Hospice Insights Podcast - Hospice Audit Updates: Hospices Fare Well in Federal Court
Compliance Tip of the Day: Assessing Internal Controls
Compliance Tip of the Day: COSO Objective 5 – Monitoring Activities
Hospice Insights Podcast - Election Inspection: Be Proactive to Avoid Costly Election Statement Denials
Compliance Tip of the Day: COSO Objective 3 – Control Activities
FCPA Compliance Report: Fraud Risk Management - Insights and Experiences with Peter Schablik
Hot Topics in International Trade - Let's Be Serious-Supply Chain Audits
Workplace ICE Raids Are Surging—Here’s How Employers Can Prepare - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®
REFRESH Five Tax Traps for Business Lawyers Advising Nonprofit Organizations
Hospice Insights Podcast - Hospice Audit Updates: David Beats Goliath
Compliance Tip of the Day: Middle Managers as the Eyes and Ears of Compliance
Episode 365 -- Four Sanctions Cases Everyone Should Know
UPIC Audits
Compliance Tip of the Day: The role of Compliance in Auditing AI
California Employment News: Taking Advantage of the PAGA Reform – How Employers Can Lower Their Risk of PAGA Liability
Auditing Your Hotline and Case Management System
Hospice Insights Podcast - Controlling the Narrative: A New Tactic for Auditors and ALJs
Improving Your Code of Conduct
Now Is the Time to Conduct I-9 Audits: What's the Tea in L&E?
Preparing for — and Surviving — an OFCCP Audit
On July 24, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a news release describing several programs available to employers, unions, and benefit plan administrators designed to strengthen protections for employees, while...more
On July 24, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced several self-audit and voluntary compliance programs across six of its agencies aimed at what the agency describes as helping employers, unions, and benefit plan...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced several self-audit programs to assist employers, unions, and benefit plan officials with voluntarily assessing and correcting their compliance with federal labor laws. One of those...more
For employers offering benefit plans, fiduciary responsibility is not just a legal designation. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, the fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began terminations of employees on February 20, 2025, with initial news reports of layoffs set to 6,000 terminations and a stated intent to downsize its workforce by upwards of 50 percent as...more
I love Las Vegas. Great restaurants, great shows, and five trips in a row without dropping a nickel into a slot machine. Why? Because I hate gambling. I hate losing even more. Honestly, just getting out of bed every morning...more
It is important for employers in California to understand what is permitted for wage deductions to maintain compliance and avoid potential pitfalls. Employers in California may lawfully withhold amounts from an employee’s...more
Can an exceptionally high absenteeism rate justify exceptional control measures by the employer? Late last year, unconventional actions by the management of a Tesla factory in Germany came under the media spotlight....more
As we move into 2025, California continues its trend of enacting progressive and comprehensive labor and employment laws. The new legislative updates span a range of critical issues, including whistleblowing, discrimination,...more
I work (outside of plan audits) on a flat fee basis. What I say is the price is the price. If I misjudged the value of a service, the fault lies with me. I still live up to the bargain I made....more
As we conclude our “Health Plan Hygiene” blog series, we reflect on the important insights shared about fiduciary responsibilities under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and highlight the risk posed...more
On Friday, September 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed that its cybersecurity guidance applies to all employee benefit plans, including health and welfare plans. In 2021, the DOL issued guidance providing best...more
It is the first week of summer, even though in Ohio the smoldering heat has made it feel like summer for weeks now. Summer reminds many of us of pool days, eating watermelon and corn on the cob, Fourth of July fireworks, and...more
On February 7, 2024, the IRS announced it has started the second phase of the Pre-Examination Retirement Plan Compliance Program pilot. (IRS Employee Plans News, February 7, 2024) Original Program Pilot - The initial...more
Beginning this year, plan sponsors may increase their qualified plan’s mandatory cash-out limit from $5,000 to $7,000. The increase was enacted by SECURE 2.0, and applies to distributions made after December 31, 2023....more
Employers are far behind the eight ball when union fringe benefit funds come knocking to audit or collect claimed delinquent contributions – and a recent decision from an Oregon federal judge means that employers could face...more
For plans that require an independent audit, the point of the audit is to determine the financial health of the plan to pay benefits to participants. One aspect is looking at the terms of the plan document, and making sure...more
Welcome to your weekly update from the Allen & Overy Pensions team, covering all the latest legal and regulatory developments in the world of workplace pensions. This week we cover topics including: PASA guidance on DB...more
Errors in retirement plans happen even to the most well-intentioned plan sponsors. Several decades ago, the IRS published the first version of the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution Program (EPCRS), which outlines...more
New direction from court rulings has caught the attention of employment lawyers, signaling that employers should be auditing and adjusting their pay practices. The rulings involve one of the oldest employment laws—the...more
Recently, the IRS released Notice 2023-43, providing interim guidance on Section 305 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, which expanded the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), the system through which plan...more
Welcome to Spring! We hope the new season finds you ready for the upcoming benefits changes that 2023 has in store. ...more
They claim that with the change in how we count participants, there will be 20,000 fewer audits. By counting account balances instead of those that are just eligible, it looks like CPAs would see a retraction of their...more
One question that often comes up is whether an expense related to an ERISA plan can be paid with plan assets. The decision of whether to use ERISA plan assets to pay an expense is an ERISA fiduciary decision. With the recent...more
On October 21st, the IRS announced changes to its qualified plan determination letter program. Most notably, the program has been expanded to include section 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans (“403(b) plans”). Although...more