Employee Benefits

12 Jun When do employers need a Summary Plan Description?

Posted at 13:46h in 2023, Employee Benefits, Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI), Labor & Employment Law

By Anita Byer, Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk If you are an employer sponsoring an employee group health plan, you must have an ERISA-compliant Summary Plan Description. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is designed to protect plan participants by setting minimum disclosure standards...

27 Apr COVID national emergency ends, COBRA says what?

Posted at 20:21h in 2023, COVID-19, Employee Benefits, Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)

By Anita Byer, Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk The COVID national emergency is officially over. On April 10, 2023, House Joint Resolution 7 was signed into law, ending the national emergency declared back in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (The COVID public health emergency,...

04 Nov ACA’s affordability threshold will be lower in 2023

Posted at 19:49h in Affordable Care Act, Employee Benefits, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

By Anita Byer, Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk The IRS announced that the Affordable Care Act’s affordability threshold for employer-sponsored group health plans will be 9.12 percent in 2023. Employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees (Applicable Large Employers or ALEs) must recognize...

08 Jul What can employers do to help employees with surging inflation?

Posted at 15:07h in 2022, Employee Benefits, Human Resources

By Anita Byer, Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk Inflation. Inflation. Inflation. That seems to be what everyone is talking about these days, and with good reason. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the year-over-year consumer price index jumped 9.1 percent in June 2022. This is...

09 Sep The Case for Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Posted at 19:15h in 2021, Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Human Resources, Labor & Employment Law, Risk Management

By Anita Byer, Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk The case for employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) has never been stronger. Businesses are operating in a rapidly changing environment that keeps producing unprecedented, previously unimaginable challenges. COVID-19, #MeToo, gig workers, remote workers, medical marijuana, CDC guidance, quarantines,...

02 Apr Largest Minimum Wage Increase in Florida History is Less than Six Months Away

Posted at 13:41h in Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Human Resources, Labor & Employment Law, Risk Management

When Florida enacted its own minimum wage in 2005, the minimum hourly wage went up $1. Despite going up every year since, this is still the largest single increase in Florida history…for now. On September 30, 2021, Florida’s minimum wage will go from $8.65 to...

12 Nov Affordable Care Act Update: IRS Extends ACA Reporting Deadline and Good-Faith Relief from Penalties

Posted at 20:02h in Affordable Care Act, Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk This seemingly endless year is almost over…finally. That means it’s time for Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) to start focusing on the Affordable Care Act’s annual information-reporting requirements. Fortunately, the Internal Revenue Service extended the deadline for ALEs to furnish 2020 information...

18 Aug Affordable Care Act: Will Your Group Health Plan be Affordable in 2021?

Posted at 13:42h in Affordable Care Act, Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Group Benefits, Health Insurance, Human Resources

The Affordable Care Act’s affordability threshold for employer-sponsored group health plans will increase to 9.83 percent in 2021. The affordability threshold is currently 9.78 percent. The impending increase primarily affects employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees. The ACA generally requires these...

08 Jan FLSA Update: New Regulations Clarify Wage & Hour Calculation for Perks and Benefits

Posted at 18:04h in Employee Benefits, Human Resources, Labor & Employment Law

New Fair Labor Standards Act regulations should make it easier for employers to offer perks and benefits to employees. The Department of Labor updated the regulations to clarify the distinction between payments that must be included in an employee’s “regular rate” and payments that may be excluded. Since the...

21 Jan Affordable Care Act: Annual Reporting and Filing Deadlines Are on the Horizon

Posted at 15:11h in Employee Benefits, Labor & Employment Law

The deadlines for large employers to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s annual information reporting requirements are almost here. Employers have been given an extension of time to furnish 2018 information statements to employees, but the deadline to file information returns with the Internal Revenue...