As new regulations kick in for 2017 and ACA reporting season is coming to a close, review all recent legislative changes. This webinar focuses on what you need to know for your 2017 benefits strategy.
Learn about new legislation from DOL, HHS, IRS, and EEOC. ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien will cover all relevant rulings since his previous webinar and host an interactive Q&A with the audience.
Covert Taxes: Spying Issues in Health & Welfare Benefitsbenefitexpress
Avoid a tax season surprise and make sure your benefits are actually beneficial to your employees. It’s time to ensure you’re keeping your plan non-taxable to your employees and tax deductible for you by learning:
- How to pass the Benefits Test
- Common pitfalls in nondiscrimination requirements
- Covered plans beyond basic health and disability insurance
- The best way to provide tuition assistance to employees
Get your maximum deduction come tax time while maintaining your top-tier benefits with this webinar, featuring advice from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien.
FSAs can do some heavy lifting for your benefits plan – they allow employees to save pretax dollars for healthcare costs without the price tag of other financial wellness initiatives. However, many HR professionals lack a deep understanding of the compliance requirements to offer and administer a well-rounded program for their employees.
If ACA is repealed, there will be significant implications for FSAs. Devise your strategy to:
- Accurately catch employee election changes
- Manage rollover requirements
- Determine who pays first – HSA vs FSA
- Understand COBRA’s impact on an FSA
Get coaching from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien on how to prep now for the legislative impact on FSA administration.
Proving Grounds: Answer the Call with Effective FMLA Administrationbenefitexpress
The DOL released a new employer guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act this year, but many employers have unanswered questions. Administrating FMLA is a tricky topic; learn to navigate the regulations with ease. From major regulatory changes to the day-to-day questions, HR and benefit managers have, ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien covers everything you need to know right now to legally administrate FMLA leave.
Open Forum: Achieve Compliance Success in 2017benefitexpress
As you begin next year’s benefits planning, are you sure your plan satisfies all requirements from the IRS, HHS, DOL, and more?
Come prepped with your benefits details in hand and check off:
Common errors in ERISA plans
Cafeteria plan pitfalls
Structuring your FMLA administration
Avoiding mishaps with MEWAs
Preparing a compliant COBRA strategy
In addition, get the legal answer for your plan questions from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien in this critical webinar.
Constructing HRA: Blueprints for Solid Administrationbenefitexpress
Learn the ins and outs of offering a private benefits marketplace for your employees, HRA administration, and various agencies regulating what's included.
Latest and Greatest in HRA's and Cafeteria Plansbenefitexpress
This webinar covers:
• New guidance in the Health FSA carryover requirements
• Can individual premiums be reimbursed under HRA's or cafeteria plans?
• New rules on integrated HSA's and standalone HRA's
• When are health FSA's subject to Health Reform?
• New reporting and disclosure requirements
This webinar covers a basic review of the requirements under ERISA, including: what is an ERISA benefit, what documentation requirements have to be met, what disclosure requirements have to be met, what reporting requirements need to be met, what is a fiduciary, and what are other requirements.
This presentation covers how Medicare affects employer health coverage in: Providing opt out amounts | Paying for Medicare for active employees | Electing COBRA
Covert Taxes: Spying Issues in Health & Welfare Benefitsbenefitexpress
Avoid a tax season surprise and make sure your benefits are actually beneficial to your employees. It’s time to ensure you’re keeping your plan non-taxable to your employees and tax deductible for you by learning:
- How to pass the Benefits Test
- Common pitfalls in nondiscrimination requirements
- Covered plans beyond basic health and disability insurance
- The best way to provide tuition assistance to employees
Get your maximum deduction come tax time while maintaining your top-tier benefits with this webinar, featuring advice from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien.
FSAs can do some heavy lifting for your benefits plan – they allow employees to save pretax dollars for healthcare costs without the price tag of other financial wellness initiatives. However, many HR professionals lack a deep understanding of the compliance requirements to offer and administer a well-rounded program for their employees.
If ACA is repealed, there will be significant implications for FSAs. Devise your strategy to:
- Accurately catch employee election changes
- Manage rollover requirements
- Determine who pays first – HSA vs FSA
- Understand COBRA’s impact on an FSA
Get coaching from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien on how to prep now for the legislative impact on FSA administration.
Proving Grounds: Answer the Call with Effective FMLA Administrationbenefitexpress
The DOL released a new employer guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act this year, but many employers have unanswered questions. Administrating FMLA is a tricky topic; learn to navigate the regulations with ease. From major regulatory changes to the day-to-day questions, HR and benefit managers have, ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien covers everything you need to know right now to legally administrate FMLA leave.
Open Forum: Achieve Compliance Success in 2017benefitexpress
As you begin next year’s benefits planning, are you sure your plan satisfies all requirements from the IRS, HHS, DOL, and more?
Come prepped with your benefits details in hand and check off:
Common errors in ERISA plans
Cafeteria plan pitfalls
Structuring your FMLA administration
Avoiding mishaps with MEWAs
Preparing a compliant COBRA strategy
In addition, get the legal answer for your plan questions from benefits attorney Larry Grudzien in this critical webinar.
Constructing HRA: Blueprints for Solid Administrationbenefitexpress
Learn the ins and outs of offering a private benefits marketplace for your employees, HRA administration, and various agencies regulating what's included.
Latest and Greatest in HRA's and Cafeteria Plansbenefitexpress
This webinar covers:
• New guidance in the Health FSA carryover requirements
• Can individual premiums be reimbursed under HRA's or cafeteria plans?
