Happy New Year from Travis Software!

From all of us, we hope 2004 proves to be a great year for you and your organization. We have been working on a new release of TravisCobra for the past several months, and in March we plan to release that new version to users of the system. Since the programming for the release is now complete and the system is now in the final testing phase, we wanted to let you know some of the highlights of the new features we are adding to the system in this latest version.

Here are some of the more notable new capabilities which will be included:

1. All system reports will be able to be printed as is the case now, and/or outputted to an Excel file for easy modification/attachment to an email.
2. A new alternative file "key", a new 17-position "QBID" field, will be added as an optional, additional identifier for a PQB, and users will be able to search on this new identifier in addition to the Social Security #. It will have its own "Macro" in the system, so that you may insert it into letters as you choose.
3. The "Second Election Period" specified by the Trade Act of 2002 for Cobra QBs who become eligible for trade assistance has been added to the system. If a QB applies for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), the system will properly account for the timing of the new enrollment period allowed them for the TAA application, and will make provision for the 65% premium assistance which was passed as part of the Trade Act.
4. A new Denial of Coverage Letter has been added to the system, as specified by the U.S. Department of Labor in its latest COBRA regulations. System modifications have also been made which will trigger the printing of the Denial of Coverage letter when a PQB makes a late notification, AND we have added a new "Denial of Coverage" button to the PQB area for the specific recognition of a late notification or another reason that should generate a denial of coverage letter.
5. New wording changes have been implemented to system letters where State Continuation is indicated via the "State Specific Modules" to further coordinate COBRA coverage with state coverage. These changes will not overwrite letters that have already been modified by users, but a procedure will be included with the release that will allow you to learn about the modified letters we have made to our standard letters and implement the changes if you choose to do so.
6. More new letter wording has been added, including TAA letter wording changes to Noncommencement letter, Eligibility notices & the "DOL Model Notice" letter.
7. We have changed the names of two existing letters in the system to bring them into line with the naming conventions specified by the Department of Labor in its latest COBRA regulations. - The DOL Model Notice has been changed to the "COBRA General Notice" and the Eligibility Notice(s), which print after a new qualifying beneficiary has been added to the system, has been changed to the "COBRA Election Notice".

These changes, made to the system so that it continues to be the strongest and most flexible Cobra tool available today to help you administer COBRA and the various state continuation requirements, will also add significant functionality. The ability to output any report to an Excel file should provide an easy way to provide reports to clients or departments via email, and the new QBID will position the system to meet the ever-increasing number of requirements by states restricting the ability to identify QBs by their Social Security number.

We'll be glad to send you a Demonstration Version of this New TravisCobra - just call Travis Sales at (800)521-5409.

Again, Happy New Year.