Plan Manager - Trust
AUL: OneAmerica
in IN

Plan Services Consultant II
AUL: OneAmerica
in IN

Actuary
Benetech, Inc.
in CA

Pension Administrator
Qualified Pension Consulting Firm
in CA

Advisor, Client Relations
National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)
in VA

Retirement Plans Specialist
Gensler
in CA

Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
Retirement, LLC - Series Two
in OK

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Improving Billing and Collections on the Exchanges: Steps Health Plans Can Take Today
February 13, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

Roadmap to Compliant Wellness Programs Part II: Compliance with the ACA & Anti-Discrimination Laws
February 13, 2014 WEBCAST
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

Social Media and HIPAA Privacy: How to Reduce Your Organization’s Risks
February 26, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

Compliance Issues for Welfare and Qualified Plans after Windsor
February 27, 2014 WEBCAST
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

CMS’s Sweeping New Medicare Advantage and Part D Rule: Implications for Plans, PBMs and Pharma
March 6, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

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[Guidance Overview]

Deadline Extended for Submitting Pre-Approved DB Plan Documents
"In response to recent requests from the employee benefits community, the IRS intends to expand the defined benefit pre-approved plan program to include pre-approved plans with certain cash balance features. This extended deadline will give the IRS time to develop the necessary language and tools to process pre-approved cash balance plans and for practitioners to prepare their plans for submission." (Internal Revenue Service)  

[Advert.]

ASPPA On Tour -- Coming to a City Near You!

ASPPA on Tour is the ultimate conference experience for retirement plan professionals. With the perfect balance of national and regional content, each of our five stops will stimulate, motivate and challenge you. Registration for Philly is open!

[Guidance Overview]

IRS Employee Plans News, January 23, 2014 (PDF)
"The extended deadline of February 2, 2015, applies to all pre-approved defined benefit plans, even if they won't be modified to include cash balance features. These plans include: [1] mass submitter lead and specimen plans; [2] word-for-word identical plans; [3] master and prototype minor modifier placeholder applications; and [4] non-mass submitter plans." (Internal Revenue Service)  

[Guidance Overview]

IRS Extends Volume Submitter Submission Deadline, Will Seek Help from Practitioners to Develop Pre-Approved Language for Cash Balance Plans
"[In December, document vendors] proposed the use of uniform cash balance plan provisions that the IRS would be more likely to approve, rather than each of us using our own proprietary and individualized language. The proposal requested an extension of the January 31, 2014, DB submission deadline and asked for a meeting to agree on the parameters that IRS would want to see applied to cash balance plans. In response, the volume submitter practitioner community would draft language that the IRS could approve and adopt as its own... The IRS has just announced that it will work with the entire practitioner community to bring this change to fruition.... For Cycle C individually designed plans that wish to change to a pre-approved plan, the deadline for completing the Form 8905 ... has been extended to March 31, 2014. Note that Cycle C plans that are not changing to a pre-approved plan must still submit for a determination letter by January 31, 2014." (McKay Hochman)  

[Guidance Overview]

Alert for Providers of Cash Balance Plan Documents
"You may be able to avoid all future cash balance determination letter submissions -- but attention is needed for those plans you have been preparing to submit by January 31, 2014 to meet the Cycle C deadline ... For these plans (and all cash balance plans) if the employer and prototype sponsor/volume submitter practitioner sign IRS Form 8905 indicating an intention to adopt a pre-approved plan, then the deadline to submit the plan will be based on the 6-year cycle for pre-approved plans. We do not know what the deadline for adoption of pre-approved plans will be because the submission period for these was just extended to February 2, 2015. If the IRS takes 2 years to approve the plans, then we would expect the restatement period to begin no sooner than early 2017. If the plan is restated onto a pre-approved plan by the deadline and no modifications to the plan are made, then no determination letter submission is necessary (the IRS will not even accept the submission since the plan is already pre-approved)." (SunGard Relius)  

2014 Key Administrative Dates and Deadlines for Calendar-Year DC Plans
Includes a calendar with details for each item. (Milliman)  

[Advert.]

ERISA Audits: What We All Knew but Forgot - Feb. 13 Webinar

Understand potential audit triggers and hot button areas, the scope of audits, what to expect in such audits, and best practices to avoid audit complications. Special BenefitsLink discount.

The Checklist Every Retirement Plan Sponsor Needs (PDF)
"Are you properly insured as a plan sponsor? ... Who administers your plan? And do you have full disclosure of all the fees involved? Are the fees reasonable for the plan's size and how are the fees related to what is offered in the marketplace? ... Do you have an investment advisor and do you review your funds regularly to see if they are performing well, or can employees hold you responsible for not being vigilant? ... Do you distribute accurate, informative educational retirement fund materials and required documents to your employees? ... Is it time to retire your current plan in favor of one that works better for you in this economic climate?" (The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.)  

[Opinion]

Retirees Aren't Headed for the Poor House
"There is a widespread perception that most Americans are inadequately prepared for retirement.... The story is largely based upon data from the Current Population Survey, conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau.... The CPS measures the sources and amounts of income received by American households, including income from retirement plans. The Census Bureau's definition of income, however, includes only payments made on a regular, periodic basis. So monthly benefits paid from a defined benefit pension or an annuity are counted as income, while as-needed withdrawals from 401(k)s or IRAs are not." (The Wall Street Journal; subscription may be required)  

ERISA/Employee Benefits Legal Compliance Checklist
"[This] ERISA and employee benefits legal compliance checklist [will] help you assess your benefits program and structure.... Even one poorly answered question could be very problematic, with significant cost and liability implications. Make sure that 2014 starts with your benefits in full legal compliance." [Includes retirement and health & welfare plans.] (Wagner Law Group)  

Another Benefits Grab Bag of Guidance and Reminders for Health and Retirement Plans
Topics include: Preventive care expansion for non-grandfathered or non-exempt plans; Cost sharing limitations; Expatriate health plans; Wellness programs; Early Retiree Reinsurance Program update; Retirement plan delayed disclosure deadline reminder; Certain FBAR filings for plans with foreign accounts delayed again; and, Operating your plan to be prepared for governmental audits and other challenges. (Winstead P.C.)  

National Health Council Launches New Resources to Help Patients Compare Out-of-Pocket Marketplace Health Insurance Costs
National Health Council

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