On April 10, 2023, President Biden signed a resolution ending the National Emergency (NE) as of that date. While the
NE has ended early, the presidential action does not affect the Public Health Emergency (PHE), which is still set to
expire on May 11. 

How does this affect employee benefit plans?
Based on informal guidance from the Department of Labor (DOL), it does not.

The NE and PHE affect different aspects of employee benefit plans. As you may recall, the NE sets forth the tolling of
deadlines for purposes of COBRA, HIPAA special enrollment, claims submission, claim appeals, and independent third-party review of denied claims. This tolling of deadlines is called the Outbreak Period, which ends the earlier of (1) one
year after the individual was first entitled to relief; or (2) 60 days after the expiration of the NE (or another date
announced by DOL, the Treasury Department, and the IRS). Once the Outbreak Period ends, regular deadlines are back
in effect.

Although the NE ended on April 10, the DOL maintains that the Outbreak Period will continue to run through July 10,
2023 (60 days after the anticipated NE end of May 11).

The PHE, on the other hand, expired on May 11 and affects COVID-related benefits offered under health plans.

The government recently released frequently asked questions (FAQs) to provide clarification and additional guidance regarding the end of both the NE and PHE. 

​​Key Takeaways

• The COVID-19 NE ends on April 10, 2023. However, per informal DOL guidance, this will not impact the Outbreak

Period. 

• The tolling of deadlines under the Outbreak Period will not extend beyond July 10, 2023 (60 days after the initial May 11 anticipated end to the NE).
• The COVID-19 PHE expired on May 11, 2023.
• New FAQs were issued, which further explain the impact of the ending of NE and PHE on employee benefit plans.
• COVID-19 testing, and treatment will no longer be required free of charge after the PHE expires; however, continuing to provide these services without cost-sharing will not affect HDHP/HSA status until further government notice.
• COVID-19 vaccines must still be provided in-network without cost-sharing by non-grandfathered plans (or out-of network if no in-network provider can provide the service).
• Employee notice and communication are required for material modification in plan benefits.

This information is provided by Lockton Companies, which administers the Minnesota Credit Union Employee Benefits Plan. ​Login to view the full alert.

As your trade association, the Minnesota Credit Union Network is committed to helping the credit unions prosper and thrive by finding the right solutions to navigate logistical, economical, and regulatory obstacles.

MnCUN is pleased to introduce a new, biweekly newsletter, ACCELERATION to provide credit unions with the latest on consumer trends, training opportunities and products that will help your credit union meet the financial needs of your members. 

​ACCELERATION will be delivered to inboxes every other Monday at 1 p.m. starting on June 5. You can choose which types of communications to receive by logging into the Member Portal and navigating to the "Edit this Profile" section and choose the “Update Your Preferences” section to review and manage your subscriptions.

​The credit union ecosystem is built on the foundation of people helping people. At the same time, it is also continuously evolving to serve members as they navigate an increasingly digital world. By tapping into the rare collaborative power of the movement, CUNA Mutual Group’s Discovery2023 conference will provide inspiration, clarity, and purpose; motivating attendees to accelerate the development of their digital financial ecosystems of the future. 

​This year’s conference will offer energizing virtual sessions inspiring credit union leaders to embrace change and confront uncertainty with confidence. Thought leaders from in and outside the industry will show us how to lean into the core strengths of the credit union digital ecosystem, while also exploring what’s on the horizon. You can expect sessions on:

• Credit Union Industry Trends
• Economy
• Lending
• Leadership and Development
• Member Experience
• And more!

​Collaboration is the lifeblood of the credit union movement, so join CUNA Mutual Group on August 10, 2023, for an all-day, immersive (and free!) experience.

In April, the WINcentive Savings program, offered at 22 Minnesota-based credit unions, announced statewide winners of the monthly and quarterly prizes of up to $1,000.

Members from Affinity Plus FCU, Magnifi Financial CU, Mid Minnesota FCU and Hiway CU were the lucky winners of $1,000 quarterly prizes.

​Members participating in WINcentive have saved over $12 million dollars throughout Minnesota. Currently, over 8,600 members of credit unions throughout the state have a WINcentive savings account open.

WINcentive Savings incentivizes consumers to save by offering risk-free rewards. WINcentive prizes are awarded on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, with prizes ranging from $100 to $5,000. Account holders in Minnesota qualify for up to four chances per month for each $25 increase in their month over month savings balance.

More information about WINcentive Savings, including a list of participating credit unions, can be found at wincentivesavings.org.

 ​Photo: WINcentive winner, Kari G., member of Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union, with credit union branch staff.

Each summer, severe storms and power outages are the leading cause of summer business interruptions. Attend this webinar to learn what meteorologists and power grid experts predict for your region over the coming months, as well as actionable steps you can take today to protect your branch from severe storm interruptions and power loss. Following the presentation there will be time for live Q&A with a certified recovery expert. 

