Synod Benefits Service
Health Benefit Documents are available online.
The Synod of the Pacific offers comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision insurance coverage along with voluntary benefits such as a 125 Flexible Spending Account and Life/AD&D plans, to all lay employees who work twenty hours or more per week. There are no physical examinations and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
Why Synod of the Pacific's Benefits Service was Created
The Synod of the Pacific's Benefits Service, like all its other services, was established to provide for a need that churches and affiliated organizations individually may not have been able to afford. By gathering together all the churches and affiliate organizations within the bounds of this Synod, a group has been formed which may barter for better coverage as well as a more cost effective price.
The benefit which most are not aware of is that the net revenue from this Benefits Service, along with the Investment and Loan Services, is given to the Synod Mission Partnership (eleven Presbyteries) for mission and ministry programs.
Benefit Plans
In addition to the our medical plans, the Synod of the Pacific offers two self-funded Dental plans, and continue with Anthem's larger dental network and administration of our plans.
Here is the information for our group plan under Anthem:
Group Name: Synod of the Pacific
Group Number: 165970
Anthem Member Services: (877) 567-1804
Our dental plans come with Resource Advisor (similar to an Employee Assistance Plan) and up to $15,000 Life Insurance (an increase from $10,000 last year).
Synod of the Pacific now offers two self-funded VSP Vision Plans. In self-funding these plans, we were able to provide benefit participants a great discount on our rates.
Synod offers additional Voluntary Life Insurance through Reliance Standard - to learn more, please see Reliance Enrollment Form, Rates and Highlights. Please note that Synod assesses a $4 monthly administration fee per participant in addition to Reliance's listed rates. For 2018-19 Benefit Summaries, Summaries of Benefits & Coverage by carrier, and the new Universal Enrollment Form, please click on "Benefits" then "Plan Summaries & Enrollment Forms" from the dropdown menu.
For churches and organizations with at least one employee enrolled in our medical, dental and/or vision plans, we have optional voluntary benefits, such as our 125 Flexible Spending Plan (Note: it includes a $4/month admin fee per employee), available to all benefit-eligible employees. Open Enrollment for the 125 Flexible Spending Plan is at the end of November; the Flexible Spending Plan Year begins January 1st and ends December 31st each year. ThinkHR is also available to HR administrators at Churches and Organizations participating in our benefits plans; ThinkHR is a website dedicated to providing expert HR advice and answers to complicated HR questions.
If you have further questions about Synod's Benefit Plans, need access to ThinkHR, or would like to be added to our electronic mail list for important benefit updates, please contact:
Tracy McEwan at Tracy@synodpacific.org or 707-765-1772.
Health Care Reform Updates
Click here for a link to our insurance broker's website with Health Care Reform updates.
Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs)
During Open Enrollment each year, we make available a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs) for our latest medical plans. This year, the SBCs will be posted under "Plan Summaries & Enrollment Forms" in our dropdown menu when you click on Benefits. This reduces paper waste, and the amount of paper mailed to churches, organizations and employees each year. However, if any employee would prefer copies of SBCs, or a SBC, be mailed to their home, for special requests please contact:
Tracy McEwan at Tracy@synodpacific.org or 707-765-1772
Wellness Newsletters
As one of the perks to enrolling in Synod's Benefit Service, an electronic Wellness Newsletter has been developed for our participants. Please go to http://www.synodpacific.org/archived-wellness-newsletters.html.
The Affordable Care Act now requires that group health plans make the Uniform Glossary of Coverage and Medical Terms available to employees. Please click on link in prior sentence to access, or call the Benefits Coordinator at Synod of the Pacific to request a mailed copy.