments and levels of management

Confidential, Illinois

Benefits Administrator

Responsibilities:

Administered and interpreted all health and welfare benefits including disability, FMLA, and COBRA
Administered all health and welfare, defined benefits, defined contributions, COBRA, and retirement benefits
Analyzed workflows to resolve issues, recognize trends, and determine root causes
Daily communication with employees, retirees, dependents, beneficiaries, payroll, human resources, unions, government agencies, powers of attorney, health care providers, third party administrators, vendors, and clients
Improved client, customer, vendor, and third party relationships
Reconciled payroll deductions, disability, FMLA, LOA, retiree payments, and COBRA payments
Completed life insurance claims, disability claims, QMCSO, coverage verification, and retirement distributions
Verified compliance with federal and state regulations
Resolved high-level and critical issues in the Escalations Unit
Analyzed ongoing business processes to identify and implement improvement opportunities
Facilitated benefits training for new hires, annual open enrollment, new client teams and ongoing teams