Insights

The IRS Office of Chief Counsel recently published a memo regarding the tax treatment of an employer-funded insured fixed indemnity wellness policy. This guidance was issued in response to an internal request for guidance regarding a particular employer's benefit offerings. Specifically, the memo addresses whether wellness payments under an employer-funded, fixed indemnity insurance policy (including where the premium for the coverage is paid by employee salary reduction through a §125 cafeteri

As a reminder, after an 18-month delay, WA Cares Fund premium collections from employee wages are set to begin on July 1, 2023. The WA Cares Fund is the state's new long-term care (LTC) program that will be funded through a payroll tax on employees. The premium amount for 2023 is 0.58% of gross wages with no maximum limit. Employers do not contribute to the program but are responsible for reporting employee wages and hours and paying the premiums to the Employment Security Department on a quart

On June 1, 2023, Gov. Scott signed SB 135, establishing VT Saves, a mandatory state-run payroll-deduction Roth IRA program to take effect in 2025. Employers who do not otherwise offer a qualified retirement savings program will be required to enroll in VT Saves and allow employees to make contributions via automatic payroll deductions. Employers will be responsible for enrolling employees and coordinating salary deductions but are not required to make additional contributions. Employer enrollme

On May 24, 2023, Gov. Walz signed an omnibus bill that includes provisions requiring health insurers regulated by the state to provide preventive services (as specified in the federal ACA) at no cost. The intent of this law is to preserve the preventive services provisions of the ACA in light of current litigation seeking to remove those provisions from federal law. Employers with plans regulated by the state should be aware of this new law. SF 2744

On May 30, 2023, the Office of Superintendent of Insurance released Bulletin 2013-013 as a public reminder to New Mexico health insurance carriers that the state's Patient Protection Act (PPA) obligates managed healthcare plans to provide "reasonably accessible health care services that are available in a timely manner," including coverage of out-of-network services when "medically necessary covered services are not reasonably available through participating providers." The bulletin indicates t

NFP's Management, Cyber and Professional Liability Team co-hosted a webinar with the law firm Winston & Strawn. They covered managing risk-associated companies as they transition from private to public. Specifically, discussing the following: Directors & Officers Liability Insurance coverage basics Shift in personal and corporate liability as a public company State of the Directors & Officers Liability insurance market Current Securities Litigation Trends The IPO D&O underwriti

With recent and drastic world changes motivating a major shift in what employees value and competition for talent, there is an increasing focus on retention. In a recent survey that NFP conducted among benefits leaders, 93% believe that it's important to retain top talent. As The Great Resignation dissipates and we move into a new period - The Big Stay - fewer employees may be quitting their jobs, but a lack of engagement, quiet quitting and high employee turnover still pose pricy problems for

Although COBRA is not a new law, there are still mistakes that employer plan sponsors can make when administering their COBRA offering. Among the possible mistakes is failing to include the required content in the COBRA election notice. As a reminder, the following 14 items must be included in every COBRA election notice: Contact information for the plan, including the plan name and the name, address and telephone number of the entity that administers COBRA on behalf of the plan. The qualif

On May 30, 2023, the DOL issued an opinion letter that affirms its prior guidance regarding how to calculate the amount of FMLA leave entitlement when a workweek includes a holiday. "Workweek" is defined under the FMLA as the employee's normal schedule (hours/days per week) prior to the start of FMLA leave. The opinion letter confirms that when a holiday falls during a week when an employee is taking a full workweek of FMLA leave and is not expected to work on the holiday, the entire week is co