FAQ: Missing fitness providers and temporary coverage

During the transition to benVitaal, two situations may arise for which we have put temporary solutions in place:

1. an employee’s current fitness provider has not yet joined our platform;
2. an employee’s current membership ends during the month, while the new membership starts on the first day of the following month.

For both situations, we have introduced temporary solutions to ensure employees can continue exercising as smoothly as possible. Below, we explain how these solutions work and what they mean for you as an employer.

Can my employees continue working out during the transition?

Yes. We have put temporary solutions in place so employees can continue exercising during the transition.

If a fitness location has not yet joined benVitaal, the employee can temporarily use our reimbursement arrangement. If there is a gap between the end of the current membership and the start of the new membership, we have introduced a temporary coverage arrangement with the fitness locations.

This way, employees can continue exercising during the transition without incurring additional costs. Below, we explain how both arrangements work.

1. Missing fitness locations and reimbursement arrangement

What happens if an employee’s fitness location has not yet joined benVitaal?

We are still adding new fitness locations to benVitaal every day, so the network continues to grow.

If an employee’s fitness location is not yet available on the platform, they do not have to make a different choice immediately. Employees have until the 21st of the month to sign up for a membership starting on the first day of the following month. This means their preferred fitness location may still be added in the meantime.

If the location has not joined by then, we offer the employee several alternatives.

What options does an employee have if their fitness location is missing?

The employee can:

• choose another participating fitness provider within the FiscFree/benVitaal network;
• ask their current fitness provider to join FiscFree and benVitaal;
• temporarily use our reimbursement arrangement and continue exercising at their current fitness provider.
• extend the relevant membership in its own administration until the end of the month;
• confirm via the link in our email that this has been done.

In all cases, we will continue working to add the missing fitness location to the network.

How does the reimbursement arrangement work?

If an employee wants to continue exercising at their current fitness location while it has not yet joined benVitaal, they can temporarily take out a membership directly with that location and claim the membership costs through FiscFree.

This option is available for a maximum of six months. During this period, we will continue actively working to get the fitness location to join benVitaal.

The reimbursement arrangement is therefore a temporary solution designed to prevent employees from having to leave their preferred fitness location during the transition.

Do I need to do anything as an employer for the reimbursement arrangement?

For you as an employer, the process is essentially the same as for a regular membership.

The employee receives information in the FiscFree platform about the available solution and the steps required to claim their costs. FiscFree processes the reimbursement with the employee on a monthly basis, while the process for you as an employer remains the same.

What happens if the fitness location joins benVitaal within the six-month period?

During these six months, we will continue working to get the fitness location to join benVitaal. We expect the majority of fitness locations to join during this period.

If the location joins within six months, the employee can switch to the regular route via benVitaal. FiscFree will inform the employee about this well before the six-month period ends.

If we are unable to add the location within six months, or if the fitness location decides not to work with benVitaal, the temporary reimbursement arrangement will end. The employee can then choose another participating fitness location within the benVitaal network.

What does my employee need to do to use the reimbursement arrangement?

The employee searches for their preferred fitness location in the FiscFree platform.

If the location is not listed, they can select ‘Can’t find the fitness provider where you currently exercise? Click here to see what you can do.’

From there, the employee is taken to a separate page explaining the available options and the steps they can take.

The employee is therefore guided through the process within the FiscFree platform and does not need to contact their employer separately.

2. Temporary coverage arrangement for differences in membership start and end dates

Why can there temporarily be a gap between two memberships?

With our former fitness provider BFNL, memberships could start and end on any day of the month. At benVitaal, new memberships currently always start on the first day of the month. benVitaal customers are generally very satisfied with this approach, as it makes administration easier and more predictable.

For example, if an employee’s current membership ends on 15 October, their new membership through benVitaal can start on 1 November. This creates a temporary period in which there is formally no active membership.

Is this situation permanent?

No.

The temporary coverage arrangement is a solution specifically for the transition to benVitaal. At the same time, we are working on making it possible for new fitness memberships to start more flexibly.

We expect this solution to be available within one to two months. Once it is in place, this temporary coverage arrangement will no longer be necessary.

Can the employee continue exercising if there is a gap in coverage?

Yes. We have asked the relevant fitness locations to bridge this period so employees can continue exercising. FiscFree reimburses the fitness location for the cost of this temporary extension.

We send the relevant fitness locations an overview of the employees whose memberships are due to end and ask them to extend these memberships in their own administration until the end of the month. This allows employees to continue exercising without interruption until their new benVitaal membership starts.

FiscFree covers the costs of this bridging period.

As mentioned, we are working hard on a permanent solution and expect it to be available within one to two months.

How do you arrange this with the fitness location?

We provide fitness locations with specific information about the employees who require temporary coverage.

The fitness location only needs to:

FiscFree and benVitaal then take care of the financial settlement. The fitness location does not need to submit a separate invoice or reimbursement claim.

Which costs does FiscFree reimburse to the fitness location?

We only reimburse the period that actually needs to be bridged.

For example, if a membership ends halfway through the month, we reimburse the remaining part of that month. This compensates the fitness location for the additional period during which the employee can continue exercising.

The reimbursement is paid for employees who actually take out a new membership through benVitaal from the first day of the following month. Employees who do not take out a new membership are not covered by this arrangement.

Do I need to do anything as an employer for this temporary coverage arrangement?

No. The arrangements and financial settlement are handled between FiscFree/benVitaal and the fitness location.

This allows us to make the transition as smooth as possible for both you and your employees.

Could an employee still encounter problems at their fitness location?

We do everything we can to prevent this. Fitness locations are informed in advance about which employees are covered by the temporary arrangement, and we have deliberately made the administrative process as simple as possible.

However, many fitness locations use their own membership administration and front-desk processes. Unfortunately, we cannot completely rule out that the arrangement may occasionally not have been processed correctly at a specific location.

If an employee does encounter an issue, they can contact FiscFree. We will help resolve it together with the fitness location.

What does all of this mean for me as an employer?

Our aim is to make the transition as seamless as possible for you and your employees.

In some situations, an employee or fitness location may temporarily need to take an additional step. We have introduced the solutions above for these situations. FiscFree supports employees and fitness locations throughout the process and, wherever possible, takes care of the administrative and financial handling.

If you have any questions about a specific employee, fitness location or situation, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.