"When a school closes for part of a week during which an employee uses less than a full week of FMLA leave, the period during which the school is closed is not counted as FMLA leave, unless the employee was scheduled and expected to work during the period and used FMLA leave for that time. When a school closes for part of a week during which an employee is using a full week of FMLA leave, however, the entire week is counted as FMLA leave."  MORE >>

"[An] employee may use FMLA-protected leave that counts against his or her FMLA entitlement to travel to or from a medical appointment for a serious health condition. Additionally, a health care provider need not provide an estimate of an employee's travel time to or from an appointment for the medical certification to be complete and sufficient under the Act."  MORE >>

"FMLA leave can include reasonable travel time to medical appointments. Medical certifications do not need to micromanage commute estimates. Partial‑week closures do not expand or shrink FMLA entitlements. For intermittent or reduced‑schedule leave, charge only the time the employee would have worked and actually missed -- and nothing more."  MORE >>

"What happened at the end of 2025: [1] Trump Accounts ... [2] Expansion of HSAs ... [3] Reduced Hepatitis B vaccination recommendations ...

"What's expected in 2026: [1] Pharmacy Benefit Manager transparency ... [2] Direct-to-consumer Rx programs ... [3] New HIPAA Security Rules ... [4] New electronic disclosure rules for health plans ... [5] Mental health parity ... [6] Transparency ... [7] Surprise billing adjustments."  MORE >>

"[C]overed entities must update their NPPs to reflect amendments to the HIPAA Privacy Rule that align HIPAA with the federal confidentiality framework for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records ... [P]lan sponsors should confirm that their NPPs do not reference HIPAA Privacy Rule amendments addressing reproductive health care information that were finalized in 2024 but later vacated and are no longer in effect."  MORE >>

"Employers who continuously adopted the telehealth and other remote care services exception since the COVID relief was effective have been assured that their employees' HSA eligibility is not in question ... Telehealth and other remote care services received prior to the applicable deductible being met should not include any in-person services, medical equipment, or prescription drugs supplied in conjunction with telehealth and other remote care services."  MORE >>

"[T]he New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) ... was amended to expand benefits to employees ... by: [1] providing 32 hours of unpaid safe/sick leave to new employees upon hire and to all employees at the beginning of each benefit year, in addition to the required paid safe/sick leave; [2] expanding the categories for which employees can use safe/sick leave; and [3] codifying paid prenatal leave into New York City law. These changes go into effect on February 22, 2026."  MORE >>

"On December 19, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Bill 4727 into law, expanding PFL eligibility to many construction workers who work for multiple employers under a collective bargaining agreement each year. The amendment does not take effect until January 1, 2027, and raises important planning considerations for employers that are parties to these collective bargaining agreements."  MORE >>

"[T]he US District Court for the District of Minnesota held that an employee adequately stated a claim against the employer plan administrator for maintaining an inaccurate database of medical providers.... [The] decision means employer plan administrators may face possible liability in relying on the provider networks and related directories offered by insurance carriers and TPAs.... [W]hat questions should you ask to monitor your plan's network?" [Orrison v. Mayo Clinic, No. 24-1124 (D. Minn. Sep. 19, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[1] Care navigation moves from system-level thinking to provider-level performance ... [2] GLP-1 medications become a more complex coverage decision ... [3] Benefits will become more intentional and outcome-focused ... [4] Employers accelerate creative self-funded strategies to regain control from traditional carriers ... Precision is favored over broad strategy in 2026."  MORE >>

"In an era where every big tech player wants a piece of healthcare, Elevance Health is trying something harder: turning a sprawling, legacy insurance business into a modern, data-driven health platform. The company, formerly known as Anthem, is recasting itself not as a payer, but as an integrated healthcare product that coordinates benefits, care, and pharmacy services under one data layer."  MORE >>

"Without a committee, board members and/or senior executives are likely to be fiduciaries of the welfare plans, often without the capacity for detailed oversight.... Regular meetings, formal agendas, and minutes demonstrating competitive bidding, fee benchmarking, and vendor review create an evidentiary record that can help defend against litigation.... Committees can scrutinize PBM pricing, carrier renewals, and broker compensation ... to confirm reasonableness and alignment with participant interests."  MORE >>

"In this article, [the authors] first examine why the current wave of transparency initiatives has fallen short of delivering actionable insights for employers. Next, [they] outline what meaningful data access should look like and why it matters.... Finally, [they] consider policy implications and what steps are needed to make transparency truly work for employers."  MORE >>

"This revenue procedure explains how the [IRS] (Service) provides advice to taxpayers on issues under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, Employee Plans Rulings and Agreements Office (Employee Plans Rulings and Agreements). It also details the types of advice available to taxpayers, and the procedures for requesting and receiving such advice."  MORE >>

"Employers may make their employer contributions or may facilitate employee salary reduction contributions. The employer contributions will not be taxable income to the employee. The employee salary reduction contributions will be taken on a pre-tax basis. In order for either type of contribution to occur, the employer must adopt a Trump Account Contribution Program."  MORE >>