The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) recently posted proposed changes to its Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) regulations. For the time being, these changes are presented as a “draft markup”,...more
Happy New Year! While many of us are thrilled to see 2020 in the rear view, 2021 ushers in a huge challenge for Massachusetts employers – the beginning of benefits and Job protections under the Massachusetts Paid Family and...more
The Department of Family and Medical Leave (the “Department”) has provided several updates and reminders to Massachusetts employers and employees regarding Massachusetts’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”), and we want...more
Earlier this spring, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (the “Department”) issued revised regulations for Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (“MAPFML”). The regulations impact employers...more
Under the Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L. c. 175M (“MAPFML”), employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new leave benefits and rights beginning January 1,...more
In a previous post, we covered the impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) on employee welfare benefit plans, programs, and arrangements. This post explains how this new law affects...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) is the third significant piece of federal legislation recently enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This latest law follows the Coronavirus...more
Given the possible health impacts of COVID-19, maintaining access to health care and insurance coverage is front of the mind for just about everyone. Continuation coverage under COBRA offers employees a route to continue...more
On March 12, 2020, the IRS issued notice 2020-15, providing that a health plan will not fail to be a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) merely because it provides testing for and treatment of COVID-19 without a deductible or...more
Under the new Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law, M.G.L c. 175M (“MAPFML”), employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new paid family and medical leave...more
Under the new Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L c. 175M (“MAPFML”), employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new paid leave benefits and rights beginning...more
Under the new Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L c. 175M (“MAPFML”) employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new leave benefits and rights beginning January 1,...more
On the heels of the welcome news that employers have three more months to prepare for Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (“MAPFML”), last week the Massachusetts Department of Paid Family and Medical Leave (the...more
The wait is over. Earlier today, June 18, 2019 (and earlier than the July 1, 2019 due date), the Department of Family and Medical Leave (the Department) issued much-anticipated final regulations for the new Massachusetts Paid...more
On February 25, 2019 the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (the “Departments”) published a request for information (the “ROI”) on grandfathered...more
On April 2, 2018, significant changes to ERISA’s disability claims procedures will take effect. These new rules will require all ERISA-covered plans which provide disability benefits to make significant modifications to the...more
1/18/2018
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Claim Procedures ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Denial of Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Final Rules ,
Plan Administrators ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retirement Plan
Happy New Year! It’s that time when we all vow to better ourselves in the months ahead. Resolutions abound, and they need not be limited to individual self-improvement. Employers too have many opportunities for betterment in...more
Hurricanes. Fires. Floods. Shootings. The evening news seems consistently laden with catastrophe.
In times like these, a federal agency called the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) often springs into action. The...more
The blood remaining in the umbilical cord after childbirth contains stems cells which may be used in a variety of medical treatments. Many parents of newborns are seeking to save this “cord blood”, either with the hopes of...more
When it comes to telling their employees about certain benefits, many employers have for decades (since 1974 to be exact) flouted a particular provision of the law with impunity. The law to which we refer is the Employee...more
Employers and insurers offering medical plans: take note! Two important final regulations issued jointly by the IRS, DOL and HHS (the “Departments”) apply to plan years (or, in the individual market, policy years) beginning...more
On October 29, 2013, the Massachusetts Connector released Bulletin 03-13, which sets forth a significant course change in the Commonwealth’s cafeteria plan, HIRD, and free rider surcharge rules....more
Around this time of year, employers who offer medical and other welfare plans to their employees find themselves swimming in an alphabet soup of year-end and open enrollment notice and disclosure requirements: WHCRA, CHIPRA,...more
Established as a part of the comprehensive 2006 Massachusetts health care reform law, the Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector (a/k/a the “Connector”) served as a model for the American Health Benefit Exchanges that are a...more
As we reported in our post earlier today, the Obama administration has decided to delay implementation of the “employer shared responsibility” mandate for in order to afford employers more time to prepare for compliance. ...more