Before you can create an enrollment window, you will need to set up or review your benefit plans in BambooHR. There are a few changes to benefit plan settings when using Benefits Administration. If you have already created your plans, make sure to review that you have addressed the new fields. If you are starting from scratch, work with your broker to ensure plans are set up accurately.

As you review your benefit plans, you can verify your benefits-eligible employees by reviewing a list that automatically includes any employees who are eligible for or currently enrolled in at least one benefit plan. You can find this information by navigating to Settings > Benefits > Employees. Click here to learn more about how to manage benefits-eligible employees in Benefits Administration.

It is important to set yourself up for success in using Benefits Administration from the get-go. This will require you to work with your broker and carrier to understand their carrier rules and your account structure. These rules will influence how you set up your benefits plans and determine which carrier solution will work best. You should consider the following questions: 

1. What are the general carrier rules and information (i.e., which states apply, new hires rules/eligibility dates, terminated coverage rules, etc.)?
2. How does the carrier report benefit data? Are premiums separated based on coverage level? 
3. How does the carrier bill the company? How are plans and enrollments split out around billing? 
4. What are the rules around effective dates for qualifying life events? Are effective dates different for a marriage event versus a birth event?
5. What are the correct reason codes for qualifying life events?
6. What format does the carrier require the enrollment information to be transferred as (CSV or PDF)?

Once you fully understand your carrier's requirements, add them to BambooHR. Navigate to Settings > Benefits > Carriers and then click Add Carrier.

A modal will appear for you to add the carrier EIN, followed by carrier name and group number once the EIN is entered.

1. If you enter a carrier EIN that has a carrier connection with BambooHR, you will see a message letting you know of the data integration option.
2. For carriers that do not have a carrier connection with BambooHR, a different message will let you know that BambooHR can look into building a connection with the carrier, and you can still add the carrier to your list of carriers in BambooHR.

When setting up a benefit plan, you will also be able to add a new carrier from the Carrier dropdown menu. After verifying your carrier details, click Save, and the carrier will then appear on the Carriers tab.

On the Carriers tab, you can manage your carrier information. To edit an existing carrier, hover over the carrier name and click on the pencil icon. To delete a carrier, click on the trash can icon. Please note that if the carrier has enrollment data associated with it, you will not be able to delete the carrier.

When creating an enrollment window, you will need to choose a plan year, which includes the benefit plans you selected for that plan year. Plan years are typically created in a 12-month cycle and need to have a start date and end date. 

To create a plan year, click +New Plan Year and select or deselect the benefit plans for the year. The next step is "New Hires," which includes setting up an automated enrollment window for your new hires. After you complete the three-step process, save the plan year with its associated benefit plans. 

1. Filter: You can use this filter to view active, scheduled, or closed plan years.
2. Plan year information: For each plan year you create, you will be able to view the number of associated benefit plans, the plan year status, duration, and how many employee elections are pending, approved, and incomplete for that year.
3. Additional settings: If you need to edit or delete a plan year, click on the gear icon for the plan year and select Edit or Delete from the dropdown menu. From here, you can choose to create a new enrollment window that includes the plan year and its associated benefit plans. The Plan Year field is required in the enrollment window setup.
4. Update missing information: If you have missing employee, dependent, or company data within a specific plan year, the system will show a blue hyperlink in the Employee Elections column for that plan year. Click Update Missing Info to ensure that you have all required data added before sending it to your carrier. Click here to learn more on how this feature works.

Before starting an enrollment window, ensure all employees you want to include in the enrollment window have access to BambooHR. If they do not have access to BambooHR, they will not be able to log in to their account and complete enrollment. 

Your account and employee data is ready to go! Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work by creating an enrollment window.

1. Navigate to the Benefits tab in the left sidebar menu.
2. On the Benefits page, specify the plan year you have recently created.
3. You can either click Create Open Window or select the gear icon to specify which enrollment window you want to create: Open Enrollment, Qualifying Life Event, or New Hire.

A new modal will appear for you to fill out the required fields under "Enrollment Information." Then, you will be able to select which employees can elect benefits as part of the enrollment window. Please refer to our Create an Enrollment Window guide for more details on the enrollment window setup.

Once the enrollment period begins, sit back and watch as your employees' enrollment submissions roll within the Benefits tab. You can start approving benefit elections as they come in. Simply click on # of Elections are Incomplete to review a list of submissions pending approval in Settings. If there is a new employee submission that has not been approved within the last 24 hours, you will receive an email notification (8:15 AM - company time) about pending, approved, and incomplete submissions. 

Below is a brief overview of the approval process:

1. On the Elections tab, hover over the employee's name and click Review/Edit Elections. 
2. An approval screen will appear with the employee's benefit elections. From here, you can edit the elections on behalf of the employee if necessary. Make sure to add costs in the highlighted fields for the employee. 
3. After reviewing the employee's elections, click Approve Enrollment to finish.
   • If you need to make an update after this point, you can go back to the Elections tab and click Review/Edit Benefit Elections.
4. Repeat this process for each employee. The employee will receive an email notification once you approve their benefit elections.

You are almost at the finish line! After the enrollment window ends and you have approved all your employees' enrollment elections, prepare the data for your carriers. BambooHR offers three solutions to help you send the data with ease.