Federal Government Links
Sort: alphabetical | chronologicalModel COBRA Notice Updated for ACA
The DOL has provided a revised model COBRA Notice for use by single employer health plans. The new model includes language to make beneficiaries aware of alternative coverage available through ACA’s marketplaces.
Model COBRA Notice - ACA Revised
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Model Notice of Coverage Options for Employers Who Do Not Offer Health Care Benefits
The DOL provides a model notice of coverage options for employers who do not offer health care benefits to let employees know about the availability of insurance exchanges, or marketplaces. The notice is in Q/A format and includes a form employees who want to buy insurance through an exchange must complete.
Model Notice of Exchanges to Employees - Employers Who Do Not Offer Plans
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Model Notice of Coverage Options for Employers Who Offer Health Care Benefits
The DOL provides a model notice of coverage options for employers who offer health care benefits, as mandated under the Affordable Care Act, to let employees know about the availability of insurance exchanges, or marketplaces. The notice is in Q/A format. It includes a form that employees who want to buy insurance through an exchange must complete.
Model Notice of Exchanges to Employees - Employers Who Offer Health Plans
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Guidance on the Notice to Employees of Marketplace Coverage Options
The Department of Labor issued this May 8, 2013, Technical Release to provide background and instructions on employers’ responsibility to notify employees of healthcare coverage options available through state exchanges or “marketplaces.”
DOL Instructions - Employee Notification of Marketplaces
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
DOL/EBSA Lifetime Income Calculator
This page on the DOL/EBSA website provides an overview, instructions and an explanation of results in connection with the Lifetime Income Calulator the Department developed in conjunction with its May 7 advance notice of proposed rulemaking. The notice focuses on retirement income projections for defined contribution plan participants.
DOL - Lifetime Income Calculator
Uploaded: May 8, 2013
DOL Fact Sheet - Lifetime Income Illustration
The DOL/EBSA published this May 7, 2013, advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding lifetime income projections for defined contribution plan participants. The Fact Sheet discusses assumptions and safe harbors plan administrators can use to develop the projections. Comments are due by July 8, 2013.
DOL - Lifetime Income Illustration
Uploaded: May 8, 2013
Updated Completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC)
The DOL provides a completed example of the revised SBC, which includes information on minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
SBC - Revised Completed Example
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
Updated Template for Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) Document
The DOL has provided this template that updates information to be included on the SBC. The new information in the revised template relates to minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #14
This set of frequently asked questions on the DOL website covers updates to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) that include information on minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
DOL Self-Compliance Tool for ERISA Part 7 - Affordable Care Act
This self-compliance tool provides an informal explanation of the statutes and the most recent regulations and interpretations and includes citations to the underlying legal provisions.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
DOL Self-Compliance Tool for ERISA Part 7 - HIPAA
This self-compliance tool issued by the DOL is useful for group health plans, plan sponsors, plan administrators, health insurance issuers, and other parties to etermine whether a group health plan is in compliance with some of the provisions of Part 7 of ERISA.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #13
This set of frequently asked question (FAQ) clarifies the extent expatriate group health insurance coverage is subject to the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
Amendments to FMLA Covering Military Families and Airline Flight Crews
This page on the DOL website provides an overview of the February 2013 amendments to the FMLA affecting military families and airline flight crews. Included are links to fact sheets and to form templates.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
TDF Tips for Fiduciaries from EBSA/DOL
The Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued a brief, three-page document with general guidelines for plan sponsors with respect to selecting and monitoring target date funds.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Essential Health Benefits, Cost-Sharing and Actuarial Value
This issue of Buck Consultant’s FYI provides analysis of recently issued guidelines on essential health benefits and cost-sharing requirements.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Essential Health Benefits: Fact Sheet
The Department of Health and Human Services issued final rules on February 20, 2013, outlining standards for coverage of essential health benefits (EHB) and the determination of actuarial value (AV). This fact sheet provides an overview.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
IRS February 2013 Employee Plan News
This is the February 2013 edition of a periodic newsletter the IRS publishes. In this issue is information on how new revenue correction procedures affect 403(b) plans, updates on compliance projects and more.
Feb. 2013 IRS Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
IRS February 2013 Employee Plan News
This is the February 2013 edition of a periodic newsletter the IRS publishes. In this issue is information on how new revenue correction procedures affect 403(b) plans, updates on compliance projects and more.
