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New DOL Outbreak Period and Extended Time Frames Guidance

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new guidance regarding notice and disclosure timeframe relief for employee benefit plans and plan participants due to COVID-19. EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 (The Joint Notice) clarifies that the deadline for extended timeframes, such as a COBRA election, are based on each participant’s individual circumstances, rather than on a fixed period applicable to all notices and disclosures. This interpretation will create significant administrative challenges for plan sponsors and administrators.

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Do You Know if Your Vacant Building is Covered?

Walking through the streets of downtown San Francisco recently, it was sad to see a hotel boarded up with an announcement that they would be closed until further notice.

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IRS Guidance on COVID-Related Cafeteria Plan Flexibility

This week, the IRS released guidance further clarifying items in the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) permitting flexibility for health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs), dependent care account plans (DCAPs) and cafeteria plan election change rules.

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Keeping Up With Clinical Risk Management:
Are you prepared for potential changes to the Privacy Rule?

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (Privacy Rule), covered entities (payers, insurers, hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers) must act on an individual’s request for access to their health records within 30 days.

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Making Sense of Washington’s New Long-term Care Law

In a slow news cycle, the new long-term care (LTC) law in Washington state would have received a little more coverage in 2020. With the world on its ear though, if you missed the news, you’re not alone.

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Mitigate Large Project Risk With Project Loss Insurance

Construction is a rewarding and exciting industry. The industry is one of the largest employers and has provided significant prosperity to many over the years.

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2020 Commercial Insurance Market Update

The 2020 commercial insurance market was a difficult one, and 2021 doesn’t seem to be any different.

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State Employer Individual Mandate Reporting

When the Affordable Care Act was passed, it included mandated insurance coverage for all Americans, known as the individual mandate.

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Employer Readiness – COVID-19 Vaccine

As the Centers for Disease Control continues to roll out the new COVID-19 vaccines, there are several issues employers should be thinking about as they determine what steps, if any, they intend to take to provide or require vaccination of their employees.

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EEOC Proposed Wellness Rules Addressing Permitted Incentive Limits

The EEOC released long-awaited proposed rules addressing what type of incentive can be offered for participation in a wellness program without violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).

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Bringing Some Certainty to Uncertain PPP Loans

The pandemic has upended so many aspects of our lives this year, leaving many with uncertainty and worry. Congress extended a lifeline by passing the CARES Act to support…

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Can Employers Require COVID-19 Vaccinations?

As COVID-19 vaccines become available, many employers will have a strong case for requiring employee vaccinations, so long as their vaccination policies have certain exceptions, are job-related, and are consistent with business necessity, legal experts say.

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