Retirement Plan Administrator
Matthews Benefit Group, Inc.
in FL

Executive Director
City of Pontiac General Employees' Retirement System
in MI

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What You Don’t Know About Social Security Benefits..but Should
April 1, 2014 WEBCAST
(ThinkAdvisor)

Retirement Portability Update
April 3, 2014 WEBCAST
(PenServ Plan Services, Inc.)

Certification Preparation Session - Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
April 16, 2014 WEBCAST
(Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC))

2014 New York Institutional Breakfast
April 30, 2014 in NY
(Vanguard)

5th Annual Advanced Forum on Managed Care Disputes & Litigation
May 15, 2014 in PA
(American Conference Institute)

Total Rewards 2014 Conference and Exhibition
May 19, 2014 in TX
(WorldatWork)

Certification Preparation Session - Claim Management and Debit Cards
May 21, 2014 WEBCAST
(Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC))

Certification Preparation Session - Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA)
June 18, 2014 WEBCAST
(Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC))

Certification Preparation Session - Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
July 16, 2014 WEBCAST
(Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC))

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Official Guidance]

Text of IRS Chief Counsel Memo No. 201413006: Correction Procedures For Improper Health Flexible Spending Arrangement Payments (PDF)
Issues addressed: "[1] Whether the correction procedures for debit cards provided in the proposed cafeteria plan regulations may be applied to improper payments from a health flexible spending arrangements (health FSA). [2] Whether an employer may alter the order of correction procedures provided in the proposed cafeteria plan s regulations. [3] In cases in which all other correction procedures have been exhausted and the employer treats the improper payment as business indebtedness, whether the amount of a forgiven improper payment is reported by the employer to the employee on Form W-2 or Form 1099." [dated Feb. 12, 2014; released Mar. 28, 2014] (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])  

[Official Guidance]

Text of IRS Chief Counsel Memo No. 201413005: Health Flexible Spending Arrangement (Health FSA) Carryovers and Eligibility for a Health Savings Account (HSA) (PDF)
7 Q&As. Answers include: "An individual who is covered by a general purpose health FSA that pays or reimburses all qualified medical expenses is not an eligible individual for purposes of making contributions to an HSA during the entire plan year of the health FSA without regards to the amount available from the health FSA for any month during the plan year.... An individual who participates in a general purpose health FSA and elects, for the following year, to participate in an HSA-compatible health FSA may elect to have any unused amounts from the general purpose health FSA carried over to the HSA-compatible health FSA... A cafeteria plan that offers both a general purpose health FSA and an HSA-compatible health FSA may automatically treat an individual who elects coverage in an HDHP for the following year as enrolled in the HSA-compatible health FSA and carry over any unused amounts from a general purpose health FSA to the HSA compatible health FSA for the following year." [dated Feb. 12, 2014; released Mar. 28, 2014] (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])  

[Official Guidance]

Text of CMS Revised Bulletin #3 on HHS-Granted Special Enrollment Periods for Federally-Facilitated Marketplace and State Partnership Marketplace Issuers (PDF)
"[T]his bulletin clarifies the: [1] Type of [Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs)] to which Bulletin #3 applies; [2] Coverage effective dates for HHS-granted SEPs; [3] Process for terminating former coverage when the consumer has selected a new qualified health plan (QHP) through an SEP; [4] Treatment of advance payments of the premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions (APTC/CSR) in retroactive coverage scenarios in the FFM; and, [5] Applicability to stand-alone dental plans." (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)  

[Guidance Overview]

HHS Guidance Clarifies That Insurance Companies Must Make Available Health Insurance Coverage for Same-Sex Spouses
"Employers will continue to have discretion -- subject to other non-discrimination laws -- regarding whether or not to offer coverage to same-sex spouses. For example, employers with self-insured plans are not subject to the new CMS guidance. Likewise, employers sponsoring fully-insured plans that are funded by insurance contracts issued in states that do not currently recognize same-sex marriage also are not necessarily required to offer coverage to same-sex spouses; they must simply be offered the opportunity by the insurance company." (McDermott Will & Emery)  

HHS Releases Security Risk Assessment Tool to Help Providers with HIPAA Compliance
"The tool is designed to help practices conduct and document a risk assessment in a thorough, organized fashion at their own pace by allowing them to assess the information security risks in their organizations under the [HIPAA] Security Rule. The application, available for downloading at www.HealthIT.gov/security-risk-assessment also produces a report that can be provided to auditors.... The tool is available for both Windows operating systems and iOS iPads." (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)  

