Apple has announced that beginning April 4, the tech company will expand employee benefits for both full-time and part-time employees in over 250 stores nationwide. Some of these benefits will include sick days, vacation days, and paid parental leave. These changes in company policy come on the heels of
Articles about the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and other issues relating to employee benefit topics
Second Circuit Finds No Successor Liability for ERISA Withdrawal Where Employer Did Not Acquire Unionized Facility or Employees
On January 27, 2022, in New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund v. C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., the Second Circuit joined the Third, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits in applying the doctrine of successor liability to claims for withdrawal liability under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Private Equity Investments In 401(K) Plans – The DOL Says Not So Fast
Hot button ERISA fiduciary issues remain a focus for investment committees of 401(k) plans in 2022. From “excessive” fee litigation – including litigation over the duty to monitor the fees charged by various mutual funds made available to plan participants (the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed this duty in January 2022)
The 2021 Mental Health Parity Grades Are In – Everybody Failed
Most group health plan sponsors understand that the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires that coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders be no more restrictive than coverage for other medical and surgical conditions. In 2020, Congress changed the law to require plans to perform
Supreme Court Sends Case Involving ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Pleading Standard Back to Seventh Circuit for Revised Analysis
On Monday, January 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in a case of critical interest to employers offering 401(k) or other defined-contribution retirement plans. In Hughes v. Northwestern University, Case No. 19-1401, the Court voted unanimously to vacate a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals
Understanding the Multiemployer Pension Plan Construction Industry Exemption
The Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (MPPAA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA) progeny, can create significant unexpected liabilities for companies that have agreed to collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) requiring participation in and contributions to multiemployer-defined benefit pension funds (often referred to as Taft-Hartley Funds). However, a special exemption is available to employers in the construction industry.
New PCORI Fee Amounts Announced for the 2022 Reporting Period
The IRS just released IRS Notice 2022-04 that provides the updated fee for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) paid by fully insured and self-funded health plans for the upcoming tax reporting period.
As we stated before, even though the original PCORI fee assessments under the Affordable Care Act were scheduled
Making a List, Checking It Twice: Year-End Guidance on Drug Cost Reporting
Employers and their benefit administrators have more detail and a more convenient way to submit “top 50” lists and other data—but no more time to comply with—daunting prescription drug cost reporting requirements in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), under new interim final regulations.
It’s Almost the End of 2021. Do You Know Where Your Healthcare Dollars Go?
The CAA Transparency Rules Will Let Plans and Participants Know. The Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the IRS (collectively the Departments) recently released the Interim Final Rules with a request for Comment (IFC), Prescription Drug and Health Care Spending. These rules implement Section 204, Title II, another
Pre-Thanksgiving ACA Reporting Relief That’s No Turkey
Just three weeks ago, we wrote that employers likely would not receive certain Affordable Care Act reporting relief to which they’ve become accustomed.
But in a welcome turn of events, the IRS just released proposed regulations that make permanent a 30-day automatic extension for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to
Mental Health Parity – Don’t Be Left Out in the Cold!
News Flash: There’s no actual statutory mandate that employers offer group health coverage at all, much less coverage for specific conditions. However, federal law requires health plans that provide mental health and substance use disorder coverage to ensure that the financial requirements (like coinsurance) and treatment limitations (like visit limits
Fifth Circuit ERISA Decision Denies Widow Paid-For Life Insurance Benefits
On October 19, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a widow supplemental group life insurance benefits of $300,000 upon her husband’s death even though he had paid the premiums for the coverage for four years through payroll deductions by his employer, National Oilwell Varco. The case, Talasek v.
IRS Announces 2022 Limitations for Qualified Retirement Plans: Prices Aren’t the Only Thing Going Up
On November 4, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the 2022 dollar limitations that apply to tax-qualified retirement plans. With few exceptions, the 2022 limitations published in Notice 2021-61 have been adjusted upwards.
2022 Cost of Living Adjustments for Retirement Plans
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced its cost-of-living adjustments applicable to dollar limitations on benefits and contributions for retirement plans generally effective for Tax Year 2022 (see IRS Notice 2021-61). Most notably, the limitation on annual salary deferrals into a 401(k) or 403(b) plan will increase from $19,500 to $20,500.
The Pandemic Continues, but ACA Reporting Relief Does Not
As employers with 50 or more full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees are well aware, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (”ACA”) requires annual submission of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C with the Internal Revenue Service, and distribution of Forms 1095-C. These submissions and distributions are generally due:
Furnishing of Forms
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