BULLETIN
Supplement to September 4, 2013
|
|
|
Hand-picked links to the web's best news articles, official guidance, jobs, webcasts and more.
|
[Official Guidance]
Text of DOL ACA FAQs XVI: Entities Other Than Employer May Send October 1 Notice of Coverage Options to Employees; Details on 90-day Waiting Period Limitation
"Is it permissible for another entity (such as an issuer, multiemployer plan, or third-party administrator) to send the Notice of Coverage
Options on behalf of an employer to satisfy the employer's obligations under FLSA section 18B? Yes, an employer will have satisfied
its obligation to provide the notice with respect to an individual if another party provides a timely and complete notice. The Department of
Labor notes that, as explained in Technical Release 2013-02, FLSA section 18B requires employers to provide notice to all employees,
regardless of whether an employee is enrolled in, or eligible for, coverage under a group health plan. Accordingly, an employer
is not relieved of its statutory obligation to provide notice under FLSA section 18B if another entity sends the notice to
only participants enrolled in the plan, if some employees are not enrolled in the plan. When providing notices on behalf
of employers, multiemployer plans, issuers, and third party administrators should take proper steps to ensure that a notice is provided to
all employees regardless of plan enrollment, or communicate clearly to employers that the plan, issuer, or third party administrator
will provide notice only to a subset of employees (e.g., employees enrolled in the plan) and advise of the residual obligations of employers with
respect to other employees (e.g., employees who are not enrolled in the plan).... Will the Departments be issuing final regulations under PHS
Act section 2708 that give plans and issuers sufficient time to comply with the waiting period limitation? Yes. As stated in the
proposed rules, plans and issuers can rely on guidance provided in the March 2013 proposed rules at least through 2014.
To the extent final regulations are more restrictive on plans or issuers than the proposed regulations, they will not be effective
prior to January 1, 2015 and the Departments expect they will give plans and issuers sufficient time to comply."
(U.S. Department of Labor)
|
|
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Phone (407) 644-4146
Fax (407) 644-2151
Lois Baker, J.D., President
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Holly Horton, Business Manager
Copyright © 2013
BenefitsLink.com, Inc. -- but feel free to forward this
newsletter without further permission from us, if you do not
modify the newsletter in any way (including this lower
portion).
All materials contained in this newsletter are
protected by United States copyright law and may not be
reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed,
published or broadcast without the prior written
permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of
third party materials, the owner of that content. You
may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or
other notice from copies of the content.
Links to Web sites other than those owned by
BenefitsLink.com, Inc. are offered as a service to
readers. The editorial staff of BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
was not involved in their production and is not
responsible for their content.
Useful links:
|