AMS Expands Employee Benefits Offering.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2004

AMS Services, Inc. has completed initial development of AMS Benefits Administration, software that allows agencies to provide administration services to their employee benefits clients.

According to many recent surveys of employers, deployment of technology to enable employee benefits self-service is very high on their wish lists. The only higher priority for employers is reducing the double-digit growth in the cost of employee benefits. Implementation of employee self-service technology reduces an employer's cost associated with administering benefits plans while improving the quality and accessibility of benefits and other HR related information for employees.

AMS Benefits Administration is a companion product to AMS Benefits Workflow and includes complete integration of all information used by both systems. Specific client information developed in Benefits Workflow during the sale/renewal of a benefits client is used in Benefits Administration to define plan parameters for communication of benefits options to employees, online enrollment, online entry of changes relating to life events (births, marriages, etc.) and ongoing maintenance of dependent and beneficiary information.

The initial release of AMS Benefits Administration supports administrative activities performed by the agency on behalf of a benefits client. It also allows use by the client's HR staff involved in administration of benefits plans. Functionality includes a comprehensive employee census database, event driven enrollment, dependent/beneficiary tracking, guarantee issue status tracking, customizable employee census report, printable employee election statements, and administrator override for retroactive corrections.

The second phase of development for Benefits Administration will be completed by mid-summer and will introduce an employee self-service portal that supports online enrollment by employees during the open enrollment period as well as access to plan information, ability for employees to maintain dependents and beneficiaries, an inventory of employee events with accompanying benefit statements, and password maintenance. Along with the employee portal functions, the second phase of Benefits Administration will provide administrator tools for creation and maintenance of user IDs and passwords and employee notification by either email or snail mail. Of significant value to employers, the second release will include selfbilling functionality. By maintaining a current census with plan elections for all employees, Benefits Administration will be able to generate an accurate invoice to each benefit plan provider. By doing so, the time-consuming and much despised billing reconciliation process can be eliminated saving time for the employer, plan providers, and the broker who is often caught in the middle of billing reconciliation problems.

For further information on AMS Benefits, contact Patric Murphy at [e-mail].

About AMS Services

AMS Services, Inc. provides software and automation services to insurance agents, brokers, carriers, banks, managing general agencies and other distributors of insurance and financial services. To learn more about AMS products and services, call 800.444.4813 or visit our Web site at www.ams-services.com.