• New rules on integrated HSA's and standalone HRA's
• When are health FSA's subject to Health Reform?
• New reporting and disclosure requirements
This webinar covers a basic review of the requirements under ERISA, including: what is an ERISA benefit, what documentation requirements have to be met, what disclosure requirements have to be met, what reporting requirements need to be met, what is a fiduciary, and what are other requirements.
This presentation covers how Medicare affects employer health coverage in: Providing opt out amounts | Paying for Medicare for active employees | Electing COBRA
How Medicare Affects Employer Health Coveragebenefitexpress
This presentation reviews the topic of Medicare and how it can affect Employers Health Coverage offerings, including: employer secondary rules, COBRA, notice requirements, and reporting requirements.
Webinar: Mid-Year Election Changes for Cafeteria Plansbenefitexpress
Let's talk about cafeteria plans. When can participants make election changes?
While cafeteria plans can be a great option for employees wishing to pick and choose benefits based on cost, when and how to facilitate election changes outside of open enrollment can be tricky to navigate for employers. As the use of cafeteria plans continue to grow, we take a deeper look at the rules and regulations of these plans, particularly as they pertain to mid-year election changes.
Review all of the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Training will go over which employers have to comply, which benefits are subject to ERISA, what documentation employers must provide, and penalties for noncompliance.
This presentation reviews: what information must be protected, what policies and procedures need to be in place, what disclosures have to be given to employees, what agreements have to be in place for business associates, and what breach procedures have to be followed.
Review the requirements for offering HSAs. This will include what coverages must be offered, documentation to be completed, what rules the employer and employee must follow (including HSA employer contribution rules), and commonly made mistakes.
With Department of Labor audits on the rise, this presentation reviews all the requirements under ERISA. This includes the requirements for plan documents, disclosures and reporting.
The International Trade Council and TSI Present, The Evolution of SeveranceLana Mellis
Learning outcomes:
•Learn what a Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB) Plan is and how it works.
•Examine the advantages of SUB benefits compared to traditional severance programs.
•Discover why employers choose SUB-Pay programs.
Temporary Employees and the Employer Mandatebenefitexpress
This presentation reviews - when temporary employees become your employees, the factors the government uses to determine employment status, the steps you can take to avoid these employees becoming your employees, and consequences under Health Care Reform if it is determined that they are your employees.
The Marketplace: What Every Employer Should Knowbenefitexpress
This presentation helps assist employers in talking to their employees about the Marketplace. It will cover all you need to know about the Marketplace.
2016 Developments in HRA Administration: Reviewing Recent IRS Guidancebenefitexpress
This webinar reviews: the recent IRS guidance in HRA administration, when HRAs are free standing, what requirements must be met to be integrated, and HRA reimbursed Medicare premiums.
Independent Contractor or Employee: Avoiding the Game of Guess Whobenefitexpress
Uber is in the news for a multimillion dollar settlement following a dispute over whether their drivers are employees or independent contractors, and they aren’t the only ones. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor is one of the costliest mistakes an employer can make.
Sort out which your employees are and learn your options for reclassifying workers in the webinar you literally can’t afford to miss.
Are you ready for the upcoming 2014 provisions of the new healthcare reform act? Do you know what the implications are to you as a small or midsize company?
Our webinar will help you become familiar with upcoming requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Expect to learn the following and more:
What is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
How does an organization determine their 2014 cost to comply?
What should organizations be doing now to prepare?
New CA Laws and Regulations Compliance Overview AlphaStaff
As of January 1, 2013, the state of California has added and amended myriad of new laws that affect employers in a number of important and significant ways. Please join us as we review each of these changes and help employers better understand the impact and importance of these changes to their businesses and employees in California. Presented by Human Resources Account Manager, Rebecca McDonough, CA-SPHR
COVID-19 Health & Welfare: Compliance for Employersbenefitexpress
As part of our continuing ERISA Compliance series, we covered such compliance topics and more in our April 9th webinar discussing COVID-19 and updates from the IRS and DOL concerning the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
CDHP 101: Behind the Wheel of Consumer-Driven Plansbenefitexpress
The most effective benefits are the ones that fully engage employees - which is why employers are increasingly putting their employees in the driver's seat when it comes to choosing their plans.
"Cafeteria Plans" or Consumer-Driven Health Plans help employers efficiently offer tailored benefits to a diverse workforce.These plans can have immense benefits - but only if you don't hit common potholes in administering the plans. This webinar covers:
- A legal perspective on the pros and cons of CDHPs
- Compliance implications of using a benefits marketplace
- Best practices for administering a CDHP
Piece of Cake: Perfecting the Recipe for ACA Compliancebenefitexpress
Repeal and replace efforts have come and gone - it's time to prepare to comply with the Affordable Care Act for another year.
With chatter and speculation surrounding the ACA, it's easy to lose track of what's required of employers. Our one-hour refresher course covers:
- How to fill out form 1095-C
- Important filing dates
- Common compliance errors
- Penalties for noncompliance
Make this year’s ACA reporting a piece of cake.
Intertwined Guidelines: Untangling Your Enrollment Notice Requirementbenefitexpress
DOL, PPACA, ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA all have guidelines for enrollment notices - learn best practices for including the notice in your benefits strategy.
How Medicare Affects Employer Health Coveragebenefitexpress
This presentation reviews the topic of Medicare and how it can affect Employers Health Coverage offerings, including: employer secondary rules, COBRA, notice requirements, and reporting requirements.
Webinar: Mid-Year Election Changes for Cafeteria Plansbenefitexpress
Let's talk about cafeteria plans. When can participants make election changes?
While cafeteria plans can be a great option for employees wishing to pick and choose benefits based on cost, when and how to facilitate election changes outside of open enrollment can be tricky to navigate for employers. As the use of cafeteria plans continue to grow, we take a deeper look at the rules and regulations of these plans, particularly as they pertain to mid-year election changes.
Review all of the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Training will go over which employers have to comply, which benefits are subject to ERISA, what documentation employers must provide, and penalties for noncompliance.
This presentation reviews: what information must be protected, what policies and procedures need to be in place, what disclosures have to be given to employees, what agreements have to be in place for business associates, and what breach procedures have to be followed.
Review the requirements for offering HSAs. This will include what coverages must be offered, documentation to be completed, what rules the employer and employee must follow (including HSA employer contribution rules), and commonly made mistakes.
With Department of Labor audits on the rise, this presentation reviews all the requirements under ERISA. This includes the requirements for plan documents, disclosures and reporting.
The International Trade Council and TSI Present, The Evolution of SeveranceLana Mellis
Learning outcomes:
•Learn what a Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB) Plan is and how it works.
•Examine the advantages of SUB benefits compared to traditional severance programs.
•Discover why employers choose SUB-Pay programs.
Temporary Employees and the Employer Mandatebenefitexpress
This presentation reviews - when temporary employees become your employees, the factors the government uses to determine employment status, the steps you can take to avoid these employees becoming your employees, and consequences under Health Care Reform if it is determined that they are your employees.
The Marketplace: What Every Employer Should Knowbenefitexpress
This presentation helps assist employers in talking to their employees about the Marketplace. It will cover all you need to know about the Marketplace.
2016 Developments in HRA Administration: Reviewing Recent IRS Guidancebenefitexpress
This webinar reviews: the recent IRS guidance in HRA administration, when HRAs are free standing, what requirements must be met to be integrated, and HRA reimbursed Medicare premiums.
Independent Contractor or Employee: Avoiding the Game of Guess Whobenefitexpress
Uber is in the news for a multimillion dollar settlement following a dispute over whether their drivers are employees or independent contractors, and they aren’t the only ones. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor is one of the costliest mistakes an employer can make.
Sort out which your employees are and learn your options for reclassifying workers in the webinar you literally can’t afford to miss.
Are you ready for the upcoming 2014 provisions of the new healthcare reform act? Do you know what the implications are to you as a small or midsize company?
Our webinar will help you become familiar with upcoming requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Expect to learn the following and more:
What is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
How does an organization determine their 2014 cost to comply?
What should organizations be doing now to prepare?
New CA Laws and Regulations Compliance Overview AlphaStaff
As of January 1, 2013, the state of California has added and amended myriad of new laws that affect employers in a number of important and significant ways. Please join us as we review each of these changes and help employers better understand the impact and importance of these changes to their businesses and employees in California. Presented by Human Resources Account Manager, Rebecca McDonough, CA-SPHR
COVID-19 Health & Welfare: Compliance for Employersbenefitexpress
As part of our continuing ERISA Compliance series, we covered such compliance topics and more in our April 9th webinar discussing COVID-19 and updates from the IRS and DOL concerning the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
CDHP 101: Behind the Wheel of Consumer-Driven Plansbenefitexpress
The most effective benefits are the ones that fully engage employees - which is why employers are increasingly putting their employees in the driver's seat when it comes to choosing their plans.
"Cafeteria Plans" or Consumer-Driven Health Plans help employers efficiently offer tailored benefits to a diverse workforce.These plans can have immense benefits - but only if you don't hit common potholes in administering the plans. This webinar covers:
- A legal perspective on the pros and cons of CDHPs
- Compliance implications of using a benefits marketplace
- Best practices for administering a CDHP
Piece of Cake: Perfecting the Recipe for ACA Compliancebenefitexpress
Repeal and replace efforts have come and gone - it's time to prepare to comply with the Affordable Care Act for another year.
With chatter and speculation surrounding the ACA, it's easy to lose track of what's required of employers. Our one-hour refresher course covers:
- How to fill out form 1095-C
- Important filing dates
- Common compliance errors
- Penalties for noncompliance
Make this year’s ACA reporting a piece of cake.
Intertwined Guidelines: Untangling Your Enrollment Notice Requirementbenefitexpress
DOL, PPACA, ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA all have guidelines for enrollment notices - learn best practices for including the notice in your benefits strategy.
Healthcare check in the latest developments in health and welfare plansbenefitexpress
We work in an exciting industry—which means quick changes are the norm, and adaptability is a necessity.
Keep your compliance plan up-to-date with a download of recent legislative changes.
We'll cover legislation that's passed, what's on the way, and what it means for your organization.
Topics Covered Include:
• IRS Information Letters
• Tax Reform Legislation
• Wellness Regulations - EEOC, AARP
• Comprehensive Guidance on QSEHRAs
• ACA: Elimination of Individual Mandate Penalty
• Employer Tax Credit for Paid Family and Medical Leave
• DOL Annual Adjustments to Employee Benefit Plan Penalties
• “Good Faith” Penalty Relief
• Final Disability Claim Regulations
• Cadillac Tax Updates
• And More!
Presented by Larry Grudzien, Attorney at Law
Developments in Health and Welfare Plans in 2016benefitexpress
Kick off enrollment season with a comprehensive review of the legislative changes for 2016. This webinar focuses on what you need to know for successful enrollment and ACA reporting. Learn about new legislation from DOL, HHS, IRS, and EEOC. It’s a webinar you (and your compliance strategy) can’t afford to miss.
