TASC Receives Honor from Benefits Selling Magazine

Madison, Wis. (November 13, 2013) - TASC, a national leader in employee benefits plan administration, is proud to announce that after a two year absence the “Which third-party administrator offers the most comprehensive service?” category made a return to the Readers’ Choice Awards of Benefits Selling magazine. And just like in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 TASC was named runner up in this category!

The magazine’s readership of 55,000 + benefits brokers who sell group and voluntary benefits nationwide voted TASC an Honorable Mention award for being the third-party administrator which offers the most comprehensive services.

When recognizing TASC in 2007 the magazine said “This Third Party Administrator appears to do it all, offering administration and service for a wide variety of products. But the real secret to this company’s success has to be its continued focus on the economy’s driving force: small businesses.”

“It’s one thing to be in the market saying good things about yourself, but when a large group of knowledgeable industry insiders take it upon themselves to honor you, that really says something,” says TASC Chief Executive Officer Daniel N. Rashke. “TASC will continue to work diligently to offer the most comprehensive service available for the benefit of our Clients, Participants, and Providers.”

TASC Adds Two New Service Offerings

Madison, Wis. (October 30, 2013) – TASC (Total Administrative Services Corporation) provides innovative, tax-advantaged employee benefits programs to businesses large and small, and has released two new service offerings— Non-Discrimination Testing and Form 5500 Preparation. Designed as stand-alone or add-on services, these offerings help ensure the compliance of various employee benefits plans.

Form 5500 Preparation
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 5500 is used to report information concerning employee benefits plans. All employers with 100 or more employees who participate in a health and welfare benefit plan must complete and submit an IRS Form 5500 with applicable schedules within seven months of the Plan Year’s end. Each IRS Form 5500 must accurately reflect the characteristics and operations of the Plan being reported.

TASC’s Form 5500 Preparation collects the benefits-related employer data, then completes and delivers to the employer an IRS Form 5500 along with instructions for submission. Our user-friendly electronic tools save Clients time and money, and include assistance in collecting data from insurance carriers and/or service providers, thorough preparation of Form 5500 and all schedules, filing instructions, and a schedule of submission deadlines. This process completely satisfies employers’ Form 5500 filing requirements for the health and welfare benefits they offer… up to eight benefits plans at one low price!

Non-Discrimination Testing
Of all the requirements associated with Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, Group Term Life Insurance, and Self-Insured Medical Plans, none is more crucial or confusing than Non-Discrimination Testing. Employers who fail to test annually risk being subjected to a host of fines and penalties.

TASC delivers full compliance with evolving regulations and administers more than 15 different tests, all conveniently packaged and with easy-to-understand service. TASC’s Non-Discrimination Testing service features user-friendly tools to ensure that the tests are conducted correctly. Designed to handle all types of Plans, employers, and industries, test result notifications are fast and understandable, and most important, corrective guidance is thorough if a test fails.

TASC’s Compliance Suite
TASC’s team of industry and governmental experts delivers full compliance with evolving regulations through easy-to-understand service and instructions. TASC monitors legislative and regulatory changes, helps Clients comply with evolving rules, and assists if a Client’s Plans is reviewed. Only TASC has the skill and know-how to ensure Plan compliance for Clients large and small, at a fraction of the competitors’ cost!

TASC Adds New Board Member

Dr. Fred Robertson joins TASC’s Board of Advisors.

Madison, Wis. (October 29, 2013) – TASC, a national leader in employee benefits plan administration, has announced the addition of Fred Robertson, MD to the TASC Board of Advisors (BOA). Over the years TASC has endeavored to appoint Board members with experience and expertise in the many different disciplines and industries crucial to the success of TASC.

