Happy Holidays! You may have a pep in your step with the news that the FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine to combat COVID-19. This is certainly a reason for optimism. However, 2021 promises to be quite PEPPY for another reason. Pooled Employer Plans (or PEPs) can begin operating in 2021. PEPs are Multiple Employer
CARES Act Signed by President: Permits COVID-19 Withdrawals and Loans From Plans
On March 27, the House of Representatives passed, and within hours President Trump signed, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a 2 trillion dollar stimulus and relief statute with several measures to help individuals and businesses cope with the economic issues resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Senate had passed the bill
Supremes: You Can’t Hurry Love Or Constitutionality of ACA
In the 1960’s, the Supremes sang, “You can’t hurry love.” Apparently, the U.S. Supreme Court now feels the same way about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. On January 21, 2020, the High Court decided not to hurry the decision of whether to hear a case appealing a decision
One More ERISA Supreme Court Case But Also One Less
The United States Supreme Court is busy with potential ERISA cases. Having already accepted three ERISA cases for the current term (See, Supreme Court to Decide 3 Cases on Ability to Sue Under ERISA), on January 10, 2020, the high court agreed to hear a case involving preemption.
Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management
And The Winner For Best Depiction of Why We Need ERISA Goes To. . . “The Irishman”
Award season has begun and Hollywood is all a buzz with who won Golden Globes and the anticipation for the Academy Awards next month. One star-studded contender, The Irishman, has a chance to make history by being the first film predominantly viewed on the streaming service NetFlix, instead of cinemas, to win an Oscar. The
Supreme Court to Decide 3 Cases on Ability to Sue Under ERISA
The now conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court will hear three ERISA cases this term and decide issues involving the right to sue under ERISA. The Intel case deals with the statute of limitations for bringing a breach of fiduciary duty claim under ERISA. The Thole case involves whether participants in a fully funded defined benefit
How to Take Advantage of the IRS Expanded Self-Correction Program
By now you’ve probably read that the IRS has expanded the failures that can be self-corrected under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) as set forth in Rev. Proc. 2019-19 issued April 19, 2019. This development comes on the heels
CalSavers Saved From ERISA Preemption By District Court
On March 29, 2019, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) maintaining that CalSavers, California’s mandated auto-enrollment payroll deduction IRA retirement savings program, is preempted by ERISA. The court found that HJTA had standing to bring the suit and that
Meter Expiring On Important Election Regarding Tax Consequences Of Reserved Employee Parking
As a result of the 2017 Tax Act, the costs of providing qualified parking to employees as a tax-free fringe benefit is not deductible by for-profit employers and is subject to a 21% tax for tax exempt organization employers. Interim guidance provided by the Internal Revenue Service in Notice 2018-99 in December sets forth a
Reminder: Qualified and Nonqualified Plans Must Be Amended for New Disability Claims Procedures
The U.S. Department of Labor’s final disability claims procedures became effective for disability claims filed after April 1, 2018. See No Fooling: New Disability Claims Procedures are Effective April 1, 2018. Any qualified or nonqualified retirement or deferred compensation plan governed