DOL Archives - Word on Benefits

How SFA Rules Impact Annual Funding Notice Requirements

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

09 May 202309 May 2023

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 authorized special financial assistance (SFA) through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to eligible severely underfunded multiemployer plans. ARPA added section 4262 to Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The multiemployer plans […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance DOL Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) Insurance Prescription Drugs

**ACA Preventive Services Requirements Struck Down: Braidwood Management v. Becerra Explainer**

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

26 Apr 202326 Apr 2023

As a result of ongoing litigation, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury (the departments) cannot enforce some Affordable Care Act (ACA) preventive care requirements, but the departments strongly encourage plan sponsors to keep coverage without […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits HIPAA Insurance Legislative Regulatory

The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies Arrives Early

Amanda Wilke

12 Apr 202318 Apr 2023

This blog has been updated with new information from the previous version published on April 12, 2023. President Biden signed H.R. Res. 7 on Monday, April 10, 2023, to end the national emergency (NE) for COVID-19, effective immediately. Although the NE ended […]

Compliance DOL Employee Benefits ERISA Legislative Regulatory Retirement U.S.

Legal and Legislative Reporter: Fiduciary Duties Breached

Guest Contributor

10 Jan 202310 Mar 2023

Every month, the International Foundation releases the Legal and Legislative Reporter, a compilation of new employee benefits-related case summaries. Below is a summary we thought you’d be interested in. Content provided by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. The U.S. District Court for the […]

Compliance Cybersecurity DOL Employee Benefits

Five Critical Components of a Cybersecurity Compliance Review

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

15 Sep 202215 Sep 2022

Cybersecurity should be top of mind for retirement plan fiduciaries, not only because the risks of a data breach or fraud are on the rise but also because the Department of Labor (DOL) has begun auditing retirement plans with a focus on […]

DOL Employee Benefits Retirement U.S.

Is Your Plan Ready for a DOL Investigation? Nine Key Areas to Review

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

29 Aug 202229 Aug 2022

When it comes to Department of Labor (DOL) retirement plan investigations, the best defense for plan fiduciaries is often a good offense—conducting a compliance self-review before DOL officials come knocking. That’s the contention made by attorneys Elizabeth S. Goldberg and William J. […]

401(k) Plans Cybersecurity DOL Education Employee Benefits U.S.

Cryptocurrency Guidance for 401(k) Plan Fiduciaries

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

04 May 202204 May 2022

Last week, we shared five reasons why cryptocurrencies can present serious risks to 401(k) fiduciaries and participants. Since then, there has been some confusion about fiduciary duties when it comes to a cryptocurrency option that is fully integrated into a plan’s core […]

Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans DOL Employee Benefits Pensions Retirement U.S.

DOL Guidance on Lost Retirement Plan Participants

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

28 Jul 202128 Jul 2021

The issue of what to do about lost or missing participants is a frustrating one for plan sponsors. These participants often have terminated participation in a plan because they took a new job. They may have even moved. Because these terminated participants […]

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 […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care U.S.

Medicare and COBRA Coordination During COVID-19

Anne Newhouse

04 Aug 202004 Aug 2020

Maintaining access to health insurance is a huge priority for both employers and employees right now. With some employers having to make hard decisions about layoffs, furloughs and terminations, one of the situations plan sponsors should be mindful of is the integration […]