MANAGEMENT TEAM     FLORES FACTS      FAQS       CUSTOMER SERVICE PHILOSOPHY       CLIENT COMMENTS

These are the most frequently asked questions regarding Flores & Associates and our services. If you do not see your question here, call us at 1-800-532-3327 or click here to send us your question or comment electronically.

1. How long has your company been administering flexible benefits plans?
 FLORES & ASSOCIATES was founded in 1986 to provide Human Resources consulting services to a broad cross section of small to mid-sized companies throughout the Southeast. During the last seven years, the company has evolved from its Human Resources consulting roots into a national leader in the field of Benefit Administration serving 400+ Flexible Spending Account clients nationwide.

2. Describe the financial relationship your company has with any other organizations (i.e. owned by insurance company, etc.)
FLORES is privately held and does not have any financial relationship with any other organizations.

3. What is the average turnaround time per claim?
 Properly completed claims are adjudicated within 48 hours of receipt. Reimbursements for dependent care and QTE claims are released in accordance with payroll contribution cycles. Reimbursements for medical reimbursement, direct dental, HRA, and direct vision claims are released according the schedule established at the option of the employer (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly). Medical reimbursement checks can also be issued on a daily basis if desired.

4. Please describe how confidentiality of claim information is maintained.
By contract, Flores guarantees confidentiality. All internal processes and systems have been developed to maintain security. For example: all claims and correspondence are scanned into our systems, which are protected by encryption and passcodes. All claim information is archived and maintained according to ERISA and HIPAA regulations. All paper information is shredded weekly after it is scanned. Information available by the website is particularly sensitive regarding privacy as the on-line system does not access or include any medical information. Additionally, participants have the ability to establish their own PIN numbers.

5. Do you provide IRC Section 129 non-discrimination testing?
Is this an additional fee? If so, please state the cost. FLORES' professional fees include the three types of non-discrimination testing required by IRC Section 125 and IRC Section 129 (eligibility test, benefits test, and concentration test.)

6. Do your rates vary based on level of participation? If so, please describe.
Are there minimum participation requirements? If so, please describe. Our rates do not vary based on the level of participation. In fact, we have made several enhancements to our claims and reporting processes that have allowed us to reduce or hold our price per participant over the past few years. Additionally, our service includes discrimination testing on a yearly basis or as requested by the client.

7. Do you offer multiple year rate guarantees?
Yes, the majority of our clients have multiple year rate guarantees.

8. Do you charge an implementation fee?
There is a nominal one-time set up fee to prepare legal documentation and enrollment materials along with conducting employee meetings on client's premises or providing materials and videotapes for meetings to be conducted by client.

9. Do you charge a renewal fee?
Yearly re-enrollment is no charge if the TeleFLEX system or FSADirect interface is utilized. If the client opts to utilize a paper enrollment for subsequent plan years then a nominal per participant fee will be charged. Additional printed enrollment packets for re-enrollment are charged to the client at actual cost.

10. What additional costs are associated with enrolling the plan?
The costs of printed employee enrollment packets and access to our internet FSA enrollment system are included in our implementation fee. If the client requests that we conduct employee meetings on-site, then actual travel expenses would be billed to the client.

11. What is the location of the office(s) that will provide customer service? What is the staffing arrangement at that office(s)?
All of our administrative services are provided through our Charlotte, NC office. Through the use of state-of-the-art technology we have been able to efficiently manage all participant activity through one location. Below is an outline of how we are structured to meet our commitment to service excellence for our clients.

Our philosophy is to make each position at Flores & Associates accountable to the client. The vertical integration of duties permits us to be flexible and provide cross-training to meet the needs of all of our clients. Everyone in the organization has "participant" responsibility, while each Account Manager also has responsibility for their set of Clients. This ensures that everyone can answer participant-centered questions and each client has their own personal contact.

