From everyone at Concordia Plans, we wish you a blessed and joyous Easter season!
'Serve' – CPS 2022 ministry report available now
Get your copy of the Concordia Plans 2022 ministry report, “Serve,” and read about how 2022 was a great year for:
Strengthening partnerships with ministries.
Introducing new resources to further support workers’ well-being.
Answering ministries’ needs for comprehensive financial and health insurance solutions, all while caring and solving the needs of ministry workers, too.
“Serve” also will introduce you to CPS staff, leadership and board members whose expertise and compassion help drive the organization to fulfill its mission of serving ministries and caring for workers so that the Word of God spreads.
Conversations are happening: Get your ministry leaders engaged in Shareboard
Great conversations are happening in the Shareboard community! Encourage your ministry lay leaders to join in the discussion.
Since launching in February, more than 250 lay leaders from across the LCMS have joined Shareboard – an online platform where lay leaders can connect and learn, as well as share information, best practices and experiences, to help support one another nationwide.
Participants are coming from all different types of ministries and serve in all sorts of lay leadership roles, so the conversations are multi-faceted:
How do you raise awareness of your church in your community?
How do you use committees or special councils to impact ministry and outreach?
Does your organization have term limits for leadership positions? Is that working well ... why or why not?
And lay leaders are joining Shareboard communities, such as “Church Council,” “Council/Board Treasurers” and “Volunteer Coordinators” to hone in on questions and details to support and build up their ministries.
There are no fees or subscriptions to join Shareboard – lay leaders just register and start connecting with others!
Tell your lay leaders about Shareboard and send them to ConcordiaPlans.org/Shareboard to get in on the conversations.
Exploring Pension Essentials
You’re likely familiar with the Concordia Retirement Plan pension and the great benefit it provides workers. But do you know how prevalent pensions are in today’s world and why they’re the right fit for faith-based organizations like yours?
In this on-demand webinar, CPS Retirement Solutions Consultant Brian Page shares his expertise and provides an overview of pension plans, their prevalence, their importance and information specific to the CRP. Don’t miss this great primer to learn more about pensions in general, as well as the CRP.
Concordia Plans is dedicated to improving processes and procedures based on your feedback to deliver a better CPS experience for employers. We are hosting informational webinars in April and May to share new processes and administrative updates, and to provide time to answer your questions. Keep your eyes on your inbox for a webinar invitation!
2023 Group-Term Life Insurance information
Last month we mentioned we’ll be making a change to how we share Group Term Life reports. Your April GTL reports will be mailed to you and posted to the employer portal. Your May GTL reports will be mailed to you, but they will not be available through the Employer Portal. Starting in June, CPS will no longer provide separate GTL reports. Instead, a new monthly payroll deductions report will include a line item for imputed income for your workers. This helps your ministry more accurately adjust payroll deductions for this taxable benefit.
We’ll share more details regarding this change in the upcoming webinars focused on new processes and administrative updates.
Compensation Decision Support tool refresh
In 2016, Concordia Plans launched the Compensation Decision Support Tool to assist with Pastoral salary planning. By 2018, we expanded the list of available roles in the support tool and introduced the school tool for teacher and administrator roles. Fast forward to today, and the tool continues to expand its available roles and grow exponentially in utilization. More than 40,000 estimates have been run in all 35 LCMS districts!
The data used in the tool is evaluated and typically refreshed annually in January, and this year is no exception. Learn more on our webpage and check out the expanded FAQs. Questions or feedback? Contact [email protected].
Human resources issues can be complicated. If you are wondering where to go for guidance, consider HR Services. This service gives you access to valuable resources and tools to help you manage and solve your HR issues. Plus, their certified HR advisors can help you navigate complex HR situations and find the answers you need. Here’s what one of our ministry contacts shared about her experience with HR Services:
In the past, when an HR issue arose, I had to contact our labor attorney for guidance. And, if it involved more than just a phone conversation, it became billable time. HR Services provides a multitude of services, from answering HR questions, to establishing COVID protocols, to policy and handbook templates that may be customized. It has been a much simpler process for me overall. I really enjoy the HR Snapshot emails I receive; they, more often than not, provide answers to questions I might not have had a chance to email about. - Marybeth K.
Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023.
Please note how these benefits will be administered through the CHP starting May 12:
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters will be covered at 100% under Preventive Care benefits.
COVID-19 testing provided at a facility will be covered under the diagnostic lab benefit with members’ applicable cost share (deductible/copay/coinsurance) applied.
Over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits will no longer be covered under the Concordia Health Plan.
Once the federal government ceases to supply antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid and Molnupiravir at no cost, the CHP will cover with these drugs with members’ applicable cost share (deductible/copay/coinsurance) applied.
All members will be sent an email this month directing them to log into their Member Portal to review their Personal Statement of Benefits. The PSOB provides a summary of all their benefits in one place, including:
Projected CRP pension benefits at normal retirement age.
Estimated disability income replacement benefits and life insurance benefits (what we call “Survivor Benefits”).
Reported compensation including the value of their benefits.
Other benefit details and enrollment.
The PSOB is a great way to show how your ministry provides your workers so much more than a paycheck. When the new Member Portal launches in May, the PSOB will not be available right away. Encourage your workers to check out their PSOB now – they can even print a copy for their records.
Upcoming member communications
Here’s a snapshot of the emails we’ll send your workers this month (they may also receive additional communications from our vendors):
Personal Statement of Benefits (PSOB)
Members will be sent a reminder to log into the Member Portal to review their PSOB to see their reported compensation, pension and other benefits.
Meet a Financial Educator
We're hosting “Meet a Financial Educator Event” April 17-20, where members can schedule a zoom or phone appointment to meet one-on-one with a Concordia Plans Financial Educator.
Quarterly Benefits Connector
The Benefits Connector email encourages members to plan their wellness journey and destination. These segmented emails go to members based on their plan enrollments and eligibilities.
Mental Health
Financial stress has become a way of life, putting a huge strain on our mental health, our relationships with those we love and even our relationship with God. Members are reminded in this email that by focusing on managing the financial resources they’ve been given, it can help reduce stress and improve their overall financial well-being.