These FAQs cover Prior Offer enrollment: who enrolls, what employers can change, and what happens when an employee completes both Prior Offer and Current Offer elections.
Question: What is Prior Offer?
Answer: Prior Offer is the set of benefits that were in Current Offer before the most recent open enrollment was opened. When open enrollment starts for subgroups that have an Upcoming Offer configured, BerniePortal moves those Current Offer plans to Prior Offer.
Question: Who is eligible to enroll in Prior Offer?
Answer: Not every employee enrolls in Prior Offer. The subgroup must have Prior Offer plans. When it does, BerniePortal presents Prior Offer plans when the employee’s enrollment timing falls before the renewal date of the renewal group that triggered the most recent open enrollment. Common cases include:
- A Qualifying Event whose Qualifying Event date is before that renewal date
- A new hire or rehire whose benefits effective date is before that renewal date
- A first COBRA enrollment when the COBRA start date based on termination is before that renewal date
- Correct Mistake when Prior Offer plans are still in the Correct Mistake window
Preloaded employees unlocked for a Qualifying Event do not enroll in Prior Offer. After Prior Offer enrollment finishes, BerniePortal prompts the employee to complete Open Enrollment for Current Offer plans when that enrollment is still required.
Question: Can I change the plans, rates, deductions, and settings for plans in Prior Offer?
Answer: You cannot attach or remove plans in Prior Offer. BerniePortal builds that plan set when open enrollment starts. From Offer Overview, you can select a Prior Offer plan name to open Configure or Premiums. You cannot change the plan’s renewal date when you open it from Offer Overview for Prior Offer.
Question: How do I view what plans are included in Prior Offer?
Answer: Employers with Benefits enabled, and Benefits Feature Admins with access to the subgroup, can view Prior Offer plans on Offer Overview. Users masquerading as the employer use the employer path.
- Select Benefits in the top navigation menu.
- Select Subgroups in the secondary navigation menu.
- In the BENEFITS SUBGROUPS column, select the subgroup name.
- In the tertiary navigation, select Offer Overview.
- Review the plans listed under the Prior Offer column.
Evidence of Insurability (EOI) plans—such as voluntary life and disability—are hidden during Prior Offer guided enrollment. Employees elect those plans in Current Offer enrollment instead.
Question: If employees are electing both Prior Offer and Current Offer benefits, do they have to complete both elections at once?
Answer: No. BerniePortal prompts the employee for both enrollments when both apply, but the employee does not have to finish both in one sitting. The employee can log out and return later. After Prior Offer elections are submitted, BerniePortal shows a message and a Begin Enrollment control when another enrollment is still required.
Question: How will I know which benefits are associated with which offer after an employee enrolls?
Answer: Employee Election Sheets note the enrollment type—such as Initial Elections or Qualifying Event—and show the effective date for each benefit. Compare those effective dates to the Prior Offer and Current Offer renewal dates on Offer Overview to see which enrollment belongs to which offer.
Question: Will I receive one email notification when someone elects both Prior Offer and Current Offer plans?
Answer: No. Each completed enrollment sends its own enrollment notification to interested parties who are signed up for those emails—so Prior Offer and Current Offer completions produce separate notifications.
Question: Will both elections be included on a change report for that time period?
Answer: Yes. Both enrollments appear on the Change report when each enrollment’s freeze time falls within the date range you select for the report.
Examples
These examples assume open enrollment has already been started for a 1/1 renewal group, so the previous Current Offer plans are now in Prior Offer and the renewal-group plans are in Current Offer.
Example 1 — Qualifying Event before the renewal date
- An employee in the Managers subgroup has a birth Qualifying Event dated 12/5, before the 1/1 renewal date.
- HR unlocks the employee with Qualifying Event.
- When the employee enrolls and enters the Qualifying Event date of 12/5, BerniePortal presents Prior Offer plans first.
- If the employee had already completed Open Enrollment for Current Offer, BerniePortal then shows a message that Open Enrollment elections must be made again, with Begin Enrollment.
- If the employee had not yet completed Open Enrollment, BerniePortal shows a message that Open Enrollment elections are still needed, with Begin Enrollment.
Example 2 — New hire effective before the renewal date
- A new hire’s Initial Elections effective date is 12/21, before the 1/1 renewal date, based on the eligibility subgroup waiting period.
- When the employee makes Initial Elections, BerniePortal presents Prior Offer plans first.
- After those elections, BerniePortal shows a message that Open Enrollment elections are still needed for plans effective on the renewal date, with Begin Enrollment.
- The employee then completes Open Enrollment for Current Offer plans.