March 2018 March was a quiet month in the employee benefits world. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a bulletin that lowered the family contribution limit for health savings account (HSA) contributions. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its model Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program notice (CHIP notice). The […]
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Compliance Recap // June 2017
June was an active month in the employee benefits world. The U.S. Senate released a draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 which would substitute the U.S. House Resolution 1628 that aimed to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The U.S. Supreme Court decided an ERISA church plan […]
Read moreUSCIS Publishes Updated Guidance on Completing New I-9 Form
On January 22, 2017, it became mandatory for employers to use the revised version of Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification Form. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published the updated M-274, Handbook for Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9, which offers detailed guidance for employers completing Form I-9. This updated Handbook for Employers […]
Read moreSame-Sex Marriages and Group Health Benefits
On October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review seven cases in which the lower appeals court had ruled that a state law or constitutional provision that prohibited same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This declination means that the ruling of the appeals court is law, and that same-sex marriages are (or […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // October 2014
During the month of October, there were developments in the courts and new information from the regulatory agencies that may affect sponsors of group health plans. Requirement to Obtain a Health Plan Identifier (HPID) Delayed On Friday October 31, 2014 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) quietly updated its Health Plan Identifier information […]
Read moreIRS Allows Additional Section 125 Change in Status Events
On September 18, 2014, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2014-55 which allows employers to amend their Section 125 plans to recognize several new change in status events. Open Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace Prior to this new notice, an opportunity to enroll in the health insurance Marketplace (or “exchange”) was not considered […]
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