Director of Marketing
Index Fund Advisors, Inc.
in CA

Qualified Plan Administrator
Pen-Cal Administrators, Inc.
in CA

Paralegal
Law Firm, Washington DC
in DC

Retirement Plan Administrator
Compensation Benefit Planning, Inc.
in MO

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DOL Investigations and Audit Quality Initiatives
May 8, 2014 in AZ
(Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Phoenix Chapter)

ECFC's 2nd Wednesday Teleconference: Pay or Play Revisited - The Practical Impact
May 14, 2014 WEBCAST
(ECFC [Employers Council on Flexible Compensation])

Is it Time to Self Fund?
May 14, 2014 in TX
(Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Houston Chapter)

Spring Cleaning And ERISA Audits: How To Keep Your Plans Sparkling
May 15, 2014 in OH
(Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Cleveland Chapter)

Prototype Plan Seminar
May 20, 2014 in MA
(McKay Hochman Co., Inc.)

Capital Forum on Pensions 2014
May 21, 2014 in CA
(Western Pension & Benefits Council - Sacramento Chapter)

Tax Forms Workshop: 5500 and More - New York
May 29, 2014 in NY
(SunGard Relius)

Why Retirement Income is a Critical Issue for 401[k] and 403[b] Plans
May 29, 2014 WEBCAST
(Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)

401(k) Plan Workshop 2014 - Kansas City
May 29, 2014 in KS
(SunGard Relius)

Employee Benefits in Mergers & Acquisitions
June 5, 2014 in NY
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

Benefits Communication Master Class #5 -- Beyond a Two-Week Window: 10 Ways to Make Annual Enrollment a Success in an Era of Health Care Reform
July 10, 2014 WEBCAST
(Benz Communications)

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Guidance Overview]

Final Regs Offer Employers Streamlined ACA Reporting Options
"[T]he guidance gives both health insurance providers and employers some simpler reporting methods. The reports from health insurers will enable taxpayers to establish -- and the IRS to verify -- whether and when they had minimum essential coverage. Applicable large employers with self-insured health plans may report required information under both Sections 6055 and 6056 on a single, combined form." (Towers Watson)  

[Advert.]

How Will Health Care Reform Impact You in 2014?

May 21 live webinar. Know your obligations, and when you need to comply. Gain an understanding of health exchange options, grandfathered plans, and defined benefit plans. Review notice requirements and how they apply to you. BenefitsLink discount.

Forget Spring ... Government Audits Are In The Air!
"[The] Health Benefits Security Project (HBSP) ... initiative is part of the [EBSA] National Enforcement Projects... EBSA will review plans for documentary and operational compliance with the protections of Part 7 of ERISA which includes the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, the Mental Health Parity and Mental Health Parity Addiction Equity Act [MHPAEA], the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act [GINA] and Michelle's Law -- as well as [HIPAA's] portability and nondiscrimination requirements." (Benefits Bryan Cave)  

Do Those with Consumer-Driven Health Plans (CDHPs) Understand Them? (PDF)
"[T]hree-quarters (77 percent) of those with a CDHP were extremely, very, or somewhat familiar with it. However, only 29 percent of individuals with traditional coverage were extremely, very, or somewhat familiar with a CDHP. Similarly, 36 percent of individuals with a high-deductible health plan, or HDHP, were extremely, very, or somewhat familiar with a CDHP[.]" (Employee Benefit Research Institute [EBRI])  

Envisioning the End of Employer-Provided Health Plans
"By 2020, about 90 percent of American workers who now receive health insurance through their employers will be shifted to government exchanges created by the health law, according to a [recent] projection ... [T]he scope and speed of the shift is surprising. So is the amount of money that companies could save.... $700 billion between 2016 and 2025, or about 4 percent of the total value of those companies. The total could reach $3.25 trillion for all companies with more than 50 employees." (The New York Times; subscription may be required)  

Three Features to Look for in a Private Exchange for Mid-sized Companies
"[1] Openness ... An 'open' marketplace is one that does not require you to choose from prepackaged medical plans from just one or two carriers.... [2] Support ... for HR departments and support for employees.... [3] Integration ... If you're using integrated technology, your data will flow from the marketplace to payroll and HRMS. An ideal exchange solution will house your employee information in a single database[.]" (The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism)  

[Advert.]

Don't Let Your Benefits Plans Get Derailed!

CHICAGO, June 8-11. 45+ expert-led sessions on a "defined contribution" approach to health benefits, creating lifetime income from retirement account balances, justifying wellness program expense to the C-Suite and much more. Register by May 2 and save $200.

Market Trends in Retiree Healthcare and Financial Reporting Implications (PDF)
"Employers should carefully consider the possibility that a negative plan amendment might later be reversed, for example, as a result of litigation ... If rescission is not probable, the facts and circumstances may represent a contingent liability requiring disclosure.... For self-insured plans, employers that intend to terminate their benefit programs should consider the fact there may still be an obligation to pay incurred but not reported (IBNR) costs.... Employers that use a retiree dropout assumption should re-assess the appropriateness of that assumption under a private exchange scenario and consider the effects of the revised assumption when measuring expected retiree healthcare costs[.]" (PricewaterhouseCoopers)  

CMS Releases 2015 Medicare Part D Benefit Parameters (PDF)
"Plan sponsors that want to remain qualified for the employer retiree drug subsidy [RDS] will have to determine if their 2015 prescription drug coverage is at least actuarially equivalent to the 2015 standard Medicare Part D coverage. The actuarial equivalence testing will not reflect the new benefits provided in the coverage gap. Plan sponsors that provide coverage directly or indirectly through a Part D plan may want to evaluate the impact of the new parameters and provisions on their plans. In light of the change in tax treatment of RDS in 2013 and the expanded Part D coverage, plan sponsors should consider whether to move Medicare retirees into other options for drug coverage, including an employer group waiver plan[.]" (Buck Consultants)  

