Individuals who are 50 years old or older may make additional contributions to 401(k) plans, referred to as catch-up contributions. Secure 2.0 included a requirement that starting January 1, 2024, only participants who earn...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (“Act”) was passed by Congress in late December 2022 and signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022. The Act, a $1.7 trillion dollar spending bill, contains provisions which...more
A recently published FAQ prepared by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury answers frequently asked questions regarding vaccine premium differentials and HIPAA nondiscrimination rules, as well as...more
On May 18, 2021, the IRS issued the long- awaited guidance on the COBRA subsidy and premium assistance credit available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 through eighty-six questions and answers....more
5/21/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
New Legislation ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
On May 10, 2021 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Title IX’s prohibitions on discrimination based on sex include discrimination on the basis of...more
On Thursday April 14, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor announced guidance for plan sponsors, plan fiduciaries, record keepers and plan participants on best practices for maintaining cybersecurity. This is the first time the...more
The Department of Labor recently issued FAQs addressing basic questions regarding the American Rescue Plan Act’s requirement that employers and health plans subsidize COBRA between April 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 for...more
4/14/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “Act”) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. As well as providing extended unemployment, the Act provides for subsidized COBRA, an increase in the amount of dependent care...more
3/19/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dependent Care ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
New Legislation ,
Pensions ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“Act”), signed by President Trump on December 27, 2020, contains several provisions affecting employee benefits....more
On July 8, 2020, in the consolidated cases of Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania et al. and Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, et al. v. Pennsylvania et al., the U.S. Supreme...more
7/20/2020
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employer Rights ,
HRSA ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v Pennsylvania ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump v Pennsylvania ,
U.S. Treasury
On April 30, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor extended certain time frames for special enrollment in a health plan, COBRA coverage, claims procedures, and external reviews for all welfare and...more
In the past few months, we have seen significant changes to the laws governing employee benefits, from the new hardship withdrawal regulations for 401(k) participants, to the SECURE Act, to the new individual coverage health...more
1/17/2020
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Hardship Distributions ,
HRA ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
New Legislation ,
Pensions ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Rates
On July 29, 2019, the Department of Labor issued final rules clarifying when an employer group or association, or professional employer organization (“PEO”) may sponsor a defined contribution multiple employer retirement plan...more
On June 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor, and Department of Health and Human Services issued final regulations which expand the options for employers to fund health insurance for employees. ...more
In Revenue Procedure 2019-19 effective April 19, 2019, the IRS expanded a plan sponsor’s ability to Self-Correct certain retirement plan failures. This expansion makes it easier for plan sponsors to fix retirement plan...more
2019 is the year of “tidying up” thanks to the popular Netflix show. Start the year off by reevaluating your employee benefit plans to determine whether they continue to meet the changing needs of your workforce while...more
2/7/2019
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Compensation Agreements ,
Deferred Compensation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Incentive Compensation ,
QMAC ,
QNEC ,
Retirement Plan ,
Rollover Equity ,
Wellness Programs