LATEST NEWS

Emergency Declarations for COVID-19 to End

On Monday, January 30, 2023, the Administration informed Congress that it intends to end both the public health emergency and national emergency declarations for COVID-19 on May 11.

The information came in the form of a statement of administration policy document, which the White House typically issues in response to legislation under consideration in Congress. This statement was issued in response to legislation dealing with the emergency declarations. It states that:

“The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020. They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.”

As a refresher, the PHE is separate from the national emergency for COVID-19. The public health emergency is declared and periodically renewed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The national emergency is declared by the President and is open ended. The testing coverage requirement is tied to the public health emergency while the Timeline Extension Rule is tied to the national emergency.

Public Health Emergency

The public health emergency for COVID-19 was first declared on January 31, 2020 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. It was periodically renewed by the Secretary until the Administration announcement that the public health emergency would end on May 11.

There are multiple COVID-19 relief measures tied to the public health emergency. For example, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act required plans to cover COVID-19 testing without cost sharing. This requirement was tied to the duration of the declared public health emergency for COVID-19, and will sunset when this emergency ends.

National Emergency

President Trump declared a national emergency for COVID-19 in March 2020. With the national emergency in place, the agencies released a notice entitled Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries Affected by the COVID-19 Outbreak, often referred to as the Timeline Extension Rule.

This rule and subsequent guidance (EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01) extended certain timelines, including HIPAA special enrollment, COBRA election and claims filing and appeals. This extension ended for any particular applicable event on the earlier of 1 year from the date that the relief was first available (the beginning of the time period) or the end of the outbreak period. The outbreak period refers to the period from March 1, 2020 until 60 days after the end of the declared national emergency for COVID-19.

With the end of the national emergency for COVID-19 scheduled for May 11, 2023, the outbreak period established in the Timeline Extension Rule and subsequent guidance will end July 10, 2023.

What this means for you?

Depending on your plan, COVID-19 testing will now be covered with cost sharing (which means you may now have to pay a copayment, deductible and/or coinsurance) when receiving a COVID test and/or related services.

Select Administrative Services has MOVED!

Our new office is located on the Third Floor of the North Court One Building at 2304 19th Street, Suite 300, Gulfport MS 39501.

Members can now receive payments faster using direct deposit!

Great news! Select Administrative Servicess has partnered with Zelis Payments so you can quickly and easily receive reimbursements direct to your bank account using direct deposit. To enroll with Zelis Payments’ member direct deposit, please follow the registration instructions below.

Why should you enroll in Zelis Payments direct deposit?

Receive payments faster – no need to wait 7-10 days for a check in the mail. You’ll get paid within 1-2 business days of receiving a payment notification.
No transaction fees – all fees associated with direct deposit are covered courtesy of Select Administrative Services.
Manage payment and banking records instantly – gain immediate access online to view previous payments, explanation of payment (EOP), manage banking information and to set up customized notifications.

Enrolling is fast and easy! Visit member.zelispayments.com and click “Sign-Up Now!” to create an account. Follow the instructions below as a guide:

1 - Request your registration code

Click the “I don’t have a Registration Code” link on the enrollment page.
Complete the required fields with your contact information and select how you would like to receive your code.
Click “Request Registration Code”.
Once you have received a code via phone or email make sure to follow the rest of the instructions below.

2 - Enter your registration code

Enter your registration code and your email address.
Ensure that all other fields have been filled in, select your username and click “Register.”

3 - Create a password

Once you’ve clicked “Register” you will receive an automated email with a link to create your password.
After adding your password, you will be redirected to a log in screen. From here you can access your new account.

4 - After logging in, select Virtual Reimbursement Account (VRA) Direct

Your user account is now active! Make sure to select VRA Direct to complete adding direct deposit.
Once you’ve completed your bank setup, Zelis will initiate a pre-note test on the account provided for additional security verification. A small deposit will be made in a random amount no larger than $1.00.
Review your bank statement for the deposit and log-in to the Zelis portal to enter the exact amount for final confirmation.

That's it! Now you can start receiving payments from Select Administrative Services through direct deposit. All payment information is available 24/7 via the Zelis Payments Member Portal and can be downloaded to PDF. For any additional information or questions please call the Zelis Payments Client Service department at 1-800-536-9042.

MemorialConnectNOW

Virtual Visit - No Appointment Needed!

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA” or “the Act”) was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The Act includes a wide variety of provisions designed to provide various areas of relief for individuals and businesses struggling due to COVID-19.

100% COBRA Continuation Coverage Premium Subsidy for Individuals and their Families
The Act provides COBRA premiums for “assistance eligible individuals” to be subsidized by the federal government, through payroll tax credits, for a period of six months, beginning on April 1, 2021 and ending on September 30, 2021.

