Jenny Gartman, CEBS, Author at Word on Benefits

PBGC Implements Special Financial Assistance Program for Financially Troubled Multiemployer Pension Plans

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

15 Jul 202115 Jul 2021

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has released an interim final rule that focuses on special financial assistance (SFA) applications and related restrictions and conditions pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Read more about ARPA’s provisions to transfer […]

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Multiemployer Regulatory U.S.

How Do Multiemployer Plans Claim COBRA Premium Assistance Credit?

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

09 Jun 202108 Jun 2021

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Notice 2021-31 which provides guidance for multiemployer plans and plan administrators regarding the new credit available to them for providing continuation health coverage to certain individuals under COBRA. We summarized the COBRA changes under American […]

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Multiemployer PBGC Pensions Regulatory Retirement U.S.

Three Key Takeaways: What ARPA Means for Green Zone Pension Plans

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

29 Apr 202128 Apr 2021

It was big news back in March when the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was enacted to provide grants, called “special financial assistance,” to boost the solvency of eligible critical and declining status or insolvent plans under the Pension Benefit […]

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) U.S.

DOL Releases Model Notices for COBRA Subsidy Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

27 Apr 202128 Apr 2021

Thirty-five years ago this month, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) was signed into law. COBRA provides a way for workers and their families to temporarily maintain their employer-provided health insurance during situations such as job loss or a […]

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Legislative Multiemployer PBGC Retirement U.S.

What the American Rescue Plan Act Means for Financially Troubled Multiemployer Pension Plans

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

10 Mar 202128 Apr 2021

Listen to this post here. After years of debate on the topic of funding relief for multiemployer pension funds, Congress acted this week with the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Rescue Plan)—likely one of the most significant pieces […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) U.S.

Can Health FSAs Be Used to Prepay for Orthodontia?

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

12 Nov 202011 Nov 2020

As fall begins, the International Foundation Information Center typically sees an uptick in requests about year-end or new year planning for calendar year plans. Flexible spending account (FSA) participants need to estimate how much they will set aside for medical expenses prior […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Legislative U.S.

COVID-19–Related Tax Credits Benefits Professionals Need to Know

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

06 Oct 202020 Oct 2020

The relationship between benefits and tax may be deeper than most benefits professionals realize. In a recent International Foundation webcast, New and Ongoing Tax Relief to Employers and Employees, speakers Lindsay Rice and Matt Kelley with Moderator Ronald Krupa, CEBS, (all senior […]

Employee Benefits Investments Retirement U.S.

Who Is an ERISA Fiduciary Now, and What Should One Be Doing?

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

28 Sep 202028 Sep 2020

The definition of a fiduciary under ERISA has fluctuated in the past decade. In 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a rule redefining the meaning of the term fiduciary as it applies to investment professionals by replacing the five-part test originally […]

Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Multiemployer Pensions Retirement U.S.

Multiemployer Pension Actuarial Certifications Revisited

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

28 Jul 202028 Jul 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted benefit trust funds and will continue to have a marked effect on these plans. With volatile market performance that has not been seen since 2008, many plans are finding that their funding levels are suddenly in […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits

Auditing Employee Benefit Plans: COVID-19-Related Subsequent Events

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

15 Jun 202015 Jun 2020

The current pandemic has changed the way all businesses operate. Detailed information to keep the industry up to date on the latest issues was presented in the webcast Current Accounting and Auditing Issues in Employee Benefit Plans by Eileen E. Brassil, CFE, […]