Compliance

What happens if, during the course of the appeals process, the plan administrator comes across information that might impact the decision on appeal that makes the administrator want to grant the appeal?

The case raised the issue of whether a benefit plan administrator is entitled to full reimbursement for payments made to a plan participant injured in an accident where the participant sues and recovers damages from a third party.

MetLife poll reveals employers view voluntary legal plans as easy to handle and can improve employee satisfaction.

Because there can be various ways of assessing what constitutes a full-time employee eligible for coverage under the PPACA, the IRS has issued guidance in the form of several notices, as well as temporary regulations.

Under a new congressional plan, employers would be able to bring in an additional 20,000 low-skilled laborers a year, a number that would gradually rise to 75,000.

In what it calls the first ever wage analysis of U.S. Census data by metropolitan area, data from the National Partnership for Women & Families show the wage gap affects women in all 50 states and the 50 largest metropolitan centers.

A lawsuit between two local hospital systems has come to an end after the Ohio Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling in favor of Mercy Medical Center, the system accusing Aultman Health Foundation of a corrupt insurance broker incentive program.

Remember to keep the “human” in human resources and take this advice if you want to keep your terminations clean, succinct and lawsuit-free.

A federal judge has ruled that the pension beneficiaries can sue the company as a group over its transfer of $8.5 billion in plan obligations to Prudential Insurance Co. of America.

New legislation was issued last night in the Senate that would remove broker compensation from the MLR calculation.

Employers have until May to begin using the new Form I-9, or else face penalties from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the arm of the federal government that enforces immigration policy.

A Senate hearing yesterday discussed a bill that creates a non-profit, national organization that would simplify the licensing process for brokers conducting business outside of their state of residence.

In a legislative session sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, benefits attorney Elizabeth Vollmar covered everything from in-house administration functions to avoiding financial exposure.

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction on PPACA’s contraception requirement, saying an employer’s First Amendment rights could be irreparably harmed if the mandate was enforced while a lawsuit was pending.

Fidelity bond premiums can cost a considerable amount. Do you fully understand the kinds of losses covered by the bond or when it is appropriate to provide notice of a loss to a company’s insurer?

Under current guidance, “affordable” health care coverage for a family could get unaffordable fairly quickly, but is total household income even an issue for employers?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may launch an investigation into pay discrimination, one legal expert warns — even before formal charges are filed. The agency, as part of the president’s task force on pay enforcement, already is implementing pilot projects to audit employers near New York, Chicago and Phoenix.

Plan fiduciaries are more vulnerable than ever on a lot of legal and regulatory fronts, including the financial statements included with their 5500 filings. In an era when 5500 forms and their attachments quickly enter the public domain online via E-fast 2, available to anyone -- including an enlarged army of DOL inspectors hunting for anomalies, “fiduciaries need to be on the top of their game,” warns Dave Dacey, CPA, a partner with the WithumSmith+Brown and leader of the firm’s Employee Benefit & Pension Plans Group.

Guest blogger John Galvin talks to many employers who express doubt about the likelihood their health and welfare plan could be audited by the Department of Labor. He offers tips and suggestions for ensuring your plans are compliant with ERISA and HIPAA.

Hope is the crutch of an ineffective manager, someone who invites otherwise avoidable litigation.