1. 3M United States
  2. Benefits Administration Vendors Transition
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U.S. Benefits Administration Vendors Transition

  • Going New Places; My 3M Benefits; document icon

    We are transitioning our administrative services for U.S. active and retiree health benefits, pension, 401(k) and deferred compensation plans from Alight (the 3M FIRST Line Center) to Willis Towers Watson, Empower Retirement and Newport, respectively. All moves are effective January 1, 2022, with the exception of pension, which will move to Willis Towers Watson in late summer 2022.

    These new U.S. benefits administration vendors will replace our current vendor Alight, their call center 3M FIRST Line Center and their website Your Benefits Rewards (YBR) which you may use for managing your 401(k), pension and/or health elections and Your Spending Account (YSA) which you may use for managing your HRA. YBR will be available for pension through summer 2022.

    If your retiree or dependent HRA account balance is not currently displaying on the Via Benefits website, please note that we are in the process of updating our system. You will receive a notice and there will be a message posted on the Via Benefits website when the data update is complete. Thank you for your patience.

  • fall 2021 on light blue down arrow
    • Via Benefits Open Enrollment event for Medicare and Non-Medicare
  • January 1 2022 on light blue down arrow
    • The recordkeeping process to administer employee health benefits moves to Willis Towers Watson.
    • The retiree medical administrative process that helps retirees find health coverage and process retiree health reimbursement claims moves to Willis Towers Watson.
    • The 3M 401(k) plans move to Empower Retirement.
    • Deferred Compensation which includes VIP Excess, Deferred Compensation, and Performance Share deferrals moves to Newport.
  • summer 2022 on light blue down arrow
    • The administrative process for the 3M Pension Plan moves to Willis Towers Watson.

US Benefits Administration Vendors Transition Announcement from Jon Ruppel

3M US Benefits Administration Vendor Transition Guide

Meet our new vendors

  • Empower Retirement
    Empower Retirement (Empower) is the second-largest retirement plan recordkeeper, helping more than 12 million people achieve the future they imagine. Retirement is all they do, with a mission of empowering people to save enough money today to enjoy a secure retirement.
  • Newport

    Newport is a leading retirement services and asset management firm specializing in the design, funding, and administration of deferred compensation plans for hundreds of the largest and best-known companies. In addition, Newport has been one of the most proven and trusted providers of deferred compensation plans for more than 30 years.

  • Willis Towers Watson

    Willis Towers Watson’s success as a premier health, welfare and accounts administration provider is built on its proven delivery record for clients and participants who count on the highest-quality customer service and outcomes. Willis Towers Watson administers benefits for hundreds of organizations – 40 percent of those organizations have entrusted Willis Towers Watson with their benefits for more than a decade.

  • Via Benefits

    3M has chosen to partner with a Willis Towers Watson service known as Via Benefits to administer retiree health benefits. Via Benefits is the leading private retiree medical marketplace in the country. With over 15 years of experience working with 700+ companies and over two million retirees enrolled, Via Benefits provides expert personalized support to help retirees understand and enroll in Non-Medicare health insurance and Medicare supplemental insurance options.

General FAQ

  • 3M is moving its U.S. benefits administrative services from Alight (3M FIRST Line Center) to three strategic partners: Willis Towers Watson, Empower Retirement, and Newport. This change is a U.S. benefits administration change and will apply to participants in 3M's U.S. health insurance, retiree medical and life insurance, 401(k) and pension programs.


    The administrative services for employee health benefits will move to a Willis Towers Watson service known as Via Benefits on 1/1/2022. Willis Towers Watson will also facilitate the 2022 annual enrollment this fall.


    The retiree medical administrative process that helps retirees find health coverage and process retiree health reimbursement claims will move to Willis Towers Watson on 1/1/2022. Willis Towers Watson will also conduct Open Enrollment this fall for retirees.


    The 3M 401k plans will move to Empower Retirement on 1/1/2022.


    VIP Excess, Deferred Compensation, and Performance Share deferrals will move to Newport on 1/1/2022. Newport will also facilitate the deferred compensation election process this fall.


    The administrative process for the 3M Pension Plan will move to Willis Towers Watson in late summer 2022.

  • 3M regularly reviews our vendor relationships to ensure our benefits programs and services remain competitive and to provide a great benefits experience for eligible employees, dependents and retirees.

