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April 8, 2004 - 8,783 subscribers
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Text of DOL Field Assistance Bulletin: Voluntary HSAs Generally Not ERISA-Covered Plans
Excerpt: "[W]e would not find that employer contributions to HSAs give rise to an ERISA-covered plan where the establishment of the HSAs is completely voluntary on the part of the employees and the employer does not: (i) limit the ability of eligible individuals to move their funds to another HSA beyond restrictions imposed by the Code; (ii) impose conditions on utilization of HSA funds beyond those permitted under the Code; (iii) make or influence the investment decisions ... [more follows]" (U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration)
HHS Posts Additional Q&As About April 14, 2004 Small Health Plan HIPAA Compliance Date
Excerpt: "Are there Privacy Rule compliance deadlines in 2004? I sponsor a group health plan for my employees. Am I a covered entity under HIPAA? Is a fully insured group health plan subject to all of the Privacy Rule provisions? Does the April 14, 2004, small health plan compliance date impose any new requirements on health plans? Must all small health plans comply with the Privacy Rule? Is this the first time small health plans are required to comply with HIPAA?" (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
Electronic Payment Card Update
Does the Medicare Pres.cription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act provide relief from Form 1099 reporting requirements for health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and health reimbursement accounts (HRAs)? Do the electronic data interchange (EDI) requirements in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) apply to electronic payment card transactions? (Sanders, Schnabel & Brandenburg, P.C., Washington, D.C.)
California Bills Aim To Target Health Benefits at Wal-Mart, Other Large Grocery Stores
Excerpt: "Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D) and other Democrats are pushing two bills to 'pressur[e]' Wal-Mart, which is seeking to expand in California, 'to improve health benefits for its employees -- or pay a steep price,' the Los Angeles Times reports." (California Healthcare Foundation)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
New Edition of Incentive Compensation Book
The NCEO presents excerpts from the new edition of its book Incentive Compensation and Employee Ownership. The new edition adds a primer on sharing equity with employees, a chapter on restricted stock, a chapter on replacing stock options with performance shares, and two new case study chapters. (National Center for Employee Ownership)
Wal-Mart's Mega-Growth Continues, But Is its Image Getting a Bit Tarnished?
Excerpt: "The company ... has reached such enormous size that it has been compared to General Motors in the 1950s and Standard Oil in the early decades of the 20th century. As such, its influence in the U.S. economy is being reevaluated by politicians, economists and the media.... [A] recent economic study in Los Angeles said that the benefits of Wal-Mart's low-cost merchandise offset the economic damage done to workers in stores that could go out of business because of Wal-Mart's presence." (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)
Opinion: As Companies Profit, Workers Get Raw Deal
Excerpt: "They're rising: gross domestic product, industrial output, corporate profits, the stock market and, especially, productivity. They're falling: job creation over the past three years, pension coverage, paid health care, job security, savings and polls tracking confidence in the direction of the economy." (Jon Talton in the Arizona Republic)
Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated to April 6, 2004
Excerpt: "Click ... to learn more about pending legislation in each area. These files were updated on April 6, 2004.... Health and Welfare Benefit Plans; Human Resources and Employment Law; Retirement Plans" (Hewitt)
Newly Posted Events
"Who's the Employer?" Specialty Workshop
Nationwide on May 13, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel
Participant Loans Specialty Workshop
Nationwide on May 13, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel
Health Care and Small Business: What's on Your Mind? Ask the Experts
Nationwide on April 22, 2004
presented by U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Newly Posted Press Releases
Employee Benefits Security Administration Issues Field Assistance Bulletin on Health Savings Accounts
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.)
Secretary Snow Praises Department of Labor For Issuing Health Savings Account Guidance
(U.S. Department of Treasury)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Leave Of Absence Consultant
for Hewitt Associates
in IL
Corporate Counsels
for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
in CA, OH
ERISA Paralegal
for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
in OH
Plan Administrator
for Pension Plan Professionals, Inc.
in FL
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