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Selected by CalCPA to be New Plan Administrator

The Group Insurance Trust of the California Society of CPAs has always made it a critical priority to give CalCPA members the first-class service that they expect and deserve. This concern is continuously expressed in the quality benefit plans offered by the Trust, the range of choices, and the customer service that supports the use of those plans on a daily basis. Aiming to enhance this experience even further, the Trust contracted with Banyan Consulting, LLC, to handle the administrative services formerly provided by Seabury & Smith.

Banyan is responsible for customer service, billing, payment processing, recordkeeping, and marketing support. Banyan receives and accounts for participant contributions, maintains records of eligible participants, and prepares financial reports for GIT staff and trustees. Banyan also processes all enrollment and change applications, maintains an interface with Anthem Blue Cross, helps new firms and new employees set up their accounts, and manages employee eligibility.

For many ProtectPlus members, the primary and often the only point of contact with the plan administrator is when they call or email with a question. Banyan brings to this customer service role a history of serving 220 organizations and group plans beginning in 1994, including other MEWAs (Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements) in its home state of Pennsylvania that have similar needs and concerns as the Group Insurance Trust. Scott Fair, executive vice president of Banyan, is very clear about “how important customer service interactions are in presenting the face of an organization.”

The Banyan customer service center is staffed by Banyan representatives, all of whom are licensed brokers.  Banyan brings a high degree of technological sophistication, so that relevant information is more quickly and easily accessible. For a benefits administrator this can mean resolving an eligibility issue online, and for Trust staff, the ability to monitor plan performance more closely. “They track everything,” says Judy Graziani, director of member insurance plans. “That allows us to stay closer to the data and make better decisions.”