Vol. XIX, Issue 4

February 5, 2020

Plan Sponsor Survey—Billing Insert and Web Link

Wespath will include an insert with the February contribution remittance reminders. The insert announces a survey for plan sponsors and clergy salary paying units that seeks feedback on Wespath's contribution remittance process. Please encourage your churches to complete the survey available online at wespath.org/r/cmsurvey. You can also access the survey from the Wespath website on the For Plan Sponsors page.

Conference Forum and HealthFlex Summit—Registration Open

This year's Conference Forum will be held March 19-20, 2020 at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. Conference Forum attendees will participate in conversations regarding developments within the Church and Wespath as it relates to benefit topics. The event will conclude with a keynote presentation on CyberSecurity Best Practices led by Carolyn Devar, JPMorgan. Click here to view the Conference Forum agenda.

A mini HealthFlex Summit will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18. A lunch will be held at 11:30 a.m. prior to the start of the Summit. If you are a HealthFlex plan sponsor, please plan to enjoy lunch and hear about financial trends and plan enhancements as well as highlights of HealthFlex services. A fellowship dinner for all attendees will take place on Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 p.m.

Register today—the deadline for registration is Friday, February 21.

2020 Retirement Kits

Wespath is currently mailing retirement kits to participants who intend to retire in June or July 2020. Sample kits were mailed to conference benefit officers on January 31, 2020.

Wespath did not mail paper applications for benefits (AFBs) or AFB guides last year to encourage retirees to complete their applications online. This approach was successful, and many participants indicated that the online process was easy to follow. We will mirror last year’s approach for 2020.

The online benefits application—available at benefitsaccess.org—customizes applications for benefits so that retirees are presented only with information that is pertinent to their unique situations. Retirees may contact the Retirement Team to request printed forms.

There are three retirement videos designed to help explain the online application process and provide information on how to receive decision-making assistance:

If your conference is holding meetings or workshops to help retirees complete their applications for benefits, we suggest that participants bring laptops or tablets to access their online applications during these events.

If you have questions about the retirement kits or the 2020 retirement process, please contact:


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