Memo from Pat Pitney regarding dependent audit
February 9, 2011
Last week, many of you received information on the upcoming dependent audit being
conducted on the university's behalf by ConSova. This audit is one of several steps
being taken to moderate the rapidly rising cost of health care at the university –
currently $15,000 per employee each year, and expected to double in the next seven
years.
While it may seem unnecessary for those of you who have worked at the university for
many years to collect and forward information on the dependents on your health plan,
we expect this audit will save the university between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per
year by removing ex-spouses and overage dependents.
We understand the concerns you may have about releasing this information to a third
party. Precautions have been taken to ensure your information is kept confidential.
For more information, please refer to the frequently asked questions included below.
You should have also received a letter from President Gamble referencing upcoming
changes to our health care plan. If you did not receive the letter by e-mail, you
will receive a copy at your home address soon. It's also posted on the UA Benefits website. More specific communications on the changes will be forthcoming from Statewide
Benefits.
While we would all like to leave the health plan unchanged, the university cannot
absorb all the cost of rising health care costs, nor can we pass all of the costs
on to our employees. These upcoming changes ensure that we can provide a viable and
sustainable health care plan to all employees for years to come.
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Q. Who is ConSova?
A. ConSova is a Human Resources firm that specializes in the dependent eligibility
verification process and has conducted many dependent audits for Fortune 500 companies
and governmental organizations.
Q. Should I black out my financial information and Social Security number on these
documents?
A. You should not share any financial information on the IRS 1040 form requested (nothing
below line 6). You also should black out all SSNs of your dependents and keep only
the last four digits of your SSN on the form. The last four digits of your SSN is
required for accurate data match.
Q. What guarantee do we have that our personal documents will be kept secure?
A. ConSova considers security and confidentiality a very serious matter. They employ
state-of-the-art encryption technology to safeguard sensitive data. All documentation
received is scanned and maintained on encrypted drives. In the event a ConSova system
is stolen, the data is encrypted and will not be accessible to anyone. The server
that maintains Dependent Eligibility Verification systems and scanned images is only
accessible on ConSova’s Local Area Network located in Lakewood, Colorado. This Local
Area Network is a closed system and not accessible via Virtual Private Network or
any other interactive connection. ConSova Associates have audited over 1.5 million
dependents in the past seven years, and they have never been accused or alleged to
have not protected the private personal information of its clients’ employees.
University of Alaska realizes and understands that employees may have concerns about
releasing this information to a third party. We assure you that every precaution
has been taken to ensure your information is kept confidential. This is no different
than what our other service providers must prove (Premera, Caremark, VSP). You can
help protect your own privacy by following the instructions included with the letter
you will receive from ConSova.
Q. Will the submitted documents be retained by ConSova? If so, for how long?
A. Documentation received from University of Alaska employees will be batched and
maintained in a secure location monitored only by ConSova employees. ConSova will
destroy all documentation and wipe all hard drives containing protected information
30 days after the dependent verification is completed.
Q. Can my local Human Resources Department review my documents to determine eligibility
of my dependents instead of ConSova?
A. No. The University of Alaska will not review any documentation for the verification
process. All documents must be provided to ConSova for review.
Q. If I am unable to supply documentation by the deadline for my eligible dependent,
will University of Alaska terminate my dependent from the plan?
A. The University of Alaska will terminate a dependent due to the inability to provide
documentation that verifies eligibility. However, if you are in contact with ConSova
during the verification process and ConSova is aware of an issue you may be experiencing
in gathering the appropriate documents, then your dependent will not be automatically
terminated if you do not meet the deadline. ConSova is willing to assist you through
this process, including helping you contact agencies to locate the documents you need.
Q. Where should I go if I have questions?
A. The general information documents that have been sent out will be posted online
at http://www.consova.com/universityofalaska. It may help you to review them. If after
reviewing you still don't find the answer to your question, call 1-866-430-1267.