• What is the subsidy amount? 100% of the cost of premiums during the “Period of Coverage” timeframe of April 1, 2021 and when the subsidy is set to expire on September 30, 2021, subject to otherwise applicable maximum periods of coverage (typically 18 months) under COBRA.

• Who is eligible for the COBRA premium subsidy? Any “assistance eligible individual” is who loses coverage due to an involuntary termination of employment or because of an involuntary reduction of hours, and who would otherwise be eligible during timeframe between April 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 (“Period of Coverage”), including:

Individuals who lose coverage during Period of Coverage due to an involuntary termination of employment or because of a reduction of hours
Individuals who lost coverage and did not elect COBRA but would otherwise have been eligible for the premium subsidy during Period of Coverage.
Individuals who elected and terminated coverage prior to 4/1 and who would otherwise be eligible for the premium subsidy.

• What does it mean to be an assistance eligible individual? Defined generally as including any employee or dependent who loses group health plan coverage due to an involuntary termination of employment or because of a reduction of hours.

• What is the maximum coverage period of COBRA premium assistance? For any assistance eligible individuals who are enrolled or enroll in COBRA due to this subsidy, the subsidy that will be in effect from April 1-Sept 30th “Period of Coverage” will end earlier if the individual’s maximum period of COBRA coverage ends prior to September 30th, or if they become eligible for coverage under another group health plan or Medicare. It is important to note that individuals who fail to notify their group health plan if they become eligible for other coverage or Medicare will be subject to the greater of a $250 penalty or 110% of the premium subsidy provided after loss of eligibility.

• How does the special election period work? The Act also creates a special election period for any individual who did not elect federal COBRA continuation coverage but who otherwise would have been eligible for the COBRA subsidy and for any individual who elected federal COBRA continuation coverage and discontinued such coverage before April 1, 2021. These individuals will be able to elect COBRA coverage within 60 days of receiving the required employer notice. The resulting COBRA continuation coverage begins with the first period of COBRA continuation coverage beginning on or after April 1, 2021 – making the special election prospective instead of retroactive to what their original effective date for COBRA coverage or when their coverage originally lapsed.

• How do employers claim a credit for the subsidy amounts? Employers will obtain the subsidy that they must provide to assistance eligible individuals, through a payroll tax credit against employers’ quarterly taxes. If the credit exceeds the amount of payroll taxes due, the credit would be refundable when employers submit Form 941, their quarterly tax return. The credit could also be advanced under rules that will be set by the Treasury Department.

• How and when will assistance eligible individuals receive notice? The Act tasks the Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with issuing regulations and guidance on the COBRA subsidy provisions of the Act. In addition, the Act requires the DOL to produce model COBRA election notices within 30 days of enactment and a model COBRA premium subsidy expiration notice within 45 days of enactment.

Coordination of COBRA Premium Subsidy and Extension of COBRA Deadlines
To complicate matters further, the individuals who are eligible for the extended COBRA deadlines, clarified in guidance issued on February 26, 2021, will also be eligible for subsidy provisions if they meet the eligibility requirements as assistance eligible individuals. As a reminder, the COBRA extension deadline relief we refer to here provides that COBRA deadlines that otherwise would occur during the “outbreak period” (the period beginning March 1, 2020 and ending 60 days after the announced end of the presidentially declared national emergency) must be tolled until the earlier of one year from the date the deadline otherwise would have applied or the end of the outbreak period.

Temporary Increase to Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Maximum Limit for 2021
Another of the several provisions included in the Act is the option for employers to increase the maximum amount that may be contributed to an employee’s Dependent Care FSA from $5,000 ($2,500 married filing separately) to $10,500 ($5,250 married filing separately). Retroactive amendments will be permitted if an amendment is adopted by the last day of the 2021 plan year and the plan is administered consistently with the terms of the amendment beginning on its effective date. This relief will be in addition to the optional unlimited carryover and/or extended grace period from the relief enacted on December 27, 2020 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

Temporary (Optional) Extension of FFCRA Tax Credits for Paid Sick and Family Leave
The provisions of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that required employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide federal paid sick leave and family leave expired on December 31, 2020. The Act does not reinstate the requirement to provide paid FFCRA sick leave. However, it does temporarily extend a tax credit to employers who voluntarily choose to provide eligible employees with Emergency Paid Sick Leave or Emergency Family Medical Leave from the previous optional extension date of March 31, 2021 to the new extension date of September 30, 2021.

New Web Portal - VBA Gateway

Members
You should receive a letter with your Registration Code in the mail. If you do not receive this or need any assistance getting registered, please contact SAS Customer Service.

Providers
Please navigate to https://sas.vbagateway.com/. Choose Click here to register and/or enroll. Choose Provider Portal to register.

