Congress extended the availability of refundable tax credits for Eligible Employers who provide paid family leave or sick leave from April 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021 in connection with COVID-related illness. Under ARPA,...more
8/27/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Credits ,
Vaccinations
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) provides that, for the period from April 1, 2021 until September 30, 2021, if an individual’s Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) qualifying event is an...more
4/13/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
ARPA provides that, for the period from April 1, 2021 until September 30, 2021, if an individual’s Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) qualifying event is an involuntary termination of employment or a...more
4/1/2021
/ American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
COBRA ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health Insurance ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Pensions ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) provides that, for the period from April 1, 2021 until September 30, 2021, if an individual’s Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) qualifying event is an...more
3/26/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Notice Requirements ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
Thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”), employers with health flexible spending accounts (“HFSAs”) and dependent care flexible spending accounts (“DFSAs”) may adopt temporary liberalized rules to help...more
In this edition of our newsletter, we have summarized key third quarter guidance from the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), Department of Labor ("DOL"), and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ("PBGC"). As we look back on...more
10/28/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Executive Orders ,
Guidance Update ,
IRA Rollovers ,
IRS ,
PBGC ,
Proxy Season ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Self-Insured Health Plans
In the second quarter of 2020, we have seen employers faced with continued challenges as they manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses and begin the process of returning to normal operations. The flurry...more
7/23/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Guidance Update ,
IRS ,
PBGC ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors
As any employer is keenly aware, the administration of an employee benefit plan (especially a group health plan) involves a number of different deadlines imposed under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and...more
U.S. employers looking to reduce operating costs in the short term in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may seek to reduce or suspend their matching or nonelective contributions in their 401(k) plan....more
The Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) provides legislative relief to participants impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. A summary of key provisions of the CARES Act, based on the current draft,...more
3/27/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diagnostic Tests ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan ,
State of Emergency ,
Telehealth
As the Coronavirus has continued to spread, there has been guidance from various entities on a myriad of topics pertaining to employee benefits. Summaries and links to such guidance can be found below. This information will...more
3/18/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dependent Care ,
Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) ,
Emergency Response ,
Employee Benefits ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Essential Health Benefits ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
HDHPs ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service released the cost-of-living adjusted qualified retirement plan limitations effective January 1, 2020. For ease of reference and comparison to prior years, we have placed the adjusted limitations...more
11/8/2019
/ 401k ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
FICA Taxes ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
IRS ,
Medicare Taxes ,
Popular ,
Retirement Plan ,
Social Security Administration (SSA) ,
Wage and Hour
On March 28, 2019, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion and order vacating key portions of the Department of Labor’s regulation, published in June 2018, which had expanded the definition...more
4/26/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Vacated
On October 12, 2017, President Trump signed a “Presidential Executive Order Promoting Healthcare Choice and Competition Across the United States” (the “Executive Order”) to “facilitate the purchase of insurance across State...more