compliance
June 30, 2020
FAQs on Health Plan Coverage under the FFCRA and the CARES Act
The Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Department of the Treasury (Treasury) (collectively, the Departments) have released frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding group health plan coverage requirements under the Families First Coronavirus Response ...
June 15, 2020
CMS Letter Summarizing COVID-19 Guidance for Non-Federal Governmental Plan Sponsors
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a letter highlighting COVID-19 guidance relevant to non-federal governmental plan sponsors. The letter highlights guidance that has previously been released and does not issue any new requirements. Requirement to Cover COVID-19 ...
June 8, 2020
The Patient-Centered Outcomes (PCORI) / Comparative Effectiveness Fee
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee initially applied from 2012 to 2019. However, in December 2019, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 extended the fee to 2029. The fee is due based on plan/policy years ending on or after October 1, 2012, and before ...
June 5, 2020
Compliance Recap | May 2020
May was a busy month in the employee benefits world. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued IRS Notice 2020-29 that provides increased flexibility for making mid-year elections or changes under a Section 125 cafeteria plan during calendar year 2020 and provides increased flexibility to apply ...
June 5, 2020
IRS Notice 2020-35
On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued an emergency declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in response to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Emergency Declaration). The Emergency Declaration instructed ...
June 3, 2020
IRS Extension of 2019 Tax Filing and Payment Deadlines
On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued an emergency declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Section 7508A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code), as ...
May 27, 2020
2021 Health Savings Account and High Deductible Health Plan Inflation Adjusted Amounts
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Rev. Proc. 2020-23 that provides the 2021 inflation adjusted amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs) and HSA-qualifying high deductible health plans (HDHPs). The 2021 annual HSA contribution limit is $3,600 for individuals with self-only HDHP ...
May 18, 2020
CMS Bulletin on Extension of Timeframes Due to COVID-19
On March 13, 2020, President Trump issued the Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak and by separate letter made a determination, under Section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, ...
May 18, 2020
Compliance Recap | April 2020
April was a busy month in the employee benefits world. The President signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPHCEA). The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) released a final rule extending certain timeframes under the ...
May 14, 2020
IRS Notice 2020-33
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued IRS Notice 2020-33 (Notice) that increases the limit for unused health flexible spending account (health FSA) carryover amounts from $500 to a maximum of $550 (carried over from a 2020 plan year to a 2021 plan year), as adjusted annually for inflation. ...
