An online, clickable version of this newsletter is available at: http://benefitslink.com/2008/2008_02_12_welfare.html =========================================================== BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (Plain Text Format) February 12, 2008 Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. =========================================================== TODAY'S SPONSOR: BeneCom Associates, LLC "Benefits statements are terrific education tools. Now, they’re budget-friendly, too." (Advert.) http://benefitslink.com/modperl/a_d_top.cgi?a_d=2008_02_12_welfare (Click on the above address or copy and paste it into your web browser.) If you’re looking for a low-cost approach to communicating the value of your benefits, BeneCom Associates, LLC can help. Our "preformatted," customized and online approaches to benefit statements are attractive, very reasonably priced and used by employers across the country who thought benefits statements were financially out of reach. To find out how little benefits statements can cost and how they can help your organization, call (860) 674-2626 or visit us at benecomassociates.com. ---------------------------------------------------------- [Official Guidance] Text of DOL Proposed Regs on Family and Medical Leave Act; Additional Resources from DOL http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/FMLANPRM.htm 127 pages (!). Excerpt: "The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is the result of a comprehensive review of the Department's fifteen years of experience administering the law, two previous Department of Labor studies of the FMLA (1996, 2001), several U.S. Supreme Court and lower court rulings, and over 15,000 public comments . . . . In addition to proposing changes to the current FMLA regulations, the NPRM includes a description of the new military family leave provisions, a discussion of the issues the Department has identified under those provisions, and a series of questions seeking public comment on subjects and issues that may be addressed in the final regulations. Because of the need to issue regulations as soon as possible so that employees and employers are aware of their respective rights and obligations regarding military family leave under the FMLA, the Department anticipates that the next step in the rulemaking process, after a full consideration of the comments received in response to the discussion of the military family leave provisions in the NPRM, will be the issuance of final regulations." (Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor) ---------------------------------------------------------- [Guidance Overview] DOL Proposal Cuts Light Duty Work From FMLA Leave Total http://www.lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com/cms/nulh/Breaking%20News/2008/02/11-fmla-ab Excerpt: "Bush administration officials have come out on the side of labor groups on 2 points in a draft of a Family and Medical Leave Act update. The U.S. Department of Labor, has decided that employers should not be able to count time spent on light duty when determining whether employees have used up their 12-week allotment of unpaid FMLA medical leave." (National Underwriter Life & Health) ---------------------------------------------------------- [Guidance Overview] More Highlights to Proposed FMLA Regulations http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=72274243 Excerpt: "According to an analysis by Proskauer Rose, these are some of the significant sections of the proposal: . . . ." (Human Resource Executive Online) ---------------------------------------------------------- [Guidance Overview] Highlights of DOL Proposed Changes to FMLA http://www.ifebp.org/Resources/News/Regulatory+Updates/DOLFMLAUpdate.htm Excerpt: "The proposed rule clarifies that time spent performing 'light duty' work does not count against an employee's FMLA leave entitlement. It also clarifies the DOL position regarding FMLA waiver of rights. The rules retains the six definitions of 'serious health condition' . . . ." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans) ---------------------------------------------------------- [Guidance Overview] Kentucky Senate Passes Domestic Partner Benefits Ban http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type10/?RECORD_ID=40354 Excerpt: "The Kentucky state Senate has approved a bill banning Kentucky's eight public universities and other state agencies from offering benefits to domestic partners of their employees." (PLANSPONSOR) ---------------------------------------------------------- [Opinion] Golden Gate Restaurant Association Asks Supreme Court To Vacate Ninth Circuit Stay http://healthplanlaw.com/?p=546 Excerpt: "The requested stay would prevent enforcement of the ordinance during the period leading up to a decision by the Ninth Circuit on the matter. . . . . In my opinion, the abstract question of whether legislation has a 'connection to' an ERISA plan, and thus should be preempted, rests on a key assumption in this and the other pay or play cases." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III) ---------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco Business League Seeks U.S. Supreme Court Review of San Francisco Mandatory Health Benefits Law http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/uncategorized/court-asked-to-delay-health-spending-rules/ Excerpt: "A group representing restaurant operators in San Francisco asked the Supreme Court on Friday to temporarily block the city government there from requiring employers to spend specific amounts on health care for their employees, arguing that a city ordinance is barred by federal worker benefit law." (Akin Gump's SCOTUSBlog) ---------------------------------------------------------- Lawsuit Says City's Sick-Leave Policy Breached Medical Privacy http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/35/91.html Excerpt: "Police radio dispatchers in Columbus, Ohio, allege in a class-action lawsuit that the city illegally required them to disclose detailed medical information to supervisors to justify taking sick leave." (Workforce Management) ---------------------------------------------------------- Proposed FMLA Rules Resolve Key Issues http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/35/95.html Excerpt: "One of the biggest gripes employers have had with the current rules is that employees can take up to two days after an absence begins to notify employers that the time already taken off was under the FMLA. Under the proposal, though, except in emergency situations, employees would have to follow procedures employers have established for notification." (Workforce Management) ---------------------------------------------------------- Employee Benefits Menu Boosted by Mix of Voluntary Options http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/36/01.html Excerpt: "More U.S. employers are offering voluntary benefits to their employees for two main reasons: the growing cost of health care, which has led employers to shift costs to voluntary benefits, and the desire to attract and retain employees, experts say." (Workforce Management) ---------------------------------------------------------- As Paid Benefits Shrink, Businesses Boost Menu of Voluntary Offerings http://www.financialweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/REG/724350554/1036 Excerpt: "Companies rolling out a bevy of benefits, including pet insurance and cheap PCs." (Financial Week) ---------------------------------------------------------- In Tampa, Generous City Benefits Continue Amid Cutbacks http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/12/generous-city-benefits-continue-amid-cutbacks/?news-nationworld Excerpt: "The ability to stockpile vacation and sick-time hours from one year to the next -- and to cash that time out when an employee retires -- has long been a perk government workers enjoy that many private employees don't. That practice is likely to come under increasing scrutiny, though, in the wake of property tax reform." (Tampa Tribune) ---------------------------------------------------------- Take Time Off? Americans Prefer to Work http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/15501901.html (Philly.