American Rescue Plan Act’s Employment-Related Provisions
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) into law on March 11, 2021. The law generally provides financial...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Mar 11, 20211 min read
3 Voluntary Benefits Trends to Watch in 2021
Voluntary benefits have always been great tools for rounding off employee benefits offerings. And that value isn’t lost on employers—at...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Feb 16, 20211 min read
EEOC Issues FAQs on Mandatory Vaccinations for COVID-19
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently added nine new answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) to its existing...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Jan 19, 20211 min read
Non-grandfathered Plans Must Cover COVID-19 Vaccine Without Cost-sharing Beginning in 2021
On December 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Jan 13, 20211 min read
Final Rule Allows Greater Flexibility for Grandfathered Plans Under the ACA
On December 15, 2020, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (Departments) published a final rule that...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Dec 17, 20201 min read
Employee Benefits Plan Limits for 2021
Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are periodically updated for inflation by the IRS. The IRS typically...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Dec 14, 20201 min read
Final Rule on Health Care Transparency Issued
The Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) issued a final rule that imposes new...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Oct 15, 20201 min read
Medicare Part D Notices Are Due today - October 15, 2020
Each year, Medicare Part D requires group health plan sponsors to disclose to individuals who are eligible for Medicare Part D and to the...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Oct 7, 20201 min read
ACA Pay or Play Penalties Will Increase for 2021
The IRS recently updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the pay or play penalties to include increased penalty amounts for the...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Sep 29, 20201 min read
QSEHRA and Transportation Plan Limit Projections for 2021
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (aka “Tax Reform”) enacted December 22, 2017, changed the measure of inflation to the average chained CPI-U...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Sep 22, 20203 min read
Health Care FSA Limit Projected to Increase for 2021
In 2013, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) put a cap on Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) salary reductions, subject to Consumer...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Sep 15, 20202 min read
Deadline Approaching for Medicare Part D Notice
Prior to the Medicare Part D annual enrollment period, and no later than October 14, 2020, employers that provide prescription drug...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Sep 14, 20201 min read
IRS Announces HSA and HDHP Limits for 2021
The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2020-32 to provide the inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Aug 10, 20201 min read
Reminder: COVID-19 Guidance for Section 125 Midyear Election Changes
The IRS released Notice 2020-29, which provides temporary flexibility for midyear election changes under a Section 125 cafeteria plan...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Jun 22, 20201 min read
Updated Model COBRA Notices Available
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued new model notices for group health plan administrators to use to comply with COBRA...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
Jun 10, 20201 min read
Federal Agencies Issue COVID-19 Relief for Employee Benefit Plans
The Departments of Labor (DOL) and the Treasury (Departments) recently issued deadline relief to help employee benefit plans, plan...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
May 21, 20201 min read
Best Practices for Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic
@ajmbenefits As the number of U.S. COVID-19 cases grows daily, employment is rapidly changing. While local governments temporarily adjust...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
May 18, 20201 min read
IRS Allows HDHPs to Cover COVID-19 Costs
@ajmbenefits The IRS recently issued Notice 2020-15 to advise that high deductible health plans (HDHPs) can pay for coronavirus disease...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
May 11, 20201 min read
New Coronavirus Relief Laws Require Paid Employee Leave
@ajmbenefits As part of sweeping legislation—the Families First Coronavirus Response Act—signed into law by President Donald Trump, two...
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Karl J. Ruth Jr.
May 6, 20201 min read
COVID-19 Related Form 5500 Deadlines and Extensions
The IRS issued several notices at the end of March and early April, including Notice 2020-18, which expands filing relief for time...
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