Emily Erstling
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On April 16, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released proposed regulations covering wellness programs that involve disability-related inquiries or medical examinations. The release of the proposed regulations follows months of EEOC enforcement actions against employers alleging that wellness programs sponsored by the employers violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) despite compliance with … Continue Reading
Prior to the enactment of the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (“TIPA”) in December 2014, effective for 2014, mass transit commuters were only able to contribute a maximum of $130 per month on a pre-tax basis toward their transit expenses (a reduction from $245 per month permitted in 2013). TIPA retroactively increased the maximum … Continue Reading
In recent talks and appearances, representatives of the U.S. Department of Labor have issued a warning about new areas of focus of DOL audits and enforcement actions. While there are a number of different enforcement priorities, we discuss two of them—health plan claims and appeals and valuation of hard to value assets— here because these … Continue Reading
Contributing employers to multiemployer plans were relieved by the Treasury Department’s interim guidance stating that they will not be subject to the employer shared responsibility payments under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) with respect to employees for whom they contribute to a multiemployer plan that provides minimum value, offers dependent child coverage and is affordable. … Continue Reading
On August 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provided new guidance to plan fiduciaries of terminated defined contribution plans for locating missing and unresponsive participants in order to distribute their benefits. The guidance comes in the form of Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) No. 2014-01, which replaces FAB No. 2004-02. As discussed below, the … Continue Reading
As employers plan for paying various health care reform fees, one question that arises is whether the fees owed are tax deductible. In particular, it has been unclear whether the fees paid pursuant the Affordable Care Act to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (“PCORI”) would be deductible business expenses under Section 162 of the … Continue Reading
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage at the federal level as a legal union between one man and one woman and excuses states from any obligation to recognize same-sex marriages recognized in any other state. As a result, many states have enacted so-called “mini-DOMA” laws providing that those states will not recognize for … Continue Reading
On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA”) into law. ATRA, adopted as an alternative to stepping over the “fiscal cliff,” preserves most of the Bush-era tax cuts and reinstates several other lapsed tax provisions. Several provisions of ATRA are of particular interest to employers, employees, and employee benefit … Continue Reading
EEOC’s Proposed Wellness Regulations Add Burdensome Notice Requirement; Still Prohibit Mandatory HRAs
By Damian A. Myers, Emily Erstling and Stacy Barrow on Posted in Affordable Care Act, Wellness Programs
Deja-Vu All Over Again: Congress Once Again Retroactively Increases Mass Transit Benefit Limits
By Emily Erstling, Lisa A. Berkowitz Herrnson and Stacy Barrow on Posted in Mass Transit Benefits
DOL’s New Audit Focus? Health Plan Claims and Appeals and Hard to Value Assets
By Emily Erstling and Robert Projansky on Posted in Department of Labor
Contributing Employers to Multiemployer Plans Are Not Off the Hook – Tracking the Full-Time Status of Employees
By Emily Erstling and Robert Projansky on Posted in Affordable Care Act, Multiemployer Funds
New Guidance on Locating Missing Participants for Terminated Defined Contribution Plans
By Emily Erstling on Posted in Uncategorized
IRS Says PCORI Fees Are Deductible
By Emily Erstling and Paul M. Hamburger on Posted in Affordable Care Act
U.S. Supreme Court Decision on DOMA May Impact Status of Children of Same-Sex Spouses for Employee Benefits Purposes
By Emily Erstling and Tzvia Feiertag on Posted in Defense of Marriage Act, Same-Sex Marriage, Supreme Court
American Taxpayer Relief Act Affects Mass Transit Benefits and Other Employee Benefits
By Emily Erstling, Lisa A. Berkowitz Herrnson, Paul M. Hamburger and Steven Weinstein on Posted in American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Client Alert