Feb. 2013 IRS Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #11
This set of FAQs on the DOL website addresses the employer notice of coverage options, health reimbursement arrangements, disclosure of information related to firearms, employer group waiver plans supplementing Medicare Part D, fixed indemnity insurance and payment of PCORI fees.
Uploaded: February 6, 2013
Fact Sheet: Caring for a Disabled Adult Child Under FMLA
This page on the DOL website contains general information on caring for a disabled adult child under FMLA.
Uploaded: February 6, 2013
DHHS Sample Business Associate Agreement Provisions for PHI Provisions of HIPAA
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued sample business associate agreement provisions in conjunction with protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA.
Uploaded: January 25, 2013
Summary of HIPAA Privacy Rule
This link on the Department of Health and Human Services website provides a summary of the HIPAA privacy rule.
Uploaded: January 21, 2013
IRS Chart of Significant Changes to EPCRS
This chart on the IRS website lists changes to the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System introduced by Rev. Proc, 2013-12. It identifies the sections where they are to be found and describes the change from prior procedures.
Uploaded: January 9, 2013
IRS Updates Error Correction Program for Retirement Plans
The new procedure updates and expands the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), the comprehensive system of correction programs for sponsors of retirement plans that have failed to meet one or more requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.
Uploaded: January 9, 2013
Q&A on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act
This page on the IRS website is arranged in Q&A format to answer common questions about the shared responsibility provisions for employers that take effect in 2014.
Uploaded: January 2, 2013
Fact Sheet - The Affordable Care Act and Wellness Programs
The Department of Labor has provided this Fact Sheet on ACA’s incentives to promote workplace wellness programs.
ACA and Workplace Wellness Programs
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
A Review of the Workplace Wellness Market
This study of employer-sponsored wellness programs was prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor in conjunction with provisions under ACA that expand the use of incentives in nondiscriminatory programs. It is based on a review of the current literature on the topic and summarizes typical program components, the prevalence of wellness programs among employers and their impact, and the use and effect of financial incentives in these programs.
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
HHS Fact Sheet - Proposed Rules on Essential Health Benefits and Actuarial Value of Benefits
This fact sheet was published in conjunction with proposed rules outlining health insurance issuer standards related to the coverage of essential health benefits (EHB) and the determination of actuarial value (AV) of benefits provided.
HHS Fact Sheet - Essential Health Benefits
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
FAQ - ACA’s Transitional Reinsurance Program
The IRS has published frequently asked questions in connection with the transitional reinsurance program that is part of the Affordable Care Act. This three-year program (2014-2016) assesses a per participant fee on fully insured and self-insured plans to support payments to individual market issuers that cover high-cost individuals.
FAQs - Transitional Reinsurance Fee
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
The Affordable Care Act’s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program
This page on the federal government’s website is devoted entirely to the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP), a component of the Affordable Care Act that provides reimbursement to participating employer-based plans for a portion of cost of coverage for early retirees, their dependents and beneficiaries.
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
Guide to Common Qualified Retirement Plan Requirements
This page on the IRS website, updated in October, 2012, lists some of the more important retirement plan requirements to ensure that employer-sponsored plans maintain their qualified status under IRS rules.
Qualified Retirement Plan Requirements
Uploaded: November 26, 2012
IRS 401(k) Resource Guide - Filing Requirements
This page on the IRS website provides a checklist of when various 401(k) Plan filings are due. It also provides links to the forms listed.
IRS 401(k) Compliance Checklist
Uploaded: November 14, 2012
2013 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
This table on the IRS web site lays out the 2013 contribution limits for qualified retirement plans.
IRS 2013 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
Uploaded: October 23, 2012
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #10
FAQ #10 provides additional clarification on the implementation of the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) for Medicare Advantage Plans.
Uploaded: August 7, 2012
Participant Fee Disclosure – Clarification on Brokerage Windows
On July 30, 2012, EBSA issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2012-02R to clarify the fee disclosures that are required for investments participants make brokerage windows. The Department’s original guidance, issued in May, caused an uproar among professionals in the retirement industry and plan sponsors who complained the disclosures were needlessly burdensome and would overwhelm participants. The Bulletin is in a Q&A format; question number 13 addresses this specific issue.
Fee Disclosure - Brokerage Accounts
Uploaded: August 2, 2012
Participant Fees and Expense Disclosure - Model Comparative Chart
The DOL/EBSA has prepared a model that plan sponsors can use to develop a comparison chart of plan investments and fees for 401(k) plan participants.
