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ACA Reporting: New Forms, Announcements from IRS Remind HR Pros What's Ahead

"In addition to the final forms, the IRS announced changes to the identity authentication process for e-Services, which includes tools used in connection with the electronic filing through the Affordable Care Act Information Returns (AIR) Program system. According to the feds, the changes will strengthen protections for e-Services accounts by requiring two-factor authentication to use the feds' Secure Access platform."

Five Ways to Improve the Success of Your Voluntary Benefits Plan

"Employees who graded their company's communication tactics with an 'A' or 'B' ... consider the following methods most helpful: post-enrollment confirmation of benefits elections (58%); personalized messages and materials reflecting individual needs and/or life stages (53%); employer benefits website (53%); one-on-one meetings (49%); and online decision-support tools, such as calculators, FAQS, etc. (48%)."

Nine Questions to Ask When Picking (or Changing) a Broker for Health Benefits

"Does the broker have solid references? ... Does the broker have a comprehensive understanding of all plan designs? ... Is there a good variety of different plan choices? ... Can the broker answer questions about federal and state regs? ... Can the broker provide practical, real-world info on Obamacare's impact on your workforce? ... How dedicated will the broker be to your company's specific needs? ... Is the broker willing to participate? ... How often does the broker check-in/what are his or her preferred communication methods? ... What type of cost-sharing and administrative help does the broker provide?"

Why Student Loan Repayment May Soon Be a Standard Benefit

"The average tenure of Millennials is around 16 months, and the bulk of these workers are saddled with a tremendous amount of student loan debt ($30,000 on average). That revolving door mentality among younger workers hurts employers' retention rates and costs a fortune in extra recruiting and training costs. Plus, because student loan debt makes contributing to a 401(k) a low priority, employers' 401(k) participation rates suffer as well."

Why Student Loan Repayment May Soon Be a Standard Employee Benefit

"Because student loan debt is so important to younger employees, companies that offer relief in this area will have a big leg up on the competition and likely be able to bolster dwindling retention rates. What's more, student loan debt isn't only an issue for Millennials. Thirty-five percent of all student loan debt is held by individuals over the age of 39. Many people also have Federal Parent PLUS Loans, loans for parents to help finance their children's college education."

The Next 401(k)? Why Student Loan Repayment May Soon Be a Standard Benefit

"The average tenure of Millennials is around 16 months, and the bulk of these workers are saddled with a tremendous amount of student loan debt ... That revolving door mentality among younger workers hurts employers' retention rates and costs a fortune in extra recruiting and training costs. Plus, because student loan debt makes contributing to a 401(k) a low priority, employers' 401(k) participation rates suffer as well."

The Future of Wellness: Three Trends That Will Soon Be Everywhere

"Here are three tech-based wellness options HR pros should keep an eye on -- and think about adopting some time in the near future: 1. Gamification.... 62% of employers already use gamification in some way to promote health engagement among employees ... 2. Mobile technology offerings.... [F]or many employees, few items play as important a role in their everyday activities as their smartphones. 3. Social media.components. From major social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to health-based blogs and RSS feeds, there are a host of social tools employers can incorporate into their wellness plans. And the beauty of social networking tools is employers can use them to create communities among small or large segments of workers."

The Communication Crisis Facing Your Health Plan

"63% of employees said they don't know the benefit of an HSA. 50% don't know how to predict current or future out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures and can't select the best savings vehicle or rate. 26% of HSA accountholders don't know they can use HSA funds beyond the immediate plan year, and 41% of HSA accountholders were unaware they could invest HSA funds."

Obamacare Delay Provides Relief -- and an Opportunity

"The most recent health-reform implementation roadblock involves a tool the feds created to help employers with administration issues. But problems with that very tool directly led to a delay that benefits employers.... If your company offers a skinny or low-cost health plan that fails to meet the health reform law's 'minimum value' test, you have an extra year before you'll face any penalties."

Top Three Reasons DOL Auditors Come Knocking

"In 2013 alone, 775 new DOL investigations were opened as a direct result of benefit plan participants' complaints.... Increasingly, employers are being audited by the DOL for Form 5500 errors.... In many cases, the feds' audits are completely random."