The Department of Labor recently issued a new rule providing an additional safe harbor for electronic disclosure of pension plan notices effective July 27, 2020. Prior to the new rule, the DOL’s only safe harbor for...more
9/21/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Disclosure ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
New Rules ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors
This article addresses many employment-related issues facing employers in the wake of hurricane-related disasters; consequently, in addition to federal laws, we also focus on certain state laws, especially those in the areas...more
8/21/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Charitable Donations ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Data Privacy ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hurricane Season ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Relations ,
Medical Leave ,
Military Leave ,
Military Service Members ,
Natural Disasters ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unemployment Compensation System ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
USERRA ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas ,
Volunteers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Internal Revenue Service recently amended its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) to allow more retirement plan qualification failures to be self-corrected, including retroactive plan amendments. This is...more
There has been a surge of court decisions over the last year addressing fiduciary liability for welfare benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). These lawsuits should prompt you to...more
In the recently issued PLR, an employer sought confirmation from the IRS that its proposed Student Loan Benefit Program did not violate the “contingent benefit” rule found in the Tax Code which, prohibits employers from...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just issued new rules which will limit the contraception coverage mandate covering employers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new rules, released Friday, expand the...more
10/10/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Contraceptives ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Insurance ,
New Rules ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Trump Administration
In a unanimous 8-0 decision published today, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled that employee benefit plans sponsored by church-affiliated organizations will qualify for the “church plan” exemption under the Employee...more
6/6/2017
/ Advocate Health Care v Stapleton ,
Affiliates ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Church Plans ,
Churches ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Exemptions ,
Hospitals ,
Pensions ,
Religious Schools ,
SCOTUS
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) recently issued a final rule addressing disability benefit claims and appeals (see 81 FR 92316). The rule adds new procedural protections and safeguards meant to ensure disability...more
3/9/2017
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Claim Denial Letters ,
Claim Procedures ,
Denial of Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Exhaustion Doctrine ,
Summary Plan Description