Participant Fee Disclosure - Model Chart
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Participant-Level Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure - Final Rules
This EBSA Fact Sheet summarizes the fee information to be disclosed to participants in 401(k) and other participant-directed employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Fact Sheet-Participant Retirement Plan Fee Disclosures
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Before It’s Too Late - A Retirement Security Update
EBSA’s bi-weekly online publication by Assistant Secretary of Labor Phyllis Borzi. The newsletter highlights current issues in employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Bi-Weekly EBSA Retirement Newsletter
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
May 14, 2012 Issue - Before It’s Too Late - A Retirement Security Update
This inaugural email by the head of EBSA, Phyllis Borzi, is a bi-weekly publication that highlights the DOL’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for retirement security. Links within the email give access to EBRI’s 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey and information on EBSA’s public forums on retirement security being offered around the country.
Bi-Weekly EBSA Retirement Newsletter-14May2012
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Participant-Level Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure Regulation - FAQs
This Field Assistance Bulletin (No. 2012-02) from Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration contains frequently asked questions and answers about the Department’s participant-level fee disclosure regulation (29 CFR § 2550.404a-5). It also answers questions about related plan-level disclosures under 408(b)(2).
Participant Fee Disclosure - FAQs
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #9 - Summary of Benefits Coverage
This set of FAQs covers implementation of ACA’s summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) provisions. This topic is also covered by FAQs #8 and #10.
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
IRS Employee Plans News - March 2012
The March 2012 issue has articles on new guidance encouraging plans to offer lifetime income options, an update on the Determination Letter Program, the IRS’ 401(k) plan projects and other employer plan-related topics.
Uploaded: April 17, 2012
FMLA – Fact Sheet on Proposed Rulemaking Affecting Military Families and Flight Crews
This DOL Fact Sheet outlines the major provisions of the changes and also includes a link to the Proposed Rule Website which has deadlines and procedures for submitting comments.
FMLA - Military Families and Airline Crews
Uploaded: March 8, 2012
HHS Resources for Creating a Summary of Benefits and Coverage
This page on the HHS website provides access to a whole host of additional information for preparing a Summary of Benefits Coverage. Included are links to instructions and guides for the sample benefit calculations for common scenarios that are a requirement of the regulations.
SBC - Sample Benefits Coverage Calculations
Uploaded: March 1, 2012
EBSA - Fee Disclosure Failure Notice
This page on the EBSA website outlines action a plan sponsor can take to avoid a prohibited transaction when a plan service provider fails to disclose fee information it is required to under 408(b)(2). The page contains a link to a model notice of covered service provider’s failure to comply as well as links to a 408(b)(2) Fact Sheet and Final Regulations.
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA - Model 401(k) Plan Fee Disclosure Form for Plan Sponsors
This 11-page model 401(k) fee disclosure form helps plan sponsors identify all of the fees associated with their retirement plans. A glossary is included to help clarify terms.
401(k) Model Fee Disclosure Form
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA – Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expense
EBSA has provided an easy-to-read article for retirement plan sponsors on its website in conjunction with the February 2012 publication of 408(b)2 plan-level fee disclosures. The article includes explanations of the major categories of plan fees as well as basic information on investment fees. There are also links to several other supporting publications, most notably a link to a model 401(k) plan fee disclosure form.
Understanding Retirement Plan Fees
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA – Final 408(b)(2) Plan-Level Fee Disclosure Rules
EBSA published the final rules covering 408(b)(2) plan-level fee disclosure rules in the Federal Register on February 3, 2012. The full text is available below in PDF format.
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
IRS - Interim Report on 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire
This Interim Report from the IRS summarizes the responses from approximately 1,200 randomly selected sponsors of 401(k) plans. The plan sponsors completed an online questionnaire designed to measure the overall compliance levels among 401(k) plans, evaluate the effectiveness of IRS voluntary compliance programs and determine how the IRS can foster greater compliance.
401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire
Uploaded: February 14, 2012
EBSA - SBC Instruction Guide for Group Plans
EBSA developed this guide to assist employers in the completion of their Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) based on the SBC Template.
SBC Instructions - Group Plans
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Final Regulations
EBSA published the final regulations covering the Summary of Benefits and Coverage mandated by PPACA to be made available to all healthcare plan participants.
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Compliance Guidance
EBSA has provided this document to guide employers on compliance with providing a Summary of Benefits and Coverage to all healthcare plan participants as mandated by PPACA.
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Detail of Changes to Final 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
The DOL’s EBSA has provided information detailing the changes made to the interim 408(b)(2) fee disclosure rule that was published in July, 2010.
