October 12, 2001 - 6,365 subscribers Today's sponsor: Glasser LegalWorks (Click on company name or banner to learn more.) This timely "how to" program focuses on how to run an effective, efficient employee benefits plan while minimizing litigation exposure. Whether you are an ERISA fiduciary, investment advisor, or the in-house counsel, it is not too late to sign up to learn the latest practices and techniques. Register now! (Help BenefitsLink to provide this newsletter at no charge to you -- our sponsors pay our way. Remember to visit them periodically; we try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) IRS Official Addresses Cafeteria Plan Issues Excerpt: "The IRS will let a cafeteria plan participant make a mid-year election change when the employee chooses to take a child out of a day care center, or if it's clear that the election was a mistake in the first place, according to Harry Beker, chief, Health and Welfare Branch, IRS Office of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel, Tax Exempt and Government Entities." (Thompson Publishing Group) D.C. Gay Partner Bill Advances Excerpt: "The Senate Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to end a federal ban on the District's use of local tax dollars to extend health benefits to gay couples. After the Democratic-controlled panel's near-party-line vote, 16 to 13, to approve the District's $5.3 billion fiscal 2002 budget with the change, Democratic aides said some Senate Republican leaders threatened to derail the spending plan by not permitting it to reach the Senate floor." (Washington Post) Case Study: When Telecommuting Actually Works Excerpt: "ARO was in a bind: It had to either hike its wages or find another way to appeal to prospective employees. So the company spent about $900,000 on a telecommute-friendly call-center system using technology from eOn Communications and Avaya. Today, 85 of ARO's 100 agents work from home. Annual turnover has plummeted [from 60 percent] to just 5 percent." (Business 2.0) Manufacturers Who Offer Telecommuting Reap Productivity Gains, Cost Savings Excerpt: "[C]ompanies that have adopted extensive telework programs have experienced an average productivity increase among those employees of 22%. One example: Managers with profit and loss responsibility at Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, have verified a 20% increase in productivity among telecommuting employees." (Industry Week via IFEBP) Making HIPAA Happen Excerpt: "Because HIPAA is about the total enterprise, not just a technology issue like Y2K. HIPAA impacts all of the stakeholders in the continuum of care: payers, providers, employers, patients, vendors, clearinghouses and government." (HealthLeaders.com) Impact of HIPAA on the Business of Health Care Excerpt: "A central question for industry participants, investors and financial analysts is how HIPAA will affect the business of healthcare. Who will be the beneficiaries? Who will need to make adjustments? Which companies can leverage HIPAA to improve their business?" (HealthLeaders.com) Alert: U.S. Compensation and Benefits News Briefs (September 17/October 1 Edition) Articles include: SIFL rates and terminal charge for valuation of personal flights on employer aircraft; investment choices under qualified tuition plans; Guidance on EGTRRA effective dates for qualified plans and sample plan amendments; court holds that only non-vested participants count in partial plan termination analysis; proposed legislation on IRA investments and healthcare exclusion for domestic partners. (Andersen) Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
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Copyright 2001 BenefitsLink.com, Inc., but you may freely distribute this email newsletter in whole. This newsletter is edited by David Rhett Baker, J.D.
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