"Michigan's and Minnesota's legislatures appear to be at the forefront of this initiative, but they are by no means the only states that will see movement in this area in 2023 ... [F]ederal contractors subject to Executive Order 13706 may need a refresher not only on their existing paid leave obligations, but on the interplay with state and local leave laws that may alter or expand their responsibilities."  MORE >>

"As of January 1, 2023, all Colorado employers are required to post or otherwise provide employees with the state-issued FAMLI Program notice ... and also begin deducting employees' shares of FAMLI Program premiums from employee paychecks, where applicable."  MORE >>

"This is the first time HHS has requested comments on updating the EHB since it went into effect in 2014. Much has changed in health needs and care over the past decade ... The RFI gives the public an opportunity to comment on how coverage should adapt to meet these changes."  MORE >>

"[A recent IFEBP survey] provides benchmarking data on the methods that health care plan sponsors are using to control escalating prescription drug costs. Some of their cost-containment strategies [include] ... [1] Cost-sharing initiatives ... [2] Coverage/limits by drug type ... [3] Drug access controls ... [4] Purchasing/administration initiatives."  MORE >>

"60% of respondents reported being highly or moderately concerned about their household financial well-being.... [E]mployers often underrate the stress that employees experience from financial instability. In doing so, they miss an opportunity to offer support via voluntary benefits that can help mitigate this stress and encourage a happier, healthier workforce."  MORE >>

"By imposing a reasonable deadline under the terms of the plan, you may be able to create a uniform limitations period, avoiding otherwise lengthy statutes of limitations and state-to-state variations.... Whether a plan's limitations period is reasonable is determined by the court hearing the claim.... Whether and what kind of notice is required regarding a plan-imposed limitations period also varies among the courts."  MORE >>

"Of the 173 million calls to the IRS during fiscal year 2022, just 22 million (13%) reached an IRS employee.... And telephone service for tax professionals reached an all-time low, the report said, even though the IRS established the Practitioner Priority Service (PPS) line to handle their calls. Of the 12.7 million calls to the PPS line, the IRS answered 2 million -- or 16% -- with an average hold time of 25 minutes for those who did reach the agency."  MORE >>