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Welcome to the Snell & Wilmer Benefits Blog. We will be posting about current employee benefits and executive compensation topics and issues. We invite you to contact the authors with your thoughts or questions.Blog Contributors
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New Disability Claims Regulations Take Effect for All Plans April 1, 2018
As noted in our previous blog post, The New Disability Claims Regulations: They Don’t Only Apply to Disability Plans, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued regulations that revise the ERISA claims procedure regulations for all employee benefit plans that provide disability benefits (the “New Regulations”). These rules can impact not only short-term and long-term disability plans but also qualified retirement plans (e.g., a 401(k) plan), nonqualified retirement plans, and health and welfare plans. The New Regulations were published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2016, and are based on the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced claims and appeals regulations for group health plans. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Health & Welfare Plans, Health Care Reform
| Tagged ACA, Affordable Care Act, claims, disability, DOL, EBSA, ERISA, regulations
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The New Disability Claims Regulations: They Don’t Only Apply to Disability Plans
Introduction
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued regulations that revise the ERISA claims procedure regulations for employee benefit plans that provide disability benefits (the “New Disability Claims Regulations” or “New Regulations”). They are based on the Affordable Care Act’s (the “ACA”) enhanced claims and appeals regulations for group health plans (the “ACA Enhanced Regulations”). The scope of the New Regulations are broader than you may realize and apply to any plan, regardless of how it is characterized, that provides benefits or rights that are contingent on whether the plan determines an individual to be disabled. This can include ERISA governed short-term disability plans, long-term disability plans, qualified retirement plans (e.g., a 401(k) plan), nonqualified retirement plans, and health and welfare plans. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Health & Welfare Plans, Qualified Retirement Plans
| Tagged appeals, claims, claims and appeals, denial, disability, indepent review, regulations, review, Social Security, SSA, treatment
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EEOC Final Rules on Wellness Programs and the ADA – Worth the Wait?
On May 16, 2016, the EEOC issued final rules that explain how the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) applies to employer sponsored wellness programs. Although some may welcome the guidance, others may be frustrated because the rules are somewhat inconsistent with the rules under HIPAA, inconsistent with the court decisions under Seff v. Broward County, 691 F.3d 1221 (11th Cir. 2012) and EEOC v. Flambeau, Inc., 131 F. Supp. 3d 849 (W.D. Wis. 2015), and do not ensure compliance with other federal nondiscrimination laws (e.g., Title II of GINA or other Sections of Title I of the ADA). Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Health & Welfare Plans, Health Care Reform
| Tagged ADA, disability, EEOC, employee health programs, final regulation, final rule, flambeau, incentives, medical examinations, Seff, voluntary, wellness, wellness program
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A Wellness Win for Employers, But Will it Last?
As explained in our April 21, 2015 and May 9, 2015 blog posts, wellness programs that are part of a group health plan are subject to the HIPAA nondiscrimination rules, and other state and federal laws including, but not limited to the ADA, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and GINA. Navigating the regulatory maze has been a challenge for employers, and the most recent struggles involve compliance with the ADA’s “voluntary” requirement. On December 30, 2015, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in Equal Employment Opportunity Comm’n v. Flambeau, Inc., bypassed the ADA’s voluntary rule and held that Flambeau’s wellness program complied with the ADA under an alternative exception – the ADA’s safe harbor. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Health & Welfare Plans
| Tagged ADA, ADA safe harbor, CBA, disability, EEOC, flambeau, Seventh Circuit, SPD, Supreme Court, wellness, wellness program
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