WHAT DOES A HR BENEFITS SPECIALIST DO?

Published: July 15, 2025 - The Human Resources (HR) Benefits Specialist manages health insurance plans, employee stock options, and retirement benefits while ensuring accurate deductions and compliance with regulations. This role facilitates benefit orientations, assists with paperwork, and addresses employee inquiries by coordinating with insurance providers and financial institutions. The position also involves maintaining benefit records, resolving disputes, and proposing improvements to enhance overall benefit offerings.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Human Resources Benefits Specialist

1. HR Benefits Specialist Duties

  • System Configuration: Assists with HR system benefits configuration and self-service functionality
  • System Testing: Participates in testing new functionality and system upgrades
  • Benefits Orientation: Conducts Employee Benefit Orientation, presenting benefits options, eligibility, plan provisions, premium costs, and employee responsibilities clearly and concisely
  • Enrollment Facilitation: Conducts open enrollment forums annually
  • Vendor Management: Manages Health and Benefits vendors to ensure they provide high-level, prompt customer service
  • Claims Processing: Process claims accurately and administer plans as dictated in plan documents
  • Invoice Preparation: Prepares weekly and monthly benefit vendors invoicing and maintains the benefits spend spreadsheet
  • Interface Implementation: Assists with the design, testing and implementation of interfaces and file transfers including HRIS systems, benefits carriers, etc.
  • Manual Maintenance: Maintains Procedures Manual for this role, ensuring all processes and procedures are current and up to date including information on the Intranet
  • System Implementation: Actively participates in system upgrades, new modules implementation, process and system designs
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborates with, is cross-trained in, and performs basic job duties of other HR staff
  • HR Support: Serves as a Human Resources professional and can assist customers in all basic HR functions
  • Role Backup: Provides backup to other HR positions

2. HR Benefits Specialist Details

  • Customer Service: Primary contact for front-line touchpoint for internal, benefit or human resource concerns while providing high-level customer service
  • Issue Resolution: Collaborates with HR Business Partners, Benefits, participants and Compensation to answer questions and resolve day-to-day employee issues
  • COBRA Processing: Processes COBRA events, benefit enrollments and changes throughout the plan year
  • Payment Processing: Responsible for the timely processing, validation of all notices and ACH payments
  • Concern Resolution: Responsible for researching and resolving participant concerns timely manner via email or phone
  • Compliance Reporting: Administers all month and year-end processing to adhere to reporting for compliance
  • Data Auditing: Performs various data integrity and enrollment/eligibility audits, including 401k by researching, resolving and correcting any discrepancies identified through the routine audits
  • Benefit Inquiries: Answer benefits questions and seek resolution to concerns or problems at all levels
  • Enrollment Coordination: Assists in the coordination and administration of open enrollment processes and audits
  • Orientation Training: Conducts new hire orientation and training on benefits, company policies and procedures
  • Employment Verification: Responds to Ask Here, reference checks and verification of employment requests
  • Dedication Auditing: Assists in audits, including 401K, to ensure proper payroll deductions to fund voluntary and involuntary benefits
  • Content Management: Own and update all Benefit content for all mediums such as print, intranet and related websites
  • Program Support: Provides information regarding auxiliary benefits such as the Employee Assistance Program
  • Policy Guidance: Provides guidance to leaders, benefit or leave policies
  • Record Management: Handles incoming/outgoing benefits-related mail/invoicing, Ask Here or HR Leave email boxes, eFaxes and distributes, processes, scans, and files administrative items, ensures proper records information management
  • System Feedback: Partner with HRIS and Product Management to provide feedback on system functionality
  • Role Backup: Serves as a backup to all other Benefit Specialists

