News Archives 2007

The IIAS Standards Interest Group is a group of companies involved in supporting Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) debit card transactions formed to establish a voluntary industry standard to meet IRS requirements for operating an IIAS by the mandated deadline of January 1, 2008.

The IIAS Standards Interest Group is composed of a broad range of companies, including retailers, card issuers, third party plan administrators ("TPAs"), merchant acquirers, processors, financial institutions, trade association groups, software vendors, and payment card networks.

The walk, supporting breast cancer awareness, was participated in honor of a staff member currently in the battle against breast cancer.

Seminars include those offered by the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), Employee Benefits Institute of America (EBIA) and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Compensation (IFEBC).

Client contacts were asked to rate their experience with CB in several key areas, including such objectives as:

Our clients provided an average score (out of 5) is 4.5875! We’re proud of the results and will continue to work to improve that score even more! Clients could also provide specific feedback, a statement for our marketing materials, or request a contact to discuss something in particular. One client indicates “We have been very impressed with the accuracy, efficiency, and ease of use of their services, as well as the great customer service.” Another said “The reorganization that resulted in the team service centers was a masterful idea! Service was improved and confidence increased. Thank you!”

A reception honoring Creative Benefits is being held at the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, sponsored by the San Diego Business Journal. This is the 5th consecutive year CB has enjoyed this honor.

The ECFC's annual Cafeteria Plan Administrators' Symposium also starts August 15 and goes until Friday, August 17. Jody is leading a session with other co-presenters on Debit Cards: An Industry's solution. In addition, she is sharing the podium to discuss ways to enhance TPA's profitability in the session, "Show me the money!" Read the presentation press release here. Jody Dietel serves on the committee chairing this event for the ECFC.

This training qualifies for both CE Credit under California's Department of Insurance and also as the required education for the CFC designation offered by the Employer's Council on Flexible Compensation. Topics covered include Flexible Benefits, HIPAA, COBRA, Transit and Parking and Consumer Driven Health plans. The course was taught by Jody Dietel, CFCI.

The 90-minute web seminar covered qualified transportation plans, including pre-tax parking and transit plans, and the latest IRS guidance on debit card arrangements.

Ms. Dietel joined Cheryl Risley Hughes, Esq. in presenting. Ms. Hughes is a principal with Sanders, Schnabel & Brandenburg, P.C. in Washington, D.C. and is a Contributing Author of EBIA's Consumer-Driven Health Care & Fringe Benefits.

Adrian brings several years experience in the financial services and bond investment field to his role at Creative Benefits. He will be responsible for building relationships with our business partners and following up on our new business opportunities.

The day was marked with several celebrations, including breakfast, lunch, and ice cream. CEO and founder, Jody L. Dietel reminisced, "We've come so far, so fast. The innovations and regulatory changes we have experienced have served to keep us sharp and leading the charge for TPAs in our industry. CB paid over $100 millions in FSA claims in 2006. Our services include FSA Administration, Transit/Parking Administration, HRA and HSA Administration, COBRA Administration and Premium and Eligibility Administration. CB serves clients in 38 states with employees located in all 50 states.

Candy Maldonado, CFC is promoted to Supervisor of the COBRA Client Services Team. Mickey Holmes, CFCI is promoted to Supervisor of the Eligibility Client Services Team. Susanne Lloyd, CFC is promoted to Assistant Supervisor of the Client Services Team.

Jody Dietel, CFCI was the featured speaker at the February meeting of the Employee Benefits Council at the Radisson Hotel, La Jolla CA.The topic of the presentation was Consumer Driven Health: Putting it all together with HSAs, HRAs and Flexible Spending Accounts.

February 15, 2007: The U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance regarding how employers can rollover their health Flexible Spending Arrangements (health FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for their employees.

Omaha, NEB, February 7, 2007 – Creative Benefits, Inc., a leading provider of FSA benefits and administrative services, has completed integration with First Data Healthcare Services, part of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) and UMB Healthcare Services, a division of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF), a leader in financial services for consumer-directed healthcare products. Creative Benefits, paying more than $95 million in claims annually, has clients headquartered from coast to coast ranging from retail to manufacturing, finance to biotech, both public and private entities. <<Read the complete press release here >>

February 6, 2007: This 90 minute teleweb is a preparatory course for the ECFC's certification in Flexible Compensation, which requires 25 hours of study by a certified instructor, as well as success on an examination and three years experience in the field.

WASHINGTON, January 8, 2007 –
The Employers Council on Flexible Compensation announced that Creative Benefits, Inc. is the first firm in the nation to receive the ECFC Accreditation designation. The accreditation program is administered by the Alliance for Affinity Security and it recognizes the best service providers in the U.S.

Accreditation identifies service providers that have met and adhered to the high standards developed by ECFC, and helps identify those service providers with “best practices” and a strong commitment to the employee benefits community.

Creative Benefits, based in Vista, California, provides confidential administration of FSA benefits to more than 650 clients, ranging in size from 20 to 43,000 participants. Creative Benefits pays more than $95 million in claims annually. Its FSA clients are headquartered from coast to coast and range from retail to manufacturing, finance to bio-tech, both public and private entities.

“Our firm has been a proud member of ECFC for many years and we are thrilled to be the first firm in the nation to receive this designation,” said Jody Dietel, CEO and COO of Creative Benefits. “ECFC has been in the forefront of implementation and policy-making for consumer-driven health, cafeteria plans and all defined contribution plans. I consider being accredited by this firm to be a very high honor and it will demonstrate Creative Benefits’ strict adherence to professional standards to our clients.”

ECFC Accreditation defines high standards and service benchmarks for FSA providers to measure their performance. FSA service providers that have met or exceeded the standards and that are committed to maintaining excellent performance are recognized with the ECFC Accreditation. “Creative Benefits is one of the top service providers in the country and it excelled in our rigorous accreditation process,” said Lewis Freeman, president of ECFC. “Creative Benefits’ clients can be assured that they are receiving the very best practices and service.”

The Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of private employee benefit programs on a tax-advantaged basis. The organization has two driving missions. The first is to represent and promote flexible compensation programs through effective lobbying. The second is to provide information on flexible compensation programs to member, national opinion leaders and the general public to help create a positive climate for the growth of flexible compensation.

<<download the press release here>>