Dr. Robertson joins current BOA members including TASC Chief Executive Officer Daniel Rashke, Steve Cretney, Lori Cross, Linda Hoff, Michael Petrushka, Douglas Weisenberger, and Jeanan Yasiri Moe. Robertson spent more than a dozen years as a practicing anesthesiologist before becoming the President and CEO of GE Marquette Medical Systems. After this post, he served as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, then as President and CEO of TomoTherapy Inc.

Since retiring from TomoTherapy in 2011, Robertson has been a member of and now serves as Board Chairman for the Morgridge Institute for Research Board of Trustees. He also serves on the board of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, currently as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. He earned his medical degree from and is a faculty member with the Department of Anesthesiology at UW–Madison’s School of Medicine & Public Health.

Rashke is very pleased with the addition of Dr. Robertson to the TASC Board. “I look forward to working with Dr. Robertson. I think the expertise that he brings rounds out our Board and will provide fresh insight into healthcare,” says Rashke.

TASC Donates Proceeds from Book Signing

TASC donates $750 to Jewish Social Services (JSS) following a book signing event!

Madison, Wis. (July 15, 2013) – TASC, a national leader in employee benefit plans administration, has made a donation to the Jewish Social Services (JSS), a United Way of Dane County agency. This gift was made in connection with the appearance of TASC’s CEO and owner Dan Rashke’s uncle Richard Rashke to promote his new book, Useful Enemies: John Demjanjuk and America’s Open Door Policy for Nazi War Criminals.

Useful Enemies is a controversial and groundbreaking work of Holocaust and legal history that is already receiving a wave of advance praise.  By dramatically recounting decades of systematic cover-ups the book illuminates how the American government—from the White House to Congress, from the FBI and CIA to the INS—waged a concerted campaign to keep European Jews out of the U.S.—and knowingly allowed hundreds of Nazi war criminals to enter and reside in the United States.   

At the end of May, Richard Rashke visited Madison, where he delivered a talk at Barnes & Noble and was honored at a private lecture and reception. Before the visit, TASC arranged to donate a portion of the book signing proceeds to the JSS. The result was a donation of $750 to the agency.

JSS is the only certified Board of Immigration Appeals agency in Dane County [Wisconsin] with a key focus on providing legal services for low income immigrants across the community. Of special concern are current immigration issues in response to recent policy reforms and increasing needs. And, of course, the agency has always strived to serve the needs of Holocaust survivors and their families.

“It is with deep gratitude that I accept this gift on behalf of Jewish Social Services and recognize the importance of Useful Enemies,” says JSS Board President, Nan Youngerman.

New COBRA Election Notice Released

Madison, Wis. (June 24, 2013) – The Department of Labor has released a new COBRA election Model Notice template that mentions the Health Exchange as an alternative to COBRA coverage. And while we will revise our election notices to address this alternative, there is no requirement to notify current COBRA participants of the change.

We are ready! Our in-house attorney has drafted the notice that we will implement by the October 1 deadline. Doing so prior to that time is not necessary, as most states have not yet established their health exchanges.

The DOL’s primary intent behind the change is to inform potential COBRA participants of alternatives to COBRA coverage that may be available in the Health Exchange Marketplace.

Conversely, the recent update also removed information regarding the Pre-existing Condition Exclusion Rule and the Health Coverage Tax Credit, both of which are phased out and/or removed entirely by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Rule – Language Removed from Model Notice

1. Pre-existing condition exclusions are prohibited for all enrollees for Plan Years beginning on and after January 1, 2014.
2. A break in coverage may not limit the pre-existing condition exclusionary period.
3. Individuals are no longer required to exhaust COBRA coverage in order to purchase individual health insurance policies without a pre-existing condition exclusion.

Health Coverage Tax Credit – Phase Out

The update also removed language relating to the tax credit available through the Trade Act of 2002 that expires at the end of 2013. Under this Act, a tax credit could be issued to certain individuals that became eligible for trade adjustment assistance and certain retirees receiving pension payments by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PGBC).

