Common Elements Used for Benefits Administration

Benefit Program

A collection of benefit plans your company offers to a group of employees.

For example, you might have one benefit program for hourly employees, another for salaried employees, and a third for executives.

Benefit Plan

Any benefit category, such as health, life, or savings. A benefit plan option is a specific benefit option within a plan type.

For example, you might set up three benefit plan options for a plan type: one times salary, two times salary, and three times salary. Benefit plans are associated with benefit programs and can be linked to any number of benefit programs.

Event Maintenance

The process that you use to enroll new employees and to track and react to employee benefit changes during the plan year, such as those resulting from a marriage or termination of employment.

Open Enrollment

The process that you use to enroll or reenroll participants in appropriate benefit programs and plans during the annual enrollment window or, for federal users, during the open season periods for health benefits, life plans, and savings plans.