Changes to Final 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
Uploaded: February 3, 2012
EBSA Fact Sheet – Final Rule on 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
The DOL’s EBSA has created a Fact Sheet summarizing the service provider fee disclosure requirements. The deadline for implementation was pushed back from April 1, 2012, to July 1, 2012.
EBSA Fact Sheet – Final Rule on 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure
Uploaded: February 3, 2012
EBSA - Sample Completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage
The DOL’s EBSA has provided a sample completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) using the template the agency developed. The SBC is the four-page summary mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
EBSA Sample Summary of Benefits Coverage
Uploaded: January 26, 2012
EBSA - Template for PPACA’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage
The DOL’s EBSA has provided a template for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage mandated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
EBSA Template for PPACA’s Summary of Benefits Coverage
Uploaded: January 26, 2012
IRS Fall 2011 Retirement Plan Newsletter - Employers
The Fall edition of this IRS newsletter has articles on 2012 salary deferral contributions, paying retirement benefits and an update on the IRS’s 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Project.
Uploaded: January 17, 2012
IRS Employee Plans Newsletter - December 2011
This issue of the IRS Employee Plans Newsletter outlines significant changes to the Employee Plans Determination Letter Program and also provides a cumulative list of changes in plan qualification requirements for 2011.
IRS December Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: December 20, 2011
IRS Employee Plans Newsletter - October 2011
This issue of the IRS Employee Plans Newsletters contains a number of articles of interest to employers, including a 2011-2012 Priority Guidance Plan.
IRS October 2011 Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: December 20, 2011
IRS Summer 2011 Retirement Plan Newsletter - Employers
The IRS’ summer 2011 newsletter for employers who sponsor retirement plans contains articles on avoiding and correcting compensation errors in retirement plans and on withholding federal income tax on plan distribution. The newsletter also contains useful links to IRS educational materials for plan sponsors as well as links to the DOL/EBSA website.
IRS Summer 2011 Retirement Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: August 24, 2011
Uniform Glossary of Health Insurance and Medical Terms
This DOL/EBSA website has created a four-page glossary of health insurance and medical terms as a companion to the Summary of Benefits Coverage that must be provided to all plan participants under PPACA.
Glossary - Health Insurance and Medical Terms
Uploaded: August 22, 2011
Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Sample Completed Template
This DOL/EBSA link provides a look at a sample completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage form.
Sample Completed Benefits & Coverage Form
Uploaded: August 22, 2011
Summary of Benefits and Coverage Template
This DOL/EBSA link provides a look at the department’s proposed template for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage required under PPACA.
Summary of Benefits and Coverage Proposed Template
Uploaded: August 19, 2011
HHS Fact Sheet on Proposed Regulations on Summary of Benefits and Coverage; Uniform Glossary of Term
The HHS has released a Fact Sheet on rules under the Affordable Care Act provisions that would ensure consumers have access to two forms that will help them understand and evaluate their health insurance choices: an easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage; and a uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage.
Uploaded: August 19, 2011
Form 5500 – Summary of 2008 Data – December 2010
This report is the most recent for which plan data is available. Total assets held in retirement and pension plans decreased by $1.4 trillion, 23%, in 2008. Assets in 401(k) plans declined by 25.2%, from $3 trillion in 2007 to $2.2 trillion in 2008.
Uploaded: January 10, 2011
Affordable Care Act — FAQ #5 and Mental Health Parity
This fifth set of frequently asked questions about the ACA also includes information on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act of 2008.
Uploaded: January 3, 2011
Recommended Preventive Services Under the ACA
The ACA requires new plans and issuers to cover certain preventive services without any cost-sharing for the enrollee when delivered by in-network providers. Interim final regulations, issued in July 2010, do not apply to grandfathered plans and issuers. This website provides links to the items and services that must be covered under the interim final regulation.
Uploaded: January 3, 2011
Raising the Retirement Ages Would Have Implications for Older Workers and SSA Disability Rolls
This report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office discusses the impact proposed changes to early and full retirement age would have on workers. In particular, the report cites the likely affect that raising the age would have on the number of people applying for and receiving disability insurance because of the health or physical challenges they face.
Raising Social Security Retirement Age
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Proposed Rule on Annual Funding Notice for DB Plans
In November 2010, the DOL published a proposed rule in the Federal Register for annual funding notices required under ERISA. The proposed rule discusses the funding notices that all DB plan administrators must furnish to the PBGC, participants and beneficiaries.
DOL Proposed DB Annual Funding Notice
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Listing of EBSA Final Regulations Published in the Federal Register
This webpage lists Final Regulations issued by EBSA in the Federal Register. The list is arranged by year, starting with the most recent publications and dating back to 1998.
Chronological List - EBSA Regs
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Affordable Care Act - DOL/EBSA Web Page
This page on the DOL/EBSA website provides links to guidance, regulations, Fact Sheets and Model Notices for provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that are of particular interest to employers. Among the topics for which links are provided are grandfathered status, external review, coverage of preventive care, extension of coverage to adult children, preexisting condition exclusions, lifetime and annual limits, rescissions, patient protections and early retiree reinsurance. The page also provides links to related websites.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Interim Final Rules—Coverage of Preventive Services Under ACA
This link to the Federal Register provides the text of the interim final rules for group health plans and health insurance issuers regarding the coverage of preventive services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The publication also includes a request for comments.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Fact Sheet—EBSA’s Contributory Plans Criminal Project
This Fact Sheet provides background information on EBSA’s Contributory Plans Criminal Project (CPCP) to combat criminal abuse of contributory health care and retirement benefit plans. The Fact Sheet also discusses enforcement actions and recent criminal prosecutions.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Fact Sheet – Medical Loss Ratio
This November 2010 HHS online publication summarizes provisions in the Affordable Care Act that limit the percentage of insurance premiums that can be used to pay for administrative expenses beginning in 2011. The law requires insurance companies in the individual and small group markets to spend at least 80 percent of the premium dollars they collect on medical care and quality improvement activities. Insurance companies in the large group market must spend at least 85 percent of premium dollars on medical care and quality improvement activities.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Final Rule to Improve Transparency of Fees and Expenses to 401(k) Participants
This is the published version of the DOL’s final rule regarding fee and expense disclosure at the participant level.
Reporting Fees and Expenses to 401(k) Participants
Uploaded: November 21, 2010
IRS Employee Plans Focus - 2011
This online publication by the IRS spells out the agency’s seven operating priorities in its 2011 Work Plan.
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
Fact Sheet – Amendment to Regulations on Grandfathered Status
This November 2010 HHS publication is a brief synopsis of the amendment of earlier regulations whereby group health plans will be allowed to switch insurance companies and shop for the same coverage at a lower cost while maintaining their grandfathered status, so long as the structure of the coverage doesn’t violate one of the other rules for maintaining grandfathered plan status.
Fact Sheet - Amended Regs, Grandfathered Status
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
Amendment to Interim Final Regs on Grandfathered Status for Health Plans Under ACA
The modification published November 17, 2010, and linked below states that a group health plan does not lose its grandfathered status merely because the plan (or its sponsor) enters into a new policy, certificate, or contract of insurance after March 23, 2010.
Grandfathered Status Not Lost With Change of Insurers
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
Early Retiree Reinsurance Program Under the ACA
This link provides information on the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program as well as a full, alphabetical list of participating companies and an interactive state map displaying participating organizations.
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Q&A on Title II of GINA for Small Businesses
The EEOC provides this online guide to compliance with Title II of GINA for small businesses in a question and answer format.
GINA Title II - Q&A for Small Businesses
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
GINA - Background on EEOC’s Final Rule on Title II
This link to the EEOC’s website provides background information on Title II of GINA and includes a Q&A format that addresses such questions as “Who must comply with Title II of GINA?”
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
GINA - Final Regulations
On November 9, 2010, the EEOC published a final rule in the Federal Register to implement Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Genetic Information Discrimination – EEOC
This EEOC link discusses the prohibition against using genetic information under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) to discriminate against employees and applicants.
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Affordable Care Act — FAQ #4
This is the fourth set of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website.
Uploaded: November 1, 2010
COLA Increases for Dollar Limitations on Retirement Benefits and Contributions
The IRS table of cost-of-living adjustments applicable to dollar limitations for pension plans and other items for tax year 2012.
Uploaded: October 29, 2010
Lifetime Income Options Joint Hearing - Videos
DOL/EBSA has a recording of the webcast of the Lifetime Income Options Joint Hearing from September 14, 2010. This link enables you to select the portion of the webcast that interests you.
Lifetime Income Options - September 2010 Hearings
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Form 5500 – Historical Tables – 1975-2007 – June 2010
This report provides year-over-year data collected from Forms 5500, beginning as early as 1975.
Form 5500 - Historical Tables 1975 to 2007
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Form 5500 – Summary of 2007 Data – June 2010
This report summarizes the 2007 data collected from the Forms 5500 for all ERISA-covered retirement plans.
