A  Dependent Eligibility Audit (DEA), when DONE RIGHT, is an extremely effective tool for managing a plan's rising health care costs. At this point, every organization is in one of three categories:

1. Never done a DEA - Really? Why not? The cost-saving benefits far outweigh any potential employee relations issues, and when the audit is DONE RIGHT, there won't BE any employee relations issues!

2. Completed a DEA within the last 3 years - Excellent. Hopefully enrollment maintenance is going well, and after three years have passed, you'll be in the next category.

3. It's been at least three years since the last DEA- It's time to do another one. Repeat audits are even easier because, as long as the previous one was DONE RIGHT, there will be no need to re-verify dependent children. Marriages, however, need to be verified periodically, as marital statuses change over time.