Team Rewards

Medicare requires all employers that offer prescription drug benefits to provide an annual notice to all Medicare-eligible plan participants and qualified beneficiaries before October 15th of each year. Here's all you need to know about that filing.

Posted on September 15, 2023 By Kushner & Company
Categories: 
Administration, 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), 
HR Compliance, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

Working with an employee benefits consultancy ensures that you stay informed, minimize costs, and receive sound advice about the wellbeing of your employees. With the ability to walk you through your decision-making process, consultants can ensure that you’re looking at appropriate plans.

Posted on May 30, 2023 By Kushner & Company
Categories: 
401(k), 
Administration, 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Nonqualified Plans (Executive Compensation), 
Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA), 
Team Rewards

Employers that offer prescription drug benefits are required to provide an annual notice to all Medicare-eligible plan participants and qualified beneficiaries before October 15th of each year, the start of the Medicare open enrollment period. Most send it to all participants.

Posted on September 30, 2021 By Kushner & Company
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
HR Compliance, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

Last year's Consolidated Appropriations Act and this year's American Rescue Plan provided employers optional flexibility for their Dependent Care FSAs. But they also created a potential tax hurdle. The IRS fixed (most all of) it.

Posted on May 11, 2021 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

The Consolidated Appropriations Act contains many benefit changes, all of which are optional on the part of the employer. We know this is coming long after open enrollment has ended for most plans, but employers will want to pay close attention and decide which (if any) they'd like to adopt.

Posted on December 28, 2020 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
HR Compliance, 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) was signed into law on March 27, 2020. It's a mammoth bill of over 880 pages, and contains many employee benefit-related items. This post, the second in the CARES Act series deals with the qualified retirement plan provisions in the Act.

Posted on March 31, 2020 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Administration, 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Cash Balance, 
Combo Plans, 
COVID-19, 
Defined Contribution Plan, 
Money Purchase, 
Plan Document Services (RPS), 
Profit Sharing, 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act has now been signed into law on March 27, 2020. It is a mammoth bill of over 880 pages, and contains many employee benefit related items. This post deals with two health and welfare items: over-the-counter drugs and telemedicine.

Posted on March 28, 2020 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefit Card, 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
COVID-19, 
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

On February 26, 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled in Intel Corporation Investment Policy Committee v Sulyma that under ERISA a plan participant "must have 'actual knowledge' of the information contained in required disclosures he receives but does not read or cannot recall reading."

Posted on February 26, 2020 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

Much later than usual, the IRS released the 2020 retirement plan contribution limits. Earlier this year, they also released the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and Health Savings Account (HSA) limits. We now also have the cafeteria plan, adoption credit, and transit benefit limits as well.

Posted on November 6, 2019 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Cash Balance, 
Combo Plans, 
Compensation, 
Defined Contribution Plan, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
HR Policies and Procedures, 
Money Purchase, 
Plan Document Services (BDA), 
Plan Document Services (RPS), 
Profit Sharing, 
Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA), 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

The US Department of Labor has suddenly realized that employers and their employees use a newfangled means of communicating in the real world: e-mail and the internet. In a bold move proposing their latest regulations he DOL has proposed new rules.

Posted on October 28, 2019 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Cash Balance, 
Combo Plans, 
Compensation, 
Defined Contribution Plan, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
IRS Form 5500 Services (RPS), 
Money Purchase, 
Nonqualified Plans (Executive Compensation), 
Plan Document Services (RPS), 
Profit Sharing, 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

Since 2009, special enrollment rights to immediately enroll in an employer's health plan arise if an individual becomes eligible for a state premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act ("CHIPRA", or often shortened to CHIP).

Posted on August 5, 2019 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
COBRA, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), 
Plan Document Services (BDA), 
Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA), 
Summary Plan Descriptions, 
Team Rewards

Starting in 2007, the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA) requires that the IRS release the upcoming year’s new HSA limits prior to June 1st.

Posted on May 29, 2019 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Compensation, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
HR Policies and Procedures, 
Team Rewards