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Webinar Recording Now Available: The Impact of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)

… running from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. Individuals who previously experienced an involuntary termination or reduction in hours but did not elect COBRA, or dropped COBRA coverage but are still within their COBRA maximum coverage period, are allowed a chance to enroll or re-enroll. PLAY RECORDING EPIC Employee Benefits Compliance Services For further information on this or any other topics, please contact your EPIC consulting team. LEARN ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS COMPLIANCE SERVICES EPIC offers this material for general information only. EPIC does not intend this material to be, nor may any person receiving this information construe …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/impact-of-american-rescue-plan-act-of-2021-arpa/

New COVID-19 Relief Law Is No Relief for HR Departments

… whose hours were reduced; provided, however, that this does not extend the 18-month COBRA benefit period. This subsidy will be offset entirely by a reduction in payroll taxes, but COBRA costs are based upon premium-equivalent rates for similarly situated active employees. Typically, those employees who are receiving COBRA benefits have more adverse medical claims experience than active employees. Perhaps the selection won’t be as adverse, but clearly, there is exposure to employers to absorb higher costs. And even worse, those former employees who initially waived coverage will have a second chance to enroll – but unlike current COBRA …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/new-covid-19-relief-law-is-no-relief-for-hr-departments/

Covering Coronavirus: Risk Considerations Volume 2, Issue 5

EPIC Risk Advisory Bulletin Volume 2, Issue 5 In this issue, we take a focused look at: Supply Chain and Business Risks Cybersecurity Resources Federal Railroad Administration Requires Masks Could Home Tests Bring Business Travel Back? Insurance Products and Coverage Information Business Interruption Presumptive Compensability News of Note Human Resources and Employee Benefits DOL Issues Guidance on Unemployment Benefits OSHA Audit on Pandemic Handling Covering Coronavirus Hospitalization Bills Coronavirus Vaccine Developments Insights from Across the Firm The information presented here is intended to provide a high level overview of critical areas of concern for businesses around coronavirus. Consult your EPIC …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/covering-coronavirus-risk-considerations-volume-2-issue-5/

DOL Releases New Guidance on the COVID-19 Outbreak Period

… must continue beyond March 1, 2021. On February 26, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL), in conjunction with the other regulatory Agencies, released Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 (Notice 2021-01), giving guidance on the extension of the Outbreak Period. The guidance explains the operation of the continued relief afforded employee benefit plans, plan participants, and beneficiaries due to the COVID-19 national outbreak. The Outbreak Period was set to expire on March 1, 2021. As explained in a previous post, the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the Department of Labor (EBSA), in coordination with the Department of the Treasury …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/dol-releases-new-guidance-on-the-covid-19-outbreak-period/

The Shifting Infertility Landscape

Viewpoints from Adam Okun Each decade there seems to be another benefit provision that goes through a major overhaul. Timothy’s Law, in New York State, and the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) ushered in dramatic changes to out-of-network mental health coverage in the 2000s. Preventive care and no-cost contraception coverage was a defining feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And soon thereafter arrived a variety of state mandates around autism and transgender benefits. One provision that is now seemingly going through its coming of age is infertility. It’s been several …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/the-shifting-infertility-landscape/

When Is a Short-Term Disability Plan a Payroll Practice?

… of welfare plans generally covered by ERISA may be exempt from ERISA based on what is known as the “payroll practice” exemption. The payroll practice exemption applies to income replacement programs that an employer pays to employees using the employer’s general assets. Short-Term Disability (STD) plans are welfare benefits that continue all or a percentage of an employee’s salary for up to six months if it is determined that an employee cannot perform their duties due to sickness or injury. STD plans provided through an insurer are subject to ERISA. A self-funded STD plan – also referred …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/when-is-a-short-term-disability-plan-a-payroll-practice/

The COVID-19 Pandemic Didn’t Create a Mental Health Crisis, It Exposed It

If you’ve been operating in the workplace wellness field for any part of the past decade you’ve likely observed firsthand how mental health affects an organization’s culture and its bottom line, particularly in the areas of absenteeism, presenteeism, lost workdays and benefits decisions. Viewpoints from Craig Schmidt Employees have been identifying stress and anxiety in employee wellness and culture surveys for years. Companies have responded with a passive approach to this feedback, a finding that was supported by the results from our Mental Health and Wellbeing Pulse Survey. A passive strategy will no longer work. We need …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/the-covid-19-pandemic-didnt-create-a-mental-health-crisis/

Enforcement Efforts for Mental Health Parity – New Comparative Analysis

… plans, but employers offering a self-funded group health plan should coordinate with their third-party administrator (TPA) to determine compliance responsibilities for this new requirement. Background The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) does not require group health plans to provide mental health or substance use disorder benefits, but if a plan does offer such benefits beyond just preventive services, then parity requirements (including the new comparative analysis requirements) apply. Small fully-insured group health plans must offer essential health benefits (EHBs), which include mental health and substance use disorder benefits, so such plans are subject to …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/enforcement-for-mental-health-parity-new-comparative-analysis/