VADA Insurance Trust

TOP TEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Please refer to your VADA Benefit Plan Description and the Instruction for Applications in the Forms section of this website for a more detailed explanation of our procedures.

NEW ENROLLMENTS

If you do not submit an enrollment form to VADA within 45 days of the employee’s first day of employment, he/she will have to wait until Open Enrollment (May 1 and November 1) to enroll for health insurance.

TERMINATIONS
If you do not terminate an employee within 30 days of their last day of employment, you will not receive a credit for the additional month you were billed.

CHANGES
If you do not submit a change to an employee’s insurance within so many days of the date that the change should take effect, that change cannot be made until Open Enrollment (May 1 and November 1). In the event of birth or adoption; or loss of other coverage the change should be submitted within 31 days. In the event of divorce; adding children due to requirement of courts; or marriage, the change should be submitted within 30 days.

ENROLLMENT FORM
Both the employee and the Group Benefits Manager’s signature and date are required for all enrollments, changes, and terminations. Please make sure the forms are filled out entirely with up-to-date mailing addresses and employee information.

PREMIUM STATEMENT
The premium statement and payment should be mailed to:
VADA Ins. Trust
P.O. Box 393
Brattleboro, VT 05302-0393
(The premium statement has both VADA’s and BC/BS’s address.)

The premium payment is due on the first of the month. Deadline for receipt is the 10th.

VADA Group Enrollment/Change Forms should be mailed to:
VADA
317 River St., Suite 2
Montpelier, VT 05602

PREMIUM BILLING
You are required to pay your monthly premium in full. If you have concerns about credits, please call this office. You will receive your credits the following month.

GROUP ELIGIBILITY
VADA New and Used Car Dealer members are eligible to participate in the VADA Insurance Trust.
A group must elect the life insurance benefit to be eligible to participate in the health insurance program. One hundred percent of all employees must be enrolled for the life benefit.
At least 75% of all eligible employees must be enrolled in the medical, dental, and/or short-term disability plans to maintain coverage.

EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for coverage, employee must be actively at work at the dealership at least 17 ½ hours per week.

If this criteria is not met and the employee is on VADA’s insurance, we will not be responsible for payment of claims.
COBRA / VIPER
You are required to offer all terminating insurance enrollees the opportunity for continuation of benefits. The two plans offered are VIPER and COBRA.
If you have 20 or more employees (all employees, not just insurance enrollees), you must process the COBRA paperwork and send it along to Combined Services.
If you have less than 20 employees, you must process the paperwork through VIPER.
For more details on this refer to the COBRA/VIPER Section of this website.

MEDICARE
If your group has 20 or more employees, Blue Cross/Blue Shield is primary and Medicare is secondary. If your group has under 20 employees, Medicare is primary and Blue Cross/Blue Shield is secondary. The employee in the under 20 group will be enrolled in a new group. The new group will have the first 5 digits of your group number and end in 720 instead of 000 or 001. The employee will be charged a reduced rate. Blue Cross will automatically move the employee over to the new group but will request a new enrollment form for the employee’s spouse. They will be set up separately. For more details, please call Amy at VADA.

DEPENDENTS
If your child does not reside with you but you are required to carry them on your insurance plan, you must submit a copy of the birth certificate showing that you are the parent or a copy of the divorce decree stating that you are responsible for the health insurance. If you submit a divorce decree, all that is needed is the first page, the page which explains that you are responsible, and the last page dated and signed by the Judge. The date on the last page will tell us when to make the child’s insurance effective.

If the spouse does not want to be on the health insurance plan but the employee wants to carry the children, the spouse and the dealership must fill out Hold Harmless Agreements. These agreements can be obtained by calling the VADA office.

TEMPORARY DISABILITY INCOME
It is very important that you inform VADA of any salary increases for insureds. If we are not informed when your employee gets a salary increase, he/she will receive the temporary disability income based on what our records indicate, not what his/her current salary is.
Temporary disability income has a seven-day waiting period before benefits begin for all illnesses. There is no waiting period for accidents. Disability caused by pregnancy will be considered a disability caused by illness.
A doctor’s certification is required for verification of disability resulting from illness or injury. Additional certification may be required from time to time throughout the period of disability.