About Us
Group Benefits LLC is an independent, national insurance and financial services firm created through the merger of like-minded, high-performing, entrepreneurial firms across the United States.
Why work with Alera Group? Because we provide the best of both worlds - national scope combined with local service. Our mission is to transform the client experience by providing a greater depth and breadth of resources, innovative thinking and constant collaboration, while maintaining strong local relationships.
Meet Our Team
Dee Ann Sanders
Chief Client OfficerDee Ann has over 20 years of experience as a licensed client support professional in the insurance industry. Since joining Group Benefits LLC in 2006 as an Account Manager, she has leveraged her experience and expertise to become the point person in several areas, including self-funded accounts. Her depth of knowledge and commitment to providing exceptional customer service are the basis for creating long-lasting client relationships.
Harindra Sebastian
VP / Chief Consulting ActuaryHarindra, FSA, FCIA, MAAA, MBA is Alera Group’s Vice President and Senior Consulting Actuary who brings to bear 19 years of actuarial, financial, and consulting experience, having served some of the largest and most complex clients in both the U.S. and Canada, across a wide range of industries.
Harindra holds an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Stefanie Sharp
Account ManagerStefanie joined the Memphis Alera Group team in 2024. With her HR background and more than five years of experience as an Employee Benefits Consultant, she is committed to ensuring clients receive the most comprehensive and professional service. Stefanie’s expertise includes strategic benefits planning, marketing, and implementation of benefit plans and solutions, project management as well as a wide range of technical knowledge and analytical skills. She has a proven track record for delivering the highest level of customer service, creativity, adaptability, and the sincere desire to help others. When Stefanie is not helping clients navigate the ins and outs of the employee benefits world, she enjoys traveling with her husband and sons, ultra running, and biking.
Connie Stephens
Client Services CoordinatorConnie joined Alera Group formerly Group Benefits LLC in 2018 as Client Services Coordinator. She has over 19 years of Human Resources experience, with an emphasis on employee benefits support. With that perspective, she is committed to problem-solving, information processing, and providing top-notch service to our clients.
Resources
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Is Tech-Enabled Brokerage Right for You?
Our experts will lay out what tech-enabled brokerage is, how it works and why it makes sense for the right organizations.
September 19, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Meeting the Needs of an Aging Workforce
Our experts will provide tips and insights about how to incorporate Medicare, menopause benefits, retirement, communications best practices and other hot topics for older workers into your program successfully and without breaking the bank.
October 17, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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When Captive Insurance Makes Sense
In this session, our experts will talk about how captives work, the advantages and disadvantages and what you need to know to determine whether they make sense for your organization.
November 21, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Sign UpTHOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Preparing for 2025: Creditable Coverage, Enrolling in Medicare and HSA Contributions
With significant changes coming in 2025 to creditable coverage determinations, employers and employees may have questions on what that means for them, whether they make the decision to enroll in Medicare Part D or continue to have coverage under their group health plan.
September 5, 2024
Find out moreEmployee Benefits
Webinar: Better Benefits Administration and Lower Costs
If you don’t have expert assistance to guide you and your organization in the in using a sophisticated benefits portal, you’re wasting a lot of the money your business has invested — and probably frustrating the employees you mean to serve. Working with a brokerage that offers not only a leading-edge benefits portal but also year-round support and services enables your employees to seamlessly access, understand and navigate the portal, creating a positive benefits experience.
September 5, 2024
Find out moreEmployee Benefits
Medicare Part D Creditability Determinations for Non-Calendar Year Plans
In 2003, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) added a voluntary prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program. The benefit, known as Medicare Part D or “Part D,” is an optional program for Medicare beneficiaries to access covered prescription drugs at a lower cost. In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed and set into motion changes to Part D benefits, with additional impact on employers in 2024 and 2025.
September 5, 2024
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Workers’ Compensation: Stable market with emerging challenges from mental health claims
Despite pressure from medical inflation, increases in fee schedules on medical procedures and wage inflation affecting premiums and benefits, Workers’ Compensation remains a stable and profitable line for insurers. This stability allows buyers favorable conditions, such as ample capacity and stable rates. However, a new trend is emerging: the inclusion of mental health claims as compensable workers’ compensation.
August 28, 2024
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