In the December Monthly Minute, we are wrapping up key benefits developments (including a SECURE 2.0 refresh, a look at HIPAA reproductive health care privacy, and the revised NQTL requirements) and offer action items for...more
12/19/2024
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Regulations ,
New Rules ,
NQTLs ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
SECURE Act
The November Monthly Minute kicks off the season of giving with SECURE 2.0 requirements for 2025 and the latest IRS retirement plan cost-of-living adjustments....more
11/20/2024
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Automatic Enrollment ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Compliance ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
IRS ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Roth IRA ,
SECURE Act ,
Threshold Requirements
The October Monthly Minute highlights two recent retirement plan cases, one in which the court sides with the plan and emphasizes plan administrative review over specific investment results and another where plaintiffs are...more
10/23/2024
/ 401k ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Disclosure ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retirement Plan ,
Statutory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation
The August Monthly Minute highlights new IRS guidance addressing student loan matching programs, HHS’s increases to civil monetary penalties and Form 5330 paper filing updates....more
8/28/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
E-Filing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Contributions ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Filing Requirements ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HIPAA Security Rule ,
IRS ,
Medicare ,
Privacy Laws ,
Required Forms ,
SBC ,
SECURE Act ,
Student Loans
The March Monthly Minute digs into an Ohio district court ruling that rejected application of a medical plan exclusion, missing participant guidance and related audit concerns, and responses to the Change Healthcare...more
4/1/2024
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Missing Plan Participants ,
Occupational Injury ,
Policy Exclusions
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
2/28/2024
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Drug Pricing ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
ERISA Litigation ,
IRS ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Savings Plans ,
SECURE Act
The IRS just couldn’t wait for Christmas to gift everyone Miscellaneous Changes Under the Secure 2.0 Act of 2022! Notice 2024-2 is meant to provide guidance on discreet issues to assist with SECURE 2.0 implementation...more
The November Monthly Minute digs into the new proposed LTPT regulations, 2024 benefit limits, and the NBA health plan fraud verdict.
Indigestion from Turkey and Stuffing or the IRS’ Proposed LTPT Regulations?...more
11/29/2023
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
IRS ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retirement Plan ,
SECURE Act
The September Monthly Minute highlights yet another tobacco surcharge case brought by the DOL, reminds plan administrators to prepare and submit the first annual gag clause attestation, and addresses the newly lowered ACA...more
The Senate ushered in the New Year with a bang by passing SECURE 2.0 on December 22, 2022. SECURE 2.0 includes many updates to the sweeping changes brought about under 2019’s original SECURE Act legislation. The following are...more
1/27/2023
/ 401k ,
Automatic Enrollment ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
ESOP ,
Health Insurance ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Life Insurance ,
New Legislation ,
Pensions ,
PEP ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
SECURE Act ,
Tax Deferral
The December Monthly Minute highlights the IRS’ decision to make permanent the ACA individual-reporting extension and EBSA’s restoration of $1.4B as a result of its FY22 enforcement actions....more
12/21/2022
/ Beneficiaries ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Final Rules ,
Form 1095 ,
IRS ,
Large Employer ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Self-Insured Health Plans
The July Monthly Minute addresses a steep settlement and corrective action plan resulting from a widespread HIPAA breach, along with recent employer-friendly cases that highlight judicial support for inclusion of actively...more
7/28/2022
/ 401k ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hackers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Investigations ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Malware ,
Penalties