Monique Cotton-Yancy
Forest Park,IL
Summary
Self-motivated Benefits Specialist demonstrating superior understanding of employee benefits laws and human resource software systems. Astute professional providing benefits support in fast-paced corporate settings.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Benefits Analyst
Fresenius Kabi
Lake Zurich, IL
12.2021 - 04.2022
- Updated personnel handbooks and individual records to keep filed accurate and detailed.
- Recommended successful approaches to help resolve complaints with salaries and classifications.
- Directed and controlled 401K, medical, dental and vision benefit packages.
- Resolved issues and inquiries from plan participants regarding health and welfare benefits and deductions through telephone, email and in-person interactions.
- Explained benefits to plan participants in easy to understand terms in order to educate each on available options.
- Observed strict procedures to maintain data and plan participant confidentiality.
- Checked employees' benefits enrollment for accuracy and inputted all data into Workday.
- Updated benefit cost summaries for employer cost tracking.
- Processed monthly remittance and reconciliation for various benefit plans.
- Drove operational improvements which resulted in savings and improved profit margins.
- Conducted research, gathered information from multiple sources and presented results.
- Created spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel for daily, weekly and monthly reporting.
Senior Benefits Specialist
Tandem HR
Westchester, IL
01.2021 - 12.2021
- Main point of contact for assigned 70 clients responsible for benefit administration and client satisfaction.
- Manage client benefit implementation onboarding including: conduct new hire orientations, manage and conduct employee education meetings, gather and ensure proper documentation received, and communicate employee benefit eligibility to his or her team.
- Assist employees with eligibility and coverage issues and questions.
- Manage all administration for assigned client benefit plans.
- Acted as liaison between insurance carriers and employee to ensure resolution of any claim inquires.
- Oversee daily workflow of and provide guidance to Benefits Specialists and Benefit Assistants within team.
- Lead and manage annual open enrollment process for clients.
- Provide timely, accurate, courteous, and appropriate responses to worksite employees, clients and insurance carriers.
- Lead benefit system setup and ensure accuracy of client benefits administration.
- Audit work done by Benefits Specialist and Assistant on assigned team.
- Manage incoming email and phone messages from employees in assigned clients to ensure accurate and timely responses.
- Provide exceptional customer service.
- Responsible for administration of Tandem sponsored Master Plans.
- Resolved issues and inquiries from plan participants regarding health and welfare benefits and deductions through telephone, email and in-person interactions.
- Updated benefit cost summaries for employer cost tracking.
- Directed and controlled 401K, medical, dental and vision benefit packages.
- Explained benefits to plan participants in easy to understand terms in order to educate each on available options.
- Trained new team members in policies and procedures and offered insight into best ways to manage job tasks and duties.
- Increased customer satisfaction by resolving issues.
Payroll Coordinator
Nouryon
Chicago, IL
07.2020 - 01.2021
- Process payroll for 1,100 employees in timely and accurate manner.
- Process all employee changes as it relates to compensation changes/adjustments, changes in employment status, deductions.
- Oversee time and attendance.
- Process garnishments, child support orders, quarterly tax verifications, worker compensation reports, and employment verification requests.
- Perform year-end responsibilities as it relates to W-2 verification.
- Payroll discrepancies, process adjustments, manual checks and answer employee and management inquiries, as needed.
- Reviewed plans from architects and consulted with clients to gain deeper understanding of project plans, constraints and objectives
Payroll Specialist
Molex
Lisle, IL
05.2019 - 07.2020
- Timely and accurately process payroll biweekly for 4500+ employees by collecting timekeeping activities (Kronos), calculating and entering data and correcting discrepancies using ADP software.
- Provide Support to system changes both on SAP (GlobalView) and ADP side.
- Run reports after every Payroll processing and monthly Provide reports to HR and accounting.
- Reconciles employee payroll reports for benefits (HSA, FSA,401K and Credit union).
- Ensures Garnishments are processed timely.
- Updates one time and regular deductions.
- Updated payroll processing guides.
- Investigated payroll variances and employee claims to resolve discrepancies and balance financial records.
- Applied knowledge of regulations, employment law and tax code to keep operations in compliance with applicable standards.
- Documented procedures, identified areas to improve internal controls and gain additional efficiencies and implemented policy changes.
- Documented and processed all garnishments for bankruptcies, student loans and child support orders.
- Generated paper checks for employees and printed stubs for associates who received direct deposits to complete payroll distribution.
Benefits Specialist
Molex
Lisle, IL
05.2018 - 05.2019
- Process weekly flexible spending account and Health Savings account files.
- Manages benefits for survivors.
- Acts as liaison between employee and insurance provider or bank as necessary.
- Maintains files and records of individual employee benefits.
- Resolved any problems or disputes regarding provision of benefits.
- Stays up to date on state and federal regulations concerning insurance and other employee benefits.
- Manages employee pension plans and 401(k) plans.
- Manages employee health insurance and health care plans.
- Assists employees in filling out paperwork for their benefits packages.
- Leads informational sessions on company benefits.
- Calculates proper paycheck deductions for benefits.
- Explained various benefit options to new employees.
- Presents ideas for additional benefits to HR manager.
- Completed billing and invoicing.