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Chicago Tribune Examines Retiree Health Coverage, Wellness Programs http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=50368 (KaiserNetwork.org) ---------------------------------------------------------- USA Today Investigation Examines Contributing Factors in Prescription Errors http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=50372 (KaiserNetwork.org) ---------------------------------------------------------- Maternity Coverage Often Missing from Insurance Policies http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1202549437323080.xml&coll=2 (Cleveland Plain Dealer) ---------------------------------------------------------- The Presidential Candidates on Healthcare Reform: Where Do They Stand? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803443.html Brief overview. (Washington Post; free registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Some Large Employers Shift Costs of Retiree Health Care to Medicare Advantage Plans http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=50337 Excerpt: "The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined how state and local government agencies, large not-for-profit organizations, and major corporations across the country are shifting the costs of retiree health care to the federal government through Medicare Advantage plans." (KaiserNetwork.org) ========================================================== Links To Items on Executive Comp, Benefits In General (None today.) ========================================================== Newly Posted Events (None today.) Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/events/eventmaint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted Press Releases New Analysis Examines Trends in Health Benefit Costs and Wages Kaiser Family Foundation http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41614 Nation's First Baby Boomer Receives Her First Social Security Retirement Benefit Social Security Administration http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41615 The SPARK Institute Recommends Changes To DOL's Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure Regulations The SPARK Institute http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41611 Retailers Welcome DOL Update of FMLA Rules National Retail Federation http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41612 Supremely Confident to Super Stressed: Landmark Gen X Study From Schwab Uncovers Six Distinct Financial Mindsets Charles Schwab Corporation http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41613 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Pension Compliance Specialist for Laiken Associates, Inc. in NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54332 Sr Analyst HR - Benefits for Philip Morris USA in VA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54333 Defined Benefit Plan Administrator for The Senex Group in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54334 Employee Benefit Associate for Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, LC in KS http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54337 Pension Administrator/TPA for Block Consulting Actuaries, Inc. in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H53153 Employee Benefits/ERISA Attorney for North Carolina based law firm. in NC http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54340 Pension Consultant for Standard Insurance Company in MD http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54342 Executive Benefit Plan Consultant for M Benefit Solutions in OR http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54344 Client Services - Account Manager for ExpertPlan, Inc. in NJ http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54328 Manager, Systems (Omni) for National Automobile Dealers Association - Retirement Trust in VA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54316 Benefits Administrator for National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) in VA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54317 Senior Account Executive, Employee Benefits for ABD Insurance and Financial Services in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54318 Account Mgr I - SRS for Standard Insurance Company in TX http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54308 Pension Administrator for Staffordshire Benefits, LLC in NJ http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54345 Senior Pension Analyst for LWBJ Compensation & Benefit Services in IA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54346 Account Manager, Retirement for Cammack LaRhette Consulting in NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H54347 DC Testing Specialist for Kravitz - Louis Kravitz & Associates in ANY STATE, CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H50356 Post yours! http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/jobs/post_help_wanted.html View all jobs http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/ RSS feed http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/rss/jobs.rss =========================================================== Search previous newsletters: http://benefitslink.com/search =========================================================== Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too Sign-up form is at: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/ =========================================================== This newsletter is sent to you each workday except federal holidays. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter any longer, just click on this address (if it appears all on one line): https://benefitslink.com/cgi/s/s/s.pl?e=&l=12&r=1 If that address has been chopped into two lines by your email reader, it won't work, so use one of these easy ways to unsubscribe: 1. Visit this web page: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/unsubscribe/ and enter the following email address into the two boxes: (That's the exact address under which you are subscribed.) Check the box that says BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter in plain text format, and then click the "Unsubscribe" button. 2. Or send an email to hollyhorton@benefitslink.com asking her to unsubscribe from the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (plain text format). 3. Or call Holly Horton at (407) 644-4146 and ask her to unsubscribe from the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (plain text format). This email is published by: BenefitsLink.com, Inc. 1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H Winter Park FL 32789 (407) 644-4146 Fax: (407) 644-2151 Copyright 2008 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (including this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (including this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission. Anyone can receive these emails; just have them sign up at this Web page: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/ To view earlier issues: http://benefitslink.com/newsletters/ We're proud of our Privacy Policy: http://benefitslink.com/privacypolicy.html