Health Spending Surges as Obamacare Patients Use Their Plans
"Consumer purchases of health services surged 9.9 percent at an annualized rate in the first quarter from the prior three months, the highest rate of growth since 1980 ... Health spending contributed 1.1 percentage points to total growth in gross domestic product, the most since quarterly records began in 1947. The growth is likely the result of increased utilization under the [ACA] because prices mostly have been little changed." (Bloomberg)  

Who's Paid for Obamacare?
"Data provided to the [House Energy and Commerce] committee by every insurance provider in the health care law's Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) shows that, as of April 15, 2014, only 67 percent of individuals and families that had selected a health plan in the federally facilitated marketplace had paid their first month's premium and therefore completed the enrollment process. Nationwide, only 25 percent of paid enrollees are ages 18 to 34." (House Committee on Energy and Commerce)  

California Court Finds Employers Can Seek Evaluation After Employee Returns from FMLA Leave
"This case examines the difficult tension that often arises for employers between the application of the FMLA and the ADA. While the FMLA does not allow second or third opinions when an employer receives a 'fitness for duty' certification from a returning employee's physician, the ADA does allow for second opinions, at the employer's expense, when there is a question as to whether the employee is a qualified individual able to perform the essential functions of the job. Here, the court struck the right balance and held that the employee should be immediately returned to work, but permitted the employer to require a fitness-for-duty evaluation to ensure that the employee could perform the key functions of the job."[White v. County of Los Angeles, No. B243471 (Cal. Ct. App. Apr. 15, 2014)] (Ogletree Deakins)  

Disability Insurance: Beyond Paycheck Protection (PDF)
"Seventy-two percent of employees say making ends meet was very important and 56% say having financial security in the event a wage earner could no longer work due to a disability or illness was also very important.... Only 38% of employees say their ability to pay for health care costs was 'very good.' And 28% of employees say their ability to replace earnings due to being out of work as a result of a disability for six months or more was 'very good.' ... Sixty-seven percent of employees say they own some type of disability insurance, whether it be short term or long term, individual, or group coverage." (Prudential Group Insurance)  

Illinois District Court Dismisses Claim for Disgorgement of Profits (PDF)
"Numerous courts in this district agree that a plaintiff cannot pursue a claim under ERISA Section 502(a)(3) if a claim for benefits is available under Section 502(a)(1)(B).... The Court further notes that the Sixth Circuit recently granted rehearing en banc and vacated a panel opinion upholding the district court's award of disgorged profits of $3.8 million under Section 502(a)(3). [Rochow v. LINA] ... Sexton's attempt to characterize the disgorgement of profits in this case as an equitable remedy separate and distinct from the remedy available under Section 502(a)(1)(B) is unavailing.... 'ERISA specifically provides a remedy for breaches of fiduciary duty with respect to the interpretation of plan documents and the payment of claims.' ... Because Section 502(a)(1)(B) provides Sexton with her remedy, the Court discerns no basis for allowing her to proceed with Count II." [Sexton v. Standard Insurance Co., No: 13-C-77 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 30, 2014)] (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois)  

Sixth Circuit Rules That 'Clear Notice' Standard Should Apply When Determining Whether to Impose ERISA Penalty for Failing to Furnish a Document Upon Request
"[The employee's] counsel ... broadly phrased the request as one for 'all documents comprising the administrative record and/or supporting Nationwide's decision.' The Court said that, although such language would not pass the clear-notice test for most of the documents identified in section 104(b)(4), one is hard-pressed to believe that the BAC should not have known that the accidental-death policy was the key document supporting its decision to deny Nicole's claim." [Cultrona v. Nationwide Life Ins. Co., Nos. 13-3558/3585 (6th Cir. Apr. 9, 2014)] (Cary Kane ERISA Lawyer Blog)  

You Have No Class! Spotting Lack of Commonality and Typicality In ERISA Class Actions
"ERISA actions often are ripe for class certification because ERISA plans, by definition, each apply to a class of people. But before you grab your wallet when faced with a putative ERISA class action, consider this admittedly partial, but helpful, list on how to attack a certification motion[.]" (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)  

Principles and Elements of Effective Executive Compensation Design
"[This article provides] a detailed and flexible framework of recommendations and considerations for pay program design that can help EC practitioners, corporate management and boards make better decisions about what -- and how -- to pay their top executives. The principles touch on virtually all aspects of EC and the process by which pay decisions are made -- from the overarching pay philosophy, to the art of peer group selection and benchmarking, to the fundamentals of performance-based pay program design and beyond." (Towers Watson)  

ConnectYourCare and Castlight Health Enter Into Partnership to Help Employers and Employees Better Manage Healthcare Benefits
ConnectYourCare

Clarification From American Pension Services, LLC of Clearwater, Florida: SEC fraud charges are directed at Utah-based TPA with similar name
American Pension Services, LLC

UBS Wealth Management Americas Introduces Innovative Educational Portal for Equity Compensation Plan Participants
UBS

MassMutual Appoints Steven Mendelsohn as National Practice Leader for Defined Benefit Actuarial Services
MassMutual Retirement Services

Healthstat, Inc. Selected by Grady Health System to Manage Employee Health and Wellness Program
Healthstat

Employers Still Trying to Find Right Strategy for Specialty Drug Benefits According to Latest MBGH Survey
Midwest Business Group on Health

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Shilling Limited
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

J.P. Morgan Launches Next Generation Target Date Compass Program
J.P. Morgan Asset Management

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