OSHA annual summary must be posted by Feb. 1
Any employer who maintains the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations 300 Logs for workplace injuries and illnesses have only days left to post their annual summary from 2012.
Compliance
IRS expands system for fixing faulty retirement plans
A plan sponsor may use the Voluntary Correction Program to correct a failure to timely adopt a written 403(b) plan; plan sponsors should mail their submissions to the IRS Service Center in Covington, Ky.
Agencies offer guidance on PPACA taxes, fees
Everyone from the health department to the IRS will be looking over employers shoulders, making sure they are compliant with health care reform. 2013 needs to be a year of careful preparation.
Proposed rules offered on PPACA shared responsibility
Employers should be using the 2013 plan year as their basis for collecting information relevant to their compliance obligation, according to guidance from the IRS.
Colorado, Washington drug laws wont affect employer drug policies
Voters in Colorado and Washington pass initiatives to decriminalize recreational marijuana use by adults but laws wont affect employer drug policies.
By
Nancy Delogu
Supreme Court decides to review cases involving constitutionality of DOMA, Californias Prop 8
The Supreme Court announced it will review cases involving the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and the validity of Californias Proposition 8.
Fee disclosure may lead to less service says AmeriFlex exec Tom Goodson
There may be unintended consequences of the 408(b)(2) fee disclosure regulations, says AmeriFlex executive
By
Tom Goodson
Court upholds employee termination 2 days after FMLA request
If there is uncontroverted evidence that the employee would have been discharged in the absence of a leave request, employers have nothing to fear from termination, based on a recent 10th Circuit ruling.
NLRB offers long-awaited guidance on social media policies
There are only very particular ways companies can restrict employees discussions on social media even factually inaccurate comments about workplace conditions are protected. The National Labor Relations Board recently laid down some guidelines for employers.
Are you part of a control group? It counts when counting
Accurately tallying up employees, all the more important in light of PPACA, is not as easy as it may seem for those in businesses under partial or total common control with others.
Huge implications as Supreme Court takes up marriage equality
As the Supreme Court looks at same-sex marriage cases next year, one legal expert says there are, arguably, more complications for plan sponsors if DOMA goes away.
HHS defines ‘essential health benefits’ under PPACA
The Department of Health and Human Services has laid out 10 categories of benefits that must be included in health insurance plans offered through an exchange.
Should employers adopt class action waivers?
Employers could theoretically require employees to sign employment agreements requiring, as a condition of employment, that disputes over wages be resolved through binding arbitration rather than courts.
Colorado, Washington laws don’t send employer drug policies up in smoke
Even if the Justice Department allows state-level marijuana policies to legalize the drug, employers likely won't have to change their policies and procedures. Companies could, however, always make their manuals clearer.
By
Nancy Delogu
Computer fraud and abuse act a double-edged sword
The same law that allows employers to sue employees over sharing or destroying proprietary information could just as well go the other way with workers seeking damages after personal information has been compromised on dual use devices.
Obama win means health overhaul to move ahead in states
President Barack Obamas re-election means his overhaul of the U.S. health-care system, opposed by most Republicans, will move ahead in all 50 states, with or without the cooperation of their governors.
EEOC fact sheet points to broad anti-harassment enforcement
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seems to indicate a willingness to expand gender and disability protections beyond existing statutory ADA rights, which could mean employers need to re-examine their policies.
Fee disclosure leads to questions
Frank Palmieri argues that because of increased fee disclosure to participants, more employees may start to inquire about in-service distributions.
Lack of plan documentation opens employers to litigation
Ed Bray cautions many employers believe the plan document and summary plan description are the same thing when theyre not, which can lead to noncompliance with ERISA.
By
Ed Bray
How diversified does a DC plan need to be?
Diversity in defined contribution plans must be offered in consideration of the risk, not necessarily the type of investment, according to one legal expert.