ERISA Complex LitigationBlog Posts
Premium Reimbursement Arrangements – Employers BewareThe Department of Labor (DOL) has just published a series of FAQs regarding premium reimbursement arrangements. Specifically, the FAQs address the following arrangements: An arrangement in which an employer offers an employee cash to reimburse the purchase of an individual market policy. Where an employer provides cash reimbursement for the purchase of an individual market … Continue reading Premium Reimbursement Arrangements – Employers BewareNovember 6, 2014 |
Court Denies EEOC’s TRO Motion Seeking to Halt Employer’s Wellness ProgramAs reported in our Disability, Leave & Health Management Blog, Judge Ann D. Montgomery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota denied the EEOC’s TRO request to immediately stop an employer, Honeywell, from implementing its wellness program, ruling that the EEOC did not establish that there would be irreparable harm. Judge Montgomery did … Continue reading Court Denies EEOC’s TRO Motion Seeking to Halt Employer’s Wellness ProgramNovember 4, 2014 |
HPID Requirement Delayed by HHSThe scramble for group health plan administrators to navigate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website and obtain a Health Plan Identifier (HPID) ahead of next week’s deadline is over. On October 31, 2014, the CMS Office of e-Health Standards and Services (OESS), the division of the Department of Health & Human Services … Continue reading HPID Requirement Delayed by HHSNovember 2, 2014 |
Biometric Screening Requirement Under Wellness Program Violates ADA and GINA, According to EEOC SuitThe EEOC has challenged a third employer-sponsored wellness program in three months. Filed in federal court in Minnesota on October 27, the EEOC’s petition seeks to enjoin Honeywell International, Inc. from implementing its wellness program. We expect this case will be watched more closely by employers and wellness vendors alike as the program the EEOC describes … Continue reading Biometric Screening Requirement Under Wellness Program Violates ADA and GINA, According to EEOC SuitOctober 29, 2014 |
EEOC Challenges the Design of Another Employer’s Wellness Program under the ADALittle more than a month ago, we reported to you about the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) first lawsuit against a Wisconsin employer concerning its wellness program. On October 1, the EEOC announced a second lawsuit against another Wisconsin employer. EEOC v. Flambeau, Inc. (W.D.WI, filed October 1, 2014). Based on the report, the agency’s … Continue reading EEOC Challenges the Design of Another Employer’s Wellness Program under the ADAOctober 2, 2014 |
Have You Obtained a HPID?The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) recently released guidance on the application process to obtain a Health Plan Identifier (“HPID”). A HPID is an all-numeric 10-digit identification number that many HIPAA-covered health plans are required to adopt by November 5, 2014. Think of a HPID like an EIN for health plans. HPIDs will … Continue reading Have You Obtained a HPID?September 29, 2014 |
U.S. Supreme Court’s Rejection of Moench Presumption: Fifth Third Bancorp. vs. DudenhoefferBackground Fifth Third Bancorp (the “Company”) is a public company which maintained a 401(k) plan containing an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”) component. The Company matched employee contributions by contributing employer stock to the ESOP, which invested its funds primarily in Company stock. When the Company’s stock value fell, former employees and ESOP participants filed … Continue reading U.S. Supreme Court’s Rejection of Moench Presumption: Fifth Third Bancorp. vs. DudenhoefferSeptember 26, 2014 |
Employers – Review Your Controlled Group to Assure ACA and Retirement Plan ComplianceBeginning in 2015, certain employers that fail to offer affordable health insurance that provides minimum value to their full-time employees and their dependents may incur substantial Employer Shared Responsibility penalties under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). We previously wrote about the importance of properly classifying workers as employees or independent contractors to assure ACA compliance. … Continue reading Employers – Review Your Controlled Group to Assure ACA and Retirement Plan ComplianceSeptember 22, 2014 |
Look Beyond the ACA Wellness Regulations When Designing Your Program, EEOC Sues Employer Over Its ProgramThe EEOC could sue my company over the wellness program that is part of our medical plan? Yes, that agency recently sued an employer in Wisconsin claiming the penalty the employer imposed for nonparticpation in its program was too significant, causing the medical inquiries under the program to be involuntary for purposes of the Americans … Continue reading Look Beyond the ACA Wellness Regulations When Designing Your Program, EEOC Sues Employer Over Its ProgramAugust 25, 2014 |
Affordable Care Act Employer Penalties – Another Reason to Make Sure Workers are Properly Classified as Employees or Independent ContractorsBeginning next year, an applicable large employer that does not offer affordable minimum value group health coverage to its fulltime employees (and their children up to age 26) will be vulnerable to employer shared responsibility penalties under Internal Revenue Code §4980H. Whether an employer is an “applicable large employer” depends on its number of fulltime … Continue reading Affordable Care Act Employer Penalties – Another Reason to Make Sure Workers are Properly Classified as Employees or Independent ContractorsAugust 14, 2014 |