Account/Position No.: 50200/231040                                                       Level 10

Position Title:  Benefits Manager

Department:  Human Resources

Expectations for All Employees

East Tennessee State University pursues its mission based upon core values. An employee's job performance must support and exhibit the university's core values:

PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential;
RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity and trust;
DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected;
EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity, and a strong work ethic;
EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources; and COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced.

 Function of Position

Responsible to the Associate Director for Personnel for assisting with administering, processing, and maintaining university benefit programs; providing customer service through new employee orientations; communicating benefits to current and past employees; serving as liaison with benefit carriers and state representatives; administering university policies and procedures, and state and federal guidelines and laws; and performing other related duties as assigned.

Essential Functions

-        Administers, processes and maintains employee benefit and leave programs.

-        Conducts new employee orientation.

-        Works closely with the payroll office to ensure all benefit functions and payroll functions are done correctly and in a timely manner.

-        Inputs all transactions with the Tennessee Insurance System (TIS) which includes adding new employees and dependents; terminating insurance programs if employee separates from the university due to resignation, retirement, death, etc.; terminating dependents due to age requirements, divorce, etc.; adding dependents due to marriage, adoption, etc.

-        Coordinates the annual transfer period which occurs between October 15 and November 15 each year.

-        Provides assistance to employees concerning their health insurance plans if problems should occur with insurance claims, primary care physicians, cards, etc.

-        Collects all insurance change forms, audits to make sure everything has been filled out correctly and keys all health insurance changes into TIS, makes copies and processes for payroll.

-        Inputs all life insurance transactions with TIS, copies and processes new hire life insurance forms for payroll and life insurance company.

-        Assists employees with beneficiary change.

-        Assists employees with applications for life insurance during the annual transfer period.

-        Inputs all dental insurance transactions with TIS and processes for payroll; assists employees during annual transfer period.

-        Processes all flexible benefits applications for new hires and annual enrollment to Fringe Benefits Management Company (FBMC) and the payroll office.

-        Assists FBMC with problems that exist in processing the applications.

-        Assists employees in correcting errors that may have been made on the medical reimbursement accounts and dependent daycare; assists employees in filling out the medical reimbursement forms.

-        Processes all long term disability applications for new hires and annual enrollment to the Standard Insurance Company (administrative and faculty) and ITT Hartford (clerical/support), and to payroll.

-        Assists employees and family members applying for long term disability by answering questions and completing all the necessary forms to make sure health insurance is not cancelled and forms are filled out correctly.

-        Assists the insurance company in completing the process for approval by collecting additional data and answering questions concerning the employee.

-        Processes and notarizes new hire applications to payroll; assists employees by answering questions and advising them on their retirement options.

-        Completes retirement paperwork for TCRS; assists employees in completing paperwork on the 401K, 457 and SRA's; processes retirement application and sends to the appropriate vendor.

-        Processes separations; pulls personnel and insurance files for purging; calculates annual leave payoff unless transferring to other state entity, processes and transfers leave; prepares personnel change for payroll processing; assists employee by answering questions concerning benefits; processes check-out forms; terminates employees in HRS and TIS and removes from sick leave bank list.

-        Processes paperwork for employees who are deceased; pulls personnel and insurance files for purging; calculates sick and annual leave payoff to beneficiary; prepares personnel change for payroll processing; terminates the employee in HRS and TIS; contacts the beneficiary to explain the processing of death claim and sets up an appointment to complete paperwork; processes death claim for life insurance pay off to beneficiary; processes other paperwork sent to the insurance administration for processing the death claim.

-        Processes FMLA requests; pulls insurance file; determines employee eligibility; processes letter and mails FMLA form to employee; determines if employee is a member of the sick leave bank; calculates leave balances to determine whether a personnel change should be done by auditing leave balances on a weekly basis; processes letter after FMLA form is received and approval signatures are obtained; processes personnel to return employee to an active pay status.

-        Processes non-instructional leave of absences; pulls personnel file, processes personnel change for payroll, and notifies payroll when employee returns to work.

-        Processes all new applications for membership in the sick leave banks; determines if employee is qualified for faculty sick leave bank or non-faculty sick leave bank; determines if employee has appropriate balance of hours to join; adds new members and processes to payroll for removal of hours from their sick leave balance; removes members who have left the university; calculates hours used in previous fiscal year and hours gained through new membership; processes letters to sick leave bank chairs along with new fiscal year list and calculations; processes letters to new members, informing them of their membership.

-        Processes sick leave donations between employees; determines if recipient is eligible to receive donations and if employee donating is eligible to donate; completes sick leave donation form and obtains signatures; calculates donations for each recipient ensuring donations do not exceed the maximum hours; processes to payroll.

Secondary Functions

-        Prepares orientation packets.

-        Orders benefit supplies from vendors.

-        Attends various meetings as required.

-        Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Abilities

-        Knowledge of computers and database systems.

-        Knowledge of university policies and procedures.

-        Knowledge of federal and state laws related to human resources.

-        Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and in groups.

-        Ability to meet daily, weekly and monthly deadlines.

-        Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of employees.

-        Ability to listen and ascertain needs of customers.

-        Ability to communicate information concerning policies and procedures to customers.

-        Ability to plan, organize and facilitate meetings.

-        Ability to respond to customers tactfully and courteously.

-        Ability to maintain confidentiality and sensitive information.

-        Ability to prioritize and multi-task with frequent interruptions.

Supervision Given and Received

Performs under general supervision.  Determines own methods of performing assigned work.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in business or related field with two to three years experience in benefits or related benefits administration.