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Tips for Preparing Form 5500 | OH Benefits Team

At this time of year, many employers and benefit advisors begin preparing Form 5500, the annual report required for most employee benefit plans. Form 5500 must be filed with the federal government within seven months after the end of the plan year. For calendar-year plans, that means the plan’s 2020 Form 5500 is due August 2, … Continued

Health Plan PCORI Fees Are Due July 31 | Ohio Benefit Brokers

Do you offer coverage to your employees through a self-insured group health plan? Do you sponsor a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)? If so, do you know whether your plan or HRA is subject to the annual Patient-Centered Research Outcomes Institute (PCORI) fee? This article answers frequently-asked questions about the PCORI fee, which plans are affected, … Continued

The Rap on Wraps | Ohio Benefit Brokers

There’s a good chance you use a wrap document to help satisfy your Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) summary plan description (SPD) obligations. Yet if you look for a definition of wrap document in ERISA statutes or regulations, you will not find one. The wrap is not a defined term or required document; it … Continued

New Rules for Disability Benefit Claims Are Now in Effect | Ohio Benefit Advisors

The Department of Labor’s new claim rules for disability benefits took effect April 2, 2018. The changes were announced over a year ago, but the effective date was delayed to give insurers, employers, and plan administrators adequate time for implementation. Although we’ve reported on the key issues in this blog previously, now seems like a … Continued

A DOL Audit Can Happen to You | Ohio Benefit Brokers

Summary plan descriptions (SPDs) are required for all retirement, health, and welfare plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). However, misconceptions about this requirement are widespread. ERISA attorney Stacy H. Barrow, partner with Marathas Barrow Weatherhead Lent LLP, had a chat with ThinkHR about the importance of having proper ERISA … Continued

DOL Fiduciary Rule Overturned | Ohio Benefit Brokers

In its March 15, 2018, decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fiduciary Rule that expanded the definition of an investment advice fiduciary under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Under the Fiduciary Rule, investment brokers were going to be required to put … Continued

New Guidance from CMS on Accommodation Revocation Notices under the Contraception Mandate Exemption | Ohio Benefit Advisors

Two tri-agency (Internal Revenue Service, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) Interim Final Rules were released and became effective on October 6, 2017, and were published on October 13, 2017, allowing a greater number of employers to opt out of providing contraception to employees at no cost through their employer-sponsored … Continued

President Directs Federal Agencies to Consider ACA Changes | Ohio Benefit Advisors

On October 12, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Treasury to develop new rules to allow some exemptions from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Order indicates the Administration’s priorities although it has no immediate effect since any rule changes must first … Continued

DOL Guidance for Benefit Plans Impacted by Hurricane Harvey | Ohio Benefit Advisors

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued compliance guidance for benefit plans, employers and employees, and service providers who are impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The guidance generally provides relief from various ERISA requirements and time limits for entities in the disaster area. This follows the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announcement extending certain filing dates, including … Continued

Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements and ERISA | Ohio Benefit Advisors

Certain small employers have the option to reimburse individual health coverage premiums up to a dollar limit through Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements (QSE HRAs) under the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act). The Cures Act amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to exclude QSE HRAs from the ERISA definition … Continued

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