On December 21, the House and Senate passed a $2.3 trillion omnibus appropriations and COVID-19 relief package, H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”). President Trump signed the Act into law on...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) provided employers valuable relief from the economic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, by creating access to loans under the Paycheck Protection...more
On July 8, 2020, the IRS released Notice 2020-54 (the “Notice”), which mandates 2020 W-2 reporting of qualified sick and family leave wages paid to employees under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act). ...more
The IRS recently issued Notice 2020-46 that provides for a special leave donation program available for the COVID-19 pandemic. This brings the total to three tax-favored leave programs that are currently available to...more
On Monday, June 8, 2020, the Treasury Department (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released Proposed Regulations addressing the tax treatment of amounts paid for two unique types of medical arrangements –...more
The House of Representatives recently passed a fourth round of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill – called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (the “HEROES Act” or the...more
6/1/2020
/ CARES Act ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pensions ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan
Recently, plaintiffs’ firms have filed a flurry of class action lawsuits against employers, alleging violations of COBRA’s election notice requirements and seeking statutory and other penalties. ...more
The IRS released two Notices this week related to cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements (“FSAs”). Notice 2020-29 provides relief for cafeteria plans in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and Notice...more
On April 29, 2020, the Departments of Labor (“DOL”) and Treasury (together, the “Departments”) issued guidance extending certain deadlines related to retirement, health, and welfare plans in response to the current COVID-19...more
5/6/2020
/ COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Relief Measures ,
U.S. Treasury
In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, many employees may experience financial hardship. For example, they may incur unexpected expenses as a result of COVID-19, including being quarantined or under a stay at...more
On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). ...more
On Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748, the “CARES Act” or “the Act”). The Act is the largest economic stimulus bill in American history and provides...more
On March 18, 2020, the Senate voted to approve H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”), by a vote of 90-8. The version of the Act approved by the Senate is the same as the version with “technical...more
In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 14, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”), by a bipartisan vote of 363-40. The Senate has postponed its...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Clinical Laboratory Testing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Public Health ,
Sick Pay ,
Tax Credits ,
Workplace Safety
In December, the IRS/Treasury (“IRS”) published final rules addressing how employers that fund health and welfare benefits through a VEBA (i.e., a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association described in Section 501(c)(9) of...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”), the largest package of retirement system reforms in over a decade, was enacted on December 20, 2019. Many of the provisions in the...more
1/23/2020
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Contributions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Final Rules ,
Form 5500 ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
PCORI ,
QACA ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Planning ,
Unrelated Business Income Tax
On Thursday, December 19, the Senate passed two spending bills to fund the government through September 30, 2020, one of which (H.R. 1865, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020” or the “Act”) contains the...more
1/10/2020
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
457(b) Plans ,
529 Plans ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Church Plans ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Lifetime Income Disclosures ,
Medicare ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Part-Time Employees ,
PBGC ,
Penalties ,
Plan Administrators ,
Pooled Registration Pension Plans ,
Portability ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
QACA ,
Repeal ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Small Employer Plans (SEPs)