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December 21, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs


Webcasts and Conferences

Best Practices for S Corporation ESOPs
in Georgia on October 3, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Challenges and Solutions for Mature ESOP Companies
in Colorado on September 12, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

COBRA: A Little of Everything is Changing
Nationwide on January 5, 2012 presented by Lorman Education Services

Effective Boards of Directors: Best Practices in Governing an ESOP Company
in Washington on October 17, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

ESOP Accounting: Financial Reporting by ESOPs (WEBINAR)
Nationwide on February 7, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

ESOP Accounting: Financial Reporting by Plan Sponsors (WEBINAR)
Nationwide on February 14, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

ESOP Distribution Policies
in California on February 28, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Executive Compensation in ESOP Companies
in Washington on October 18, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Fiduciary Issues for Internal ESOP Trustees
in Washington on October 16, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Getting a DL for the Pre-Approved DB: Preparing IRS Submissions for Pre-Approved Defined Benefit Plans
Nationwide on February 23, 2012 presented by ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits

Handling the ESOP Repurchase Obligation
in Colorado on September 11, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Is an ESOP Right for You?
in Georgia on October 22, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Meeting Your Fiduciary Responsibilities Under ERISA
Nationwide on January 24, 2012 presented by Lorman Education Services

NCEO/Beyster Institute Employee Ownership Conference (with 1 additional 1/2 day of pre-conference sessions)
in Minnesota on April 24, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Smoking Discrimination in the Workplace: On and Off the Clock
Nationwide on January 31, 2012 presented by Lorman Education Services

Strategic Planning for Your ESOP
in Colorado on September 13, 2012 presented by National Center for Employee Ownership


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State Legislation and Actions Challenging Certain Health Reforms, Updated December 19, 2011
"In response to the federal health reform law . . . and separate state reform initiatives, some members of at least 45 state legislatures have proposed legislation to limit, alter or oppose selected state or federal actions." (National Conference of State Legislatures)


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Many U.S. Workers Fail to Use Their Earned Vacation Days
"While most employees clearly value their vacation time, three recent studies, all conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of firms in the travel industry, found that many fail to take full advantage of the time off they've earned." (Human Resource Executive Online)

Federally Facilitated Exchanges and the Continuum of State Options
"This report explores three ways that states can comply with the Affordable Care Act requirement of establishing a health insurance exchange in their state: (1) establishing one on their own; (2) defaulting to a federal exchange; or (3) creating a hybrid exchange. On behalf of the National Academy of Social Insurance, the authors evaluated the considerations and eventual implications associated with each option to help states determine which model may work best for the unique needs of their residents." (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

How to Avoid Leave-Related Lawsuits
"Employers that grant generous leaves for disability or maternity can run afoul of insurance contracts for medical, disability or life coverage. Here are two tips for employers to avoid leave-related lawsuits . . . ." (Employee Benefit News)

HIPAA Audits Come with Short Turnaround Times
"The planned timeline for the audits is aggressive. As described by HHS, an audit notification letter describing the initial documents and information to be turned over will be sent to a covered entity. The covered entity is then expected to provide the documents and information within 10 business days." (Perkins Coie LLP)

A Look at Public Sector Defined Contribution Health Accounts
"GASB 45 requires that unfunded liabilities be amortized over a 30-year actuarial time period. The magnitude of the OPEB liabilities was much more obvious after the accounting standard was implemented. To address these large OPEB liabilities, many state and local governments have reduced the health benefits offered to employees upon retirement." (National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators)

[Opinion]
A National Standard Is Needed for Set of 'Essential' Health Benefits
"[C]reating a patchwork of 50 different standards for health coverage would be bad policy. Administration officials now say the move is merely temporary, and it had better be." (Los Angeles Times)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]
Institutional Shareholder Services to Release Updated Governance Risk Indicators Ratings
"[Governance Risk Indicators (GRId)] is a measure of governance-related risk designed to: Provide institutional investors with an understanding of high-level areas of concern across a portfolio, together with analytical tools to help them evaluate governance at individual companies .Provide companies with a basis for aligning their corporate governance structure and practices with shareholder interests." (Practical Law Company)

Institutional Shareholder Services' White Paper on Pay for Performance
"On December 20, 2011, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) published a white paper that provides more information on its new pay-for-performance methodology in advance of the 2012 proxy season." (Practical Law Company)

2012 Benefit Basics Chart (PDF)
The chart provides a compact listing of updated statutory limits and related 2012 information for retirement and health and welfare plans in the United States. (Towers Watson)

New Veterans Law Offers Tax Credits to Employers and Recognizes Hostile Work Environment Claims under USERRA
"By amending USERRA to prohibit discrimination with respect to the 'terms, conditions, or privileges of employment,' the VOW to Hire Heroes Act establishes the same standard for hostile work environment claims on account of military status as that governing Title VII and similar employment discrimination laws." (Poyner Spruill LLP)

Press Releases



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