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July 1, 2004
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(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
New Parents Applaud Paid Family Leave Law in California
Excerpt: "A state program that takes effect [today] will let employees take six weeks off with partial pay. Some employers fear disruption." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required)

Innovation and Drug Reimportation: Cost, Value and Tradeoffs (PDF)
48 pages. (Managed Care Magazine)

Employee Fitness Programs Paying Off: Poll
Excerpt: "Employers that sponsor fitness programs are seeing increased worker morale and productivity, as well as reduced health care costs, according to a new poll." (Business Insurance)

Corporate Fitness Programs are Paying Off
Excerpt: "The goal is to do something about the cost of obesity, which U.S. employers pay for to the tune of about $13 billion annually." (Workforce.com)

The Societal Promise of Improving Care for Depression
Excerpt: "Depression is now the second-leading cause of disability worldwide. It brings about as much loss in functioning as most chronic diseases -- for example, diabetes or heart disease. Depression costs employers more than $51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills." (RAND Corporation)

CDC Begins To Provide Resources for Workplace Wellness Programs
Excerpt: "As employers become more comfortable with the idea that prevention pays, health plans may find their scope of services widening." (Managed Care Magazine)

Overview: Mental Health Benefits Financed by Employers (1987 Article)
Originally published March 1987; newly online. Excerpt: "Although most employer-financed health insurance plans cover mental disorders, benefits have traditionally been more restricted than for other illnesses. Coverage for mental disorders is usually for shorter periods and maximum dollar benefits are often lower. Also, plans commonly pay a smaller share of mental health care expenses." (Diane B. Hill in the Monthly Labor Review Online published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)

Overview: Employer-Sponsored Long-Term Care Insurance (1987 Article)
Originally published March 1987; newly online. Excerpt: "Long-term disability plans are almost always coordinated with these other sources of long-term disability income. This article describes the provisions of the plans and how coordination is achieved." (Diane B. Hill in the Monthly Labor Review Online published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

NYC Mandates Domestic Partner Coverage from Contractors
Excerpt: "The Equal Benefits Bill mandates that any company with city contracts of $100,000 or more must extend the same benefits--including health care insurance, bereavement leave and family or medical leave--to the domestic partners of workers as are offered to the spouses of employees. The bill applies to both same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners." (Business Insurance)

Stock Options: National Compensation Survey Update
Excerpt: "As previously mentioned, the 2003 survey showed that more highly paid workers had greater access to stock options than less highly paid workers: 18 percent of those earning at least $15 per hour had access to stock options, compared with only 6 percent of those earning less than $15 per hour." (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)

Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits – Current Legal and Plan Drafting Issues
Excerpt: "Recent events around the country have brought same-sex domestic partnerships to the forefront of many states' and localities' legislative agendas. Wrapped up with this focus on same-sex domestic partnership issues are the federal, state, and local laws that govern many of the employee benefits provided by employers to their employees." (Groom Law Group)

Welcome to new BenefitsLink advertiser DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.
Excerpt: "DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc. has been a leading provider of software for employee benefit professionals since 1967. Choose one or more free offer."

Newly Posted Events

Fundamentals of 401(k) Plans
Nationwide on September 14, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel

Fundamentals of Qualified Plans
Nationwide on September 23, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel

The New Reality of Retirement Income Adequacy
Nationwide on June 30, 2004
presented by Hewitt Associates LLC
Newly Posted Press Releases

Newkirk Announces All-New Design For SuperStatements
(Newkirk)

U.S. Labor Department Continues National Education Campaign to "Build Wealth at Work" "Workers Should Commit to Financial Independence for Secure Retirement"
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA))

Treasury Delays Effective Date Of Disclosure Rules For Certain Pension Plans
(Internal Revenue Service (IRS))

Expensing of Employee Stock Options Will Hurt Economy; Valuation Methods, Lack of Field Testing Problematic
(International Employee Stock Options Coalition)

DWC Consultants Announces Hueler Stable Value Data and addresses impending issues related to Stable Value mutual funds
(DWC Consultants)

MMC Businesses Combining to Create New Global Human Resources Outsourcing Leader
(Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC))
Movers and Shakers: Newly Posted Announcements of Promotions and New Personnel
(Post Yours!)

Cheri Nickolay (Wells Fargo Retirement Plan Services - Denver Service Center)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Regional Service Coordinator, Seattle, WA
for Standard Insurance Company
in WA

Account Executive for Pension/Retirement Plans
for CBIZ Actuarial & Benefit Consultants
in TX

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