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Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter

May 17, 2021

3 New Job Opportunities

 

Gifts and Bonuses in Exchange for Vaccination Can Trigger Legal Issues

"Employers considering a vaccine incentive program should use caution, delaying if possible, for clearer guidance. However, if a program is moving forward, employers must make the program voluntary, should keep any incentives small in value, offer accommodations for medical exceptions and religious beliefs, and offer non-monetary or in-kind incentives to avoid violations."  MORE >>

The Hill

Bipartisan Bill Would Extend Paid Parental Leave to Military Troops

"[The Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act (HR 3122)] would provide service members with 12 weeks of paid parental leave per year and would extend the benefit to scenarios involving miscarriages and stillbirths."  MORE >>

Government Executive

CMS Data Shows Vulnerable Americans Forgoing Mental Health Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

"This decline in utilization is occurring at a time when preliminary evidence shows mental health conditions have worsened nationwide.... [T]he results demonstrate a 34% decline in the number of mental health services utilized by children under age 19, compared to the same time period in 2019, and 22% decline in the number of mental health services utilized by adults aged 19 to 64, compared to the same time period in 2019."  MORE >>

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]

[Opinion]

Making Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance More Affordable

"Truly improving the affordability of this coverage will require addressing the irrational and excessive prices we pay for care, including by directly limiting prices resulting from the most egregious market failures."  MORE >>

Erica Socker and Mark E. Miller, in Health Affairs Blog

Benefits in General

Second Circuit: Arbitration Agreement Did Not Require Arbitration of Employee's ERISA Claim

"[T]he court found the arbitration agreement's listed examples of claims which should be arbitrated were more personal to Plaintiff -- e.g., wrongful discharge, harassment, and leave disputes -- and thus Plaintiff's ERISA claim, which Plaintiff brought on behalf of the Plan and the Plan's other participants, was not of the same type as those enumerated in the arbitration agreement." [Cooper v. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb Inc., No. 17-2805 (2d Cir. Mar. 4, 2021)]  MORE >>

Baker McKenzie, via Lexology; free registration may be required

Employee Benefits Jobs

View job as Defined Contribution Account Manager
for Nova 401(k) Associates Defined Contribution Account Manager

Nova 401(k) Associates

Telecommute / Houston TX / Dallas TX / Scottsdale AZ

View job as Senior Defined Contribution Account Manager
for Nova 401(k) Associates Senior Defined Contribution Account Manager

Nova 401(k) Associates

Telecommute / Houston TX / Dallas TX / Scottsdale AZ

View job as Defined Benefit Administration Sr. Specialist
for Charles Schwab Defined Benefit Administration Sr. Specialist

Charles Schwab

Westlake TX / Richfield OH

Selected New Discussions

E-Disclosure by H&W Plans

"The e-disclosure rules issued last year don't seem to apply to health & welfare plans. So should the old method be used for SPDs and SARs?"

BenefitsLink Message Boards

Setting a Minimum Allowed Rollover of Unspent FSA Amounts

"Our current document provider doesn't have language/options that allows a FSA plan sponsor to set a minimum that they'll allow an employee to rollover from one year to the next in their FSA, but we'd like to add an appendix/amendment to limit rollovers to $25 and anything under $25 will be forfeited. Do you all know if anything in the regs that would prohibit that type of language?"

BenefitsLink Message Boards

Press Releases

Ryan Quillan Named Employee Benefits Regional VP for OneAmerica

OneAmerica

TRA Expands Retirement Savings Opportunities with Group 401(k) Plans

The Retirement Advantage [TRA]

Webcasts and Conferences
(Health & Welfare Plans)

Mental Health Parity Compliance Assistance Webcast

May 27, 2021 WEBCAST

Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

2021 Tools & Tactics Webinar: Using Technology and Data to Drive Better Behavioral Health Outcomes

June 23, 2021 WEBCAST

Disability Management Employer Coalition [DMEC]

Last Issue's Most Popular Items

IRS Issues Guidance on the Tax Treatment of Dependent Care Benefits

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Pandemic Accelerates Employer Voluntary Benefit Offerings

Willis Towers Watson

What to Consider When Establishing a Telemedicine Program

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

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BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9587.

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