Each month we will be providing our newly designed and updated benefits digest to assist you and your team with staying informed of the latest group benefits news, analyses and legal updates.
We would like to offer one of our Weekly Benefit Briefs highlighting information regarding:
We would like to offer one of our Weekly Benefit Briefs highlighting information regarding:
And more….
U.S. DOL Releases Guidance on FMLA Leave and Mental Health
By, Epstein Becker & Green PC
NLRB Releases Spring Rulemaking Agenda Forecasting Changes to Joint
Employer Standard and Representation Election Procedures
By, Proskauer Rose LLP
Employee Benefits Might Still Facilitate Abortions and Reproductive Choice in a Post- Roe vs. Wade America
Court Blocks Enforcement of Certain ACA Section 1557 and Title VII Nondiscrimination Rules against Christian Employers Group
Check out Much, Much More…………..
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Is
Confirmed As Next SCOTUS Justice
Paying Employees In
Cryptocurrency: Is That lawful?
“Federal officials continued to issue guidance on the
Affordable Care Act in early 2022. This article
summarizes the status of the so-called SUNSET rule,
new materials for the 2023 plan year, Section 1332
waiver applications for Minnesota and Virginia, new
risk adjustment data validation results, and guidance
from the Internal Revenue Service and Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services on the ACA and the
eventual unwinding the public health emergency.”
President Continues COVID Extensions
“President Biden has extended the COVID-19
National Emergency, which was declared on
March 13, 2020, and was scheduled to end March 1,
2022. This latest extension of the National
Emergency is expected to last for at least one year.
Extending the National Emergency also extends
temporary delays of certain deadlines applicable to
group health plans.”
The beloved groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has predicted the remaining duration of winter. While the prediction isn’t what most hoped for, six more weeks of winter weather, we are moving closer to spring every day. While we steadily progress towards longer days and better weather, many employers are navigating a competitive talent landscape and creating short-term and long-term staffing plans to meet their business needs.
One strategy employers can use to meet some of their workplace staffing needs and build a future pipeline of talented workers is to establish summer internship programs. These programs can benefit both employers and interns if conducted properly, a true win-win.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), enacted in December 2020, amended the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MPHAEA) to require employers that sponsor self-funded group health plans that cover mental health or substance use disorder benefits to perform a “comparative analysis” of any non-quantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) effective February 10, 2021. All group health plans are subject to the CAA.
Fully insured plans, however, have relief from this requirement as the insurance carrier has the obligation to perform the comparative analysis, not the employer.
“The deadline extension is automatic, but the
alternative method of furnishing forms to certain
individuals requires careful consideration of the
detailed requirements described in the instructions.
Elimination of the good faith penalty relief for
incorrect or incomplete information means filers
need to really scrutinize their returns before filing.”