New York City Paid Sick Leave Law Takes Effect April 1 (PDF)
"The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which is charged with enforcing the new mandate, has clarified that only the hours an employee works in New York City count toward the 8-hour threshold, and employees who are based outside New York City but occasionally work in the city can only use sick leave when working in the city." (Buck Consultants)  

How Compensation Impacts 'Play or Pay' Decisions
"Under the ACA, seemingly small decisions on compensation can have significant ramifications for employers and employees alike.... [S]ubsidies can significantly change the value employees place on employer-based health care plans, depending on their family income and specific circumstances." (Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM])  

Broker Strategies for Maintaining E&O Coverage in 2014
"Brokers' interest in private exchanges will continue as long as they have the tools, size and capabilities to deliver the full range of benefits and services clients want. However, agents need to remember that business expansion will usually mean an expansion in errors and omissions (E&O) coverage as well. Benefit brokers need to carefully consider that the definition of services in their E&O policy matches the full scope of the services they offer so there is no gap in coverage should a claim be brought against them." (Healthcare Trends Institute)  

Deadline Nearing But Health Signups Show Disparity
"With the first open enrollment period set to end Monday, six months after its troubled online exchanges opened for business, the program widely known as Obamacare looks less like a sweeping federal overhaul than a collection of individual ventures playing out unevenly, state to state, in the laboratories of democracy." (The New York Times; subscription may be required)  

ACOs Gain Wide Traction in Vermont as State Eyes Move to Single-Payer in 2017
"Vermont is pushing full speed ahead on accountable care initiatives in both public and private health insurance markets as it experiments with cost-control measures to prepare for a shift to a single-payer system planned for just three years from now.... Options for financing the full-scale single-payer program, which could cost an estimated $1.6 billion, include a payroll tax and other new taxes. In addition, the state would need to apply to CMS for a waiver in order to roll Medicare and Medicaid into the overall program." (AISHealth)  

How Obamacare Could Lead to Better, Cheaper FEHBP Coverage
"The [ACA] will improve coverage while lowering costs for the 8.2 million workers, retirees and dependents participating in the [Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)]... [T]he 2010 law has already helped keep health care premium growth for federal employees at less than 4 percent for three consecutive years, the first time it has been that low in 20 years....[T]he law's emphasis on preventative care will improve the plans in the [FEHBP], the 'original marketplace' that served as a model for Obamacare." (Government Executive)  

Three Steps to Drive Clear, Cost-Saving Benefits Communication Campaigns with Measurable Outcome (PDF)
"Benefits account for almost 30% of total compensation spending. An effective communication program helps your company make the most of its investment... Companies that are highly effective at communication are 1.7 times as likely to outperform their peers.... 61% of employees are likely to accept a job with lower pay but better benefits.... A company is four times more likely to lose talented workers in the next year if employees are not satisfied with wellness promotion." (Benz Communications)  

Supreme Court Holds That Severance Pay Is Generally Subject to FICA, But SUB Payments Remain Exempt -- for Now
"While declining, based on the facts of Quality Stores, to extend its holding to all SUB payments, the Court alluded to the inconsistency in this position -- why should SUB payments be exempt from FICA taxation when other severance payments are not? How are the Revenue Rulings exempting severance payments tied to the receipt of state unemployment benefits from FICA consistent with the plain meaning of the FICA statute?" (Winston & Strawn LLP)  

Tax-Exempt Organizations: Understanding the Proposed Tax Reform Act of 2014's Penalties on Excessive Executive Compensation (PDF)
"Although Congress is unlikely to pass the proposed act in its current form any time soon, it still provides some useful lessons to tax-exempt employers.... Tax-exempt organizations would be wise to review these rules to make sure they don't bring unwanted attention to themselves or their executives. Additionally, the proposed act signals what direction any executive compensation overhaul will take in the future. In particular, it appears that tax-exempt organizations could have their executive compensation practices governed under a regulatory structure that is similar to the one that publicly traded corporations face under tax code Section 162(m) and related guidance." (Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, via Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Daily)  

IRS Issues Final Regs on Property Transferred for Services Under Section 83
"The regulations are consistent with prior guidance, but offer several clarifications on what constitutes a 'substantial risk of forfeiture.' Employers who did not evaluate the impact of the regulations when they were originally proposed in 2012 will need to consider how the final regulations affect existing arrangements." (Drinker Biddle)  

UBA Highlights Most Recent PPACA Changes in Updated Employer and Employee Resource Guides
United Benefit Advisors

Mercer Marketplace Expands to Provide Access to Coverage for Individuals of all Types
Mercer

Nominate a 2014 HealthCare Consumerism Superstar!
The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism

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