Trust Benefit Technologies

Kathy Elrod, VP of Strategic Business Development

Complexity is the norm in multiemployer benefits administration. Organizations grapple with outdated systems that can’t handle today’s intricate plan rules, pension formulas and regulatory demands. Administrators find themselves juggling countless requests from boards of trustees, benefit consultants, actuaries and others to slice-and-dice their data into meaningful sets of information that help the plan professionals fine-tune rules, set contribution rates, identify trends and evaluate productivity.

For many, the burden is operational. For others, it’s financial—controlling costs and identifying efficiencies. But for all, the stakes are high. Trust Benefit Technologies has spent over three decades systematically developing solutions for this diverse set of client requirements.

The Company’s approach to product development is grounded in regular client engagement, feedback loops and a shared vision for innovation — all aimed at helping clients modernize operations, simplify administration, and better serve their members.

TBT’s flagship platform, TRUSTpartner, is the studied outcome of this approach. It covers every aspect of Taft-Hartley trust fund administration, from employer contributions and retirement plans to enrollment, hour bank eligibility, COBRA administration, and a host of fringe benefits like vacation/sick leave, container royalty, short-term disability, and supplemental unemployment benefits.

“Our experience proves that accurate and comprehensive data is the lifeblood of the benefits administrator, while a user-friendly UI is the key to making that data accessible, useable and easy to navigate in day-to-day operations. And that is exactly what we offer,” says Bruce Biller, president.

Each element of TRUSTpartner, from the intuitive, user-friendly interface to an extensive library of reports and extracts, is designed to minimize training time, streamline workflows and improve user satisfaction.

The Oracle-based, cloud-hosted system operates out of two secure, tier-4 data centers in California and Arizona, with over a billion dollars in contributions flowing through annually and administering benefits for approximately a million members, dependents and beneficiaries. Its participant and employer portals offer 24/7 access on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, reducing call volumes and accelerating turnaround time for participant requests.

Through the portal, participants can easily access benefits information, upload documents and track various statuses in real time. On the employer side, a self-service portal enables flexible work record submissions and scheduled ACH payments, helping to smooth out processing peaks and lower administrative costs through improved e-reporting efficiencies.

TBT takes a consultative approach to onboarding, asking detailed questions to understand a prospect’s current administrative landscape, technical infrastructure and pain points. From there, the team customizes the implementation strategy to address unmet needs, whether it’s scaling to handle more participants, offering e-tools to employers and members, or simply providing flexible, superior rules-engines that eliminate or greatly reduce costly programming tasks.

From time-to-time, clients present TBT with special requirements that extend far beyond the run-of-the-mill requests. For example, the board of trustees for one client decided to retroactively implement complex benefit calculation rules that affected the participant’s benefit credits and resulting benefit amounts for the prior fifteen plan years. Because TBT’s system preserved the necessary historical data at the lowest level of detail, its team was able execute the task successfully and on time.

The key to such exceptional results is team TBT, where all staff, including the customer care representatives, are HIPAA/SOC2 certified, taking pride in their reputation as knowledgeable and responsive industry professionals. They listen to clients, maintain an open two-way dialogue and often co-create solutions alongside them. Development usually takes inspiration from regular sit-downs, focus groups and product evaluations with clients who bring insights from their own experience, as well as from actuaries, CPAs and benefit consultants.

As regulations shift and member expectations rise, TBT’s products continue to evolve in lockstep with the needs of those it serves. In multiemployer benefits administration, where precision and trust are non-negotiable, the company’s legacy of excellence remains its greatest assurance to clients and working families alike.