Cutting Costs With Employee Benefit Plans (Part 3 of 5) – Medical Benefit Costs
Correcting Health Savings Account Contribution Errors
I-22- The Benefits of Benefits: A Roundtable Discussion on Trending Benefits Issues for 2018
On November 1, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2023-75, which sets forth the 2024 cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans. The...more
On November 9,2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2023-34, which increases the health flexible spending account (FSA) salary reduction contribution limit to $3,200 for plan years beginning in...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New IRS FAQs provide helpful clarifications on eligible medical expenses for HSAs, FSAs, MSAs, and HRAs (including the conditions for reimbursement of those gym memberships)....more
Happy Holidays! Employee benefits limits for 2023 have been promulgated by the government. Click the link below to view 2022-2023 comparisons of important employee benefits limits. ...more
As we approach our third new year since the first reported cases of COVID-19, related relief may seem like old news. Although much of the government-sponsored pandemic relief has expired, there are aspects that remain germane...more
GENERAL INFORMATION- Is abortion still legal in NJ?- Yes, abortion is still legal in New Jersey. Abortion is an independent and fundamental right protected by both the New Jersey Constitution and state legislation....more
In the first article of this Health FSA series, we covered how to determine if an employer’s Health FSA is discriminatory. In the second and final article of this series, we’ll cover what employers should consider if their...more
The Federal Vaccine Mandate - Preparing for OSHA's COVID-19 Requirements - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") has released an Emergency Temporary Standard ("ETS") regarding COVID-19-related compliance...more
Earlier this year, the Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2021 (the PHIT Act) was introduced in the U.S. Senate, where the legislation remains currently pending. If enacted, the PHIT Act would amend the Internal Revenue...more
On March 26, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published Announcement 2021-7, which notifies taxpayers that certain amounts paid for personal protective equipment (such as masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes)...more
The IRS recently announced that the costs of masks, hand sanitizers and other "personal protective equipment" (PPE) used for the primary purpose of preventing the spread of coronavirus are qualifying medical expenses under...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) contained temporary relief measures aimed at addressing unused contributions to health flexible spending accounts (FSA) and dependent care assistance programs (DCAP). On...more
On February 18, 2021, the IRS released Notice 2021-15 (the Notice), which provides additional guidance clarifying many open issues following implementation of Section 214 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). Section...more
In the fall of 2019, we reported that Vermont enacted Senate Bill 41, which granted the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (the “Department”) jurisdiction over entities that administer one or more...more
Following up on changes to flexible spending accounts (FSAs) implemented by the December 2020 budget bill (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021), the IRS provided interpretative guidance of its own in Notice 2021-15. ...more
You might recall that in December 2020, Congress passed the year-end funding bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), which contained provisions that provide significant flexibility for flexible spending...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the “Act”) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. Buried within its 5,593 pages is some welcome flexibility relating to 2020 and 2021 health care and dependent care Flexible...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the “Act”), signed into law on December 27, 2020, includes relief for employers offering Health and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Arrangements (“FSAs”)....more
This year, employers have been worried about the impending forfeiture of their employees’ flexible spending account dollars given that many employees couldn’t use those dollars throughout much of the year due to the closure...more
Happy Holidays! Employee benefits limits for 2021 have been promulgated by the government. ...more
On May 12, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued two notices permitting employers to offer new opportunities for employees to change their salary reduction elections under a cafeteria plan and avoid forfeitures of...more
The Internal Revenue Service recently issued Notices 2020-29 and 2020-33, which relax some of the rules applicable to cafeteria plans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notice 2020-29 will apply to the vast majority of...more
In response to the realization that many employees will have unanticipated medical and childcare challenges due to COVID-19, the IRS just provided employers with a number of optional amendments that can be made to Section 125...more
As employers start to think about asking their employees to return to work, in addition to all of the employment law issues, there are also employee benefit plan considerations. Employers need to consider all their benefit...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which was signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020, authorizes more than $2 trillion of economic relief for individuals, businesses and industries...more