How to Enroll in Benefits - Knowledge Base | BerniePortal

How to Enroll in Benefits

Employees enroll in benefits through a four-step enrollment flow: Getting Started, Elections, Beneficiaries, and Confirm. Open enrollment and qualifying life event changes use the same enrollment steps after any required prerequisites.

Who can enroll

Employees assigned to a benefits subgroup can enroll when enrollment is open for them—typically when the home page shows You have not completed your enrollment. or when their employer unlocks benefits so they can make requested changes. After you submit enrollment, your account is locked for benefit elections until your employer opens a new change window.


To enroll in benefits:
  1. From your employee home page, select Begin Enrollment on the alert that says You have not completed your enrollment. You can also select Enrollment in the top navigation.
  2. On Getting Started, complete the sections shown for your enrollment. Depending on your employer’s setup, you may see:
    • My Documents — open each listed document link (such as Summary Plan Description (SPD) or My Most Recent Elections) and review it before continuing.
    • Questions — answer all required questions.
    • Spousal Status — under Do you have a spouse?, select Yes or No. If Yes, enter the spouse’s First Name, Last Name, Gender, Birthdate, and any other required fields.
    • Dependent Status — under Do you have dependents?, select Yes or No. If Yes, enter each dependent’s information. Select Add another Dependent to add more dependents.
  3. If the SPD acknowledgment appears, select the checkbox for I have read and understood the Summary Plan Description.
  4. Under Ready to Start Enrollment?, select START ENROLLMENT.
  5. On Elections, use the left sidebar to move through each benefit type. Under Select a plan, choose a plan or select Waive. Include or exclude spouse and dependents with the checkboxes next to each person when coverage tiers allow it. Review costs in the cart on the right. When every benefit type is complete, select Continue & Confirm. If any elected plans require beneficiaries, the button is Save and Continue instead.
  6. If the Beneficiaries step appears, answer Do you want beneficiaries to be the same for all policies? with Yes or No, then assign primary and contingent beneficiaries. Use Add another beneficiary when you need additional recipients. Select Continue & Confirm.
  7. On Confirm, review your elections and payroll deductions, sign in the signature box, and select I agree.
You can select Back to previous step on later steps to return and change earlier answers before you submit. After you select I agree, you return to your home page with the message Thank you for enrolling. Below are your elections. You may also be prompted to complete evidence of insurability (EOI) if your elections require it.

Other ways to start enrollment

  • If your employer unlocked your benefits for a change, the home page shows Your employer has unlocked your benefits area. You can now make your requested changes. Select MAKE CHANGES, then complete the same enrollment steps.
  • If you are completing a qualifying life event change and must report the reason first, select Begin Enrollment, choose a reason under WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE CHANGE?, complete any required date or PROOF OF QUALIFYING EVENT upload, then select Submit & continue. Continue with Getting Started.
  • If BerniePortal shows a message that you must complete two enrollment sessions, select Begin Enrollment on that message, then complete the enrollment steps for each session.
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