Use this to reset an employee’s benefits subgroup when Correct Mistake or Qualifying Event cannot—wrong subgroup/offering, offering configuration changes, elections outside Correct Mistake’s 30-day plan-effective window, or Qualifying Event dates outside ±90 days of today. Correct Mistake does not fix offering or subgroup configuration mistakes.
Who this is for
Employers and Feature Admins can use Change subgroup when the employee has completed onboarding verification and is attached to this employer.
Before you start: turn off email notifications
This process changes subgroups and elections and can send multiple emails. Turn notifications off first.
- Open Account from the account menu. For steps, see How to Access Your Account from the Account Menu.
- In the left sidebar, select Email Notifications.
- Select Elections if Billing is also listed.
- Under Benefits Group, select a benefits subgroup involved in the reset.
- Clear the Email employee and Interested Party checkboxes. Note which were enabled so you can restore them later.
- Repeat steps 4–5 for each other benefits subgroup involved.
To reset the benefits subgroup
Warning: Moving to Not assigned ends the employee’s benefits eligibility as of the date you enter. BerniePortal processes benefits termination for that date. The employee must enroll again after you reassign them.
Step 1 — Move to Not assigned
- Select Employees in the top navigation.
- Select the employee’s name to open their profile.
- Select Subgroups.
- In the Actions column for the Benefits row, select Change subgroup.
- Under Select a new subgroup, choose Not assigned.
- For As of what date is the employee no longer eligible for benefits?, enter the day before the date you want corrected benefits to be effective.
When BerniePortal lists benefits to terminate, review Benefits will terminate on… (one shared date) or the table with BENEFIT and TERMINATION DATE columns.
- Select Save.
Example: Corrected benefits should be effective 01/01/2025. For this step, enter 12/31/2024.
Step 2 — Assign the correct benefits subgroup
- On the employee’s Subgroups tab, open Change subgroup again for Benefits.
- Under Select a new subgroup, choose the correct benefits subgroup.
- Under Select an eligibility subgroup, choose the eligibility subgroup that matches the employee’s waiting period. Do not leave Not assigned (it is selected by default).
- For As of what date is the employee eligible for benefits?, enter the intended benefit effective date (the day after the Step 1 date).
Example (continued): Enter 01/01/2025.
- Under Benefit Effective Dates, each row shows the benefit name followed by Benefit to be effective and the date calculated from the eligibility date plus waiting periods for the eligibility subgroup you selected.
- For each benefit type that should use your intended effective date, select Edit (for this hire only), then set Adjust Effective Date to that date (in the example, 01/01/2025).
- Select Save.
The employee can then complete accurate elections. To enroll on their behalf, use Masquerade.
Date pattern for this reset
Move to Not assigned — As of what date is the employee no longer eligible for benefits?: day before the intended benefit effective date.
Reassign — As of what date is the employee eligible for benefits?: intended benefit effective date.
Per benefit type — Adjust Effective Date to (after Edit (for this hire only)): intended benefit effective date, when the calculated waiting-period date is not what you need.
After you finish: turn email notifications back on
- Open Account from the account menu. For steps, see How to Access Your Account from the Account Menu.
- In the left sidebar, select Email Notifications.
- Select Elections if Billing is also listed.
- Under Benefits Group, select each affected subgroup and restore the Email employee and Interested Party checkboxes you noted at the start.
Alternate path: change directly to another benefits subgroup
If you can move the employee from one benefits subgroup straight to another (without Not assigned):
- Open the employee profile → Subgroups → Change subgroup for Benefits.
- Under Select a new subgroup, choose the correct benefits subgroup.
- Under Select an eligibility subgroup, choose a real eligibility subgroup (not Not assigned).
- For Effective date of benefits subgroup change?, enter the date the correct subgroup or offering should apply from.
- Select Save.
If the employee’s account is frozen and their current plan effective date is still in the future, BerniePortal blocks this direct change. Use To reset the benefits subgroup (Not assigned, then reassign) instead.
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