Benefits Specialist

Responsibilities

• Own and oversee all leaves of absence requests, including FMLA, personal, military, and college leave.
• Handle all required FMLA and STD/LTD documentation and maintain accurate records of leave days for all wholesale companies.
• Prepare and distribute 12-week FMLA notifications and all necessary correspondence.
• Communicate with employees regarding approvals, denials, and additional information needed for vendor processing or claim extensions.
• Collaborate with vendors on payroll processing for Short-Term and Long-Term disability payments.
• Facilitate transitions from STD to LTD, including coordination with insurance carriers and administration of COBRA and ancillary coverage porting.
• Provide leadership updates regarding leave statuses, anticipated return-to-work dates, FMLA usage, and recommended next actions.
• Aid employees with benefit enrollments, changes, and general benefit inquiries.
• Apply AI-enabled tools and advanced analytics to enhance reporting efficiency, pattern recognition, and insight generation.
• Design, interpret, and maintain dashboards, scorecards, and recurring management reports that monitor performance trends, risk indicators, and compliance metrics.
• Process benefit changes related to qualifying life events and ensure accurate HRIS updates.
• Support annual open enrollment activities, including employee communication, troubleshooting, and data auditing.
• Partner with benefit vendors to resolve employee concerns, coverage discrepancies, and billing issues.
• Maintain compliance with benefit related regulations, such as COBRA, HIPAA, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.
• Monitor benefit deductions, report errors, and coordinate corrections as needed with payroll.
• Manage the CA Short YOS reward program for MDI, Alex Lee, WLF Wholesale, Import Mex and Souto Foods.
• Carry out any additional responsibilities or tasks as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in HR related field, with FMLA compliance and disability claims management preferred.
• SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.
• Experience with payroll processes and vendor coordination preferred.
• Knowledge of FMLA regulations and leave administration best practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for employee and leadership interactions.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management abilities.
• Excellent in HRIS systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive employee information.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Collaborative team player with a proactive approach to problem-solving.