Case Study: Brinker International achieves over $1.7M in savings with Alight Solutions' Dependent Verification Services

How Brinker International realized over $1M in savings with Alight’s Dependent Verification Services

Brinker International, a leading casual dining company with over 100,000 employees and 1,600 restaurants, struggled with rising health care costs and needed immediate, ongoing savings while preserving a competitive benefits program and minimizing compliance risk. To address this, Brinker engaged Alight Solutions to perform dependent eligibility verification using its Plan-Guard® ongoing verification service and a Plan-Smart® comprehensive audit.

Alight Solutions ran a tailored communications campaign, provided eligibility advocates and an automated verification workflow that minimized Brinker’s internal workload, and conducted a comprehensive 2010 audit of nearly 8,000 dependents. The program achieved a ~98% response rate, uncovered ineligible dependents consistent with Alight’s benchmarks (5–7% comprehensive, 10–14% ongoing), and delivered substantial savings—Brinker estimated first-year savings of about $1.7 million—leading to contract renewal and Alight receiving Brinker’s 2011 Supplier of the Year award.

Brinker International

Lara Kent

Senior Benefits Manager