Tag: benefits

Wellness Discounts of $60-$120/Month Drive High ROI

Jeppesen and Dent made their comments at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jeppesen, who is SPHR certified, is senior VP, Human Resources of Larry H. Miller Group of Companies; Dent is a senior consultant for ACAP Health in Dallas Texas. Costs of Health Care with Wellness in Place […]

Why Do Traditional Wellness Programs Fail?

Jeppesen and Dent made their comments at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jeppesen, who is SPHR certified, is senior VP, Human Resources, of Larry H. Miller Group of Companies; Dent is a senior consultant for ACAP Health in Dallas Texas. Has traditional wellness failed? Jeppesen notes that 71% […]

9 Plan Loan Tips from the IRS

By Lisa K Loesel. Loans against a qualified retirement plan can go wrong in a variety of ways, exposing employers and workers to taxes and penalties. But employers and workers can avoid trouble if they remain aware of key factors to prevent the worst from happening. And even if potential violations occur, there are ways […]

A Busy Year for the California Legislature; And Now Employers Must Come Up to Speed

California lawmakers stayed busy throughout the year, passing a number of new wage, hour, leave and anti-discrimination laws.  Here, in no particular order, are some of the biggies that go into effect Jan. 1: Pregnancy Disability Leave All employers with five or more employees will be required, starting Jan. 1, to continue to maintain and […]

FMLA Easy? No, But Policies Make It Manageable

Caraway is a member of Miller & Martin PLLC in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her remarks came at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Nashville.  [Go here for yesterday’s policy recommendations] Intermittent Leave Describe the smallest increment in which FMLA leave can be taken (hourly, etc). Note that the amount cannot be greater than hourly, […]

Determination Letter Application Changes for 2012

Just when you thought you’d figured out all the new regulations set to go into effect for 2012, some government agency changes them up on you. At least with last Friday’s announcement from the IRS, you can breathe easy: its changes won’t take effect until Feb. 1, 2012, or later. The Service’s Announcement 2011-82 changes […]

Look but Don’t Touch: Take a Sneak Peek at the 2011 Form 5500

Advance copies of the 2011 Form 5500 annual return/report and related instructions are now available for  your viewing pleasure — the issuing federal agencies note the forms are for “informational purposes” only, so don’t use them to get a head start on your filing responsibilities. The advance copies were jointly issued by the U.S. Department […]

Electronic Signatures for Forms 5500 and 5500-SF Mandatory Jan. 1

Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, Forms 5500 and 5500-SF must have electronic signatures. The consequences of filing without them are serious: it will result in a form not being processed at all, and could result in penalties being imposed on the plan. Forms 5500 and 5500-SF that have no electronic signature will be given a filing […]

Best Practices for Your FMLA Leave Policy

Communication is the Key Caraway reminds employers that communicating the rules is key to successfully managing FMLA. When employees ask about FMLA, they are already stressed by whatever is underlying the request for leave. If you hit them with a rule they don’t know about (they’ll call it a “technicality”) their reaction is going to […]

Release of Medicare Claims Data Expected to Help Plan Sponsors

The feds’ decision to release Medicare claims data for quality measurement should help employers and individuals alike make more informed decisions down the road, advancing the goals of health care quality and value, a plan sponsor representative noted. Importantly, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rules apparently will allow the selected data […]