Benefits Administration

Massachusetts Labor Update: Massachusetts Minimum Wage and PFML Increases for 2022

2023-04-17T11:22:04-04:00December 14th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Labor News, Massachusetts News|

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has continued to issue guidance and clarifications regarding the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML) since the law went into effect in January 2021. Below is a summary [...]

Connecticut Legislative Alert: Connecticut Expands Family and Medical Leave

2023-04-17T11:22:08-04:00November 3rd, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Connecticut News, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Legislative News|

Starting January 1, 2022, the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA) will apply to all employers, requiring them to provide unpaid, job-protected leave to employees. Several other expansions of the law will also take effect at the [...]

Commonly Asked Question: Does enrolling in Medicare trigger an offer of COBRA?

2023-04-17T11:22:49-04:00July 29th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits|

The answer to this question is, NO, enrolling in Medicare does not cause COBRA to start. Under the federal rules, COBRA must be offered to persons enrolled in the employer’s health plan only if they lose coverage because of [...]

2022 Changes and Increases to Health Savings Account and HDHP Limits

2023-04-17T11:22:53-04:00June 17th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Health Savings Accounts, Legislative News|

In May, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the 2022 health savings account (HSA) annual contribution limit and the 2022 high deductible health plan (HDHP) definitional limit per Internal Revenue Code Section 223. Under Revenue Procedure 2021-25 the limits for [...]

Massachusetts Updates Premium Pay Under Blue Laws

2023-04-17T11:22:56-04:00May 28th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Labor News, Legislative News, Massachusetts News|

Massachusetts has made several revisions to its “blue laws” that require most employers that are retailers to pay premium pay for work on certain holidays. First, the Commonwealth has designated Juneteenth Independence Day, June 19, as a legal holiday. [...]

Important Update: DOL Issues COBRA Subsidy Guidance and Model Notices

2023-04-17T11:23:37-04:00April 12th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, COVID-19 Updates, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Labor News, Legislative News|

On April 7, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) published FAQs to further explain this COBRA subsidy and provided models of the required related notices. Notable Points from the FAQs Eligibility Based on Reduction in Hours.   The FAQs take an expansive view [...]

Four Misunderstood Terms in the Americans with Disabilities Act

2023-04-17T11:23:40-04:00March 9th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits|

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to a lot of organizations—all public employers and any private employer with 15 or more employees. Nevertheless, there’s a lot of confusion about what the law requires and what its terms entail. [...]

U.S. Department of Labor Confirms Investment Advice Exemption

2023-04-17T11:25:18-04:00February 17th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Legislative News|

Includes important retirement investor protections; additional guidance forthcoming WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has confirmed that “Improving Investment Advice for Worker & Retirees,” an exemption for investment advice fiduciaries, will go into effect as scheduled [...]

Department of Labor Clarifies Pay for Travel Time in Work-from-Home Era

2023-04-17T11:25:21-04:00January 18th, 2021|2021, Benefits Administration, Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Legislation, Labor News, Legislative News|

The U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter addressing whether the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) continuous workday doctrine requires employers to pay employees for commute time when they complete part of their workday from home. An opinion [...]