City Of Newport News - Newport News, VA
posted 3 months ago
The Human Resources Benefits Specialist position at the City of Newport News is a part-time role that plays a crucial role in coordinating various functions in support of the City's retirement and benefit programs. This includes managing medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as long and short-term disability, deferred compensation, flexible spending accounts, COBRA, and the wellness program. The position operates under general supervision and reports directly to the Human Resources Benefits Manager. In this role, the specialist assists employees and retirees with complex benefit-related matters, providing explanations of benefit policies and helping employees with benefit payments to maintain their coverage through COBRA. The specialist coordinates employee claims for short and long-term disability with the disability carrier and the employee to ensure timely processing of disability checks. Additionally, the specialist computes City retirement benefits and completes line of duty claim forms for state review, while also verifying and updating employee records through City systems and third-party databases. The specialist serves as a liaison between employees and vendors, coordinating the transfer of data for services, premiums, and plan administration. They investigate, analyze, and resolve a wide range of benefits issues and act as a lead worker to the Benefits Coordinator on complex matters. Responsibilities also include reconciling insurance and benefit invoices, monitoring account transactions for accuracy, and maintaining the COBRA program by sending notifications, processing enrollments, and accepting payments. The specialist assists in developing new systems as needed, prepares and reviews benefit statements, and contributes to the benefits newsletter. Moreover, the specialist coordinates the citywide benefit open enrollment, designing and preparing benefits materials, organizing workshops, and presenting benefits information to new employees during orientation. They conduct special research assignments regarding benefit utilization, services, coverage, and costs to assess program effectiveness and assist in developing long-range objectives for benefit programs. The role requires strong analytical skills, effective communication, and the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently.