On April 26, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released another change to the family Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) contributions. The IRS has increased the HSA contribution limit from $6,850 (back to the original amount) to $6,900, for individuals with family coverage under a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).Contact your Cowden representative for more … Continued
The Department of Labor (DOL) has provided new resources to promote compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Employers should use the DOL’s resources to review their health plan’s compliance with the MHPAEA.Contact your Cowden representative for more information on this or other compliance issues.Read Compliance Bulletin PDF
On April 2, 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled that service advisor employees at car dealerships are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime pay requirements. Service advisors are no longer eligible for overtime pay under the FLSA; however, they may be eligible for overtime pay under state law. The attached Zywave … Continued
On April 9, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extended an existing transition policy for certain health plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for an additional year, to policy years beginning on or before October 1, 2019. Any plans that are renewed under this transition policy must … Continued
As Congress debates potential solutions, underfunded public and corporate pension plans threaten to disrupt the lives of millions of Americans, notes Eliot Dinkin of Cowden Associates.Click here to continue to the article.
Amy Crouse, senior analyst with Cowden Associates, Inc. recently received a Special Services Award from Acrisure, a growing national group of agencies offering insurance and risk management expertise to a broad base of personal, small and middle market clients. Acrisure’s CEO Greg Williams, and Executive Vice President Tim Johnson presented Amy with the award at … Continued
The federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) paid out more than $18.111 million to 4,580 Arkansas retirees in failed pension plans in 2017. The payments came despite fears that rising deficits for some of the nation’s largest employer programs will cause the government-funded trust to run out of money in the next decade.Elliot Dinkin, president/CEO … Continued
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the adjusted limits for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) for 2018. These limits include: the maximum HSA contribution limit, the minimum deductible amount for HDHPs, and the maximum out-of-pocket expense limit for HDHPs. The attached Compliance Bulletin provides an overview of these changes.Employers … Continued
On March 23, 2018, a bill was enacted which amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) tip credit rules. This amendment prohibits employers from retaining employees’ tips and eliminated prior regulations that barred tip pooling. The attached Zywave Compliance Bulletin provides an overview of these amendments.Read Compliance Bulletin
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the 2018 version of Publication 15-B – Employer’s Guide to Fringe Benefits; this guide contains information for employers on the tax treatment of certain kinds of fringe benefits. The 2018 version of the guide includes changes to qualified transportation plans, moving expense reimbursement, employer-provided meals, and employee achievement … Continued