Employee Benefits Archives - Word on Benefits

IRS Guidance: What Does It Mean?

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

23 Jan 202523 Jan 2025

A new year means renewed attention to the compliance requirements required of plan sponsors. In addition to legislation and regulations affecting employers, subregulatory guidance helps clarify the law and provides direction and insight into complex rules. What is subregulatory guidance? Regulations or […]

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Supporting Employees Experiencing Grief and Traumatic Loss

Eli Argueta

21 Jan 202521 Jan 2025

Grief and loss can take many forms, such as the death of a loved one, loss of a relationship or pet, or even adjusting to a move or a job change. Research has shown that grief is cumulative and can lead to […]

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Benefit Plan Laws and Rules on Our 2025 Watchlist

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

16 Jan 202516 Jan 2025

Did you know there are at least 40 potential areas of employee benefit plan regulations and legislation to watch in 2025 and beyond? That’s how many I counted while attending the International Foundation webcast, Legislative and Regulatory Update—What Could Be Coming in […]

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Do You Have a Best Friend at Work? Creating the Conditions for Nourishing Relationships

Rebecca Plier

15 Jan 202515 Jan 2025

Let’s face it: We’re (still) lonely. In fact, one in five employees worldwide currently feels lonely at work. One factor contributing to this loneliness epidemic may be a lack of friendships. Having friends at work can make or break our overall job […]

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ACA Employer Reporting Relief Options for Self-Funded Plans in 2025

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

14 Jan 202514 Jan 2025

On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed two laws intended to simplify employer’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements. The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act (HR 3797) and the Employer Reporting Improvement Act (HR 3801) allow flexibility for employers to furnish 1095-B and […]

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Employment Insurance Benefits: What You Need to Know for 2025

Eli Argueta

07 Jan 202507 Jan 2025

Understanding how government sponsored programs operate is essential to communicating benefits to all employees. Here is what you need to know regarding Employment Insurance benefits in 2025. The Employment Insurance (EI) program provides temporary income support to unemployed workers while they look […]

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Clear Vision, Brighter Future: The Importance of Vision Benefits

Tim Hennessy

30 Dec 202430 Dec 2024

Years ago, while navigating Chicago’s tense downtown rush-hour traffic, I noticed that a blurry spot in the vision in my left eye had worsened into a smear-like stain. What had been a minor inconvenience now made reading road signs dangerously difficult. It’s […]

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Hardship Distributions: Five Questions for Plan Sponsors

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

27 Dec 202427 Dec 2024

It’s become easier for plan participants to take distributions from their defined contribution (DC) retirement plan account balances, but plan sponsors still have a fiduciary duty to ensure that the need for these distributions is real. In the November/December issue of Benefits […]

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Six Biggest Benefits Trends of 2024 (and Predictions for 2025)

Anne Patterson

23 Dec 202423 Dec 2024

The end of 2024 also means an exciting, new end-of-year podcast from the Talking Benefits team! We recapped the top six benefits biggies from the past year and gave our predictions for what’s ahead, especially considering the new administration under President-elect Trump. […]

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Congress Passes Two Laws Allowing ACA Employer Reporting Relief

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

20 Dec 202420 Dec 2024

On December 10 and 11, Congress passed two bills, the Paperwork Reduction Act (HR 3797) and the Employer Reporting Improvement Act (HR 3801), intended to simplify employer’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements. The bills are awaiting the president’s signature to become […]