Many of our important documents are available to you on our website?

www.cpnflex.com

 - HRA and FSA Enrollment Forms

 - Section 125 Brochure (handout you may give to new hires)

Need to update an address or employee information due to a recent marriage? 

 - Personal Information Change Form

Did your company have a recent termination or did an employee experience a qualified life event due to a birth of a child, adoption or change is their spouse's eligibility?

 - Change in Status

Does your employee want to set up Direct Deposit? No problem. Download a copy of CPN's Direct Deposit Form by clicking here.

Want to stay informed of the latest IRS guideline changes as they happen? As soon as we know it, YOU will know it. Visit our HOT TOPICS page.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

FROM OUR FAMILY...TO YOURS!

DID YOU KNOW?

By creating your personal MyFlexOnline account, you can:

• Check account balance(s)
• Upload/File claims
• Print account statements (current & previous plan year)
• Verify your elections
• Review your payments (checks/ACH & card transactions)
• Manage your direct deposit

Don't forget - You can sign up at any time to receive text message alerts the moment CPN has received your claim, when you swipe your card and need to verify a charge, or even get an instant alert as to why your card declined at a merchant.

Always be aware dates of service must be incurred during your current plan year (see your HR/Benefits department for your scheduled plan year). Example: Companies with plan years January to December may only claim dates of service that have incurred between January and December of their current plan year. Therefore, take 2013 for example - 1.1.2013 to 12.31.2013. You cannot claim a date of service from 2012. If you do, the amount will be adjusted and you will be required to pay this amount back to the plan out of your pocket. You should only file claims/swipe your card to pay for services incurred from 1.1.2013-12.31.2013. 

FINALLY - Lose or misplace your card? No problem. Contact the lost/stolen card center toll free. 

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IS HERE!

WOW CPN is thrilled to announce several new enhancements  

now available.

iPhone® and Android® Mobile App

The iPhone® and Android® App is now available.

Need to check your balance, file a claim or submit an itemized statement/EOB? Now you can, with our new apps for the iPhone® and Android®. They’re FREE! Just search for “MyFlex” at the iTunes® App Store or Google Play. To log in, use the same ID and password as you do for the MyFlexOnline website.

Stay in touch with text or email notifications

Maybe, you’d like to get a text when your claim is processed. Well, now you can! Just log into MyFlexOnline and go to “Settings” / “Manage E-mail and Text Notifications”. You can also find this option by clicking on “MyFlex Mobile Alerts” under “Go Mobile”.  Once you sign-up you are on your way to receiving a text message when:

1.       your claim has been processed.

2.       substantiation is required (this is sent once card swipe settles from the bank).

3.       a flex card is declined (this notification is sent immediately).

Everyone who has a MyFlexOnline email will receive email notifications.  If you wish to opt for the text notification as well, you must sign up for this by following the above steps. You may change this option at any time.

Take advantage of the new convenient way of uploading your documents.

Upload your itemized statement/EOB to request reimbursement or substantiate debit card charges simply from your Mobile App or your MyFlexOnline account. No more faxing/mailing.

Clarification Relaxes Election Change Rules

So employers and employees can take advantage of the health insurance Exchanges starting January 1, 2014, regulators issued some exceptions to the permitted election changes rule for cafeteria plans.
Beginning in October 2013 individuals will have the opportunity to enroll in State Exchanges throughout the country for coverage starting January 1, 2014. These dates coincide with a large number of employers' benefit plans who offer health insurance coverage. Their health plan years end December 31 and employees may enroll at an Exchange for the 2014 plan year. However, because of the cafeteria plan change of election rules, it would not be easy for employers who run their benefits on fiscal plan years.

When participants enroll in a cafeteria plan, even just for taking health insurance premiums pretax, the election is irrevocable unless they sustain a qualified reason to change their election. The availability of health coverage through an Exchange does not constitute a change in status. Participants in cafeteria plans that do not end on December 31 would be unable to change their salary reduction elections in the middle of their cafeteria plan year and purchase coverage through an Exchange.

In January 2013, the IRS published their latest Affordable Care Act (ACA) proposed rule entitled "Shared Responsibility for Employers Regarding Health Coverage." This publication also included instructions for employers whose benefit plans operate on a fiscal year.

To help employees who participate in fiscal cafeteria plan years, the Treasury Department and the IRS will allow a one-time transition period whereby participants may change from employer-sponsored health insurance to a State Exchange plan for applicable large employers whose benefit plans are on a plan year that does not start on January 1.
Affected large employers may, at their discretion, amend their written cafeteria plans to permit either or both of the following changes in salary reduction elections.

