City of Oak Creek, Wisconsin saves money on ACA reporting with Sovos

Case Study

City of Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Sovos enabled the City of Oak Creek to save money by freeing HR employees from getting bogged down in ACA reporting and enabling them to carry out other critical tasks.

Summary

Business Challenges

  • The city of Oak Creek didn’t have the HR resources to tackle ACA reporting.

  • The city feared both financial penalties and bad publicity, as well as a dip in HR productivity due to the distraction of ACA reporting.

Solution

  • Sovos ACA enabled Oak Creek to avoid errors by validating information before the city reported it.

  • Sovos provided immense value by guiding the city’s HR employees step-by-step through the complex process of ACA reporting.

Benefits

  • Oak Creek ultimately saved money by enabling HR employees to complete critical tasks rather than get bogged down with reporting.

  • The city successfully avoided reporting errors, thereby averting both financial penalties and potential negative publicity. 

The Organization

Oak Creek, Wisconsin, is a city of 35,000 residents located near Milwaukee. With roots in manufacturing, Oak Creek is home to a wide range of businesses, including a steel-manufacturing facility and an independent bottling company. The city employs about 250 people and is also responsible for performing ACA reporting for a significant number of retirees.

The Challenge

With only two employees in human resources, Oak Creek didn’t have the resources tackle reporting when the ACA went into effect in 2015. The city’s HR pros could not vacate their critical duties to spend time on reporting. Fearing the potential for financial penalties and bad publicity, the city sought a partner that could automate ACA reporting without breaking a tight municipal budget. The city also sought a partner that could provide guidance for navigating the new and unfamiliar territory of ACA reporting.    

The Solution

Sovos ACA, which has a direct integration with the IRS for ACA reporting, enabled Oak Creek to automate ACA reporting and avoid errors. Sovos checked the validity of Social Security numbers for employees and their families before the city reported the information. Sovos also provided consistent support to help Oak Creek HR professionals through every step of the complex ACA reporting process, including tracking how much and when each employee was contributing to his or her insurance plan.

“Sovos saved the city a ton of money because if I had to spend all of my time working on ACA reporting, I wouldn’t have time to get a lot of other things done. Sovos definitely made reporting much easier, a much smoother process.”

Marie Lenda

Benefits Coordinator, City of Oak Creek, Wisconsin

The Benefits

Ultimately, the automation Sovos provided saved Oak Creek money by freeing its two HR employees to do critical work, including reading insurance contracts and helping employees with claims. Their work is often confidential, which makes delegating tasks impossible. Oak Creek, therefore, could not have completed ACA reporting without Sovos. However, with Sovos, Oak Creek was able to successfully complete reporting without errors, averting both financial penalties and negative news headlines. 

Why Sovos?

Oak Creek chose Sovos at the recommendation of the city’s insurance broker, who knew that the city, with limited HR resources, would need help with ACA reporting. Neighboring cities had already begun to struggle with reporting, so Oak Creek made a decision to seek a reporting partner. Sovos’ capability to verify information prior to reporting, along with a reputation for excellent customer service, factored heavily into Oak Creek’s choice.