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Hardship Distribution Changes – Tax Reform May Have Unintended Consequences

When tax reform proposals were floating around in the fall of 2017, several early proposals to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) included changes to the hardship distribution rules for qualified retirement plans. However, the final version of the Act did not make any direct changes to hardship distributions.  Nevertheless, the Act, perhaps […]

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KP
Former Associate

IRS to Begin Enforcing 4980H Penalties on Large Employers Before End of 2017

On November 2, 2017, the IRS issued guidance regarding the enforcement of Employer Shared Responsibility payments, otherwise known as the Section 4980H penalty. Questions 55-58 of the IRS Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act indicate that the IRS is moving forward with assessing penalties on Applicable Large Employers […]

KP
Former Associate

Wellness Incentives Under Scrutiny After District Court Decision

In the most recent updates to the AARP v. EEOC wellness case (AARP v. EEOC, D.D.C., No. 1:16-cv-02113), the District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) to review the wellness regulations related to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) with […]

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KP
Former Associate

Open Enrollment Looms and ACA Changes are Uncertain – What are Employers to Do?

On the morning of July 28, 2017, another effort to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) failed in a 49-51 Senate vote when three Republican senators voted against the bill. Attempts to pass even a trimmed down “skinny” version of the bill were unsuccessful.  Following this dramatic vote, the path forward for health […]

KP
Former Associate

Contemplating a Severance Plan? Consider ERISA

A severance plan may be subject to the requirements of ERISA as an employee welfare benefit plan. The determination of whether a severance plan is subject to ERISA depends in large part on whether the plan is part of an “ongoing administrative scheme.” Severance plans subject to ERISA have certain requirements, such as the obligation […]

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KP
Former Associate

The Official Delay of the Fiduciary Rule: A Compromise

On April 7, 2017, the DOL published a final rule, officially delaying the applicability of the Fiduciary Rule for 60 days, until June 9, 2017. The DOL noted that a full review of the Fiduciary Rule and its impact is likely to take longer than 60 days. However, the DOL expressed reservations about providing a […]

KP
Former Associate

Update – A Rule Deferred: Department of Labor Delays Implementation of Fiduciary Rule

As we previously reported in our February 16, 2017 blog post, “A Rule Deferred: Department of Labor Delays Implementation of Fiduciary Rule,” the DOL anticipated delaying the effective date of the fiduciary rule by 180 days.  However, on March 1, 2017, the DOL proposed to delay the fiduciary rule by 60 days, citing the potentially […]

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KP
Former Associate

Trumping the Affordable Care Act? Not So Fast – Impact of Executive Order on Employers Unclear

On January 20, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order (“Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal,” hereinafter referred to as the “Order”) relating to the future of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).  The stated goal is to direct the agencies (IRS, HHS, and DOL) to waive or […]

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KP
Former Associate