Administering PEBB in Benefits 24/7

Navigating to Benefits 24/7

To access Benefits 24/7 BAs and employees can visit benefits247.hca.wa.gov. For quick and convenient access, save the URL as a bookmark or favorite in your browser (Google Chrome is the preferred/recommended browser), or select any of the links to Benefits 24/7 that are located on the HCA and PEBB BA websites.

Logging in to Benefits 24/7

After navigating to the Benefits 24/7 login webpage, BAs will select between two login options:

• Subscriber / Benefits administrator login: Log in to Benefits 24/7
  • Use this log in option if you are a BA who works for a PEBB employer group such as a city, county, or water district, an institution of higher education, or a state agency that does not use Active Directory. You will then be redirected to the SecureAccess Washington (SAW) login page.
• HCA Admin / PEBB benefits administrator: Log in here
  • Use this log in if you are a BA who works for a state agency, and you log into your work computer using Active Directory.

Note: BAs may need to have two logins for Benefits 24/7. BAs who are eligible for PEBB benefits will need to have a separate login (using your personal email address) for Benefits 24/7 to access and manage your benefits as an employee.

Review the login user guide for assistance with logging in to Benefits 24/7.

Benefits 24/7 manuals

Chapter 1: Introduction to Benefits 24/7

• In Chapter 1 you'll find descriptions of common terms related to accounting and eligibility, instructions for how to log into Benefits 24/7, and an overview of the Administrative Dashboard located within the Benefits 24/7 system.

Chapter 2: Managing Benefits 24/7

• In Chapter 2 you'll learn about how benefits administrator access is managed in Benefits 24/7, how to locate reports and files, where to find subscriber enrollment history, and how to troubleshoot employee access to Benefits 24/7.

Chapter 3: Managing employee accounts

• In Chapter 3 you'll learn about employee enrollment in Benefits 24/7, including how to manually add a new employee, what to do if you encounter dual enrollment, how to process dependent verification and special open enrollment (SOE) requests, and making changes to an employee's account. You'll also find information about transfers, terminations, reinstatements, and correcting errors.

What training is available to BAs?

The following Benefits 24/7 training resources are available to BAs:

Instructional videos

• Instructional videos are available on the Training materials and recordings webpage.
• These videos serve as the primary training for administering benefits in the new program and are designed to assist BAs with navigating the Benefits 24/7 training environment.
• These videos provide step by step instructions on the processes that BAs will complete in the new system.
• It is recommended that BAs watch the series of instructional videos prior to working in the Benefits 24/7 training environment.

Recorded webinar sessions

• Prior to the launch, the O&T unit delivered a series of webinars that reviewed the instructional videos and addressed questions submitted by attendees. There were four sessions for each employer type: 1) State agencies and institutions of higher education, and 2) Employer groups.
• Recordings of the webinar sessions can be found on the Training material and recordings webpage.

Visit the Training schedule webpage to review any upcoming training opportunities.

Benefits 24/7 training environment

A training environment (benefits247train.hca.wa.gov) is available and designed for BAs to get hands-on experience in the system at their convenience. The training environment does not contain current employee data and is not an exact replica of how Benefits 24/7 appears and functions.

Request access to the training environment

Access to the training environment is managed by the HCA. To request access to the training environment, please send an HCA Support ticket using the “Request Training” category. Be sure to include the following in the ticket:

• Your first and last name
• Agency name and agency/subagency number
• Your work email address
• The access role you wish to have while working in the training environment.

Once HCA receives your HCA Support ticket, we will grant you access to the training environment.

BAs who have Admin access in the training environment are able to add, update, or remove the Edit and Read Only access roles in the training environment, just as Admins are able to in Benefits 24/7.

Logging into the training environment

Review the login user guide for assistance with logging in to the training environment.

If you're unable to log in to the training environment please contact Outreach and Training (O&T) by sending an HCA Support ticket, using the "Request Training" category.

Where can employees find information about Benefits 24/7?

Employees can find information about Benefits 24/7 on the Help with Benefits 24/7 webpage.

System processes associated with Benefits 24/7

Current process

Current process has Benefits 24/7 sending eligibility and enrollment data to our legacy Pay1 system, which in turn sends data to our carriers/vendors.

Long description: current state flowchart

This graphic is a flowchart that shows the current state of PEBB and SEBB program systems and how the data syncs between the systems.

The top of the graphic has the title “PEBB and SEBB Program Systems Current State.”

The chart begins on the left, showing that subscribers and benefits administrators log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW) and then access Benefits 24/7. The next section shows that eligibility and enrollment systems with APIs (such as Seattle School District) and eligibility and enrollment systems with file transfers (such as HRMS, higher ed, UW, and WSU) do not access SAW and instead log into Benefits 24/7.

