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March 28, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues

Differing Reports on How Businesses and Health Law Are Interacting
"Reuters reports that Health and Human Services data show the business community is a big winner as a result of the measure's early retiree program. But The Fiscal Times notes that some 'corporate giants' are at odds with the overhaul." (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)


The 8th Annual World Health Care Congress(WHCC). April 4-6, 2011 (advert.)

Sponsored by World Congress

The 8th Annual World Health Care Congress (WHCC) is World Congress' flagship event in which over 1,800 health care, government and corporate leaders formulate solutions to the challenges of health care cost, quality and delivery.


[Guidance Overview]
Ninth Circuit Defines FMLA Interference Claim
"The City refused to reinstate [the plaintiff] from her leave. The City took the position that it could not provide her with a safe workplace because it was not clear what caused her medical issues. A jury found that the City acted lawfully. But the trial court found in [the plaintiff's] favor on a state law claim under Oregon's family leave law." (Shaw Valenza LLP)

Is Oregon Only State to Pick Up Public Workers' Full Health Care Tab?
"[Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson says] 'Oregon is the only state out of the 50 states in the USA that continues to pay 100% of the medical benefits for its employees and their families.'" (St. Petersburg Times)

California Approves Bill Updating Tax Rules on Adult Child Health Insurance Coverage
"Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton this week signed conformity legislation, . . . while Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear did the same last week . . . . Meanwhile, the Vermont House passed a conformity measure . . . while the South Carolina Senate has approved its conformity bill . . . . Earlier this year, lawmakers in Arizona, Maine and Oregon also approved conformity measures." (Business Insurance)


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An employer writes: "I have to tell you that of all the job boards I’ve ever used, this one has the best quality of candidates. I don’t get flooded with tons of resumes, and even the candidates who aren’t fit for the jobs we have don’t miss the mark by much."


Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Upheld by Wisconsin Court of Appeals
"As a result, employers may soon be required to offer paid sick leave to employees working within the City of Milwaukee." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)

Health Care Law Promoted Accountable Care Organizations: Are They the Model for the Future?
"In broad outline, these entities propose to unite doctors and clinics or hospitals in groups that pool their resources with the goal of trimming spending while boosting the quality of care." (The Wall Street Journal)

Health Care Spending and Preventive Care in High-Deductible and Consumer-Directed Health Plans
"The HDHPs or CDHPs with at least a $1,000 deductible significantly reduced healthcare spending, but they also reduced the use of preventive care in the first year. This merits additional study because of concerns about enrollee health." (HCPLive; free registration required)

U.S. Supreme Court to Weigh Expedited Review of Health Reform Case
"The U.S. Supreme Court on April 15 will convene a private conference to consider an appeal by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) for an expedited review of a federal judge's ruling in the state's lawsuit against the federal health reform law . . . ." (California HealthCare Foundation by The Advisory Board Company)

Open Health Market: Online Marketplace Enabling Group Purchasers of Health Services to Evaluate, Compare and Engage Services
"Group plan administrators can publish Requests for Proposals . . . for their healthcare service needs in an easy, secure manner. Medical providers can create rich profiles, respond to RFPs and post news bulletins picked up by our Twitter feed." (Open Health Market LLC)

Administration Delaying Some Rules for Appealing Health Insurance Denials
"[T]he low-key announcement posted on the [DOL] website March 18 tells insurers and self-insured employers that the enforcement grace period has been extended until 2012 because the government intends to modify the rules 'in the near future.' What those changes might be were not disclosed, but the prospect concerns consumer groups." (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]
Conkright in the Courts: Making Sense of the Firestone Trilogy
"The trilogy now seems to be in place - Firestone, providing generous deferential review; Glenn, providing a multi-factor analysis for cases in which the fiduciary is deemed unworthy of such deference; and Conkright, to remind us that Firestone remains the bedrock on which all else rests." (Roy Harmon III / Health Plan Law)

[Guidance Overview]
DOL Rescinds Form T-1 Trust Annual Report (PDF)
"The DOL has issued final regulations rescinding the requirement that unions file Form T-1 . . . disclosing financial information for certain trusts they control, thereby eliminating the need for unions to file the Form T-1 in 2011 for benefit trusts such as those for apprenticeship programs, strike funds, building funds, and educational funds." (Buck Consultants)

[Guidance Overview]
The USERRA Does Not Provide a Claim for Hostile Work Environment
"This decision does not affect in any way the protections of the USERRA for employees who are members of the military, nor does it preclude those employees from filing claims for constructive discharge, should their employment become so intolerable that they are forced to leave a job." (Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC)

How to Fix Oversize Executive Compensation
"[The NBER Shared Capitalism Research Project has shown that] Distributing rewards across the corporation -- sharing them with workers -- is the most efficient way of making businesses more successful." (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

School District Employees' Pay and Perks Raise Questions in Burlington, Vermont
"State law requires public employee compensation to be available for public inspection - in other words to anyone who seeks it -- but does not say it needs to be in town reports. The Burlington City Charter goes beyond that and explicitly calls for publication of names and amount of compensation 'by way of salary or otherwise' over $300." (www.burlingtonfreepress.com)

Pension and Health Care Deal Reached with L.A.'s Largest City Union
"Los Angeles officials . . . unveiled what Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa termed a landmark tentative labor agreement that would greatly increase healthcare and pension contributions for thousands of municipal workers and put an end to some furloughs caused by the city's budget crisis." (Los Angeles Times)

Press Releases


Employee Benefits Jobs

Benefits Plan Manager / Account Executive in CA for BeneSys Administrators

Benefit Administration Office Manager in CA for BeneSys Administrators

Pension Compliance Specialist in WI for CUNA Mutual Group

Retirement Plan Services Relationship Manager 2 in PA for Huntington National Bank

Documents and Plan Termination Analyst in CA for Los Angeles Area Firm

Manager, Client Experience - Retirement Business Services in AZ for Charles Schwab

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Webcasts and Conferences

"401(k) Plan Current Issues Workshop" - Appleton
in Wisconsin on May 4, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

"401(k) Plan Current Issues Workshop" - Dallas
in Texas on May 6, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

"401(k) Plan Current Issues Workshop" - Denver
in Colorado on May 6, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

"Form 5500/EFAST 2 Workshop" - Appleton
in Wisconsin on May 3, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

"Form 5500/EFAST 2 Workshop" - Dallas
in Texas on May 5, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

"Form 5500/EFAST 2 Workshop" - Denver
in Colorado on May 5, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

Boston, MA- 401(k) Advisor Symposium
in Massachusetts on April 28, 2011 presented by 401k Rekon

Five Years Later: A Chat with the IRS on Submissions and Corrections
Nationwide on April 25, 2011 presented by ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits

Form 5500 for Health and Welfare Plans: Compliance in an Electronic World
Nationwide on March 24, 2011 presented by EBIA / Thomson Reuters

I Failed My 2010 ADP Test. What Can I Do For 2011?
Nationwide on March 30, 2011 presented by Nova 401(k) Associates


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