Application Quick Checklist

Insurance applications can be a daunting task. Even the simpler health coverage applications can include 47 important fields that need to be completed for processing.

As a new employee with a stack of paperwork to complete in order to receive your benefits, completing your applications may seem like a task to rush through. For an HR Administrator, double-checking forms before submitting them may seem like a task that does not rank highly on your long list of work to complete. However, if you go through our quick checklist, you can potentially save yourself mass amounts of time and effort in the long run!

Make sure all health applications have correctly filled in the following fields:

1. Date of Hire – many groups have wait periods for coverage. Without this information, carriers will send the application back, resulting in additional processing time.
2. Hours Worked Per Week – many groups require a minimum amount of hours worked per week, so it is important to note this for the carrier to process the application.
3. Name – without this, the carrier cannot move forward. Make sure that you fill all fields in with clear handwriting. If the carrier cannot read it, they will send it back.
4. Social Security Number – you would be surprised how many people transpose numbers or write in the incorrect social security number! Doing this incorrectly can bring on big issues in the future as many carriers use this to look up your information. Write carefully!
5. Birth Date – similarly to your social security number, carriers often use your birth date to verify your information. Write this in carefully! It can also impact the status of your dependents once they are over the age of 18.
6. Prior Health Coverage – this may be one of the fields most often skipped on applications, but it is also one of the most important fields to complete! Without prior coverage information from the past year, you can be subject to pre-existing condition review for up to a year. This means every claim could get stuck in the review process far longer than it otherwise would have. Carriers do check, so make sure to provide your previous carrier, the dates of effective coverage, and your previous ID number.
7. Your signature – this is a legal document. Your signature and date are important to complete for the processing of the document. Make sure to put it in the correct place, though! Some carrier applications have one field to sign for the waiver of coverage and another to enroll.