Linking Categories to Benefit Groups

After you set up benefit groups and benefit categories, you can link categories to each benefit group. For example, you can link the benefit categories for medical, dental, and life insurance to the management benefit group. When you link a category to a benefit group, all of the employees in that group are eligible for all of the benefit plans in that category.

When you link categories to groups, you can also indicate:

• The availability of flex plans for the benefit group.

• The sequence in which the benefit categories appear on the enrollment form.

• The election criteria for a benefit category.

• The benefit category type for special flex plans.

• The benefit category classification.

• An employee option to print a form for declining benefit coverage.

• Requirements for employees to stay within the current benefit group options or within a current group of benefit plans.

If a benefit group has flex plans, you must set up a benefit category for employee flex deductions (category type 2). This benefit category controls deduction of a negative flex balance from employee pay. If the employer awards members of the benefit group a lump sum of flex credits, you must set up a benefit category for those lump sum credits (category type 1).