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Benefit Plan Sponsors Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Employer Liability Issues

McDermott Will & Emery

The Case for the Welfare Plan Fiduciary Committee

Recent lawsuits filed against the group health plans of two large US employers underscore the importance of implementing formal welfare benefit plan governance structures that include fiduciary committees comparable to the...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

The New Fiduciary Rule (40): Rollovers and the Insurance License Issue

The Department of Labor’s final regulation defining fiduciary status for investment advice to retirement investors will be effective this September 23. Where a fiduciary recommendation results in additional compensation for...more

Stinson - Benefits Notes Blog

DOL Settlements Remind Employers to Avoid Collecting Premiums Until Evidence of Insurability is Approved

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced two settlements with major insurance companies this month that highlight the importance of employers avoiding the collection of group life insurance premiums from employees until...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Group Medical Captives, Level Funding and US Healthcare Policy

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a recent article in Managed Healthcare Executive, Peter Wehrwein examines the trend of self-funding of group health benefits by smaller employers who used to depend mainly or entirely on fully insured programs....more

Verrill

Cross-Plan Offsetting in Group Health Plans—The DOL Makes its Position Clear

Verrill on

Under Section 404 of ERISA, plan fiduciaries must act for the exclusive benefit of plan participants and beneficiaries and use plan assets only to provide benefits and defray reasonable expenses of administering the plan. In...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - February 2024

The February Monthly Minute discusses a class action suit alleging a breach of fiduciary duties in connection with ERISA benefit plan prescription drug pricing and the latest IRS guidance on defined contribution plan...more

Fenwick & West LLP

The Shifting Regulatory Landscape for Level-Funded Plans: An Alternative for Group Health Insurance

Fenwick & West LLP on

In the constantly changing health insurance landscape, level-funded health plans are steadily gaining ground as a viable middle approach between fully insured health plan and self-funded health plans—arguably offering...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

Managing Welfare Plan Risk: The Fiduciary Committee

Fiduciary committees have long been established in connection with retirement plans to manage the investment, legal compliance, and operational risks that can arise under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Unicorn, Ostrich or Okapi? Fiduciary Duties for Governmental Retirement Plan Sponsors

Bricker Graydon LLP on

Most retirement plan sponsors know that ERISA - the federal law that imposes duties (and liability for breaching those duties) on certain individuals and entities that are defined as plan fiduciaries – is the primary source...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Another 401(k) Plan Fiduciary Defeats Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims at Trial

Following a bench trial in a Pennsylvania federal district court in Nunez v. B. Braun Medical, Inc., 401(k) plan fiduciaries defeated a lawsuit alleging that the fiduciaries imprudently managed and paid excessive...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

New Proposed Mental Health Parity Rules Amid Report of Widespread Failure

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

On July 25, the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Health and Human Services (the Departments) released new Proposed Rules (Proposed Rules) that clarify certain requirements imposed by the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Better Than a Snow Day: The PBGC Provides One-Time Section 4010 Reporting Waiver

McDermott Will & Emery on

Acknowledging uncommon market conditions, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced Technical Update Number 23-1 (the Update), which provides a one-time waiver of certain reporting requirements for some...more

Brooks Pierce

Plan Sponsors, Beware This Benefit Plan Pitfall…

Brooks Pierce on

Do you know who is responsible for administering your ERISA employee benefit plans, including who has the authority to resolve claims for benefits under each plan? Do your plan documents reflect your actual administrative...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

Assessing Your Health Plan’s Service Provider Compensation

Based on new ERISA disclosure rules, now is a good time to review the compensation paid to your health plan’s consultant and broker. ERISA Section 408(b)(2)(B) requires brokers and consultants expecting $1,000 or more in...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Tolling No More: Preparing for the End of COVID-19 Emergency Declarations

On January 30, President Biden announced his intention to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and Public Health Emergency (PHE) effective May 11, 2023. Both emergency declarations resulted in various forms of relief for...more

Woodruff Sawyer

How to Choose an Employee Benefits Broker

Woodruff Sawyer on

The most valuable feedback is something you can act on. A broker who takes a consultative approach doesn’t just give you options but uses their expertise to provide actionable insights. Let’s face it—not all Human Resources...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

DOL Continues Active ERISA Enforcement and Focus on Cybersecurity Including Health and Welfare Plans

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) has continued to be active in civil and criminal enforcement investigations of ERISA’s fiduciary duties. This blog post details two...more

Brooks Pierce

SECURE 2.0: Recent Changes to Retirement Plan Laws

Brooks Pierce on

While most of us were busy preparing for the holidays and making New Year’s resolutions, Congress and President Biden were busy rolling out new retirement plan legislation. On Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, respectively, the Senate and...more

Williams Mullen

[Event] Benefits Forum 2022: Retirement Plans - Risks, Rewards & What's Ahead - September 22nd, Richmond, VA

Williams Mullen on

This hybrid event offers two options for attendance: in-person or webinar. Both options will have an interactive experience and SHRM credit, so choose the method that works best for you. Topics include: > SECURE Act...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Stay Tuned – the DOL Regulatory Agenda

The Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently published its Spring 2022 Regulatory Agenda, and here is a summary of several big ticket items: ESG & ERISA: Plan sponsors and investment professionals have been waiting for final...more

Miller Canfield

Sixth Circuit Decision Highlights Fiduciary Duties in Handling Premiums and Disclosing Information

Miller Canfield on

Key Takeaways - ..Mishandling of premiums can lead to breach of fiduciary duty claims under ERISA against employers. ..Information beyond what is required to be disclosed by ERISA may need to be provided by plan...more

Verrill

How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot with Your SPD

Verrill on

Benefit plan sponsors sometimes send out Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) having given too little thought to the legal consequences. Two recent cases illustrate how an organization can end up in serious and costly litigation...more

Fisher Phillips

DOL Announces Higher Penalties for Plan Compliance Errors

Fisher Phillips on

Since 2015, federal agencies have been required to annually review the laws and regulations they enforce to adjust applicable penalties for inflation. The idea has been to provide increasingly greater incentives for plan...more

Fisher Phillips

The Top 14 Workplace Law Stories from January 2022

Fisher Phillips on

It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

Qualified Retirement Plan Sponsors: Don't Forget About Summary Plan Descriptions

While considering year-end tasks and planning for the upcoming year, qualified plan sponsors should think about whether they need to revise and/or reissue their summary plan descriptions (SPDs) in 2022....more

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