Okemos Corners

Basic Flex Announcement

BASIC is pleased to announce that your BASIC Flex Plan will be upgraded in late June. We have designed this system upgrade to enhance your Flex experience and minimize inconvenience.

Between June 21st and July 2nd we will not be able to access the database for any information/data. Please hold all questions and calls regarding your account or reimbursement requests until July 5th.

Effective 8 am EDT on June 21st through July 2nd:

No reimbursement checks will be written or mailed.
No direct deposits will be completed.
If you have a BASIC Flex Debit Card, your current card will be de-activated and you will receive a new one.
June 19th through July 2nd:

· Continue to submit claims

· Please remember, we can not pay these claims until the upgrade is completed. However, BASIC will review and pre-process all claims that have the necessary documentation.

After July 2nd:

· Due to the influx in claims you may experience a longer delay than normal to receive payment. However, BASIC will do everything possible to minimize this delay.

· All requests for additional documentation will be sent out.

Account Access:

www.basiconline.com will be functional. However, your myRSC account access will only show activity prior to June 18, 2007.
You may access your account at a new website after July 2nd using the instructions found in the BASIC Flex User’s Guide at this link.
You can access the new reimbursement form, account information and the new BASIC Flex User’s Guide by going to www.basiconline.com. All forms and links are listed under Lighthouse1 Online Account Access.

Restructuring in HR

If you have called into the Okemos office lately with a question regarding benefits, you may have noticed some changes in personnel. In an effort to be more efficient while providing better service to our employees, we are proud to introduce Kim Heisey as our new Benefits Administrator. Kim will be your go to person for questions, issues or status changes regarding medical, dental, basic flex or 401k benefits. Kim is new to PMTG and brings with her a wealth of benefit experience. If you haven’t had the chance yet, please welcome Kim to the PMTG family. Kim can be reached at extension 566.

Other responsibilities once handled by Human Resources have been transferred to the Safety Department. Safety Manager Cathy Lemon will now handle all workers compensation claims as well as unemployment claims, FLMA (family medical leave act) and tracking leaves of absence. Cathy can be reached at extension 528.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet either of these hard working ladies, please take the time to do so during your next visit to the Okemos office.

The rest of the HR department stays the same, concentrating on driver recruiting and retention, uniforms, marketing, communications and constantly striving to make all our drivers prosper with the Recruiting Makes Cents program.

PMTG Nurse Care Line

24/7 Answers To Your Health Care Questions!

1-866-214-4240

As part of our benefits package PMTG provides employees and their dependents access to the PMTG Nurse Care Line.  The Nurse Care Line is a free health source and has a toll-free phone number that can be accessed 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

How does the Nurse Care Line work?

When a PMTG employee, or their dependent, accesses the Nurse Care Line they will have the following three choices:

1. Speak with a nurse – Questions are answered by registered nurses who can assist you with a current illness, general information or who can assess your symptoms and provide guidance. 
2. Inquire about health care resources – The nurse staff will provide you with names of doctors/hospitals in the area as well as community/support groups. 
3. Obtain general health information – There are 1,100 health topics that contain up-to-date information frequently reviewed by doctors, nurses and health care professionals. 

When should PMTG employees/dependents call the Nurse Care Line?

PMTG employees and dependents can access the Nurse Care Line anytime they have a general health questions.  The following are examples of questions that nurses at the Care Line are qualified to answer:

            “I just sprained my wrist.  Should I have an x-ray?”  “My doctor said I need to have surgery.  What are my alternatives?”   “It’s 2 a.m.and my son has a high fever and sore throat.  Should I take him to a doctor?”

Any other questions regarding the PMTG Nurse Care Line can be directed to the Human Resources Department at (517) 349-3011 x 207.

Emily Glassburn

Human Resources Assistant

Precision Motor Transport Group

Bavarian Motor Transport, LLC

Benefit Questions

Hello.  My name is Emily Glassburn and I’m the Human Resource Assistant for Precision Motor Transport Group.  Below are the most frequently asked questions regarding our Health Insurance.

#1. Employee Question: What is NGS American, Inc.?  What is the difference between NGS and the 4 medical networks (PPOM, Emerald Health, MedCost and PHCS)?

Answer: In June 2005 PMTG changed their group health insurance plan to a self-funded group health insurance plan.  This change required PMTG to hire a third party administrator (TPA) to help assist with our health care administration.  PMTG hired NGS American, Inc. to act as our TPA.  NGS specializes in the administration of self-funded group health plans and assists PMTG with our medical and dental benefit claims, eligibility management services and COBRA administration.  NGS processes all of PMTG’s group health claims, administers explanation of benefits and works with PMTG employees to resolve claims and billing problems.

The difference between NGS and the medical networks is that NGS only aides in our health care administration, they are not the network to which PMTG employees belong.  All PMTG employees are either in the PPOM, Emerald Health, MedCost or PHCS network. Employees need to contact their respective networks, please refer to your insurance card, in order to find network doctors.  Employees need to contact NGS if they receive a statement/explanation of benefits that they feel has billed in error.

#2. Employee Question:  How do I find an in-network provider in my area?

Answer: There are three ways an employee can find an in-network provider in their area:

1.  Visit their network’s webpage and search either by location or physician specialty.

2.  Call the network and speak with a Customer Service Representative.

3.  Contact the PMTG Human Resources Department – a directory can be mailed to your home address or a provider can be found momentarily while speaking on the phone.

Please find below the 4 networks utilized by PMTG and the corresponding websites and phone numbers.  In order to determine your network please reference your insurance card.

PPOM                          www.ppom.com                    1-800-831-1166

Emerald Health            www.emeraldhealth.com      1-800-346-3141

MedCost                       www.medcost.com              1-800-824-7406

PHCS                           www.phcs.com                     1-800-785-3602

#3.  Employee Question: NGS American, Inc., our health insurance third-party administrator, has mailed a request for more information to my house.  Is it necessary that I respond to this request?

Answer: Yes, if NGS mails a request for more information to your house it is extremely important that you respond to the request in an efficient manner. 

NGS performs an array of services for PMTG and one of their services is to keep an accurate database of information on our employees.  This service requires NGS to periodically request information from our employees, specifically whether or not our employees and their dependents have health insurance coverage under another group plan or if the claims are a result of an accident.

NGS will not be able to process claims until their request for more information has been answered.  Failure to respond to the request made by NGS could result in claims being pended for you, the PMTG employee, and your dependents. 

If you do receive a request for more information from NGS you can respond in the following three ways:

Mail the form to:    NGS American, Inc.,  PO Box 7676, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080         

                                    

Fax the form to:     (586) 416-2378

Call our NGS Claims Analyst at:   (800) 521-1555     Ask for Nancy G.

I hope this information is helpful.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them in the comments section.  I will get back with you.  Thanks.

401K Match Increase

Just a reminder - our 401K maximum match increased in July of this year to $2,500.  We match $0.50 on the dollar up to a maximum employee contribution of $5,000.

401Ks are very powerful retirement savings accounts as the money is invested at a before tax rate and the interest it earns is not taxed until withdrawn.  Add to that the free money added from your employer and it becomes an opportunity you need to take advantage of.

Obviosuly not all of us can afford to contribute $5,000 a year but even a little contribution grows to amazing size over time.  As an example, if you contribute as little as $100/month, with PMTG's matching funds and at a 8% average return, you account will be worth the following in:

• 5 years -   account worth approximately $10,500
• 10 years - account worth approximately $26,000
• 15 years - account worth approximately $131,000

The best time to start your 401K is now.  If you would like more information, post a comment to this article.