COVID-19 – Our Commitment to Employees, Broker Partners and Clients

At the BASIC family of companies, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, partners, clients, and communities are our top priorities. We understand the concern and uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and we are committed to providing our clients and their employees with the very best service possible during this difficult period. This communication is intended to inform you of how we are meeting this challenge head on:

• 75% of our employees are now working at home/remotely until this crisis passes. By this Friday (March 20), this percentage will rise to 80%, and by Monday (March 23), we will attain over 90% remote work force. These measures apply to all BASIC locations, including BASIC HQ in Michigan, BASIC New England, BASIC Gatekeeper in Springfield MO, BASIC Tucson, BASIC NEO in Akron OH, and BASIC pacific in Sacramento CA.
• Our remaining “in office” employees will work in shifts and abide by the latest social distancing guidelines.
• We will continue to monitor both local and national sources to ensure we keep abreast of the most current information available. With this in mind, our procedures and approach to this pandemic is subject to change as recommendations and requirements change.

While we’ll remain fully operational and are working hard to minimize the negative impact on service quality, clients and Participants should expect longer call wait times and slower email response times until this crisis passes. In addition, while we are doing our very best to maintain our claims turnaround times, minor delays may be unavoidable. We also expect USPS delivery times to slow, causing further delays in receiving reimbursements and paperwork by traditional mail.

To ensure the best response time possible, we encourage Employers and Participants to take advantage of our e-technology options:

• Utilize the Employer and Participant web portals. Many of our services offer comprehensive web portals to view and manage your benefit accounts, run reports, sign up for ACH payments, and much more.
• Utilize our BASIC mobile app. Our mobile app is available for most FSA, Dependent Care, HRA, Commuter, and HSA accounts serviced by BASIC. It’s a free and convenient way for Participants to stay informed and manage their accounts.
• Participants should use their BASIC debit cards whenever possible (not available with all plans). Using their BASIC debit card ensures immediate and secure payment, and in most cases, Participants will not be required to submit supporting documentation to justify their card transactions.
• When Participants are required to submit supporting documentation or they file traditional claims, they can avoid USPS mail by faxing, emailing (not available at all BASIC locations) or uploading their documentation via the Portal. Even better, in most cases, Participants can simply take a picture and upload claims via the mobile app.  
• Participants can avoid receiving old-fashioned checks in the mail by taking advantage of our convenient ACH deposit option (ACH premium payment is also available to most COBRA Participants). ACH reimbursement is free and convenient. Participants are even notified each time an ACH reimbursement is paid, so they’ll know when the funds will be available in their bank account.

These e-tech options are more efficient, safer, greener, and faster than calling us, mailing in claims, or receiving a reimbursement via check.

We’ll be posting a similar notice for Participants on our website and in their portals. The notice will inform them of our temporary work arrangement, let them know delays are to be expected, and encourage them to use our e-technology options for a superior experience during this difficult period.

Thank you for your support and trust in BASIC. Working together, we will overcome this challenge to our communities, to our country and to all the people of our world.

Robert Hayes
President & CEO
BASIC Benefits LLC