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.
- The Prior Offer and Current Offer plans differ in settings that BerniePortal treats as incompatible for a direct map (for example premium type, tobacco rules, EOI, dependent limits, purchase amounts, AD&D settings, guaranteed issue rules, or certain disability calculation settings). In those cases the mapping options are limited to Waive.
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.