Welcome to Cooper Consulting!
Here you will find plan information and the necessary applications to enroll in your benefits for the plan year beginning August 1, 2024.
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401(k) Plan
Cooper Consulting offers a 401(k) plan through Transamerica. Read more information on the plan, also found in the pamphlet given to you during your onboarding session(s), on the Transamerica website, transamerica.com. Your information will be in the Transamerica system the day after your start date. All eligible full-time employees are automatically enrolled in the PortfolioExpress program through Transamerica for 1% of their pay. You may administer your 401(k) plan online by visiting transamerica.com. The first time you visit you will register as a new user, then follow the prompts to gain access to your account.
Healthcare Enrollment Schedule
Below is a general healthcare enrollment timeline.
• Your onboarding session – You will meet with Cooper HR in person or remotely (whichever is most convenient for both parties) to fill out all necessary onboarding paperwork. During this session you will receive a link to the Employee Portal with password, at which time you will have access to all employee resources (including this Benefits Package page). If your onboarding is done remotely you will receive a login to a secure Sharepoint site where your onboarding paperwork can be signed digitally.
• Your employment start date – Note that unless you begin work on the 1st of the month, your employment start date may not coincide with your benefits start date.
• Approximately 1 week prior to your benefits start date – All benefit enrollment paperwork must be returned to Cooper HR by this date.
• First day of the month following your start date – If eligible, your benefit coverage begins.
Below are links to a summary of the detailed Summary of Benefits documents for each of our plan options, including your company-paid benefits such as Life Insurance, AD&D and STD/LTD. Also included is a side-by-side comparison summary of common costs associated with all plans offered.
We have done EXTENSIVE research on other carriers, as we always do, in order to find the best possible options. Our plan options from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Guardian are best for our group based on that continued research.
That said, we are also providing you with a link to the Open Exchange to shop individual-purchase insurance plans: Open Exchange.
We encourage you to check that link to see what premium prices and plans the Open Exchange gives you based on your individual information (only you can price your individual plan options – Cooper cannot). When pricing through the healthcare.gov portal, on the Select your Qualifying Life Event you will choose the “Lost or losing health coverage” option as the qualifying event. This only means you are saying we are in Open Enrollment, and you’re waiving coverage through us. If you do not like the results you get on the government’s open exchange after going through their pricing process you can always decline to enroll there, then still enroll in Cooper’s plans.
If you choose to enroll in an individual plan and forgo coverage through a Cooper-sponsored plan this year, please let us know via email within the Open Enrollment period. Cooper’s contribution to an exchange plan will be the same as what we contribute to the Cooper sponsored plan – and provided via a payroll reimbursement.
View a helpful list of definitions for common terminology used in healthcare plan documentation.
How to Enroll
We have a dedicated
Once you are entered into the enrollment system, all enrollment applications can be accessed here.
Please contact our broker, Daris Frencha, or Robin Walton if you have any questions regarding this process or need assistance filling out an application.
Employee Assistance Program
Find out more about our Employee Assistance Program by visiting the Guardian Employee Assistance Program site. This program provides guidance for personal issues that you might be facing and information about other concerns that
affect your life, whether it’s a life event or on a day-to-day basis:
• Unlimited free telephonic consultation with an EAP counselor available 24/7 at 800-386-7055
• Referrals to local counselors — up to three sessions free of charge
• State-of-the-art website featuring over 3,400 helpful articles on topics like wellness, training courses, and a
legal and financial center
Poke around the portal for a few minutes (or more) and see if there’s anything that can help make your life easier!
Open Enrollment Contacts
Daris Frencha
The Benefit Boutique
Office: 817-330-5365
Email: daris@thebenefitboutique.com
Robin Walton
Human Resources, Cooper Consulting
Office: 512-527-1000
Cell: 512-289-1899
Fax: 512-527-1001
Email: robin@cooperconsulting.com
Useful Links
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Doctor Search – Search BCBS’s networks to determine if your regular doctors and specialists are considered in or out-of-network.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Prescription Drug List – This shows the list of prescription drugs covered under BCBS plans. We are a Small Group (1-50 employees) Offering Metallic Plans.
• Guardian Provider Search – Search Guardian’s network to determine if your regular providers are considered in or out-of-network.