Group Benefits Associate (GBAŽ) Designation

Group Benefits Associate (GBA®) Training

Searching for GBA training? Then you've come to the right place!

ABtrainingCenter.com offers Group Benefits Associate (GBA) certification courses for those individuals interested in earning the prestigious Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation.

About The Designation

The Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation is earned by individuals in the group benefits arena who complete the extensive four-course curriculum and successfully pass the examination.

The GBA designation helps professionals:

Develop strategic skill sets by attaining broad but deep expertise in health care, welfare benefits, and health economics
Provide greater value to your organization by broadening your exposure to a wide range of issues impacting all aspects of group benefit plans
Attain increased knowledge, a sense of achievement, a competitive edge, and industry recognition

Additionally, all GBA courses receive credits towards the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation.

The International Foundation, the largest educational organization in the employee benefits field, is responsible for the overall administration of the program. The Wharton School, one of the preeminent business schools in the U.S., oversees academic content and standards.

Designees must complete the three required courses plus one elective course.

Required Courses

Course 1: Employee Benefits: Concepts and Health Care Benefits
Course 2: Employee Benefits: Design, Administration and Other Welfare Benefits
Course 9: Health Economics

Electives (Any one of the following courses)

Course 8: Human Resources and Compensation Management
PFP 1: Personal Financial Planning 1: Concepts and Principles

Each course is designed for independent study so students can study at their own pace. Most candidates average 50-75 hours of study time per course.

Course materials include a Study Manual, Required Textbook, and Practice Exams on CD-Rom. You can take as many courses as needed, and courses can be taken in any order. There are no requirements to complete a designation.

Exams

Each course examination is two hours in length and consists of 100 multiple choice questions. Automatic scoring is provided at the test site.

Instructions for taking an exam will be mailed with your enrollment materials. A formal certificate is mailed automatically upon passing the required examinations for the designation.

Continuing Education Credits

GBA courses qualify for the following continuing education credits:

PHRs, SPHRs, and GPHRs
45 continuing education hours can be reported for each CEBS course.
Insurance Producers
Most GBA courses are accepted for credit in those states that require continuing education credit for insurance producers. Please click here for a listing of CE hours by state.
Certified Financial Planners
GBA courses are accepted for 36 hours each. No credit is awarded for Courses 8, Compensation 1 and Compensation 2. The original notice (with seal) from the computer based testing center is the certificate of satisfactory completion. The CFP application form must be completed and filed in accordance with all CFP Board deadlines. Application forms can be downloaded from the CFP Board Web site at www.cfp.net or obtained by calling the CFP Board office at (303) 830-7500 or (800) 487-1497. Contact the GBA Program to request a transcript letter. Attach a copy of this transcript to your CFP Certification Examination Application.

Available Training Options

ABTrainingCenter.com features several training formats for GBA training, including book/paper, in-person, and online for earning the Group Benefits Associate designation.

To find training for earning the GBA designation, search under "Designation/License" in the search box below for "Group Benefits Associate".

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