• An employee who elected to salary reduce through the cafeteria plan for accident and health plan coverage with a fiscal plan year beginning in 2013 is allowed to prospectively revoke or change his or her election with respect to the accident or health plan once, during the plan year, without regard to whether the employee experienced a change in status event described in the change of status regulations 1.125-4; and
• An Employee who failed to make a salary reduction election through his or her employer's cafeteria plan, for accident and health plan coverage with a fiscal plan year beginning in 2013 before the start of the cafeteria plan year beginning in 2013, is allowed to make a prospective salary reduction election for accident and health coverage on or after the first day of the 2013 plan year of the cafeteria plan year, without regard to whether the employee experienced a change in status event described in 1.125-4.

Why is it so important to allow employees to seek coverage on the Exchange? First, ACA was written to assure that employees and individuals could purchase insurance coverage through State Exchanges. And secondly, employers want what’s best for themselves and their employees. For instance, if an employee is not enrolled in health insurance, they need to get coverage. However, employers can be penalized if one employee chooses coverage from the Exchange and receives premium credits. This is call “Shared Responsibility.” Employers would prefer to allow all their employees the opportunity to choose coverage at the same time.

Shared Responsibility for applicable large employers means they are subject to a specific “assessable payment” starting January 2, 2014 if they either:

• fail to offer full-time employees (and their dependents) the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored health plan and any full-time employee is certified as having received a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction; or
• offer full-time employees (and their dependents) minimum essential coverage that meets minimum value and affordability directives and one or more employees are certified as having received a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction.

An applicable large employer is an employer that employed an average of at least 50 full-time employees, or full-time equivalents based on hours of service, on business days during the preceding calendar year.
This is welcome clarification and remediation for employers with fiscal year cafeteria plans; however it is not mandatory that employers offer this option to their employees. This proposed rule also included an expanded timeframe for adopting this one-time change in status amendment to cafeteria plans. Cafeteria plans may be amended retroactively to implement these transition rules. The retroactive amendment must be made by December 31, 2014, and can be retroactive to the date of the first day of the 2013 cafeteria plan year.

This amendment is only for accident and health coverage offered through a cafeteria fiscal year plan beginning in 2013 and does not apply to any other qualified benefits offered through the cafeteria plan, such as health flexible spending accounts. It is also temporary and only applicable to cafeteria plans that began in 2013.
Details are in the Federal Register dated January 2, 2013, available at: Click Here

Questions may be directed to your Insurance Broker.

Effective April 1, 2013...

Overview of the Durbin Amendments:

The Durbin amendment, Section 1075, of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 called for the U.S. Federal Reserve Board (FRB) to develop regulatory provisions that affect debit interchange rates, network exclusivity arrangements and transaction routing restrictions. The final regulations were issued on June 29, 2011.

The final rules related to network exclusivity prohibits all debit card issuers and networks from restricting the number of networks over which electronic debit transactions may be processed to less than two unaffiliated networks without regard to the authorized method. Meaning, one signature based network and one unaffiliated PIN based network. The effective date for issuers of certain health-related and other benefit cards is April 1, 2013.

Do I need a personal identification number (PIN)?

No, a personal identification number (PIN) is not required to use your flex debit card. To pay for purchases at merchants accepting debit cards, you can use the Card as you would a credit card, by selecting the “credit” payment option. If you would like to request an optional personal identification number (PIN), you can use your card as you would a debit card, by selecting “debit” payment option and entering the PIN at the merchant. The PIN cannot be used to give cash access at ATMs or cash back at the merchants.

How do I order a PIN #?

You may request your optional personal identification number (PIN), by contacting toll free: 866.679.7649. You will also use this hotline number if you lose/misplace your PIN number.

CPN is not involved with this process. CPN’s customer service cannot issue/reset personal identification numbers (PINs).

Thank you.

CPN Management

IRS Increases Transit & Parking Limits

As a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the IRS has released additional annual inflation adjustments and other tax changes for tax year 2013.

Qualified transportation benefits - monthly transit and parking limits for 2013

For the 2013 tax year, the monthly limit for transit passes and transportation in a commuter vehicle is $245, up from $240 in 2012. 

Parking has also increased to $245, up from $240 in 2012. 

Details are in Revenue Procedure 2013-15, available at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-13-15.pdf