- Performs plan audits.
- Directed and controlled 401K, medical, dental and vision benefit packages.
- Resolved issues and inquiries from plan participants regarding health and welfare benefits and deductions through telephone, email and in-person interactions.
- Checked employees' benefits enrollment for accuracy and inputted all data into ADP.
- Processed monthly remittance and reconciliation for various benefit plans.
- Explained benefits to plan participants in easy to understand terms in order to educate each on available options.
- Coordinated submission and processing of life insurance claims.
- Observed strict procedures to maintain data and plan participant confidentiality.
- Directed and controlled 401K, medical, dental and vision benefit packages
Senior Benefits Representative
Findley Davies, INC
Schaumburg, IL
08.2015 - 05.2018
- Processed Defined Benefit Transactions.
- Update Addresses.
- Processed Defined benefit calculations.
- Answered questions about routine transactions.
- Performed Audit of prior payments.
- Assisted callers with questions about various benefits including HW, DC and DB.
- Process defined benefit transactions with high degree of accuracy within service level agreement parameters.
- Quickly and accurately create workflows for internal research requests.
- Provide thorough and prompt response to client and participant faxes, emails and mailings.
- Communicate with coworkers, trustees and clients to resolve processing issues immediately).
- Learn technical rules for plans.
- Keep team leaders and customer service manager apprised of issues.
- Verified employee benefits were loaded into system correctly.
- Trained new employees in DB and DC procedures and how to handle calls.
- Held refresher trainings.
- Explained new HW benefits to client's employees onsite.
- Created and managed template for 401k information and procedures.
- Deescalated Supervisor calls.
- Verified and approved documents for Dependent Audit.
- Scanned client files into system.
Benefits Specialist
Connect Search
Lemont, IL
04.2015 - 08.2015
- Managed Employee enrollments including enrolling in benefits and terminating benefits using HRIS HR PRO system.
- Completed billing for benefits (BCBS, UNUM, METLIFE, Superior Vision and Corvell).
- Updated 401k Deductions in HRIS.
- Sent New hire, Terminations, Rehire information to vendors.
- Sent out all benefit detail mailings (new hire, newly eligible and terminated employees).
- Verified and mailed ACA letters.
- Balanced payroll deductions.
- Verified employee benefits were loaded into system correctly.
- Answered employee questions about benefits via phone calls or emails.
- Updated processing procedures.
- Completed 401k nondiscrimination testing.
Claims Escalations Advocate
Aon Hewitt
Lincolnshire, IL
04.2013 - 02.2015
- Assisted participants with various disputes involving Defined Contribution, defined benefit and health & Welfare.
- Daily direct contact with clients using email, Lync messaging or via telephone conference calls.
- Assisted with medical claim issues and processing by contacting doctor offices or plans as needed.
- Assisted and verified enrollment into Medicare supplemental plans.
- Processed death benefits for survivors.
- Including processing life insurance claims, setting up pension accounts, transferring information to other third party benefit administrators.
- Setting up continuation of health benefits.
- Required extensive knowledge of clients plan provisions.
- Handled escalated issues in timely manner.
- Worked with benefits centers to ensure participant escalated issues were addressed.
- Managed enrollment hotlines during Annual enrollment.
- Maintained databases in Excel for daily work procedures.
- Providing coaching and feedback for peers.
- Managed on average 60 various escalations at once.
Benefits Representative
Aon Hewitt
Lincolnshire, IL
09.2007 - 04.2013
- Answer 60-90 inbound calls per day.
- Research customer issues.
- Make outbound calls.
- Use of lotus notes.
- Assists customers with using internet services.
- Retirement specialist- Walked participants through retirement processing including enrolling in retiree/ cobra benefits, giving options for 401k and/or pension benefits.
- New hire specialist- Contacted New hires within two weeks of hire to explain newly eligible benefits.
- Enrolled participants in health and welfare benefits.
- Explained plan provision of health benefits.
- Explained plan provisions of 40lk plan.
- Assisted participants in selecting Defined benefit options.
- Explained plan provisions of paid time off policy.
- Used windows-based systems.
- Deescalated manager calls.
- Project lead for handling death claims.
- Trained other associates in various projects.
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Human Resources Management
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UTSkills
- Employee benefits laws
- Benefits explanation
- New employee enrollment
- Documentation and reporting
- Relationship building
- Written and oral communication
- Data management
- Microsoft Office
- New Hire Orientation
- Health Education
- Audit
- Open Enrollment
Timeline
Benefits Analyst
Fresenius Kabi
12.2021 - 04.2022
Senior Benefits Specialist
Tandem HR
01.2021 - 12.2021
Payroll Coordinator
Nouryon
07.2020 - 01.2021
Payroll Specialist
Molex
05.2019 - 07.2020
Benefits Specialist
Molex
05.2018 - 05.2019
Senior Benefits Representative
Findley Davies, INC
08.2015 - 05.2018
Benefits Specialist
Connect Search
04.2015 - 08.2015
Claims Escalations Advocate
Aon Hewitt
04.2013 - 02.2015
Benefits Representative
Aon Hewitt
09.2007 - 04.2013
Some College (No Degree) - Human Resources Management
Western Governors University