Before we get started, just a few housekeeping items. There is a chat feature on the right side of your screen if you need to ask any questions. Please type your questions there. We will either answer them during the presentation or at the end. Any resources from today’s PowerPoint will also be available to you.

Now that we have that out of the way, I am excited to introduce Dina Icker, Voluntary Benefits and Technology Advisor with Colonial Life. Dina is here to help us get ready for fourth quarter. With that, I will turn it over to Dina.

Thank you, Courtney. As Courtney mentioned, I work with Colonial Life, and I also work with BeChoice, where we focus on technology, enrollment platforms, and benefit administration across multiple carriers. Today, however, we are going to focus on Colonial Life and preparing for fourth quarter, which seems to have arrived very quickly. We have been extremely busy, the temperatures are dropping, and fall is here, which means fourth quarter is officially here as well.

I wanted to share some information ahead of the renewals that will be coming in soon. Many of you are working with October, November, December, and January effective dates. As you go through those renewals, it is important to look for opportunities where voluntary benefits may be a good fit.

I recently heard someone describe this as putting a fence around your clients. Instead of only discussing health insurance and then walking away from the renewal, consider where there are opportunities to discuss additional benefits that help keep you top of mind with that client. This prevents them from turning to another broker or a voluntary carrier to discuss life insurance, disability, or accident coverage.

Today, we will walk through what voluntary benefits are and why they are more important now than ever. This is my twenty-fifth year with Colonial Life, and our sales are up 150 percent this year. It is remarkable how many employers are turning to voluntary benefits as a way to attract and retain employees. We will also discuss how you can identify opportunities within a group during renewal or when working with a new client, including the role of technology.

URL has acquired its own license of Employee Navigator and is offering access to it. Elise can help with details on pricing and setup. Having access to Employee Navigator allows you to pull all benefits into one place, making things easier for clients and allowing you to generate reports more efficiently. It also strengthens your relationship with the client by offering technology alongside benefits.

Voluntary benefits are employee-paid, employee-owned, and elected voluntarily. They are designed to fill gaps in medical insurance and help with lost wages, savings, and out-of-pocket expenses. Because they are not group plans, employees choose what makes sense for them. They may prefer life insurance over disability or a cancer plan instead of another type of coverage. These benefits are portable at the same cost if the employee changes jobs or retires, making them truly their own.

Employees design their own plans by choosing coverage amounts, benefit lengths, and who is covered, whether that is themselves, a spouse, or children. Colonial Life offers short-term disability plans that can be designed for six, twelve, or twenty-four months, with monthly benefits ranging from $400 to $4,000. Employees also choose their elimination period, whether coverage starts after one week, two weeks, thirty days, or ninety days.

These plans can stack on top of existing short-term or long-term disability plans. For example, if an employer offers a plan that replaces 60 percent of income, an employee can use Colonial Life to help cover the remaining 40 percent, bringing them closer to full income replacement.

Accident plans cover things like fractures, stitches, x-rays, ambulance services, and hospital stays. These plans are intended to help with out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles and copays. The benefit is paid as a lump sum directly to the employee, who decides how to use the money.

Colonial Life also offers term life and whole life insurance. Term life options include ten, fifteen, twenty, and thirty-year terms. Whole life coverage is available up to $150,000 without bloodwork, urine samples, or a physical exam, making it easy for employees to enroll through work.

Hospital income plans coordinate well with high-deductible health plans. Many employers now have deductibles of $2,500 or $3,500 or more, and outpatient and emergency room costs continue to increase. These plans pay a lump sum to help employees manage those expenses if they are hospitalized.

Critical illness coverage provides a lump sum benefit for major events such as heart attacks, strokes, organ transplants, and kidney failure. These events often involve extended time away from work and significant financial strain. Employees select coverage amounts between $5,000 and $30,000, and benefits can be paid multiple times if a subsequent diagnosis occurs.

Cancer plans help cover costs associated with cancer treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy, prosthetics, and experimental treatments. The plan also pays a $100 wellness benefit each year for preventive screenings such as mammograms, Pap smears, and PSA tests. Many people underestimate how many expenses related to cancer are not covered by medical insurance, such as lost income, travel for treatment, or experimental therapies. The plan pays benefits through different stages of cancer and restarts benefits if cancer returns after remission.

Dental insurance is also offered through a PPO plan that is comparable to other dental carriers. One of the advantages is that there are no participation requirements. Even one employee in a group can enroll.

Voluntary benefits are employee-owned and payroll deducted. Only three employees need to enroll across any combination of products to establish a group. Groups can range from as few as three employees to several thousand. Employers simply remit the payroll deductions each month, and terminations are handled through an online portal.

These benefits are important for employees because many have gaps in coverage, even with strong health insurance plans. Employees today are more financially fragile than in the past, with many lacking sufficient savings to handle emergencies. The workforce is also more diverse, spanning multiple generations, each with different needs and priorities.

For employers, voluntary benefits are a powerful tool for attracting and retaining employees without increasing the employer’s bottom line. Administration is simple, and Colonial Life handles employee communication, education, enrollment, and claims support. HR teams are only responsible for payroll deductions and notifying us of terminations.

We work directly with employees to explain existing employer benefits and identify gaps. This education helps employees understand their coverage and make informed decisions. We also handle onboarding for new hires through in-person meetings, call centers, or online enrollment platforms, including Employee Navigator.

Technology has become essential. Enrollment platforms make it easier for HR teams by consolidating benefits into one system and reducing manual data entry. Colonial Life integrates with more than forty enrollment platforms, making it easy to add benefits to existing systems.

When reviewing renewals, look for opportunities to adjust plan designs, add HSAs, or introduce complementary voluntary benefits such as hospital or medical bridge plans. Understanding what benefits are already in place, which carriers are involved, and who handles payroll is key to identifying opportunities.

Working conditions also matter. Some groups are fully remote, others are hybrid, and some are spread across multiple locations. Enrollment strategies can include in-person meetings, virtual sessions, websites, emails, and electronic communications, depending on what works best for the group.

Once enrollment is complete, we provide HR teams with deduction information and continue to support new hires and ongoing administration. Brokers can choose their level of involvement throughout the process, from hands-on participation to simply making introductions.

Employee Navigator is available through URL, and Elise can help you explore how it fits into your business. If you are new to enrollment platforms, starting with one or two accounts can be a great way to get comfortable with the process.

That wraps up my portion of the presentation. Courtney, I do not see any questions at this time.

I do not see any questions either. Dina, thank you for doing such a thorough job explaining everything. If questions come up later, please feel free to email us, and we will be happy to help.

Thank you to everyone for joining us today and learning more about Colonial Life and voluntary benefits. Dina, thank you again for your time and insights. Have a great rest of your day.

Thank you, everyone.