How to Enroll in Benefits - Knowledge Base | BerniePortal

How to Enroll in Benefits

Enrolling in benefits in BerniePortal is easy and informative, but employees may need help from time to time. 

How employees enroll in BerniePortal:
  1. Employees will begin enrollment from their BerniePortal home page by clicking either the blue “Make Changes” or “Begin Enrollment” button. (Options differ depending on enrollment status)
  4. Upon entering Guided Enrollment, employees will see an enrollment progress tracker at the top of their page. 
  5. Once employees have completed a step, the tracker will move on to the next section. Employees may always return to the previous step with the “back to previous step” button.


See below for a detailed breakdown of each step in Guided Enrollment.

Getting Started:
  1. To begin, employees may be required to answer some basic questions and may have access to downloadable documents, if available.
  1. Use the blank space below the question(s) to fill in answers.
  2. If Documents are available, select “Download” to view.
  3. If an SPD is available, select “Yes” once the document has been reviewed.
  5. If this isn’t an employee’s first time making elections with BerniePortal, they can download previously made elections for reference, then “Save and Continue.”

Dependents:
  1. Next, employees will have the opportunity to enter Spouse and/or Dependent information. 
  1. Begin by toggling the “on” switch for the dependent type(s) that the employee wishes to enroll. 
  2. It’s important to provide legal names, correct birth dates, and social security numbers, and answer any dependent questions if presented.
  3. Add more dependents by clicking “Add Another” in the dependents section.

 Elections:
  1. In Step 3, employees will first be provided “3 Tips to Electing Benefits.”
  3. The menu on the left will present all benefits offered to the employee, as well as track the employee’s progress.
    1. Once an election is made for a benefit type, a check mark will appear. 

  4. Employees may return to any benefit type and make changes to their elections by selecting the benefit type in the left menu.
  5. Employees can utilize the shopping cart on the right to keep track of their coverage costs per pay period.
  6. Selecting Plans:
    1. Employees can scroll through benefit types and explore each plan option by using the “select a plan” dropdown. It’s important to understand everything each plan has to offer, so employees should be sure to review any accompanying material such as carrier videos or plan documents.

    3. Cost and coverage tiers will generate based on the plan selected. If employees choose to cover spouse/dependent(s), they may select participating family members by selecting or deselecting the check mark box next to each member.

    5. Plans such as Voluntary Life will present employees with a sliding bar. Use the white dot on the bar to slide left and right to elect coverage. 

    7. If employees have made previous elections in BerniePortal, they will appear under each benefit type for reference


Beneficiaries: 
  1. If employees did not elect any benefits that require the naming of beneficiaries, they’ll be taken straight to “Step 5 – Confirm.”
  2. If employees have chosen to participate in a plan that requires the naming of beneficiaries, they’ll be prompted to designate both primary and contingent beneficiaries.
  3. Employees can toggle “Yes / No” if they’d like beneficiaries to be the same for all policies.
  1. If “No” is selected, a list of benefits that require the naming of beneficiaries will appear on the left. 
  1. Employee’s should navigate through each benefit providing necessary beneficiary info.
  1. Select “Add another beneficiary” if necessary. 
  2. Adjust the percentage that each beneficiary should receive by sliding the distribution button below to the desired percentage. 
  3. Perform the same for any contingent beneficiaries.

Confirm:
  1. Employees should review their elections and complete any outstanding fields. 
  2. This is a great opportunity for employees to confirm their per pay period costs before submitting. 
  3. Employees will use their mouse to sign the signature box and click “I Agree” to complete their enrollment.


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