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  • Navigating AI: A Guide for HR Professionals | Virginia Benefits Group

    What is AI? Artificial intelligence (better known as AI) is an umbrella term for a machine’s ability to make predictions, recommendations, decisions, and perform other tasks that would normally require human intelligence. Generative AI models, for instance, can create text, image, audio, and video in response to user prompts. ChatGPT is a kind of generative…

  • Caring for Your Mental Health | VA Employee Benefits Team

    Overview Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is more than the absence of a mental illness—it’s essential to your overall health and quality of life. Self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness. How can I take…

  • Protect Your Mental Health with an EAP | Virginia Benefits Team  

    Mental health isn’t just the absence of illness. It’s a continuum ranging from severe symptoms such as panic attacks and major depression to excellent mental strength and well-being. Sometimes you’re not ill, but you aren’t well either – and you need help.  If you’re feeling down about work or a problem in your life and…

  • 8 Unique Employee Perks That Don’t Require a Big Budget | VA Employee Benefits Team 

    Free and low-cost employee benefits are perks that don’t cost you much financially. These perks are often simple to provide and help enhance an existing employee benefits package. Including non-traditional benefits in a job offer shows employees your values; they’re a promise to both current and potential employees that you’ll support them and treat them…

  • Navigating the Future of HR: Leveraging LLMs for Advanced Skills Management | Virginia Employee Benefits Advisors 

    In our journey through the evolving landscape of the skills-first economy, we have uncovered the pivotal role of skills in shaping the future of work. Our initial article, “Adapting to the Skills-First Economy: An Introduction,” laid the groundwork by emphasizing the significance of a skills-based organization (SBO) and the transformative power of skills taxonomies. We…

  • Health Insurance Basics: Part 3 | Virginia Benefits Group  

    Insurance Costs Consumers typically pay the following types of costs when they have insurance. See Appendix A for examples of how cost sharing works. Tips to Know: Appendix A Examples of Health Insurance Cost Sharing This appendix provides some examples of how health insurance cost sharing works for consumers. These examples show different outcomes depending…

  • Benefits 101: What Is Hospital Indemnity Insurance? | VA Employee Benefits Agents

    No matter whether it is anticipated or unexpected, a hospital stay is expensive.  According to HealthCare.gov, the average 3-day hospital stay in the United States costs around $30,000.  Health insurance will cover some of the costs if you are admitted to the hospital, but you may have other out-of-pocket costs.  Hospital Indemnity Insurance can help…

  • Benefits 101: Personal Leave | VA Employee Benefits Consultants

    A better work/life balance is at the top of the list for many employees.  However, with the absence of nationwide paid leave regulations for American workers, employers typically determine the extent of paid time off for their employees.  In an increased effort to remain competitive and improve employee attraction and retention, a new survey found…

  • Benefits 101: Embedded vs. Non-Embedded Deductibles | Virginia Benefits Group 

    Everyone needs health insurance but many people don’t fully understand it.  One important concept to understand is your deductible.  A deductible is the amount of money that must be paid for covered services before the health insurance company begins paying for expenses. For an individual plan, the deductible is straightforward.  But family plans are a…

  • Health Insurance Basics: Part 2 | VA Employee Benefits Team

    Does a Health Plan Typically Pay for Services from Any Doctor? Not always. Some types of plans encourage or require consumers to get care from a specific set of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical service providers who have entered into contracts with the plan to provide items and services at a negotiated rate. The…