  • Managing Partner - Overall accountability for client satisfaction, strategic planning and implementation for client-centered improvements.
  • VP InfoSystems - Coordinates all system issues including file transfers, WEB updates, IVR enhancements and customer-centered improvements.
  • Manager - Client Services - Responsible for providing technical guidance to Account Managers while managing own set of clients. Assists with enrollment meetings and claims questions.
  • Account Manager - Client specific responsibility along with customer service accountability.
  • Benefit Specialist - Customer service accountability along with claim processing duties.

12. Do you have a Web-based inquiry system? If so, describe.
Our internet site (www.Flores247.com) serves as a complete Flex Information Center for both participants and the client administrator: The website includes the following features:

Participant

· Real time access to account balance information for all pre-tax accounts
· Pending claim status
· Downloadable reimbursement forms via Adobe Acrobat reader
· E-mail capability to connect directly to Account Manager
· Ability to provide FLORES with personal e-mail address to send plan related information
· Flex calculator to perform "what if" scenarios
· Ability to change personal PIN access

Client

· Real time interface for report generation from the internal FLORES system
· View transactions including deposits, covering amounts, and reassignments to company plan
· Status change, termination and enrollment capability on a real time basis
· Individual and company related information access and reporting capability
· Update corporate contact information real time
· Download copies of Plan Documents and Summary Plan Description
· View/download discrimination testing results
· Global PIN access

13. What training do your CSRs receive?
In-house training and professional development through outside seminars and continuing education via the CBP program which is company-paid for all staff members

14. Do you retain outside counsel for FSA consultation? If so, please describe this arrangement.
Yes. We have an ongoing retainer relationship with a leading national law firm specializing in Health & Welfare/ERISA.

15. Explain your claims processing system.
Our systems utilize OCR technology for imaging data and require little human intervention in the claims adjudication process. Our highly-efficient, automated claims process provides us with better record retention and immediate access to a participant's entire claims history. While Flores prefers claims submission by fax and we provide toll-free fax lines for that purpose, all claims and documentation received by any means are date-stamped, numbered, scanned and electronically logged to the participant's file. If participant's e-mail addresses are provided to FLORES, the system generates an e-mail "receipt" advising that a claim has been received. The e-mail message includes the scheduled date when the claim will be adjudicated and the date when reimbursement will be released. Properly completed claims are automatically adjudicated within 48 hours of receipt and payment is released according to the client's reimbursement schedule. The system includes appropriate separation of duties, built-in logic/exception flags and internal audit controls.

16. Explain your check reimbursement process. Can you reimburse weekly?
Yes, we can reimburse medical reimbursement, direct dental, HRA, and direct vision claims on one of three frequencies (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly). Medical reimbursement checks can also be issued on a daily basis if desired. Dependent care and QTE reimbursements are processed on-demand (daily). Generally, dependent care and QTE reimbursements coincide with the participant's payroll cycle as these reimbursements cannot exceed the year-to-date payroll contribution amount. Checks are mailed directly to participant's homes or can be bulk-mailed to the employer for distribution. Additionally, participants may opt to have reimbursements direct-deposited into their personal bank accounts.

17. Do you process FSA accounts on a mainframe, a mini-computer or a PC-based system? Do you anticipate a system change in the next 18 months?
We are a PC based system. We do not anticipate any client-visible changes during the next 18 months although we are constantly improving our internal processes to provide a higher level of service.

18. Did you develop your own software? Do you own the source data? Are inside programmers available to make changes as required?
Yes we developed our own software, and we own the code. Our programmers are available immediately to make changes as required to our system and to respond to any requests from our clients. Our responsiveness to client-driven issues is a trademark of the firm.

19. What type of statements (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual) are provided to members with an FSA account?
A complete recap is provided with each Check or Direct Deposit confirmation issued to the participant. Also, each participant can access their password-protected account data real time through our toll-free TeleFLEX voice response system or our internet based FSA Information Center (www.Flores247.com). We will provide a 60 day "use it or lose it" statement to participants by mail or e-mail. Employers have password-protected real-time access to all participant information including balance reports through the website 24 hours a day/7days a week.