Employee Benefits
By: Lisa A. Durham and Alex C. Eads
on September 8, 2021
Retirement plan administrators are required by law to abide by specific requirements in the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). If a plan administrator fails to administer the plan in accordance with Code requirements, the plan is at risk of being disqualified. The Internal Revenue Service (the…
Read More 
By: Lisa A. Durham
on July 13, 2021
Cybersecurity threats are becoming ubiquitous in today’s technology-driven, cloud-based society and even more so now as the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people work, communicate, and save. No information is safe and no financial assets, including your 401(k) plan, are…
Read More 
By: Lisa A. Durham
on July 6, 2021
In 2017, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) established the PBGC Defined Contribution Missing Participants Program (the “Program”) for terminated defined contribution plans (e.g., 401(k), profit sharing and stock ownership plans). The Program was established to hold retirement…
Read More 
By: Mark P. Canada and Janice L. Hamilton
on March 30, 2021
COBRA Continuation Coverage
The American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) impacts employers sponsoring certain group health plans in multiple ways, but the primary impact is to: (1) provide a six-month premium subsidy for selected COBRA qualified beneficiaries and (2) create special enrollment rights for…
Read More 
By: Scott S. Morrisson and Alexander L. Mounts
on January 11, 2021
Is it time you consider amending your plan document to provide a waiver of class actions and mandatory arbitration? We first visited this issue one year ago after a 2019 federal court decision approved use of class action waiver and mandatory arbitration provisions as a means to reduce potential…
Read More 
By: Lisa A. Durham and
on October 27, 2020
On October 26, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2020-79 to announce the cost-of-living adjustments applicable to pension and retirement plan dollar limitations for the 2021 tax year – most of which will remain unchanged from 2020. Additionally, the Social Security Administration has…
Read More 
By: and Fenton D. Strickland
on May 28, 2020
On May 21, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its final rule establishing an alternative safe harbor method of delivery of electronic disclosures by retirement plan administrators. The Alternative Safe Harbor allows employers to post retirement plan disclosures online or deliver them to…
Read More 
By: Sharon B. Hearn and Lisa A. Durham
on May 18, 2020
When preparing this Alert, I recalled a presentation I did in 2008 called “Dealing with Down Times in an ESOP Company.” Well, here we are 12 years later, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on many ESOP companies is even worse than the 2008 recession.
In addition to the difficult issues faced by…
Read More 
By: and Fenton D. Strickland
on May 14, 2020
Overview
On May 12, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-33, which (i) increases the carryover limit for flexible spending arrangements (“FSAs”) to $550, and (ii) clarifies the timing for reimbursement of individual health coverage premiums under certain tax-favored arrangements. This guidance was…
Read More 
By: , Alexander L. Mounts, and Sharon B. Hearn
on May 13, 2020
Overview
On May 12, 2020, the IRS issued guidance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which provides flexibility during calendar year 2020 for employer-sponsored health coverage, health flexible spending arrangements (“FSAs”), and dependent care assistance programs (“DCAPs”). IRS Notice 2020-29…
Read More 
By: and Alexander L. Mounts
on May 12, 2020
Overview
On April 29, 2020, the U.S. DOL, Treasury Department and the IRS issued deadline relief and other guidance to aid employee benefit plans and plan participants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance extends certain timeframes affecting participants’ rights to healthcare coverage,…
Read More 
|