3. HR Benefits Specialist Responsibilities

  • Benefits Administration: Administer and reconcile various employee benefits programs, such as group health, flexible spending accounts, dental and vision, accident and disability, life insurance, 401(k), and wellness benefits
  • System Maintenance: Maintain employee benefits filing systems and ensure benefits changes are entered appropriately in the payroll system for payroll deduction
  • Report Assistance: Assist Manager Benefit Programs in completing benefits reporting requirements
  • Orientation Delivery: Conducts benefits orientations and explains the benefits self-enrollment system
  • Claims Assistance: Assist employees with health, dental, life and other related benefit claims
  • Meeting Coordination: Prepare and set up meetings designed to help employees obtain information and understand company benefits and other related incentive programs
  • Notice Distribution: Ensure the distribution of employee notices
  • Leave Communication: Communicates with employees regarding their needs for leave and/or modified work schedules
  • Leave Awareness: Ensures that employees are aware of their responsibilities and of any documentation and notice to qualify for and to take leave
  • FMLA Administration: Handles the FMLA leave administration process from the employee’s initial notice of the need for leave to the return to work
  • Leave Processing: Gather and complete all paperwork, determine leave eligibility, designate leave as FMLA-qualifying, request medical certification, and account for intermittent and reduced schedule leave use
  • Claims Review: Review and respond to unemployment claims with appropriate documentation
  • Statement Review: Review monthly unemployment statements
  • Claims Coordination: Coordinate workers' compensation claims with the third-party administrator
  • Premium Verification: Verify the calculation of the monthly premium statements for all group insurance policies and maintain statistical data relative to premiums, claims and costs
  • Issue Resolution: Resolve administrative problems with the carrier representatives
  • Renewal Support: Assist the HR manager in obtaining statistics and information in the renewal process of any health, life and retirement plans that benefit the company

4. HR Benefits Specialist Job Summary

  • Plan Evaluation: Work directly with the benefits broker to review plan designs, make recommendations for changes and propose upgrades to current benefit offerings
  • Enrollment Facilitation: Facilitate open enrollment for the entire workforce
  • Leave Administration: Primary contact for FMLA and Short-Term Disability administration
  • Disability Processing: Effectively interprets and processes all disability paperwork, including medical, personal, ADA and FMLA
  • ACA Reporting: Facilitate and ensure all ACA reporting is completed promptly
  • Wellness Promotion: Promote employee wellness initiatives
  • Program Explanation: Explain benefits programs such as health, life, dental, vision, disability, retirement, and pension plans to employees and dependents
  • Data Maintenance: Verify, enter, and maintain benefit-related data in HRIS and third-party systems
  • Claims Processing: Process Long-Term Disability Claims and Death Insurance Claims
  • COBRA Maintenance: Process and maintain COBRA/Retiree benefits through a third party
  • FSA Maintenance: Process and maintain Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) through a third-party
  • Plan Documentation: Keep Summary Plan Descriptions current and accurate
  • Report Maintenance: Maintain Hour Bank reports for employee benefits
  • Billing Processing: Process weekly and monthly benefit billings
  • Pension Maintenance: Process and maintain monthly pensions

5. HR Benefits Specialist Accountabilities

  • Stock Oversight: Introduces and oversees employee stock options and investment opportunities
  • Plan Management: Manages employee health insurance and health care plans
  • Paperwork Assistance: Assists employees in filling out the paperwork for their benefits packages
  • Session Leadership: Leads informational sessions on company benefits
  • Calculation: Calculates the proper paycheck deductions for these benefits
  • Option Explanation: Explains the various benefit options to new employees
  • Package Research: Research alternate options for benefits packages and investment opportunities
  • Idea Presentation: Presents ideas for additional benefits to the HR manager
  • Inquiry Resolution: Addresses employee inquiries about their insurance or retirement benefits
  • Provider Liaison: Acts as a liaison between the employee and the insurance provider or bank
  • Record Maintenance: Maintains files and records of individual employee benefits
  • Package Adjustment: Makes changes or alterations to benefit packages
  • Dispute Resolution: Resolves any problems or disputes regarding the provision of benefits
  • Compensation Support: Assists HR in determining proper benefits and compensation packages for new employees
  • Regulation Tracking: Stays up-to-date on state and federal regulations concerning insurance and other employee benefits
  • Benefit Negotiation: Negotiates with insurance companies to receive better employee benefits
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