Our consulting practice entails many areas of benefits administration. Too often, clients have technical questions regarding COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, plan documents, discrimination testing, and other compliance issues that the carriers and other vendors will not address. Many carriers now refuse to give advice (due to liability concerns) in these areas, and clients are left to resolve these issues on their own. Although many brokers will provide guidance in these areas, such advice frequently is incorrect (exposing the client to liability).
We have the expertise to deal with these issues. When we cannot provide the advice directly, we have a network of advisors in the accounting and legal fields to help us provide accurate and timely information. The complexity of the issue and the costs we incur from outside consultants dictate the added cost (if any) to the client.