September 2, 2021
Notice Deadline Nearing for the End of COBRA Subsidies
COBRA subsidy ends September 30, 2021 The COBRA subsidy period under the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) is nearing its end (September 30, 2021) If required, notices must be sent by September 15, 2021 If a former employee presently covered under COBRA received a COBRA subsidy, you have a ...
August 31, 2021
Engagement Survey Evolution — What’s Next?
Are annual engagement surveys outdated? If you look strictly at the numbers, the answer is no. As recently as 2019, 74% of companies still planned on using traditional methods to survey their staff on job and workplace sentiment. However, this number is on the decline from 89% in 2015. Are ...
August 30, 2021
Departments Defer Transparency and Disclosure Rule Enforcement, Provide FAQ Guidance
On August 20, 2021, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (collectively, the Departments), issued FAQ guidance regarding provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the No Surprises Act (the Act) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). ...
August 23, 2021
Advocacy in Action | Benefit Program Education
Ingrid needed help. Her child needed to be evaluated by a neuropsychologist. Ingrid did not fully understand her benefits and was looking at using an out of network provider—oh no! After her conversation with a patient advocate, she understood the benefit (insurance and financial) of using an ...
August 19, 2021
Brainstorm Techniques to Elevate Team Creativity
“How should we fix this problem?” is a question that has been asked time and again in the boardroom, around the lunch table and likely on your last Zoom call at work. In this scenario, some may look to the most experienced person in the room or on the call to decide. Sometimes we invite...
August 19, 2021
Take Ten: The 50-Minute Meeting
The clock on the computer screen blinks 3:00 p.m. and it dawns on you that you haven’t eaten your first (or second!) meal of the day. Nor have you stood up from your desk to stretch your legs or used the restroom. Your back feels tight and you have the early stages of a raging...
August 19, 2021
First-Time Manager Faux Pas
Just like a bad Yelp review, most employees can recall a boss (or two) that they would give a low management rating. Maybe it was the boss who didn’t respect their time outside of the office or the one who asked for results with an unreasonably short deadline. Or maybe it was the supervisor ...
August 19, 2021
The Pomodoro Technique Can You Find More Time with Tomatoes
Who holds the key to time management? Is it your partner who diligently uses a paper planner to chart out all meetings in pencil? Or your boss who devotes the last hour of their day to track and organize projects? Or maybe it’s you? You fire up your laptop hours before your peers so you...
August 19, 2021
Compliance Recap | July 2021
July 2021 was a quiet month in the benefits industry, largely due to the summer vacation season and the July 4th Independence Day holiday. Importantly, however, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, along with the Office of Personnel Management (collectively, ...
July 27, 2021
ARPA COBRA Premium Assistance IRS Q&A Guidance
On July 26, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2021-46 (Notice) to clarify lingering questions employer plan sponsors and other interested parties have been asking since the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) became law this past March. The Notice supplements prior ...