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Health and Retirement Plan Publications and Reports
This is a list of publications and reports on the DOL/EBSA website dealing with benefits at the individual consumer level as well as at the plan level.
EBSA - Benefit Plan Publications and Reports
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Public Comments on Newly Issued Laws and Regulations
This is an index to public comments on newly enacted legislation and recently issued regulations surrounding employee benefits.
Public Comments - Benefits Regulations
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Health and Retirement Benefits
This is an index to all of the web pages the DOL/EBSA devotes to benefits questions (health and retirement) from the individual consumer perspective as well as at the plan level.
FAQ - Health and Retirement Benefits
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
COBRA – Updated Model Notices for Continuation Coverage Assistance under ARRA
The EBSA has posted updated model notices for employees and beneficiaries covered under the ARRA continuation coverage assistance program. These models reflect the Temporary Extension Act of 2010.
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Draft Form W-2 for Reporting the Cost of Health Care Coverage
The IRS has released a preliminary draft of the Form W-2 for reporting the cost of health care coverage.
Draft Form W-2 - Health Care Coverage Reporting
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
W-2 Health Care Coverage Reporting Relief
The IRS notice states that it is not mandatory for employers to report the cost of health care coverage on W-2 forms for 2011 as initially proposed under the Affordable Care Act.
W-2 - Health Care Coverage Reporting
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #3
This is the third set of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website.
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #2
This is the second set of frequently asked questions issued by EBSA. Topics covered include grandfathered plans, dental and vision, recisions, and preventive health as well as ACA’s effective date for individual health insurance policies.
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
EBSA’s Proposal for Broadening the Definition of Fiduciaries Under ERISA
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued this proposed rule October 22, 2010, expanding ERISA’s definition of “fiduciary” for employee benefit plans. The broader definition proposed is designed to protect plans and plan participants from conflicts of interest and self-dealing from persons who give investment advice.
Proposed New Definition of ERISA Fiduciary
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – Early Retirement Reinsurance Program
Health and Human Services has developed this website devoted exclusively to the Early Retirement Reinsurance Program created under health care reform.
Early Retirement Reinsurance Program
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act - Interim Procedures for Internal Claims and Appeals
DOL Technical Release No. 2010-02 provides guidelines for the internal claims and appeals process that group health plans and health insurance issuers are required to have under the act.
ACA - Internal Claims and Appeals
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #1
This is the first of several sets of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website. These FAQs addresses implementation topics covering compliant, grandfathered plans, claims, internal appeals, external reviews, dependent child coverage, out-of-network emergency services and highly compensated employees
Uploaded: October 19, 2010
Model COBRA Notice Updated for ACA
The DOL has provided a revised model COBRA Notice for use by single employer health plans. The new model includes language to make beneficiaries aware of alternative coverage available through ACA’s marketplaces.
Model COBRA Notice - ACA Revised
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Model Notice of Coverage Options for Employers Who Do Not Offer Health Care Benefits
The DOL provides a model notice of coverage options for employers who do not offer health care benefits to let employees know about the availability of insurance exchanges, or marketplaces. The notice is in Q/A format and includes a form employees who want to buy insurance through an exchange must complete.
Model Notice of Exchanges to Employees - Employers Who Do Not Offer Plans
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Model Notice of Coverage Options for Employers Who Offer Health Care Benefits
The DOL provides a model notice of coverage options for employers who offer health care benefits, as mandated under the Affordable Care Act, to let employees know about the availability of insurance exchanges, or marketplaces. The notice is in Q/A format. It includes a form that employees who want to buy insurance through an exchange must complete.
Model Notice of Exchanges to Employees - Employers Who Offer Health Plans
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Guidance on the Notice to Employees of Marketplace Coverage Options
The Department of Labor issued this May 8, 2013, Technical Release to provide background and instructions on employers’ responsibility to notify employees of healthcare coverage options available through state exchanges or “marketplaces.”
DOL Instructions - Employee Notification of Marketplaces
Uploaded: May 10, 2013
Updated Completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC)
The DOL provides a completed example of the revised SBC, which includes information on minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
SBC - Revised Completed Example
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
Updated Template for Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) Document
The DOL has provided this template that updates information to be included on the SBC. The new information in the revised template relates to minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #14
This set of frequently asked questions on the DOL website covers updates to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) that include information on minimum essential coverage and minimum value of the plan’s benefits.