From Benefits 24/7, eligibility and enrollment data (including life and LTD) is sent to carriers/vendors for medical, dental, vision, life, and LTD.

Benefits 24/7 also syncs the data and sends eligibility and enrollment data to our legacy Pay1 system, which in turn can send data to carriers/vendors.

Additionally, UW can send eligibility and enrollment data directly to Pay1, which then sends the data to Benefits 24/7.

The far right of the graphic shows that from Pay1, financial, reporting, and other enrollment data is sent to other vendor program systems, such as AFRS, CMS, ACA, Milliman, Navia, SmartHealth, and PPACA.

The bottom of the graphic has a legend describing the three types of processes in the flowchart. “Users” is a teal, hexagon-shaped icon. “Information” is a white rounded rectangle. “Systems” is a rounded rectangle.

Future process

The future process will have Benefits 24/7 send the eligibility and enrollment data directly to our carriers/vendors. Pay1 will continue to send financial and reporting data to other systems. BAs and employees won’t see changes in Benefits 24/7 with the new processes, all of the system changes will be done on the backend.

Long description: future process flowchart

This graphic is a flowchart that shows the future process of how PEBB and SEBB program systems will sync.

The top of the graphic has the title “PEBB and SEBB Program Systems Future State.”

The chart begins on the left, showing that subscribers and benefits administrators log into WA.gov and then access Benefits 24/7. The next section shows that eligibility and enrollment systems with APIs (such as Seattle School District, UW, and WSU) and eligibility and enrollment systems with file transfers (such as HRMS and higher ed) do not access SAW and instead log into Benefits 24/7.

From Benefits 24/7, eligibility and enrollment data is sent directly to carriers/vendors for medical, dental, vision, life, and LTD. Benefits 24/7 will sync the file and send the data to the legacy Pay1 system. Pay1 in turn sends financial and reporting data to other systems, such as AFRS, CMS, ACA, Milliman, Navia, SmartHealth, and PPACA.

The far right of the graphic shows that Benefits 24/7 can also send reporting and other enrollment data directly to other systems.

The bottom of the graphic has a legend describing the three types of processes in the flowchart. “Users” is a teal, hexagon-shaped icon. “Information” is a white rounded rectangle. “Systems” is a rounded rectangle.

A fourth icon in the legend indicates an updated component between the current and future processes. This is represented by an orange outline and an illustration showing a wrench. This orange border and wrench graphic appear around the following flowchart items: Subscribers, WA.gov, Benefits Administrators, Eligibility and enrollment systems with APIs, Eligibility and enrollment systems with file transfers, Benefits 24/7, Eligibility and enrollment data, Sync file, Reporting and other enrollment data, Carriers, and Pay1.

What can I do with Benefits 24/7?

Benefits administrators

Benefits 24/7 provides a user-friendly application with improved functionality. Specifically, Benefits 24/7 allows:

• Benefits administrators (BAs) to manage their employees’ accounts in Benefits 24/7.
  • BAs of all employers can key their employees’ data into Benefits 24/7.
  • BAs can key employee eligibility and loss of eligibility, and their associated start and end dates.
  • BAs can manage/verify Special Open Enrollment (SOE) events.
  • BAs can verify dependent eligibility using verification documents that have been uploaded to Benefits 24/7 or provided as a paper copy by their employees.
• BAs access to several different reports (Benefit Election Changes, Benefit Elections Snapshot, Dependents turning age 26, etc..)
• BAs to manage access to Benefits 24/7 for their BAs.
• BAs to view employee’s enrollment history including, enrollments, special open enrollment (SOE) requests, attestations, documents, dependent details, and login history.

Employees

Employees can use Benefits 24/7 to:

• Make medical, dental and vision plan choices during initial 31-day eligibility period, special open enrollment (SOE) events, and during annual open enrollment.
• Waive medical coverage during initial 31-day eligibility period, SOEs, and during annual open enrollment.
• View their accounts at any time, including a printable Statement of Insurance.
• Request to enroll in or defer PEBB retiree coverage.
• Request to enroll in continuation coverage.
• Submit SOE requests.
• Add or remove dependents during open enrollment, SOE’s and manage their enrollment throughout the year.
• Upload documents to prove dependent eligibility.
• Make long-term disability (LTD) insurance elections.
• Use links to visit vendors’ websites for supplemental benefits (life and AD&D insurance, Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs), and Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). Note: FSAs and DCAP are only available to state agency and higher education employees.