On March 27th, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). This is primarily an economic stimulus package; however, there are certain employee benefit-related items. This issue of the Benefit Minute discusses these items and provides a brief overview of certain other major provisions.
The Department of Labor has issued additional Questions and Answers providing more compliance assistance for implementation of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSL) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA). Highlights of the additional DOL Questions and Answers are discussed below.
On March 24, 2020, the Department of Labor issued Questions and Answers addressing certain aspects of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSL) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA). This is the first round of compliance assistance regarding the new law, and […]
On March 18th, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act). The relief granted by the Act is very specific. Effective no later than April 2, 2020, the Act will provide short-term financial support in the form of paid leave to individuals employed by covered employers (private employers with fewer […]
Under ERISA, a health plan fiduciary is any individual who has discretionary authority in administering or managing a group health plan or controlling plan assets. A group health plan must have at least one named fiduciary which will generally be the employer, acting through individuals such as company officers or a plan administration committee. However, […]
Set forth below are some recent updates as we begin 2020.
The table below details the 2020 and 2019 limitations for qualified plans and other benefit related items.
In response to the Trump Administration Executive Order regarding improving price and quality transparency in American health care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Treasury Department issued final and proposed regulations that impose transparency requirements on hospitals, health insurers, and group health plans as described below.
On September 24, 2019, the Department of Labor revised a regulation issued under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by updating the salary threshold that applies to the FLSA’s overtime exemption for executive, administrative and professional employees from $455 to $684 per week. Absent an applicable exemption, an employer is required to pay 1½ times […]