As always, TASC is committed to great customer service and solid compliance and administration of your COBRA accounts. For more information about the new template, contact Customer Care at 800-422-4661 or visit the Department of Labor website at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html.

TASC service helps employers handle new burdens for Health Reimbursement Arrangement Plans

New PCORI fee will fund research and consumer-based health decisions!

Madison, Wis. (June 18, 2013) – TASC, a national leader in employee benefit plans administration, has announced a new service to deal with funding the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Established by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the PCORI is charged with examining the "relative health outcomes, clinical effectiveness, and appropriateness" of different medical treatments. The Institute will evaluate existing studies and conduct its own, with funding in part by employer-paid fees.

Initial mandates include a new fee imposed on employers and insurance carriers for seven years, with fee amounts expected to change during that time. Due each July 31st, this fee is now set to affect Clients with Plan years ending 2012 through 2019 (this time frame may change, of course). While this July the amount due equals the average number of Plan Participants multiplied by $1, the PCORI fee multiplier will increase to $2 in 2014.

Of all the changes created by PPACA, it’s likely that few are more confusing than the rights and protections now offered to employees. This challenge is compounded by potentially significant penalties for failing to comply. TASC’s benefits experts make the job of complying with these ever-changing regulations quick and painless, by ensuring that our Client Plans meet all PPACA compliance requirements, by providing easy to understand service and instructions and toll-free customer service, and by offering more than 35 years of experience. As part of its ERISAEdge service, the TASC PCORI service will provide Clients with the fee calculation and instructions for completing the form and remitting payment.

TASC packages food for hungry children in our community and the world

Madison, Wis. (March 15, 2013) – On Friday, March 22, 2013, Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), 2302 International Lane, Madison, will join forces with Food for Kidz at the Monona Terrace, Exhibition Hall A, to assemble meals for hungry children in our community and worldwide. About 370 TASC employees will participate in the event as part of their annual company meeting, and will be joined by five volunteers from Waunakee Feed the Need. From 3:45 to 5:00 p.m., the group plans to package 370 boxes of food which equates to 80,000 meals.

A service of the non-profit organization Feeding Children of Stewart, Food for Kidz is a volunteer-based packing program that provides specially designed, fully nutritious meals to hungry children and their families around the world. One box of food will feed a hungry child for seven months.

About 30 percent of the food packaged by TASC on Friday will be distributed to food pantries in Dane County through the Community Action Coalition (CAC) for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.; 30 percent will go to food pantries across the United States; and the remaining 40 percent will be distributed overseas.

TASC prides itself on being a giving organization and encourages philanthropy among its 700-plus employees across the nation. With a long history of philanthropy, TASC CEO Dan Rashke strongly believes in the value of contributing to the well-being of society, as is evidenced in the company’s support of local organizations and events in our community: United Way, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, UW-Madison Athletics, and Community Work Services. In addition, employees are given up to four days of paid volunteer time off per year.

TASC’s Claim ConneX Adds Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico

TASC’s innovative Claim ConneX feature has expanded its reach again by adding this carrier!

Madison, Wis. (January 24, 2013) – TASC, a national leader in employee benefit plans administration, has established a claim feed connection with Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Every week more and more insurance carriers are getting on board with DirectPay’s great Claim ConneX option!

Claim ConneX simplifies the employee benefits claim process, making life easier for employers and their employees.  Using state-of-the-art technology, Claim ConneX allows employers to take advantage of instant carrier file transmissions. This process provides higher quality service with less chance for errors and communication breakdown.  With a DirectPay Plan, also known as a Health Reimbursement Arrangement, employers control the cost of their employee benefits and encourage employees to spend wisely on their medical care. All employer contributions to the Plan are tax deductible to the employer and are tax-free to the employee. 

Some of the insurance carriers already connected to Claim ConneX include: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Texas, Coventry-Group Health Plan, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Health Plus of Michigan, Iowa Health Systems, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Physicians Plus Insurance Corp, and United Health Care of River Valley.