There has been a shift taking place in ERISA litigation and compliance that could significantly impact group health plan fiduciary requirements. We anticipate group health plan fiduciary standards will evolve along the same...more
It may be an understatement to say that compliance with benefit plan laws and regulations is becoming increasingly more complicated. In my experience, the COVID era has brought about some of the widest-sweeping changes on the...more
As we approach year end, employers should give some thought to reviewing their PTO policies for the coming year. One of the most common tax traps that we see is employers offering employees the right to cash out their PTO....more
The DOL published on July 27, 2022 a proposed change to the QPAM Exemption (“Proposed QPAM Amendment”) that may require retirement plan sponsors to update their collective trust agreements in order to satisfy the new DOL...more
For many retirement plan sponsors, Form 5500 preparation season is underway. Plan sponsors should be aware that things have changed with the Form 5500 audit requirements and procedures. These changes push more...more
Some years ago, I published an article on the importance of understanding the tax rules applicable to equity grants, with a particular focus on being aware of the timing rules for filing an 83(b) election and the importance...more
We previously blogged about the new Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) reporting and disclosure requirements established by the Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2021 (CAA).
As a refresher, employers...more
We previously blogged about the new Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) reporting and disclosure requirements established by the Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2021 (CAA). As a refresher, employers and...more
4/26/2021
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Mental Health ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Substance Abuse
On December 27, 2020 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). The CAA provides relief for employees whose dependent care and health care FSA accounts were impacted by the pandemic. This relief will...more
The COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020, the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, and the No Surprises Act, all part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021), which was signed into law on...more
1/5/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Hardship Distributions ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan ,
Stafford Act ,
Student Loans ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Tax Relief
As with many of the issues at stake in the upcoming Presidential election, the future of how Americans will obtain healthcare is a core issue this November. The Trump administration previously outlined its view that...more
by Bret Busacker The Department of Labor has returned to the Fiduciary Rule once again with its third attempt to provide a regulatory framework that protects retirement investors while not imposing unnecessary burdens on...more
The US Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service published temporary rules that extend certain deadlines under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code applicable to retirement plans, group health plans, and other welfare...more
Employers required to provide paid sick leave or paid family medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act are eligible for a refundable tax credit equal to 100 percent of qualified leave wages paid by the...more
Following a vote in the US Senate of 90 to 8, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The Family First Coronavirus Response Act will require all group health plans (fully insured and...more
In the wee hours of December 2019, Congress revived the PCORI fee and filing obligations of employer sponsors of self-insured group health plans.
In accordance with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, employer...more
3/5/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Fees ,
Form 720 ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
IRS ,
PCORI ,
Self-Insured Health Plans ,
Tax Extenders ,
Tax Planning
The Internal Revenue Service has extended the due date for providing the 2019 Form 1095-C (applicable to large employers as explained below) and the Form 1095-B (generally applicable to insurance carriers) to participants...more
The IRS has extended the time for large employers and medical insurance carriers to provide ACA statements to employees and insureds. See link to IRS Notice 2018-94.
Employers (subject to the employer shared responsibility...more
If you believe your company was subject to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage requirements in 2015 (generally, all employers with 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees), please take note that the Internal Revenue...more
5/16/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Form 1094 ,
Former Employee ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
lia ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Tax Penalties
Beyond cutting individual tax rates temporarily and slashing corporate taxes to 21 percent permanently, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes new options in the taxation of certain employee equity awards....more