1,500+
compliance documents
written
Client
nearly every one of ours
Documents
SPDs, SBCs, SMMs
Challenge
If a Summary Plan Description (SPD) has more than 200 pages, is it really a summary? Over the decades since ERISA was established, the fear of legal risk has superseded the requirement for SPDs to be “understood by the average plan participant.”
The average American reads at an 8th-grade level. One study found the average SPD is written at a 15th-grade level, which equates to a junior in college.
Whether it’s your annual notices (GINA, HIPAA, CHIPRA, SBCs) or lengthier plan design documents (SPDs, SMMs, SARs), dozens of clients have come to us looking to simplify compliance communications.
Solution
Our solution to more effective documents like SPDs is simple: More summary, less plan description. But we also understand the need to keep it legally and technically correct. Our HR background, combined with our communications and design expertise, means we can write compliance documents quickly, accurately, and understandably.
We recently took a client’s SPD and reduced it from 200+ pages to just 72, with no pushback from lawyers or management. In Write On Target’s history, we estimate that we’ve written and designed well over 1,500 SPDs, SBCs, and SMMs.
Nowadays, SPDs have become larger than the plans they supposedly summarize. After years of experience, we’ve learned the secrets to creating a document that plan participants will actually read and use.
WRITE BETTER SPDs
We love to do SPDs, but if you’re unable to outsource to us, be certain you check this list to ensure yours is readable, easy to scan, and speaks to participants clearly and concisely.
It will make all the difference!
GET YOUR CHECKLIST