On May 28, 2025, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Compliance Assistance Release No. 2025-01 which rescinds the DOL’s prior Compliance Assistance Release No. 2022-1 which had warned 401(k) plan fiduciaries against adding...more
5/30/2025
/ 401k ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Digital Assets ,
Employee Benefits ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investment ,
New Guidance ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retirement Plan
The wait is over for SECURE 2.0, a long-awaited (and debated) package of retirement plan reforms. Today, Congress passed the “SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022” as part of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act; President Biden is...more
12/26/2022
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Contribution Limits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
New Legislation ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
SECURE Act
On December 30, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2021-03 (“FAB”), announcing its temporary enforcement policy for group health plan service provider disclosures under ERISA...more
1/24/2022
/ Brokers ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Compensation Standards ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Health Insurance ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Third-Party Service Provider
On May 18, 2021, the IRS released Notice 2021-31 (the “Notice”) providing guidance on the temporary 100% COBRA premium subsidy under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP”), summarized generally here. The Notice...more
The American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) offers a special 60-day election period for certain individuals who previously declined or discontinued COBRA coverage (“Assistance Eligible Individuals” or “AEIs,” as defined in ARP). These...more
4/22/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Special Election
The recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”) requires new disclosures for brokers and other consultants providing services to certain group health plans. Under the CAA, “covered service providers”...more
2/11/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Brokers ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Retirement Plan
The problem of “missing” participants and beneficiaries (individuals for whom the plan administrator does not have adequate contact information) is an ongoing issue for retirement plan administrators. It is also an area to...more
1/26/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Missing Plan Participants ,
New Guidance ,
PBGC ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors