On January 5, 2018, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) which oversees Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) issued a proposed rule which would broaden the definition of “employer” and the provisions under which an employer group or association may be treated as an “employer” sponsor of […]
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Compliance Recap November 2017
November was a busy month in the employee benefits world. President Trump nominated Alex Azar for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its guidance on employer shared responsibility penalty assessments and released guidance on Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSE HRA) implementation and […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // July 2016
During the month of July numerous new regulations were issued or proposed by federal agencies, and existing forms and processes were updated. In particular, penalties for various ERISA violations were increased, a major overhaul to Form 5500 filings was proposed, and draft 1095-C and 1094-C forms were released. Proposed regulations were also released relating to […]
Read moreInterim Final Rule Updating the Penalties for Certain ERISA Violations
On July 1, 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an interim final rule, effective August 1, 2016, to adjust the amounts of civil penalties as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. In order to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties, maintain their deterrent effects, keep pace […]
Read morePreventive Services Final Rules
Federal agencies released final regulations on the preventive services mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires non-grandfathered group health plans to provide coverage without cost-sharing for specific preventive services, which for women include contraceptive services. After pushback from religious employers, interim final regulations, objections from certain employers with religious objections […]
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