Who can use auto-enrollment: Employer users with access to Benefits → Open Enrollment. Users who are masquerading as the employer use the same path.
Who gets auto-enrolled?
When you close open enrollment with auto-enrollment configured, BerniePortal auto-enrolls unlocked employees in the renewal group’s benefit subgroups who still need elections. Frozen employees are skipped. Employees in a qualifying event, employees unlocked through correct mistake, and rehired employees who fall outside this unlocked set are not auto-enrolled through this close-enrollment process.
Do I have to use auto-enrollment?
No. You can keep open enrollment open until employees submit elections. Auto-enrollment is optional and runs only when you close enrollment with eligible unlocked employees and saved mappings.
I closed open enrollment but did not see the auto-enrollment configuration modal. What happened?
If no employees are eligible for auto-enrollment for that renewal group, choosing Close Enrollment closes open enrollment immediately without showing the configuration form. A common reason is that every eligible employee already submitted elections, but the modal is skipped whenever the unlocked-for-auto-enrollment list is empty.
Why don’t I see Auto-enrollment settings under ACTIONS?
Auto-enrollment settings appears only for a renewal group whose enrollment status is closed and that has saved auto-enrollment configurations. If you closed enrollment without configuring mappings (because no employees needed auto-enrollment), that action is not available. When it is available, the modal is read-only. See Viewing Auto-Enrollment Settings. Once enrollment is closed, can I change the auto-enrollment settings?
No. Closing enrollment is final. You can view the saved mappings in Auto-enrollment settings, but you cannot edit them after close.
What if the employer is offering new benefit types at renewal?
For a benefit type with no Prior Offer plans, the configuration form shows a Prior Offer row of None. For most benefit types, the only Current Offer Plan & Coverage Tier option is Waive. Life and some 100% employer-paid fixed disability plans use different Current Offer options instead of Waive.
When is Waive the only Current Offer option?
Waive can be the only option in the Current Offer Plan & Coverage Tier dropdown when:
- The Prior Offer row is Waive.
- The benefit type is newly offered (Prior Offer None), except Life and some 100% employer-paid fixed disability plans (see the FAQs above and below).
- At least one of the safeguards below applies for that benefit type’s Prior Offer vs Current Offer plans, or for the employees being auto-enrolled.
BerniePortal limits the dropdown to Waive in these cases as a safeguard:
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different option chosen for the Premium Type dropdown from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has Require EOI if employee previously waived coverage set to yes and the Prior Offer plan has it set to no, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has Does tobacco use affect the rates for this benefit? set to yes and the Prior Offer plan has it set to no, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Is there a limit on the number of dependents for whom an employee can be charged? setting from the Prior Offer plan (including related limit amount or age when those fields apply).
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different option chosen for the How is the amount of coverage determined? dropdown from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has different Purchase Increments from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has AD&D turned on and the Prior Offer plan has AD&D turned off, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has Should employee be able to purchase this benefit on their spouse or children without buying it themselves? set to no and the Prior Offer plan has it set to yes, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has Allow additional coverage after year 1 without EOI set to no and the Prior Offer plan has it set to yes, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Purchase Maximum from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Purchase Minimum from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Guaranteed Issue Amount from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Percentage paid by employer? amount from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different Monthly Benefit amount from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has Are children premiums included in the employee cost? set to no and the Prior Offer plan has it set to yes, or vice versa.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has a different How are premiums calculated? setting from the Prior Offer plan.
- At least one of the Current Offer plans has different Age Calculations than the Prior Offer plan.
- Employees of a given subgroup are not eligible for at least one of the Current Offer plans.
- Employees have had their Benefits Subgroup changed since their prior election.
Not every setting above applies to every benefit type. BerniePortal only evaluates the settings that exist for the plans you are mapping.
Changing coverage tiers alone does not force a Waive-only mapping. When tiers differ but the plans are otherwise compatible, you can still map to Current Offer plans (with Waive also available where the product allows it).
What if a Current Offer plan is 100% employer paid, or the benefit type is Life?
For some employer-paid coverage (including the I understand Prior Offer coverage tier on composite plans), Waive is not offered as a Current Offer choice. Life uses Maximum Amount of Coverage / keep-current style options and does not add Waive in the auto-enrollment matrix. 100% employer-paid fixed short-term or long-term disability plans also omit Waive when that rule applies.
What happens to dependents and account-based benefits?
When an employee is auto-enrolled, BerniePortal uses the employee’s prior freeze history where applicable, including previously elected dependents that still qualify. For HSA, FSA, and similar contribution benefits, mappings can include contribution options, keep-current amounts, and Waive. Whether an HSA or FSA election is created can still depend on the employee’s health/HSA eligibility rules in the product.
Can I auto-enroll a new hire or an employee in a qualifying event?
No. This auto-enrollment process runs only when you close open enrollment for a renewal group. Qualifying-event enrollments and other individual unlock paths are separate.
Will employee signatures appear on completed broker forms for auto-enrolled employees?
No. Auto-enrolled elections are finalized with an auto-enrollment marker instead of an employee signature. Collect any required signatures outside BerniePortal if your process needs them.