We partner with our clients to design the most efficient, cost effective plans designed to meet each client’s unique organizational needs. We design and implement plans including but not limited to:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Reimbursement Arrangements
• Health Savings Accounts
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Long Term Care
• Commuter Benefits
• Voluntary Plans (cancer insurance, life, disability, accident, etc.)

To help meet your goals, we follow a process which often includes the following steps:

• Evaluating current benefits/claims/population- historical data and future expectations, where available
• Evaluate against organization philosophy and budget, benchmarking where appropriate
• Designing a plan that meets the organization’s needs
• Evaluating carrier options as well as insured and/or self insured funding strategies to implement that plan
• Creating employee contribution strategy
• Partnering with the client to implement the plan and monitor ongoing

See also: Managing Client Renewals case study

Clients may elect to provide personalized benefits statements to their employees. This statement highlights areas of compensation that many employees are unaware of or may take for granted. Statements generally include the company-paid portion of such benefits as:

• Time-off
• Health Care

• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Employer Social Security Payments
• 401(k) matching funds

Summit also can provide benefits confirmation statements to verify employee annual enrollments.

As a part of our renewal process, Summit can provide you with a summary of plan data illustrating how the provisions of your plan, premium rates, contribution strategy and other features of your benefit plan compare with businesses of similar size, type and location. Data sources include the Kaiser Foundation annual survey, U.S. Department of Labor data and state specific employer statistical studies when available.

Benchmarking doesn’t stop with the presentation of data, however. As part of our service, Summit can provide you with a customized “Report Card,” summarizing how your plans and benefits practices compare with other employers.

At Summit, our mission is to preserve and build your business capital and ensure your company’s future is financially sound. We provide a wide range of services for closely-held businesses, including:

• Federal and State income tax return compliance including multi state preparation
• Strategic Income tax planning
• ROI analysis for entering new markets whether genetic or thru outside acquisition

• Succession planning for ownership transitions
• Strategic cash flow planning and financial analysis
• Comprehensive accounting services and accounting system selection
• Buy / Sell consulting and implementation

As your trusted tax advisor, we provide services with personalized attention to your business’s specific needs. Balancing the needs of the business with those of the owners and employees is an integral part of our practical approach.

Summit serves as an extension of your team, helping you manage your employee benefits program. As part of this partnership, we make sure that you have the tools information, and resources to do your job.

We can meet with you or your staff to provide you Benefits 101 training. This includes information needed to operate an efficient and compliant benefits program. We will provide communications to keep you up to date on legislation that may impact the administration of your benefits program.

We also conduct employee meetings onsite during Open Enrollment, health fairs, plan implementations or other special events.

Finally, we offer seminars and webinars covering topics of interest to our clients.

See also: Leadership in Client Service and Employee Education case study

Summit offers a suite of services designed to support your organization’s administration needs. Services are flexible and can be customized. Sample services include:

• Claims problem resolution/filing assistance
• Assistance with adds/deletes/changes

• New hire meetings/open enrollments
• Direct employee assistance
• Full service COBRA administration
• Form 5500 & related schedules preparation

Employee Wellness Programs have gained in popularity as employers see the evident link between employee health and reduction in health care claims. Providing employees with education and easy methods of adopting healthy lifestyles ensures the greatest success of an Employee Wellness Program.

Summit can provide you with advice, communications and plans for creating events, tools and communication materials that will help encourage employees to focus on improving their health. An effective Employee Wellness Program can:

• Reduce worker’s comp and disability insurance costs by reducing risk exposure

• Reduce health insurance costs by increasing employees’ awareness and utilization of health insurance plan cost-control features (24 Hour Nurse Hotline, Prescription Drug programs, online Health Risk Assessment tools, medical websites, etc.)
• Increase employee morale through participation in Wellness events

Your Wellness Program can be a simple but effective communications campaign or it can be a robust program that includes health screenings, health fairs, onsite workshops for smoking cessation or weight loss, flu shots, ergonomic assessments, fitness benefits, one on one coaching, etc.

Benefits laws and regulations continue to evolve. Although Summit cannot provide you with legal advice, our staff has significant compliance expertise as well as significant experience in running benefit programs for other companies. We understand where many of the “soft” spots are within organizations and we understand their impact. Sample areas for review include:

• Consistencies: HR policies to benefit plan documents
• Filings: 5500’s, Medicare Part D

• Communications: Updated COBRA notice, ARRA subsidy, Women’s Health & Cancer Rights Act notice, Summary Annual Reports
• Processes: COBRA processing, claims and eligibility exception review
• Other: Same-sex marriage / domestic partner impact, HIPAA privacy

See also: Compliance Expertise case study

Summit can also provide additional services by introducing you to some of our outside partners. Some of these services include general human resources consulting and administration, payroll processing, and other professional services.

Services are customizable and can be tailored to small and large companies. Support can be project-based or on retainer basis.