Health Care Reform Reporting: What you need to know to be ready for January 1...Tanya Gonzalez
When the calendar flips over to 2015, health reform’s new data gathering requirements for IRS Code Sections 6055 and 6056 reporting go into effect. Under these new reporting rules, employers with over 50 or over 100 full-time employees must provide information to the IRS about their group size and the health plan coverage they offer (or do not offer) to their employees.
Created by WEA Trust Vice President & General Counsel Vaughn Vance, this presentation helps explain to employers the changing health insurance marketplace. You'll learn about new fees and taxes, plan restrictions and employer obligations under health care reform.
This webinar covers:
• What are the new transition rules?
• Changes to the Employer Mandate
• Changes to COBRA notice
• What is new with W-2 Form and reporting
• What has been repealed or changed?
• When will new non discrimination rules take effect?
ACA (mis)Management: What Everyone Has Learned & the Game Plan for 2017benefitexpress
After our first ACA reporting season, it’s time to regroup and review what we’ve learned for 2016. The IRS is eliminating extensions and good faith efforts, raising penalties, and strictly limiting transitional relief.
With higher stakes, ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien reviews the changes to ACA reporting for 2016 and common ACA management issues.
Similar to Navigate New Legislation: The Road Into 2017 (20)
Plan Sponsor Webinar: Navigating COVID-19 for Employersbenefitexpress
In this webinar, we take a deeper look into how the novel coronavirus is not only affecting the way we live, but changing the way we work. From remote work environments, FMLA, contract agreements and more, we discuss how to navigate the changing workforce during this time of uncertainty, and answer questions to help you make the best decisions for the health and safety of your employees.
Medicare & Employer Health Coverage - a Coordination Conversationbenefitexpress
Let's talk about Medicare and Employer Health Coverage. The rules on coordinating Medicare and employer coverage can be complex. How it complements other programs (such as COBRA, HSAs and the ACA) are also areas of question for both employees and their employers.
Part of our ERISA Compliance Series, this webinar is hosted by ERISA Attorney Larry Grudzien and moderated by chief marketing officer Julia Goebel. This webinar will discuss the top wage and hour issues that may be unknowingly lurking within your company.
The Affordable Care Act touches the lives of most Americans. In fact, nearly 21 million will be at risk if Obamacare is struck down, and may even lose health insurance completely if the law is ruled unconstitutional. This webinar will discuss what the outcome may be if ACA is repealed.
Watch our free one-hour webinar reviewing the rules for the new Individual Coverage HRA and the new Excepted Benefit HRA (ICHRA and EBHRA).
In June 2019, Treasury, DOL and HHS released final regulations that are effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. These regulations created two new HRAs, Individual Coverage HRAs (ICHRA) and Excepted Benefit HRAs (EBHRA).
These new HRAs will be subject to ERISA and COBRA, but will not be subject to the nondiscrimination rules under Code Section 105(h). Any employer can offer these new HRAs to their employees. They can be offered to common law employees, but cannot be offered to self-employed individuals, partners and more than 2% S-Corporation shareholders.
Facilitated by ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien, and moderated by Chief Marketing Officer Julia Goebel, this webinar will cover the following:
-Why are these new HRAs so important?
-Which employees can be included or excluded
-What documentation is needed to be completed by employers to adopt them
-What reporting and disclosure requirements must be met
-What types of expenses can be reimbursed
-The pros and cons of establishing and participating in these new HRAs for employers
In today's multi-generational workforce, health and wellness benefits are weighted equally with salary expectations. This is why it's important for small and large businesses alike to embrace health and wellness benefits to recruit top talent as well as retain valued employees.
While offering these benefits has been shown to improve employee engagement and productivity, it comes with some challenges. This webinar reviews common questions human resources professionals confront when offering health and welfare benefits to employees.
Facilitated by ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien, this webinar covers the following:
- Questions Surrounding Tax
- Reporting Disclosures
- ERISA, COBRA & FMLA
- Workers Compensation
- Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Benefits are a critical piece of an employee compensation package, with health care benefits reigning most important. Whether you're already offering these benefits or considering adding them to your benefits offerings, view our webinar to learn more and remain competitive in the talent marketplace.
How to Administer Wellness Programs in Today's Regulatory Environmentbenefitexpress
Are you struggling to make sense of the recent legislative updates surrounding employer sponsored wellness programs? Perhaps you are trying to decide whether to continue with current wellness plans, modify your plans without guidance from the EEOC, postpone new wellness programs or discontinue them all together.
It’s a complicated landscape ripe with several options for “next steps” for employees and plan sponsors of wellness plans in 2019 — with perhaps the biggest barrier of all being that employers cannot measure the risk of wellness plans at this time.
To help guide you through this maze of options, watch our one-hour webinar on-demand to learn what rules remain after the EEOC’s regulations were found invalid and what rules have to be met in 2019 in order to offer a valid wellness program.
How to administer wellness programs in today's regulatory environment
This webinar covers:
Requirements under HIPAA
Requirements under the Internal Revenue Code
Requirements under ERISA
Requirements under GINA
Requirements under ADA
Requirements under ACA
HIPAA Training: Privacy Review and Audit Survival Guidebenefitexpress
HIPAA Privacy Overview for Employers. Review a helpful checklist of requirements an employer must adopt to stay compliant with HIPAA and to survive an audit by Health and Human Services (HHS).
Webinar | Texas vs. United States - The Repeal of ACA?benefitexpress
Recently a Federal District Court held in Texas, et al. v. United States of America, et al. that the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, and that the other provisions in the ACA are invalid because they are inseverable from the individual mandate.
Our ACA compliance webinar reviews:
- What the Federal District Court decided.
- The basis for the decision.
- The impact of the decision.
- What may happen over the next months or year.
- What Congress may do to address the situation.
Healthcare Check-in: The Latest Developments in Health and Welfare Plansbenefitexpress
We work in an exciting industry – which means quick changes are the norm, and adaptability is a necessity. Keep your compliance plans up to date with a download of all legislative changes since our last update webinar. This webinar covered legislation that's passed in the last six months, what's on the way, and what it means for your organization.
Webinar | From Analysis to Action: How Personalization Can Lower Employer Cos...benefitexpress
Personalization is everywhere – from Amazon to Spotify, and is now the expectation for consumers. Personalization in benefits elections is also the new normal, thanks to decision support tools and data analytics. Modern decision support tools draw on data points including demographics, preferences and medical need, all highly relevant towards personalization ... as opposed to the "one-size fits all" modeler of the past that relied on strict business rules.
Using data to advise clients can be a game changer for a broker. With analytics, you can quantify your benefit plan suggestions based on hard evidence, and advise based on unbiased data versus mere opinion. But where does this data come from? And how do you know which data to use?
This webinar shows how decision support tools can provide data to simplify health benefit decisions, allowing employees to feel more confident in their decisions, leading to lower costs for employers and client retention for brokers as a result.
In this webinar, brokers will learn how decision support analytics can reinforce their role as a trusted adviser by:
• Helping employer clients understand which health plans and programs are being used and which ones are the most cost-effective
• Minimizing the number of employees who are over-insured or under-insured, helping to save on annual and long-term costs for healthcare premiums, leading to better client retention over time
• Supporting healthy employee behaviors, resulting in lower health care expenses overall
FSAs can do some heavy lifting for your benefits plan – they allow employees to save pretax dollars for healthcare costs without the price tag of other financial wellness initiatives.
However, many HR professionals lack a deep understanding of the compliance requirements to offer and administer a well-rounded program for their employees. Engage your employees with a financial wellness benefit that works.
Key webinar takeaways:
- How different types of FSAs interact with benefit plans as a whole
- FSA and reimbursement limits for 2018
- Legal implications of offering an FSA to employees
- Best practices for administering a successful FSA benefit plan
Webinar | COBRA Pitfalls: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Thembenefitexpress
Leaving the organization isn't the end of the benefits cycle for employees. This webinar focuses on how to avoid one of the most common compliance pitfalls in benefits ... COBRA administration.
Some of the top takeaways were:
• The basics of successful COBRA administration
• Required notices associated with COBRA coverage
• How Medicare interacts with COBRA for employees and dependents
• Penalties for noncompliance
Smooth and successful off-boarding of departing employees is as important as well-planned on-boarding of new hires. Log on to your roadmap for a smooth ride into COBRA compliance.
Webinar | Clients Calling “Mayday”? Design a Benefits Technology Strategy to ...benefitexpress
Benefits administration can be a delicate, and even difficult balancing act for employers. From managing costs and administrative demands, to maintaining compliance, and integrating with workforce wellness plans, it’s not surprising that three in four employers called “mayday” and turned to benefits administration outsourcing in 2017. With the administrative difficulty level rising, and advisory competition increasing, it is now critical to become the partner of choice to relieve this distress. But how?
Join Scott Evans, chief product officer at benefitexpress, this May Day, as he guides benefits advisers through the top considerations for building, buying or borrowing benefits administration technology solutions to offer clients. If you and your clients have benefits technology questions, Scott has answers.
Webinar takeaways include:
• How to assess your readiness: learn and identify the benefits administration business model that is right for you
• Key criteria for evaluating potential benefits technology partners, plus a valuable checklist
• How to create a benefits technology strategy for your business which is seen as an imperative – not a “value-add” – by your clients
• Tips for staying competitive in a changing market, using your solutions portfolio
Webinar | Training the Technique: Advanced ERISA Compliancebenefitexpress
If your organization offers any form of retirement plan, chances are you have questions about ERISA. This advanced compliance training will go beyond the basics of the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
Attend our one-hour training to learn:
- Which employers are affected by ERISA regulations
- Which benefits plans are subject to ERISA
- What documentation employers must provide to prove
compliance
- Penalties for noncompliance
ERISA attorney Larry Grudzien will share industry inside knowledge to help participants ensure total compliance with ERISA regulations.
Factors of Self-Funding: Evaluating the Pros and Consbenefitexpress
In a changing healthcare landscape, employers are increasingly considering taking the funding of their healthcare benefits into their own hands. If you're one of them, this webinar is the one-hour guide you must see.
Participants will learn:
- The legal implications associated with self-funding
- Common administrative pitfalls
- Solving employee issues involved in self-funded plans
- A full overview of laws and regulations governing self-funding
Our compliance expert will weigh in during a compact, one-hour guide.
68% of employees would prefer to enroll online
...but only 38% of employers believe that.
Join our panelists in a discussion about the benefits of switching to a digital enrollment platform - complete with examples and case studies to support successful online enrollment.
2. • Delay of Overtime Rules
• Form 1095-C
• Qualified Small Employer HRAs
• Extend Enhanced Procedures Rules For Disability Benefits
• Premium Credits and Delays on Affordability Implications of Opt-Out Payments
• Final Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018
• Court Blocks Enforcement of Section 1557 Nondiscrimination Regulations on Gender
Identity and Termination of Pregnancy
• Annual Adjustment to Penalties
• Additional Guidance Issued On HRA Integration
• First Series of Trump Executive Orders
• Tax Treatment of Benefits Paid by Fixed-Indemnity Health Plan
• Second set of Trump Executive Orders
Copyright 2016 – Not to be reproduced without express permission of Benefit Express Services, LLC 2
Agenda
4. A federal judge issued a nationwide injunction blocking a
sweeping regulation set to qualify millions more Americans
for overtime pay Dec. 1.
The rule would require employers to start paying overtime to
workers earning salaries of less than $47,476 a year-a
threshold the business community and many states say is
too big a jump from the current $23,660 last updated in
2004.
Copyright 2016 – Not to be reproduced without express permission of Benefit Express Services, LLC 4
Nationwide Injunction Issued
5. • Even without court action, the fate of the rule has been far from
assured as it also faces a possible strong challenge from Donald
Trump, the president-elect who has vowed to roll back business
regulations.
• The lawsuit originally filed by the states alleged that a mechanism
in the rule that automatically will increase the overtime threshold
every three years was finalized without going through a rule-
making process plaintiffs contend is required by law.
• The plaintiffs said that step -- an unprecedented move made by the
Labor Department-means stakeholders won't have the chance to
provide their input before the massive changes take effect.
Copyright 2016 – Not to be reproduced without express permission of Benefit Express Services, LLC 5
Nationwide Injunction Issued
7. The deadline for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to
individuals is extended by 30 days, from January 31 to
March 2, 2017.
Due to this automatic extension, no further extension may
be obtained by application to the IRS, and the IRS will not
formally respond to any previously submitted deadline
extension requests relating to 2016 statements.
Copyright 2016 – Not to be reproduced without express permission of Benefit Express Services, LLC 7
Deadline Extended for Furnishing
8. • The notice does not extend the due date for filing Forms
1094-B and 1094-C (and accompanying Forms 1095) with
the IRS.
• The deadline remains February 28, 2017 for paper filings,
and March 31, 2017 for electronic filings. (Electronic filing
is mandatory for entities required to file 250 or more Forms
1095.)
• Filers may obtain an automatic 30-day extension by filing
Form 8809 on or before the regular due date.
Copyright 2016 – Not to be reproduced without express permission of Benefit Express Services, LLC 8
Due Date for Filing with IRS
9. • The IRS will again provide penalty relief for entities that can show they have
made good faith efforts at compliance.
• No penalties will be imposed on entities that report incorrect or incomplete
information—either on statements furnished to individuals or returns filed with
the IRS—if they can show they made good faith efforts to comply with the
reporting requirements.
• The notice specifies that the relief applies to missing and inaccurate taxpayer
identification numbers and dates of birth, as well as other required information.
• Penalty relief is not available to entities that fail to furnish statements or file
returns, miss an applicable deadline, or are otherwise not making good faith
efforts to comply.
• Evidence of good faith efforts may include gathering necessary data and
transmitting it to a third party to prepare the required reports, testing the ability
to transmit data to the IRS, and taking steps to ensure compliance for 2017.
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Good Faith Effort
11. Employers may adopt this HRA plan design starting
with plan years that begin on or after January 1,
2017.
Effective Date
12. For an employer to qualify to offer this plan design, an
employer must:
• Employ less than 50 full time employees and full time
equivalent employees (determined in the previous
calendar year)
• Not offer a group health plan
• Offer the HRA on the same terms to all eligible employees
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Eligible Employers
13. Employers may design this plan to exclude certain employees
from participating.
They are:
• Employees who have not completed 90 days of service
• Part-time (less than 35 hours) and seasonal employees (work
less than 9 months)
• Employees under age 25
• Union employees
• Certain non-resident aliens
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Excludible Employees
14. • $4,950 for single
• $10,000 for family per plan year
• Prorated for those employees who work part of the year
• Just employer contributions – no Salary reductions are allowed
• The employer can vary the amount of reimbursements available under the
arrangement based on age of the eligible employee (and family members if
the arrangement covers family members) or the number of family members of
the employee covered under the arrangement.
• Any such variation must be made in accordance with the variation in price of
an insurance policy in the relevant individual health insurance market.
• For this purpose, any variation must be determined by reference to the same
insurance policy with respect to all eligible employees.
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Reimbursement Limit & Proration
15. This HRA may be designed to reimburse for all
Code Section 213(d) medical expenses and/or
individual health insurance premiums.
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Reimbursable Expenses
16. • An employee must show proof that they are covered under a
minimum essential health plan when enrolling.
• After enrollment, the employee must provide the following as proof
of continued coverage in order to receive tax-free reimbursement:
• Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for Code §213(d) medical expenses
• Monthly Premium bill for Individual health insurance premium
expenses
• Participants may be taxed on their reimbursements if the
participant is not covered by their minimum essential coverage for
any month during the plan year.
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Condition to Receive Tax-Free Reimbursements
17. • An employer must provide an annual written notice 90 days in
advance of the plan year or the employee’s initial eligibility date.
• This notice must be provided to all eligible employees.
• The notice must:
Contain the amount of HRA benefit available
Instruct employees to provide the amount of HRA benefit available to the
public exchange if the employee is applying for a premium tax credit
Warn employees that their reimbursements may be taxable if the employee
does not have minimum essential coverage for any month
• Failure to provide this notice can trigger a penalty of $50 per
employee, up to $2,500 per year.
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Notice Requirement
18. • An employee who is provided this HRA is not eligible for a
premium tax credit if this HRA is “affordable.”
• Affordability for this purpose is computed in a manner
similar for other employer coverage.
• This HRA is considered affordable for a month if excess of
the self-only premium under the second lowest cost silver
plan offered in the relevant individual health insurance
market over 1/12 of the employee’s permitted benefit
under this HRA does not exceed 1/12 of 9.69 percent of
the employee’s household income.
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Coordination with Premium Tax Credits
20. • Denial notices must explain the reason for not following a
disability determination made by the Social Security
Administration, but in a change from the proposal, no
explanation is needed for not following determinations by other
disability benefit payers.
• Denial notices must discuss the basis for disagreement with
advice obtained on behalf of the plan from medical or vocational
experts, regardless of whether the advice was relied on in
making the benefit determination.
• A requirement added a requirement that a notice of denial on
appeal must describe any plan-imposed deadline for filing a
lawsuit—including specifying the expiration date.
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Notice of Adverse Benefit Determination
21. Reflecting comments noting that vocational experts often
play a role similar to that of medical or health care
professionals in analyzing disability claims, the final
regulations add vocational experts to the list of individuals
who must be insulated from conflicts of interest.
The preamble notes that the need for independence and
impartiality is not limited to final decision-makers; rather, it
includes others who may support the benefit denials.
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Independence and Impartiality
22. Premium Credits and Delays on
Affordability Implications of Opt-Out
Payments
23. • Final regulations clarify and expand on the existing exception to the
affordability requirement if an employee intentionally or recklessly
disregards the facts in providing information about employer coverage to
an Exchange in order to receive an advance payment of the premium tax
credit.
• The IRS will enforce the intentional or reckless disregard standard during
the examination of an individual’s return, and will apply it where the
individual knowingly provides inaccurate information to the Exchange or
makes little or no effort to determine whether the information provided is
accurate under circumstances that “demonstrate a substantial deviation
from the standard of conduct a reasonable person would observe.”
• An individual is only responsible for the information that he or she
provides to the Exchange and is not liable for inaccurate information
provided by third parties, such as an employer.
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Inaccurate Affordability Information
24. • Employees are considered eligible for affordable, minimum
value coverage under an employer-sponsored plan (and
are ineligible for premium tax credits) if they have an
annual opportunity to enroll.
• Individuals who decline to enroll in employer-sponsored
coverage are considered eligible for the coverage only for
the remainder of that plan year.
• If not provided another opportunity to enroll at the end of
the plan year, they are no longer considered eligible for
employer-sponsored coverage and become eligible for the
premium tax credit.
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No Annual Enrollment Opportunity
25. • The regulations do not finalize the proposed rules on the affordability
implications of arrangements under which employers make available
additional compensation to employees who decline the employer’s
health plan coverage (referred to as “opt-out payments”).
• If employer coverage is not affordable because the amount of the
available opt-out payment increases the employee’s required
contribution, more employees can become eligible for premium tax
credits, thus exposing more ALEs to potential Code § 4980H(b)
penalties.
• The IRS is still examining the issues raised by opt-out arrangements
and expects to finalize those proposed regulations separately.
• Meanwhile, the transition relief outlined in IRS Notice 2015-87 and the
preamble to the proposed regulations continues to apply.
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Opt-Out Arrangements
27. HHS has increased the maximum annual limitation
on cost-sharing for 2018 to $7,350 for individual
coverage and $14,700 for family coverage
(compared to $7,150 and $14,300, respectively, for
2017).
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Increased Annual Cost-Sharing Limits 2018
28. HHS has added an Exchange standardized plan
option at the bronze level of coverage that qualifies
as an HSA-eligible high-deductible health plan
(HDHP).
HHS did not add standardized HDHP options at
other levels of coverage, but may do so in the
future if there is significant demand.
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Standardized HDHP Coverage
29. Court Blocks Enforcement of Section 1557
Nondiscrimination Regulations on Gender
Identity and Termination of Pregnancy
30. • A Texas federal trial court has issued a nationwide
preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of a portion of
the May 2016 HHS regulations implementing health care
reform’s Section 1557.
• Section 1557 prohibits discrimination in certain “health
programs and activities” on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, age, or disability.
• It applies broadly to a variety of federally assisted entities,
although the regulations apply only to health programs and
activities funded or administered by HHS.
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What is Section 1557?
31. • In the lawsuit, eight states and three private health care
providers argued that the regulations’ interpretation of
discrimination “on the basis of sex” as including “gender
identity” and “termination of pregnancy” exceeded HHS’s
authority,
• In addition this portion of the regulations violated the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) as applied to the providers
because of the substantial burden on their exercise of religion.
• The states and providers requested a preliminary injunction,
and the court held a hearing before year-end because the
regulations are generally applicable for plan or policy years
beginning on or after January 1, 2017.
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What Was Argued
32. • The court held that the term “sex” in Section 1557 of the health care
reform law referred to the biological differences between males and
females, and that the definition of “sex discrimination” in the
regulations to include gender identity went beyond Congress’s intent.
• In addition, the court that HHS’s failure to include religious and
abortion exemptions rendered the portion of the regulations prohibiting
discrimination based on termination of pregnancy contrary to law.
• The court also held that the government had failed to show that
exempting the providers pursuant to their religious beliefs would
frustrate the goal of ensuring “nondiscriminatory access to health care
and health coverage,” noting that less restrictive means were available
to provide access and coverage for gender transition and abortion
procedures.
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What the Court Decided
34. The maximum penalty for failing to file Form 5500
(which must be filed by most ERISA plans)
increases from $2,063 to $2,097 per day that the
Form 5500 is late.
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Form 5500
35. • The maximum penalty for failing to provide the summary of
benefits and coverage (SBC) required under health care
reform increases from $1,087 to $1,105 per failure.