Uploaded: April 24, 2013
DOL Self-Compliance Tool for ERISA Part 7 - Affordable Care Act
This self-compliance tool provides an informal explanation of the statutes and the most recent regulations and interpretations and includes citations to the underlying legal provisions.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
DOL Self-Compliance Tool for ERISA Part 7 - HIPAA
This self-compliance tool issued by the DOL is useful for group health plans, plan sponsors, plan administrators, health insurance issuers, and other parties to etermine whether a group health plan is in compliance with some of the provisions of Part 7 of ERISA.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #13
This set of frequently asked question (FAQ) clarifies the extent expatriate group health insurance coverage is subject to the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Uploaded: April 3, 2013
Amendments to FMLA Covering Military Families and Airline Flight Crews
This page on the DOL website provides an overview of the February 2013 amendments to the FMLA affecting military families and airline flight crews. Included are links to fact sheets and to form templates.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Essential Health Benefits, Cost-Sharing and Actuarial Value
This issue of Buck Consultant’s FYI provides analysis of recently issued guidelines on essential health benefits and cost-sharing requirements.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Essential Health Benefits: Fact Sheet
The Department of Health and Human Services issued final rules on February 20, 2013, outlining standards for coverage of essential health benefits (EHB) and the determination of actuarial value (AV). This fact sheet provides an overview.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #11
This set of FAQs on the DOL website addresses the employer notice of coverage options, health reimbursement arrangements, disclosure of information related to firearms, employer group waiver plans supplementing Medicare Part D, fixed indemnity insurance and payment of PCORI fees.
Uploaded: February 6, 2013
Fact Sheet: Caring for a Disabled Adult Child Under FMLA
This page on the DOL website contains general information on caring for a disabled adult child under FMLA.
Uploaded: February 6, 2013
DHHS Sample Business Associate Agreement Provisions for PHI Provisions of HIPAA
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued sample business associate agreement provisions in conjunction with protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA.
Uploaded: January 25, 2013
Summary of HIPAA Privacy Rule
This link on the Department of Health and Human Services website provides a summary of the HIPAA privacy rule.
Uploaded: January 21, 2013
Q&A on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act
This page on the IRS website is arranged in Q&A format to answer common questions about the shared responsibility provisions for employers that take effect in 2014.
Uploaded: January 2, 2013
Fact Sheet - The Affordable Care Act and Wellness Programs
The Department of Labor has provided this Fact Sheet on ACA’s incentives to promote workplace wellness programs.
ACA and Workplace Wellness Programs
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
A Review of the Workplace Wellness Market
This study of employer-sponsored wellness programs was prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor in conjunction with provisions under ACA that expand the use of incentives in nondiscriminatory programs. It is based on a review of the current literature on the topic and summarizes typical program components, the prevalence of wellness programs among employers and their impact, and the use and effect of financial incentives in these programs.
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
HHS Fact Sheet - Proposed Rules on Essential Health Benefits and Actuarial Value of Benefits
This fact sheet was published in conjunction with proposed rules outlining health insurance issuer standards related to the coverage of essential health benefits (EHB) and the determination of actuarial value (AV) of benefits provided.
HHS Fact Sheet - Essential Health Benefits
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
FAQ - ACA’s Transitional Reinsurance Program
The IRS has published frequently asked questions in connection with the transitional reinsurance program that is part of the Affordable Care Act. This three-year program (2014-2016) assesses a per participant fee on fully insured and self-insured plans to support payments to individual market issuers that cover high-cost individuals.
FAQs - Transitional Reinsurance Fee
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
The Affordable Care Act’s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program
This page on the federal government’s website is devoted entirely to the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP), a component of the Affordable Care Act that provides reimbursement to participating employer-based plans for a portion of cost of coverage for early retirees, their dependents and beneficiaries.
Uploaded: December 10, 2012
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #10
FAQ #10 provides additional clarification on the implementation of the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) for Medicare Advantage Plans.
Uploaded: August 7, 2012
Affordable Care Act - FAQ #9 - Summary of Benefits Coverage
This set of FAQs covers implementation of ACA’s summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) provisions. This topic is also covered by FAQs #8 and #10.
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
FMLA – Fact Sheet on Proposed Rulemaking Affecting Military Families and Flight Crews
This DOL Fact Sheet outlines the major provisions of the changes and also includes a link to the Proposed Rule Website which has deadlines and procedures for submitting comments.
