GISUE MEHDI and BRIANA B. DESCH, July 9, 2020 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-29 and Notice 2020-33 (the “Notices”) on May 12, 2020. Notice 2020-29 provides increased flexibility for participants to make mid-year health plan, health flexible spending account (“Health […]
Health and Welfare Plans
ELIZABETH LOH, May 7, 2020 On April 28, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury Department”), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), issued several pieces of guidance providing relief to plan participants, COBRA-qualified beneficiaries, claimants, and plan sponsors who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance includes the following: […]
JENNIFER D. TRUONG, May 7, 2020 Under IRS Notice 2020-23, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has provided additional relief due to the coronavirus pandemic by extending the deadlines for the time-sensitive actions set forth in Revenue Procedure 2018-58.1 Specifically, the Notice extends the deadlines for filings and other actions that would otherwise be due […]
MARY E. POWELL and LINDSAY R. DOCTO, April, 2020 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act makes emergency supplemental appropriations and other changes to law to help the U.S. respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses: (1) the […]
MARY E. POWELL and LINDSAY R. DOCTO, March, 2020 Due to the urgent crisis the United States is facing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President has declared a national emergency, as well as declaring major disasters in California, Washington, New York, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas and Florida. Federal and state governments have passed legislation and […]
SARAH KANTER, September, 2019 This article is part one of a two-part article examining many of the issues that employers and other plan sponsors may want to consider when deciding whether to offer employees an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA), which was created by final regulations (the “final regulations”) released on June 13, 2019 […]
MARY E. POWELL, September, 2019 In the last few months, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued rules that impact the cost that group health plans (GHPs) can charge participants for certain prescription drugs. This article explains those rules and also takes a critical […]
TIFFANY N. SANTOS, July, 2019 On June 13, 2019, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (the “Departments”) released final regulations that will permit employers and other plan sponsors to offer employees two new types of health reimbursement arrangements or “HRAs” (see here for “FAQs”): (1) an Individual Coverage HRA […]
GISUE MEHDI and MARY E. POWELL, December, 2018 The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) gives participants and beneficiaries the right to have plan benefit denials reviewed in federal court. The court reviews a plan claims administrator’s benefit denial decision as “de novo” (looking at the facts anew and reaching its own decision, with no […]
MARY E. POWELL, November, 2018 On October 29, 2018, the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL), Treasury (“Treasury”) and Health and Human Services (HHS) (together, the “Departments”) issued proposed regulations that would allow a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) to be used for the purchase of individual health insurance coverage and include an “excepted benefit” HRA that […]
SARAH KANTER, August, 2018 On June 21, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its highly anticipated and controversial final rule (the “final rule”) regarding Association Health Plans (AHPs). The final rule significantly expands the kinds of employer groups and associations that are permitted to establish an “employee welfare benefit plan” under the Employee Retirement […]
JENNIFER D. TRUONG, May, 2018 In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) created a federal tax credit for certain employers offering paid family and medical leave in 2018 and 2019. After much anticipation, the IRS finally posted a set of FAQs on April 9, 2018, clarifying the new tax credit. Background […]
YATINDRA PANDYA, February, 2018 On January 5, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced April 1, 2018, as the applicability date for the final rule which revises regulations governing disability benefit claims (the “Final Rule”). Published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2016, the Final Rule revised the claims regulations governing disability benefits provided […]
ELIZABETH LOH, December 27, 2017 Although it is the holiday season and people’s thoughts have turned to vacation with family, eggnog, and gift giving — employers have something slightly less festive to contemplate. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has started to send out letters to employers regarding potential Employer Shared Responsibility Payments (ESRP) (one of […]
YATINDRA PANDYA and JAHIZ NOEL AGARD, December, 2017 On November 24, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) delayed the applicability of the final rule which revises the regulations governing disability benefit claims (the “Final Rule”) to April 1, 2018, from the original January 1, 2018, effective date. Published in the Federal Register on December 19, […]
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