Retirement plan investment in cryptocurrencies has been a hot topic of discussion in recent months. The Department of Labor’s reaction to Super Bowl commercials with celebrities touting crypto-investments, followed by Fidelity’s announcement that it would make cryptocurrency available for plan investment in the near future, has sparked some hot debate. In this episode of Coffee
Employers May Have to Pay More in 2022 Under New ACA Limits
Seyfarth Synopsis: The IRS has announced adjustments decreasing the affordability threshold and increasing employer shared responsibility payments for plan years beginning in 2022.
On May 9, 2022, the IRS updated the Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act page on the IRS website to include 2022 indexing adjustments for
Leaked Opinion Becomes Reality — Roe v. Wade is Overturned
Culminating a flurry of late June opinions released by SCOTUS this week, the court today in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has taken the extraordinary step of ending decades of precedent surrounding the protections for abortion-related services under the U.S. Constitution. The opinion has been widely anticipated since a draft opinion was leaked, and
Coffee Talk With Benefits Episode 4: Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs): Do’s and Don’ts
Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) are an essential mechanism for employers to use when informing employees and participants of benefits offered under their plans. What kind of information is required to be included in an SPD? Should you consider including information that’s not required? Who drafts them? How are SPDs distributed, and how often? Grab your
Coffee Talk With Benefits Episode 3: Employee Benefit Impact of Restrictions on Abortion, Contraceptive and Prenatal Services
Should the recently leaked SCOTUS draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade become law this summer, trigger laws across the Country will go into effect, illegalizing abortion in a significant number of states. Other states are exploring implementing new restrictions on abortion, contraceptive and prenatal services. Many clients have already asked us about what options they
Between A Rock and A Hard Place… ESG Investments in 401(k) Plan Line-Ups
Seyfarth Synopsis: The ever evolving landscape of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and 401(k) plan investment options may have just become even more complicated.
As we’ve covered on our blog over the last few years, the DOL’s guidance on whether environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments are an appropriate investment for ERISA plans has
Coffee Talk With Benefits Episode 2: Benefit Plan Beneficiary Designation Issues
Navigating the appropriate handling of a deceased participant’s plan benefit is an all too common concern for retirement administrators. What’s the big deal? Seems like it should be simple enough — just pay the beneficiary — but in practice it can be a major headache. How do plan administrators ultimately decide who the proper beneficiary
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Washington State’s Long Term Cares Act – Dismissed!
A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit that challenged the Washington Long-Term Cares Act (“Cares Act”), ruling that because the Cares Act is not established or maintained by an employer and/or employee organization, it is not an employee benefit plan and therefore not governed or preempted by ERISA. The Court also held that
Introducing Coffee Talk With Benefits Podcast: Episode 1 – The Impact of Disability on Retirement Plan Participation
We are excited to announce the rollout of Coffee Talk With Benefits, a podcast brought to you by our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Department. Each episode will provide brief and lively discussions of questions, issues, and concerns that our EB clients and colleagues encounter on a daily basis or wrestle with from time-to-time.
SECURE 2.0: Here We Go Again
Seyfarth Synopsis: The SECURE Act, passed just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019, significantly altered the retirement plan landscape. For a reminder on how the SECURE Act changed the retirement landscape click here and here. In 2021, another bill, Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021, was considered