Fundamentals of Welfare and Flexible Benefits

Learn about benefits and health plans and accurately communicate that information to your employees. Understand all available options, including flexible benefits and flexible spending accounts.

Description

The focus of this course is health, or welfare, benefits: what they are, how they are funded, what is mandated and what options exist.

The course also explores other types of benefits, including flexible benefits and flexible spending accounts.

Who Should Take This Course?

HR generalists who require a comprehensive overview of the benefits function, and individuals who have recently acquired responsibility for benefits administration and/or planning.

Course Format

eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and builds each course around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer specific questions about the course content.

This course contains the following modules:

• Group Welfare Plans
• Welfare benefits terms and concepts
• Effectively communicating the features of welfare benefits to employees
• Cost shifting options
• Flexible spending accounts
• Flexible Benefits and Trends
• Flexible benefits: what they are and how they work
• Future trends in the world of benefits
• Additional types of benefits that can help you serve a diverse workforce
• Effectively communicating the features of flexible benefits to employees

Benefits to the Learner

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify general benefits terms related to health insurance
• Use a Benefits Manual, Summary Plan Description, or other internal and external resources to understand the benefit plans that an organization offers
• Describe and define welfare benefits terms and concepts
• Identify health benefit initiatives for your organization to consider
• Communicate (or assist in communicating) the features of health benefit plans to management and employees
• Begin to develop the skills needed to establish an ongoing relationship with employees, benefit experts, and service providers in order to help people understand their health benefits and make the right decisions

Authoring Faculty

M. Michael Markowich, Ph.D., ILR Extension Faculty

Deborah Peters, Teaching Associate

Sponsoring School

Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Total Learning Time

Approximately 5-6 hours over a period of two weeks.

Certificate Information

This course can be applied toward the following certificates:

• HR: Benefits and Compensation
• Human Resources Studies


HRCI Recertification

This course been approved for six (6) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute. Please contact the Human Resource Certificate Institute (HRCI) for further information about certification or recertification.