  • Each of our new strategic partners is an industry-leading vendor known for their quality, customer service and expertise in their respective practice areas. Having more than one benefits administrator is also a common practice amongst our peer companies, particularly those who want vendors with uniquely high levels of expertise within distinct benefits plans. We expect consistently strong customer service, increased specialization, and solid partnership for all involved as a result of this change. While there will be some process changes, as a result of this move, 3M will still offer the same great benefits to our plan participants and will ensure easy navigation across all vendors.

  • The 3M benefits and sourcing organizations selected Willis Towers Watson, Empower Retirement and Newport due to their industry-leading positions in the marketplace, expertise in their respective practice areas and comprehensive end-to-end customer service.

  • While there will be some process changes, as a result of this move, 3M will still offer the same great benefits and wellness support and resources to plan participants.

  • Throughout the transition you will receive updates from both 3M and our vendors to help you navigate through this change. These communications will include information about the new vendor sites, key contacts, process changes, and important events as part of the transition.

  • All vendors have gone through 3M IT privacy and security reviews to ensure participant information is handled in a safe and secure manner.

  • Employees with questions regarding 2021 benefits should continue to contact 3M FIRST Line Center at 888-611-5500 or visit digital.alight.com/3M until further notice.

    Employees with questions regarding 2021 benefits should continue to contact 3M FIRST Line Center at 888-611-5500 or visit digital.alight.com/3M until further notice.

Retiree Medical & Life Insurance

  • The process that helps our retirees find health insurance coverage and process retiree health reimbursement claims will move to a Willis Towers Watson service known as Via Benefits on 1/1/2022.


    Open Enrollment for retirees will be conducted through Via Benefits for Medicare during October 15-December 7, 2021 and non-Medicare during November 1-December 15, 2021.


    The retiree life insurance claims process will also move to Willis Towers Watson on 1/1/2022.


  • To allow for a thorough transition of services, claim reimbursements may be delayed in early 2022. For that reason, individuals who retired prior to 12/31/2021 are encouraged to process any health reimbursement claims promptly with the current administrator, Your Spending Account (YSA), to avoid a slight delay in payment. If submitting claims through postal mail, be sure to use YSA’s new mailing address to avoid further delays: Your Spending Account, PO Box 64012, The Woodlands, TX 77387-4012.

  • If you are Medicare eligible, you can call 1-866-766-6019, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time, to speak to a licensed benefit advisor. In addition, you can visit my.viabenefits.com/3M to explore Medicare plans available to you.


    If you are non-Medicare eligible, you can call 1-833-414-1451, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time, to speak to a licensed benefit advisor. In addition, you can visit marketplace.viabenefits.com/3M to explore non-Medicare plans available to you.

  • While Open Enrollment will be managed through Via Benefits, you may choose to stay with the Aon Retiree Health Exchange or use other options. If you enroll using Via Benefits, you will need to select a new plan. Via Benefits will be the HRA administrator starting 1/1/2022 regardless of where you choose to enroll.

  • Via Benefits will mail a reimbursement guide to HRA participants in December with information on how to access your new HRA account.

Pension FAQ

401(k)

  • The 3M Voluntary Investment Plan (3M VIP) and Savings Plan recordkeeper is changing from Alight to Empower Retirement (Empower) effective January 1, 2022.

  • 3M regularly reviews our vendor relationships to ensure our benefits programs and services remain competitive and to provide a great benefits experience for eligible employees, dependents and retirees.

  • Empower is the second-largest retirement plan recordkeeper, helping more than 12 million people achieve the future they imagine. Retirement is all they do, with a mission of empowering people to save enough money today to enjoy a secure retirement.

  • As part of the transition to Empower, there will be a required period of time pertaining to administrative procedures where account activities are restricted. This is a typical occurrence when moving account balances to a new recordkeeper. Participants will receive separate communications related to this period. Empower will notify you by mail when the period has ended.


    During this time, you will have limited access to your account at Alight and no access to your account at Empower. You will not be able to make investment election changes or distributions until the period ends.

  • Yes. Beneficiaries will carry over when the Empower platform is live the week of January 9th. Beneficiary changes may be made in the new system the week of January 9, 2022.

Contacts

  • This document is not the official plan document for the plan, and in the event of any conflict, inconsistency or ambiguity between this document and the official plan document, the terms of the official plan document will control. 3M reserves the right to modify, amend or terminate the plan, in whole or in part, at any time.
  • 3M does not endorse or recommend any particular insurance plan. Individuals are encouraged to investigate individual insurance plans themselves and make their own informed decision about which individual insurance plan is best for them. The insurance plan that individuals select is their own individual plan and is not sponsored or maintained by 3M and is not part of any plan or program established or maintained by 3M. An individual plan is not subject to ERISA.
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