• Violations of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
(GINA), such as establishing eligibility rules based on
genetic information or requesting genetic information for
underwriting purposes
• Failures relating to disclosures regarding availability of
Medicaid or children’s health insurance program (CHIP)
assistance may result in penalties of $112 per participant
per day, up from $110.
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Group Health Plans
36. • For plans with automatic contribution arrangements, penalties
for failure to provide the required ERISA § 514(e) preemption
notice to participants increase from $1,632 to $1,659 per day.
• Penalties for failing to provide blackout notices (required in
advance of certain periods during which participants may not
change their investments or take loans or distributions) or
notices of diversification rights increase from $131 to $133 per
day.
• The maximum penalty for failure to comply with the ERISA §
209(b) recordkeeping and reporting requirements remains at
$28 per employee.
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401(k) Plan
37. Penalties for failure to meet applicable filing
requirements, which include annual Form M-1
filings and filings upon origination, increase from
$1,502 to $1,527.
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Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs)
39. Family HRA can be integrated with a non-HRA group health
plan sponsored by the employer of an employee’s spouse if
that non-HRA covers all of the individuals who are covered
by the HRA.
For this purpose, the employer sponsoring the HRA may
rely on its employees’ reasonable representations that they
and the other individuals covered by their family HRAs are
also covered by non-HRA group health plans that meet the
applicable integration requirements.
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Family Members Covered
40. Family HRA can be integrated with a combination of
• self-only coverage for the employee under a non-HRA group
health plan sponsored by the employer that sponsors the HRA,
and
• coverage for the other individuals under a non-HRA group
health plan sponsored by the spouse’s employer.
Although all individuals covered by a family HRA must also have
non-HRA coverage, the integration rules do not require that those
individuals be enrolled in the same non-HRA group health plan or
that the HRA and non-HRA group health plan share the same
sponsor.
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How an HRA Can Be Integrated
42. President Trump has issued an executive order regarding
his administration’s intent to seek the prompt repeal of the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended
(PPACA, or the ACA)—i.e., health care reform, as enacted
and administered under the Obama administration.
In addition, a separate memorandum informs federal
department and agency heads of President Trump’s plan for
managing the regulatory process at the outset of his
administration.
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What was issued?
43. The order states that pending the ACA’s repeal, the
executive branch must act to minimize the law’s
unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens.
The HHS Secretary and other agency heads with
responsibilities under the ACA are directed to exercise their
authority and discretion to waive, defer, grant exemptions
from, or delay the implementation of any ACA requirements
that impose costs, fees, taxes, penalties, or other burdens;
to provide greater flexibility to the states; and to cooperate
with the states in implementing health care programs.
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Executive Order
44. • The memorandum directs all federal department and agency heads not to
submit regulations for publication in the Federal Register (and to withdraw
regulations that have been submitted but not published) until the regulations
have been reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed
by President Trump.
• Department and agency heads are further directed to postpone the effective
date of regulations that have been published in the Federal Register but have
not yet taken effect until 60 days after the date of the memorandum, for the
purpose of reviewing questions of fact, law, or policy raised by the regulations.
• Following the effective date delay, agencies are to notify the Office of
Management and Budget Director of regulations that “raise substantial
questions of law or policy.”
• The memorandum notes that it also applies to “guidance documents”—i.e.,
agency statements “of general applicability and future effect” that establish
policies on statutory, regulatory, or technical issues or interpretations of
statutory or regulatory issues.
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Memorandum
46. In IRS Chief Counsel Memo 201703013, the IRS indicates
that to the extent amounts received through employer-
provided accident or health insurance are paid without
regard to the amount of expenses incurred by the employee
for medical care, the amounts are not excluded from gross
income because the amounts are not paid to reimburse
expenses incurred by the employee for personal injuries and
sickness.
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Payments
47. • Amounts received through accident or health insurance for personal
injuries or sickness are excluded from gross income under Code
Section 104(a)(3).
• This exclusion does not apply, however, if the amounts are either:
attributable to contributions by the employer that were not includible in the
gross income of the employee
paid by the employer
• See Treasury Regulation Section 1.104-1(d); for this purpose, salary
reduction under a cafeteria plan is treated as an employer
contribution, and not an employee contribution.
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Salary Reduction Contributions
48. Because the premiums for the fixed indemnity health plan
are paid with amounts that are not included in the
employee's gross income and wages, the exclusions under
Code Sections 105(b) and 104(a)(3) do not apply to the
payments and any amount paid by the plan are included in
the employee's gross income and wages, regardless of the
amount of any medical expenses incurred by the employee
upon which the payment is conditioned.
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Conclusion
50. • The order directing that, for the fiscal year already
underway, when a federal department or agency proposes
a new regulation, it generally must identify at least two
existing regulations to be repealed.
• The order also provides, with limited exceptions, that the
total incremental cost of all new regulations (including
repealed regulations) to be finalized in the current fiscal
year must be no greater than zero.
• Any incremental cost of a new regulation must be offset by
the costs of regulations being repealed.
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What does the order do?
51. The order instructs the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Director to issue implementation guidance, including
processes for determining the cost of regulations, as well as
standards for what qualifies as new and offsetting
regulations and the circumstances that justify waivers.
For future fiscal years, departments and agencies must
submit an annual regulatory cost analysis to OMB, with
costs to be managed and controlled through a budgeting
process.
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What action does it require?
53. Larry Grudzien
Attorney at Law
(708) 717-9638
larry@larrygrudzien.com
www.larrygrudzien.com
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Contact Information
53