Please contact SAS Customer Service for assistance at 228.865.0514.

Important information regarding COVID-19

Coronavirus Testing Coverage Mandate

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. While the Act addresses a whole host of matters, including extended emergency FMLA expansion and paid sick time, the Act also provides coverage mandates for all group health plans, irrespective of whether the plans 1) are grandfathered, 2) are non-ERISA and/or 3) only provide preventive benefits. Indeed, the only apparent carve-out are plans that solely constitute excepted benefits.

As a result, Select Administrative Services will be waiving member cost share for screening and testing related to COVID-19 until further notice.

With regard to treatment beyond testing, the Participant will be responsible for applicable deductibles, coinsurance and any other cost-sharing requirements.

Telehealth

In an effort to assist our members in receiving the care they need while following the shelter-at-home order, Select Administrative Services will also allow telehealth screenings for non-COVID-19 related illnesses and routine examinations until further notice. Regular copay, deductible and coinsurance amounts will apply.

Update as of 1/1/2022
Place of Service 10 should be billed for Telehealth services Provided in Patient’s Home. Place of Service 02 should be billed for Telehealth services Provided Other than in Patient’s Home. This includes Virtual Check In (G2012) and Telephone E&M (99441 - 99443). A modifier is not required.

Dental Providers

Select Administrative Services will reimburse providers $8 per patient visit for dates of service from 5/1/2020 - 6/30/2020 to help cover the costs associated with PPE supplies resulting from COVID-19. Providers should bill procedure code D1999 - Unlisted Preventive Procedure, by report.

Changes to COBRA due to COVID-19

The Departments of Labor (DOL) and Treasury, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued new rules imposing mandatory timeframe extensions for several employee benefits compliance requirements. The rules come in response to President Trump’s March 13, 2020 Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak, and the invocation of an emergency determination under Stafford Act beginning March 1, 2020.

These new rules impact: The HIPAA Special Enrollment Period, The COBRA Election Period, The COBRA Premium Payment Period, COBRA Notices from Employees, Health Plan Benefit Claim filing Deadline, The ERISA Adverse Benefit Determination Appeal Deadline, Rules around deadlines for and external review of an adverse claim decision and the deadline to Submit Additional Information related to External Review requests.

The extensions of employee and dependent timeframes run from March 1, 2020 until 60 days after the announced end of the National Emergency period.

The COBRA Election Period
Under COBRA, employees and dependents who lose active coverage as a result of a qualifying event have 60 days to elect continuation coverage from receiving the COBRA election notice.

The new rule extends the 60-day COBRA election period to 60 days after the end of the Outbreak Period to elect COBRA.

The COBRA Premium Payment Period
Under COBRA, qualified beneficiaries have 45 days from the COBRA election to make the first premium payment, and subsequent monthly payments are to be made within the 30-day grace period that starts at the beginning of each coverage month.

The new rule extends the 45-day initial premium payment and 30-day grace period for subsequent premium payment timeframe until 60 days after the announced end of the National Emergency period. However, after the 30-day grace period claims will be denied until payment is receive then claims will be reprocessed.

COBRA Notices from Employees re Divorce, Child Reaching Age 26, and Disability
Under COBRA, the employee or dependent is responsible for notifying the plan within 60 days of the following qualifying events:

A divorce or legal separation causing the spouse to lose plan eligibility;
A child losing eligible dependent status (typically upon reaching age 26).

For a COBRA qualified beneficiary to qualify for a disability extension of the maximum coverage period from 18 to 29 months, the qualified beneficiary must (among additional requirements) notify the plan within 60 days of the SSA disability determination. Failure to timely notify the plan of these events can cause the employee or dependent to lose COBRA rights under the plan.

The rules extend the 60-day employee COBRA notification timeframe.

The National Emergency ends 60 days after the Outbreak Period ends, the employee/spouse would have until 60 days after the end of the Outbreak Period to notify the plan of the divorce qualifying event and preserve COBRA rights for the former spouse.

We’re monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic closely and will be updating this site with new information as it’s available. Be sure to check back frequently for updates.

Members, You can now View and Print your ID Card online!

Log into your Gateway Member Account today to see this new feature for SAS members.

Click on the View/Print ID Card tab.
You can either Print or Download a copy of the card to your computer or phone.

New Coordination of Benefits E-Form Available

You can now complete and submit your annual Coordination of Benefits form online through your member account in Gateway.

Click on the Create a Request tab.
Click on Upload Document.
Click on the Fillable COB Form.
Fill out the form and download it to your computer.
Once you have filled out and saved your PDF form, click the NEXT button below to proceed to form submission.
Click Upload My File and select the file you just completed.

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