CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR RESOURCES
EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. (BRI) is operated by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and is solely dedicated to support pastors and staff of EPC churches throughout the country. We understand that many EPC churches do not employ staff specifically dedicated to benefits management and the EPC Benefits office is here to support you in the administration of your benefits program. This webpage will provide you with resources and should answer many of your questions.
The EPC established our benefits program in 1981 to provide ministers and staff of churches and associated ministries within the EPC with medical, life and disability, and retirement programs. Today our benefit program has grown to include five levels of medical plan options with prescription drug coverage, plus Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, and Long-Term Disability insurances as well as additional supplemental benefits. Our 403(b)(9) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan is designed specifically for employees of non-profit church organizations. It allows for special tax exemptions related to a minister’s housing expenses once an active or retired minister reaches age 59½. These comprehensive benefit programs are available to all full-time church staff. Supplemental or voluntary benefits are generally available for employees who work 20 or more hours per week.
We have outlined various administrative procedures and responsibilities below. Additional information is available in the EPC Benefits Administrators’ Handbook and throughout the Benefits section of our website.
Use these quicklinks to navigate to the appropriate section of this page:
Benefit Administrator’s Handbook and Benefits Guide
Benefits Administration Office
Our Partners
Enrollment: Health, Life, and Employee Benefit Plans
Enrollment: Retirement Plan
Enrollment: Voluntary Benefits
Employer Requirements for Medicare-Eligible Employees
Making Changes to Coverage
Updating Personal Information
Terminating Benefits Coverage
Documents and Forms
For more BRI information, see the following pages (which also are available from the Resources > Benefits menu above):
2023 Open Enrollment
About Benefits
Medical Plans
Medical Plans FAQs
Prescription Drug Benefits
Life and Disability Insurance
Dental Plans
Vision Plan
Other Benefit Programs
Retirement Plan
Church Administrator Resources
Premium Rates
Newsletters
BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
BRI has a dedicated administrative team located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You might also know them as CDS. Our Admin Office administers the enrollment, eligibility, and invoicing for:
• Medical
• Prescription Drug
• Dental
• Vision
• Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
• Long-Term Disability (LTD)
Contact our Admin Office for any questions or concerns regarding any of the above areas listed.
EPC Administration Office
(877) 578-8707 (M-F, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern)
Fax (412) 224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
OUR PARTNERS
To provide our member churches with the lowest cost and best service for our Benefits program, we contract with different vendors for our Benefit Plans.
Meritain Health
Meritain Health provides a national network of doctors and hospitals for the EPC Medical Plans, and manages all related claims.
Express Scripts
Express Scripts is our provider for prescription drug benefits, which are bundled with each of the EPC Medical Plans.
98point6
App-based primary care physician visits, on-demand 24/7, from any location via text messaging using a mobile phone or tablet.
The Hartford
The Hartford provides our Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), and Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverages and manages claims on those insurance policies.
Delta Dental
Delta Dental is our provider for the dental benefits, and offers both a Low and High Dental Plan.
NVA
We use National Vision Administrators (NVA) to provide our Vision Plan
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity is our partner for our 403(b)(9) Retirement Plan.
Colonial Life
Voluntary benefits are administered by Colonial Life Insurance Company, which coordinates enrollment, communication, and invoicing.
Amplifon
Amplifon provides discounted hearing aids through more than 5,000 audiologists throughout the country.
ENROLLMENT: HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS
For churches enrolling for the first time in our health, life, and disability benefits, your church must complete the five forms below. Submit completed forms by mail, fax, or email to:
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
After the forms are received and processed, the church will be assigned a customer number (keep on file for future reference). You also will receive an email confirmation that your church has been enrolled.
New Church Benefit Enrollment Forms Packet
Click to download all five enrollment forms in PDF format. Individual forms in PDF format are available in the Documents and Forms section below.
THE EPC BENEFITS ONLINE PORTAL
Church administrators can enroll and manage employee benefit coverage options through our EPC Benefits Portal. The EPC Benefits Online Portal is used to enroll and make changes to the plan options for eligible employees enrolled in:
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life/AD&D/Long-Term Disability (Bundled Benefit)
The portal is also used when an employee experiences a Qualifying Life Event and wants to make a change to their benefits. Please note that a completed Medical Plan Enrollment/Change Form available below may be required for first-time enrollees and for specific plan changes. The Benefits office will inform you of any additional requirements.
To request access to the portal, complete and submit the EPC Benefits Online Portal Access Request Form available below.
834 FILE FORMAT
The EPC Benefits Administration Office is able to process enrollment and coverage changes electronically through an 834 file format. This file format allows your church to send enrollment data from your payroll platform directly to our EPC Benefits Online Portal.
Please note that additional documentation may be required for some of the plans. Administrators should contact the EPC Administration Office for more information on the enrollment process or to set up their user credentials for our electronic processes.
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone 877-578-8707 (M-F, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST)
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
For additional Health Plan administration information, refer to the Benefit Administrator’s Handbook or contact the BRI office at 407-930-4492 or benefits@epc.org.
ENROLLMENT: RETIREMENT PLAN
Churches enrolling in a Retirement Plan must submit the 403(b)(9) Adoption Agreement available below. The Adoption Agreement outlines the terms for the retirement plan contributions for the church’s ordained pastors and eligible employees. If the church makes any changes to the terms of its retirement contributions, they must submit a new form.
