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Employee incentives can bring about improved wellness outcomes — if the goals are adequately tailored to the organization and the individual. Depending on the company culture, you could take the “little league” approach of “everybody wins,” or decide to “raise the bar,” said Brendan Kerrigan, senior vice president of PayFlex. But setting the bar too […]
Employers and plan administrators can have a better understanding of what a fiduciary is, courtesy of Phyllis C. Borzi, Department of Labor (DOL) assistant secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). She shed some light on the department’s thought process on this matter at the March 13 ERISA Advisory Council meeting. The DOL’s efforts […]
Government efforts to bring 403(b) retirement plans up to regulatory par with 401(k) plans has resulted in a rough transition for 403(b) plan sponsors, and in recognition of that fact, an ERISA advisory council gave the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) five recommendations to help ease the compliance burden. Background Over the years, many 403(b) […]
A former employee’s failed attempt to call COBRA coverage a “privately paid” policy, rather than an ERISA plan, in order to maintain state-law claims against a group health insurer offers a chance to remind employers about importance of knowing the legal status of their benefit plans. In the case, the individual sued the insurer for […]
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are in effect officially as of March 15. These standards were adopted as part of the revised regulations for Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and will make buildings and facilities accessible to more than 54 million Americans with disabilities. […]
Employers can give employees up to 2½ months after the end of the plan year to spend unused money in their flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Since so many plans have a calendar-year basis for their plan years, many employers and plan administrators that chose to grant the grace period are handling claims from last year […]
A federal appellate court may reconsider its views on “reassignment” as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act, at the request of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC takes the position that the ADA requires employers to reassign employees, whose disability prevents them from performing their current job, to a vacant position […]
What’s Taxmageddon? Taxmageddon comes at the end of 2012, when the payroll tax and unemployment benefits extension ends and at the same time we’re likely to need another debt limit increase. If no action is taken, there will be dramatic cuts in spending that are built into the federal budget process, Aitken says. Aitken offered […]
Many workers now perform their tasks at worksites other than those owned or operated by their employers. In these situations, the employer remains primarily responsible for ensuring that employees have safe and healthy workplaces.