Medicare Part D: Creditable Coverage Disclosure Notices Due Before Oct. 15 Employers with group health plans that provide prescription drug coverage must notify Medicare Part D eligible individuals before Oct. 15 of each year about whether the drug coverage is at least as good as the Medicare Part D coverage (in other words, whether [...]
Doula Benefits Almost 50% of HR professionals plan to increase family health benefits in the next two to three years, according to virtual women and family clinic Maven’s 2024 State of Fertility & Family Benefits report. Furthermore, nearly 75% of employers acknowledged that family benefits are important to their current and prospective employees. It’s [...]
IRS Implementation Guidance on Qualified Student Loan Payment Match Programs On Aug. 19, 2024, the IRS issued Notice 2024-63, providing interim guidance for sponsors of 401(k) and similar retirement plans that provide or wish to provide matching contributions based on qualified student loan payments (QSLPs) made by their participating employees. Background The Consolidated Appropriations [...]
2024 Midyear Employment Law Compliance Trends Throughout 2024, there have been significant changes in employment law at the federal, state and local levels. A review of recent and proposed legislation reveals a number of emerging trends that will affect employers for the remainder of the year. Employers should ensure that they are apprised of [...]
Employer Obligation to Designate FMLA Leave The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons. Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of leave (26 weeks for military caregiver leave) each year for FMLA-qualifying reasons. Because FMLA leave is unpaid, employees often [...]
DOL Issues Guidance on AI and FMLA Administration The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor recently published a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) warning that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated systems could cause employers to violate laws WHD enforces, including the federal Family and Medical Leave [...]
HHS Final Rule on Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities On April 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in [...]
Group Health Plan Fiduciary Litigation on the Rise Enforcement of the strict standards of fiduciary conduct set forth in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) has traditionally been reserved for retirement plan sponsors. However, a new class action lawsuit highlights the importance of employers’ adherence to their fiduciary duties when managing their group [...]
Deadline Reminder: RxDC Reports Are Due by June 1, 2024 Group health plans and health insurance issuers must annually submit detailed information on prescription drug and health care spending to the federal government. This reporting is referred to as the “prescription drug data collection” (or “RxDC report”). This is an annual reporting requirement—plans and [...]
Form 5500 Deadline is July 31st Each year, employers that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) must electronically file an annual report (Form 5500) for each employee benefit plan they maintain unless a filing exemption applies. Employers with employee benefit plans that operate on a calendar year basis [...]