The EPC terms of call for an ordained pastor states that the church must contribute a minimum contribution to the pastor’s retirement plan equal to 10 percent of salary plus housing allowance.
The 10 percent is a minimum requirement; your church may choose to contribute more if it would like to.
All EPC churches must complete the Adoption Agreement (even if you do not currently have an eligible ordained pastor or employees, or your church participates in a non-EPC retirement plan), because it states that you agree to the terms of the Plan. Submit completed Adoption Agreement to the EPC Benefits Administration Office by mail, fax, or email:
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
TO ENROLL EMPLOYEES IN THE EPC 403(b)(9) RETIREMENT PLAN
To enroll in the EPC 403(b)(9) retirement plan, EPC-ordained pastors and eligible employees must create an account online and set up their beneficiary information using the directions below.
1. Complete a Fidelity online application at www.netbenefits.com/epc. The EPC Retirement Plan number is 89560. When complete, Fidelity will provide a confirmation page.
2. Forward the confirmation to the church administrator.
3. The church administrator sends the confirmation page to the BRI Office by mail, fax, or email.
For additional Retirement Plan administration information, refer to the Benefit Administrator’s Handbook or contact the BRI office at 407-930-4492 or benefits@epc.org.
ENROLLMENT: VOLUNTARY BENEFITS
The EPC has negotiated with Colonial Life to make Life, Accident, Critical Illness, and Short-Term Disability Insurances available to EPC employees who are not participating in the Life and Disability benefits available through The Hartford. Full and part-time employees working only 20 or more hours per week are eligible, even if not enrolled in any EPC Medical or other benefit plan.
These are great coverages for those working part-time, or not eligible to receive the EPC’s regular Life and Disability Insurance benefits. These policies are issued directly to the employee by Colonial Life, so staff members may pursue enrollment at any time and are not restricted to Open Enrollment time limitations.
Colonial Life Insurance Company will work with you directly to coordinate enrollment in these benefits for your employees. Please note, if your church decides to offer voluntary benefits to its staff, every eligible employee (those working 20+ hours/week) will need to actively enroll in or decline the coverage.
The process for enrollment will depend on the number of employees your church has.
• Churches with less than 10 employees: Your employees will call the Colonial Life Benefits Call Center to enroll or decline coverage.
• Churches with 10 or more employees: A benefits counselor will come to your church and meet with employees in person to review their options and costs.
Colonial Life will set up a welcome call with you to review the details and will work with your church to establish a payroll system to facilitate the voluntary benefit payments.
Your church can choose to offer voluntary benefits at any time during the year; however, we recommend designating a voluntary benefits enrollment period each year. Some employers have found that they have a more successful voluntary benefits enrollment when it does not coincide with the annual benefits Open Enrollment in the fall, so that employees can better absorb the information and make smart benefits choices.
To learn more or to set up voluntary benefits for your church, contact Melissa Koll at Colonial Life:
Colonial Life
866-873-6584
Melissa.Koll@Coloniallifesales.com
EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICARE-ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES
The Church Administrator needs to complete the appropriate certification form and send to the BRI Admin Office at epc@cdsadmin.com or fax to 412-224-4465. This form must be submitted prior to the employee turning 65 years of age to be fully compliant.
Medicare Eligibility Letter
Letter of explanation regarding whether a church or ministry qualifies as a Large or Small employer, and the corresponding requirements for employer-provided coverage to employees who are approaching Medicare eligibility.
Small Employer Certification Form
This form confirms the Small Employer status of the church.
Large Employer Certification Form
This form confirms the Large Employer status of the church.
MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR COVERAGE
This brief video outlines the three situations in which your employees can make changes to their insurance coverage.
If your employees experience a Qualified Life Event, they must notify the EPC Benefits Administration Office and request benefit changes within 30 days of the event.
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION
To change a Benefits participant’s address or other personal information, have the employee complete the Contact Information Change Form below. Submit completed form by mail, fax, or email to:
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
For voluntary benefits, contact Colonial Life directly for any contact information changes.
TERMINATING BENEFITS COVERAGE
To terminate an employee from our medical, dental, vision, life, long-term disability, and/or retirement plans, you must complete the Termination Report Form below and submit by mail, fax, or email to:
EPC Administration Office
60 Boulevard of the Allies, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax 412-224-4465
epc@cdsadmin.com
You must submit the Termination Report Form within 30 days of the termination, or your church will continue to be invoiced for the benefit premiums. Your church will be responsible for the payment of premiums until the Termination Report Form is processed.
TERMINATING VOLUNTARY BENEFITS
You must inform Colonial Life of a termination within 30 days. Terminated employees may choose to continue their Colonial Life coverage at the same premium cost should they terminate employment with your church. The employee will receive information from Colonial Life once you have terminated their coverage.
DOCUMENTS AND FORMS
ALL PLANS
HEALTH PLANS
Creditable Coverage Notice
THE HARTFORD LIFE/DISABILITY INSURANCE
403(b)(9) RETIREMENT PLAN
Information provided in this web site does not constitute legally binding advice. EPC benefits are subject to the provisions of the Medical Plan and Retirement Plan documents available on this web site or in print from EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. (BRI), 5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 510, Orlando FL 32822. For more information, contact BRI at benefits@epc.org or 407-930-4492 (voice and fax).
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