Posted by
Malka Trump, CPA
| July 05, 2016
Viventium is In It With You - helping you ace the challenges of ACA Compliance. Meet the personalities behind your Client Services Representative team and get a glimpse into life at Viventium. Claire’s cheerful, upbeat voice and “can do” attitude buoyed many clients through the 2015 ACA filing season. Let’s get to know Claire a little better…
Claire, what is your role at Viventium? I am currently a Team Supervisor in Client Services. Last year, I was a CSR and in charge of ACA implementation, setup, and education during the 2015 ACA filing season. This year, I am still involved with ACA. My current role also includes educating the rest of my team and department about ACA issues so they can better assist clients. At this point, ACA is probably my best forte, but not the only thing that I handle.
How did you become involved with ACA at Viventium? That’s a good question. I actually took it upon myself to learn about the compliance aspects of ACA. At year-end, when there was a lot going on here, the ACA side of things naturally fell into my lap since it was something I was knowledgeable about.
What type of work did you do before you came to Viventium? I was involved in client services as well as marketing for an environmental company, but it was not payroll related.
What sparked your interest in payroll? My friend Jamie, who is also a CSR, referred me for the position. I wanted to switch gears to something completely different, and I liked the fact that this job dealt heavily with clients, an area I had experience with. So I decided to go for the change.
I see you have FPC certification. What was your inspiration to become APA certified? To expand my knowledge. Viventium supported me, and I plan to go for my CPP certification next year.
How did you fit in studying for certification with your job? It was pretty intense. I designated one and a half months for studying, dong one module per week. Then I spent a good two weeks reviewing the entire coursework. It was definitely a lot.
Did you have a study partner or join a study group? Jamie was my study partner towards the end of the course, and we reviewed the entirety of it together.
Has your FPC helped you professionally? If so, how? I know the ins and outs of payroll and the compliance issues better. It certainly helps in certain situations when I talk about benefits and FLSA, and it helps in a lot of aspects that I deal with day to day.
What do you enjoy most about your ACA work at Viventium? I like to be able to educate and take down the curtain for clients and let them know that this is not something scary. Even though you’re mandated to do it, and it may cause additional expenses, I like to help them get their guard down and show how we can help them get through it. In other words, I enjoy taking the fear out of their heads.
What do you find most challenging about your ACA work at Viventium? Sometimes it’s difficult when educating clients, because not every client is OK with this new law. So my education role can be hard as well – hard to get clients to understand and to comply.
What is the ACA question you get asked the most by clients? What is the difference between a variable employee and a full-time employee?
What is the answer? A variable employee is one for whom you’re not sure if their average weekly hours is 30 or more. You designate a measurement period, and at the end of the period, determine their status. Full time is when you know at the time of hire that they’ll be working the at least 30 hours per week, and you have to offer them insurance immediately after their third month of work.
Could you share with us the most frequent mistakes that clients make with ACA to help our readers avoid them in the future? That would be inappropriately assigning employees as a variable or F/T. In line with that, I find that a lot of clients who use variable are not actually measuring those employees. They offer insurance before the end of the measurement period, which is not required.
Any tips for clients as to how they can get the most out of their ACA service at Viventium? Watch our
webinars, speak to your CSRs and really get a head start at making sure your employees are maintained so that you avoid the year-end rush.
What do you mean by keeping “employees maintained”? That means making sure that full-timers are all offered insurance, employee files are updated with enrollment or a waiver, and that the enrollment dates are accurate in the system.
The 2016 presidential campaign includes discussions of a potential ACA repeal. How would you feel if Congress were to repeal the employer shared responsibility mandate of ACA? That’s a tough question. How would I feel if they repealed ACA? Honestly, I’ve put in a lot of work into learning and educating our clients and I’d hate to think that it all went to waste. A repeal might be beneficial to clients and would definitely mean less work for them, but on a personal note, I’d feel I’d learned it all for nothing. So I’d be happy for the client, but for myself, I’d feel disappointed about investing all that is something I couldn’t continue.
This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction. At Viventium, we are committed to helping you with the increased compliance requirements that have resulted from rapidly evolving legislation. We aim to minimize your administrative burden across the entire spectrum of employment-related payroll, tax, HR and benefits so that you can focus on the work that matters: running your business. We provide you with this information as a way to amplify your understanding of the impact of regulatory requirements – but please do not construe this information as tax or legal advice. By nature, this information is subject to revision and might not be the most up-to-date information available. We encourage you to consult with the appropriate legal and tax advisors before making any decisions. Topics: ACA, Payroll
This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction. At Viventium, we are committed to helping you with the increased compliance requirements that have resulted from rapidly evolving legislation. We aim to minimize your administrative burden across the entire spectrum of employment-related payroll, tax, HR and benefits so that you can focus on the work that matters: running your business. We provide you with this information as a way to amplify your understanding of the impact of regulatory requirements – but please do not construe this information as tax or legal advice. By nature, this information is subject to revision and might not be the most up-to-date information available. We encourage you to consult with the appropriate legal and tax advisors before making any decisions. Topics: ACA, Payroll