DE Under 3: New WIR Reporter; Nomination for New EEOC General Counsel; ODEP “Disability & the Digital Divide” Report
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Missing Plan Participants
A little more than three years ago, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) posted cybersecurity guidance on its website for ERISA plan fiduciaries. That guidance extended only to ERISA-covered retirement plans, despite health and...more
All qualified retirement plans are subject to a myriad of requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is charged with enforcing the...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently entered into a settlement agreement with a New York-based insurer and third-party administrator (“Company”) of employer group health plans governed by the Employee Retirement...more
It looks like we may see a new fiduciary proposal this August, said the Department of Labor (DOL) in its Spring Regulatory Agenda. As Yogi Berra would say: “It’s de ja vu all over again.”...more
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
On November 21, 2022, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a proposed amendment and restatement of the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP), along with a...more
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) proposed updates to their Voluntary Fiduciary Compliance Program (VFCP), which would allow a self-correction component. The EBSA proposal includes a...more
Parties involved in a Department of Labor (“DOL”) Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) investigation often ask a simple question: how much information am I obligated to provide the DOL in response to an...more
Fidelity Investments recently announced it is making a Bitcoin account available as an investment option for 401(k) plans, fueling a debate about cryptocurrencies and fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA. In what might...more
The February Monthly Minute examines the DOL’s recent focus on mental health parity compliance, the Hughes vs. Northwestern University retirement plan fee litigation, and the latest COVID-19 testing coverage guidance....more
Section 202 of Title II of Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) added new ERISA Section 408(b)(2)(B) to be effective as of December 27, 2021. The new section requires persons who provide...more
At the end of each fiscal year, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) compiles the monetary results it obtained through various initiatives meant to ensure compliance with the...more
The Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) issued its enforcement fact sheet showing that EBSA recovered $1.9 billion from its investigations during the fiscal year ended September 30th, 2021, underscoring that...more
Revising the new fiduciary rule is on the drawing board for the Department of Labor (DOL). the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) addressing the definition...more
On this episode of Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion, host Brydon DeWitt is joined once again by Beryl Ball, Principal Financial Advisor at CAPTRUST, who explains the Department of Labor’s recent guidance for plan sponsors...more
The United States Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) announced on March 10, 2021 that it will not enforce certain final rules put into place under President Trump related to...more
Early Friday, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released Notice 2021-01 (the Notice) providing guidance to employers and COBRA administrators on the duration of the previously-issued COVID-19-related relief...more
At the 11th hour, the US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), with coordination and review by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services (collectively, the...more
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
On January 12, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a triple shot of guidance related to helping retirement plan fiduciaries meet their obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) recently finalized a series of rules viewed as key Trump administration priorities. The rules include: Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released an interim final rule related to a new disclosure that will need to be provided as a part of...more
BSA Notice 2020-01 from the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced important relief for plan sponsors in connection with authorizing plan loans and distributions...more
The US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance last week providing deadline and other relief affecting welfare plans and their sponsors and...more
On April 28, 2020, the Employee Benefits Security Administration issued Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01: Guidance and Relief for Employee Benefit Plans Due to the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Outbreak (EBSA Notice). ...more