Insights

Under Section 125, employees make annual elections under a cafeteria plan that are irrevocable during the plan year. However, regulations allow midyear changes to those elections when an employee or their dependents experience specific qualifying events. One of these events occurs when an employee, their spouse, or their dependent experience a change in status, such as a change in residence. However, there are limits to the change in residence qualifying event. The change in residence becomes a

The Washington Employment Security Department announced in October that the 2024 WA PFML total premium rate will be 0.74% of wages up to the 2024 Social Security cap of $168,600. The new rate is a decrease of the current rate of 0.8% and will become effective on January 1, 2024. The total contribution of 0.74% is split between employers and employees, depending on the size of the employer. Employers with 50 or more employees working in the state of Washington will contribute up to 28.57% of 0.7

Gov. DeWine recently signed Ohio’s budget bill, HB33, which included provisions amending dependent coverage under dental and vision policies issued in the state in Section 1751.14. The bill extends coverage for unmarried dependents up to age 26 under certain conditions. To qualify for the extension of coverage, a dependent must meet the following criteria: Be the unmarried natural child, stepchild, or adopted child of the subscriber. Reside in Ohio or be enrolled as a full-time student at an a

On October 11, 2023, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 (DC Act 25-228) into law. DC Act 25-228 extends the prohibition of short-term disability policies reducing benefits (also known as offsetting benefits) based on an insured’s receipt of DC Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits. The prohibition applies to fully insured policies regardless of where the policy is issued but does n

On February 9, 2023, the Utah Insurance Department issued Bulletin 2023-1(a) to address concerns that some insurers had not been following the required standards for identification cards. Of particular concern to the department was that some identification cards did not include the “State Regulated” wording required under Utah’s rules.   The bulletin also announced the adoption of the Utah Health Information Network uniform standards for identification cards, which are to be effective for

On October 3, 2023, the Wyoming Department of Insurance released a memorandum reminding companies of their obligation to provide coverage of COVID-19 vaccines, with special consideration given to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, which was recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) on September 12, 2023.  The memorandum also reminds issuers that COVID-19 vaccines received from a network provider must be covered without cost-sharing within 15 business days after the da

On October 27, 2023, the DOL, HHS, and IRS (the departments) proposed a rule imposing new requirements for group health plans, insurers and healthcare providers under the No Surprises Act (NSA) federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process. According to the departments, the proposed rule is designed to streamline the current IDR process and address legal challenges to previously issued rules. The NSA provisions, which took effect in 2022, protect participants from surprise bills by limit

On November 3, 2023, the DOL published a proposed rule broadening the definition of an investment advice fiduciary under ERISA. The newest iteration of this rule is the most recent attempt by the DOL to update the definition of fiduciary after the 2016 Conflict of Interest Rule (the 2016 rule) was set aside by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in litigation. Ultimately, the DOL seeks to again update the original five-part test that has been used to identify fiduciaries who render in

On November 1, 2023, the IRS issued Notice 2023-75, which provides certain cost-of-living adjustments for a wide variety of tax-related items, including retirement plan contribution maximums and other limitations. Several key figures are highlighted below. These cost-of-living adjustments are effective January 1, 2024. The elective deferral limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan increases from $22,500 to $23,000 in