​Speaker Bio: Mark Norton is an award-winning recovery professional with more than a decade of experience developing business continuity solutions for critical service providers, including financial institutions. At Agility Recovery, Mark leads his team in identifying unique industry needs to provide banks and credit unions with comprehensive recovery solutions that ensure branches have the resources needed to quickly resume operations following any type of interruption.
 
Date: June 13, 2023
Time: 12:00 pm

​After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the FREE webinar on June 13!

​Agility Recovery, a former division of GE, uses more than 34 years of industry experience perfecting recovery processes to help businesses build resilience and recover quickly from any operational interruption.

This webinar is brought to you by Tristate Products & Services, a collaboration with the Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin Credit Union Leagues bringing products and services to support credit unions and their members.

By Steve Heusuk, Director, Competitive & Market Intelligence, CUNA Mutual Group. This article is provided as part of MnCUN's partnership with CUNA Mutual Group, to learn more visit the Solutions Directory. 

Without question, the multi-year plan still has its place – even amid today’s unprecedented pace of change. After all, long-term planning is how leaders put meat on the bones of their vision. 

At the same time, visionaries must also be nimble, pivoting to take advantage of emerging technologies and market opportunities. Executing the following near-term strategies can set the table for adaptability without letting shiny objects pull teams too far off course. 

1. Reexamine your competitive advantage
Many credit unions believe member service is the core of their value proposition. In fact, when CUNA Mutual Group surveyed credit union leaders in Q2 2021, 41 percent of respondents said member service was a top-three source of their organization’s competitive advantage. 

How many of those credit unions’ members would say the same? If you believe the data, fewer of today’s members feel their credit union is providing great service. It’s no secret credit unions have been trailing banks in customer satisfaction for several consecutive years. Yet, many credit union leaders continue to contend that member service is their greatest strength.

Credit unions that believe their advantage is member service yet find evidence to the contrary may want to reexamine their perceived advantages. That investigation starts at the very top, by checking on the relevancy of the credit union’s purpose, mission and vision. Are they still aligned with what members need?
​
From there, strategists can identify the areas in which the credit union must win to reach its North Star. 

The Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN), and the Servion Group are expanding their partnership to provide MnCUN member credit unions quality growth solutions.

The partnership will provide mortgage, servicing, title insurance as well as commercial underwriting and related services to MnCUN Member Credit Unions.

​“At Servion, we’ve always taken pride in helping credit unions deliver valuable products and services to their members. I have been a part of this CUSO for more than 25 years, and this is a great opportunity for us to lean into helping the credit unions in our home state,” said Brad Crandall, President and CEO of The Servion Group.

The Servion Group exists to provide credit unions with the tools to reach their true potential. Each member of the Servion team comes to work with a Be The Solution mindset and views their financial institution partners not as customers or clients, but as partners. Servion offers solutions to help credit unions establish and grow product and service lines that meet the needs of the people and businesses in their communities.
 
“We chose The Servion Group because of their quality solutions and history of helping credit unions reach their goals, said MnCUN Chief Operating Officer, John Ferstl.

For more information, contact MnCUN COO John Ferstl or visit the Solutions Directory.

Last week, Tristate Products & Services, a collaboration with the Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin leagues hosted a webinar with QCash Financial. Seth Brickman, QCash CEO, discussed how it's imperative credit unions take action to steer members toward the safety and financial security of their local credit union. 

​Some key points:

• Convenient and fast, your members can get a loan 24/7. See the process in this 2-minute demo.
•  Solution allows you to price the loan correctly while serving your members where and when they want to be served.
• Allows your credit union to offer an alternative to higher rate providers that are targeting your members today.
• Digital first financial inclusion and member advocacy through this product offering.

For more information please review this Informational sheet on QCash. Also please feel free to reach out to QCash at Contact Us - QCash Financial.

CUNA Strategic Services is also a proud supporter of both Tristate Credit Union League & Services and QCash. CSS is constantly exploring innovative solutions that will drive membership growth and operational excellence, ultimately streamlining operations and enhancing the member experience for credit unions. When we identify an offering that will benefit the industry, we collaborate strategically with the provider to determine how we can collectively deliver their solutions to serve credit unions nationwide.

Through the Minnesota Credit Union Employee Benefits Plan's partnership with Lockton Companies, credit unions have access Lockton Compliance Services & HR Compliance Consulting resources.

As a member benefit, Minnesota credit unions can access their catalogue of webcast and presentation slides (log-in required). Topics cover a wide variety of labor and employment issues to help navigate the ever-changing landscape of federal, state and local employment laws. 

About Lockton Companies 
​​Lockton Companies is the world's largest privately owned, independent insurance brokerage and consulting firm with offices on six continents. The more than 7,000 professionals of Lockton serve over 52,000 clients around the world with human resources, total rewards and employee benefits advisory services in addition to risk management, insurance and surety services. The Lockton Total Rewards Consulting Practice helps employers use all available tools to attract, retain and motivate employees. Our process for data-driven decision-making and analysis drives human capital costs to their most efficient levels, based on strategy and options.