FMLA - Military Families and Airline Crews
Uploaded: March 8, 2012
HHS Resources for Creating a Summary of Benefits and Coverage
This page on the HHS website provides access to a whole host of additional information for preparing a Summary of Benefits Coverage. Included are links to instructions and guides for the sample benefit calculations for common scenarios that are a requirement of the regulations.
SBC - Sample Benefits Coverage Calculations
Uploaded: March 1, 2012
IRS - Interim Report on 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire
This Interim Report from the IRS summarizes the responses from approximately 1,200 randomly selected sponsors of 401(k) plans. The plan sponsors completed an online questionnaire designed to measure the overall compliance levels among 401(k) plans, evaluate the effectiveness of IRS voluntary compliance programs and determine how the IRS can foster greater compliance.
401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire
Uploaded: February 14, 2012
EBSA - SBC Instruction Guide for Group Plans
EBSA developed this guide to assist employers in the completion of their Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) based on the SBC Template.
SBC Instructions - Group Plans
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Final Regulations
EBSA published the final regulations covering the Summary of Benefits and Coverage mandated by PPACA to be made available to all healthcare plan participants.
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Compliance Guidance
EBSA has provided this document to guide employers on compliance with providing a Summary of Benefits and Coverage to all healthcare plan participants as mandated by PPACA.
Uploaded: February 10, 2012
EBSA - Sample Completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage
The DOL’s EBSA has provided a sample completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) using the template the agency developed. The SBC is the four-page summary mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
EBSA Sample Summary of Benefits Coverage
Uploaded: January 26, 2012
EBSA - Template for PPACA’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage
The DOL’s EBSA has provided a template for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage mandated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
EBSA Template for PPACA’s Summary of Benefits Coverage
Uploaded: January 26, 2012
Uniform Glossary of Health Insurance and Medical Terms
This DOL/EBSA website has created a four-page glossary of health insurance and medical terms as a companion to the Summary of Benefits Coverage that must be provided to all plan participants under PPACA.
Glossary - Health Insurance and Medical Terms
Uploaded: August 22, 2011
Summary of Benefits and Coverage - Sample Completed Template
This DOL/EBSA link provides a look at a sample completed Summary of Benefits and Coverage form.
Sample Completed Benefits & Coverage Form
Uploaded: August 22, 2011
Summary of Benefits and Coverage Template
This DOL/EBSA link provides a look at the department’s proposed template for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage required under PPACA.
Summary of Benefits and Coverage Proposed Template
Uploaded: August 19, 2011
HHS Fact Sheet on Proposed Regulations on Summary of Benefits and Coverage; Uniform Glossary of Term
The HHS has released a Fact Sheet on rules under the Affordable Care Act provisions that would ensure consumers have access to two forms that will help them understand and evaluate their health insurance choices: an easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage; and a uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage.
Uploaded: August 19, 2011
Affordable Care Act — FAQ #5 and Mental Health Parity
This fifth set of frequently asked questions about the ACA also includes information on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act of 2008.
Uploaded: January 3, 2011
Recommended Preventive Services Under the ACA
The ACA requires new plans and issuers to cover certain preventive services without any cost-sharing for the enrollee when delivered by in-network providers. Interim final regulations, issued in July 2010, do not apply to grandfathered plans and issuers. This website provides links to the items and services that must be covered under the interim final regulation.
Uploaded: January 3, 2011
Affordable Care Act - DOL/EBSA Web Page
This page on the DOL/EBSA website provides links to guidance, regulations, Fact Sheets and Model Notices for provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that are of particular interest to employers. Among the topics for which links are provided are grandfathered status, external review, coverage of preventive care, extension of coverage to adult children, preexisting condition exclusions, lifetime and annual limits, rescissions, patient protections and early retiree reinsurance. The page also provides links to related websites.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Interim Final Rules—Coverage of Preventive Services Under ACA
This link to the Federal Register provides the text of the interim final rules for group health plans and health insurance issuers regarding the coverage of preventive services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The publication also includes a request for comments.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Fact Sheet – Medical Loss Ratio
This November 2010 HHS online publication summarizes provisions in the Affordable Care Act that limit the percentage of insurance premiums that can be used to pay for administrative expenses beginning in 2011. The law requires insurance companies in the individual and small group markets to spend at least 80 percent of the premium dollars they collect on medical care and quality improvement activities. Insurance companies in the large group market must spend at least 85 percent of premium dollars on medical care and quality improvement activities.
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Fact Sheet – Amendment to Regulations on Grandfathered Status
This November 2010 HHS publication is a brief synopsis of the amendment of earlier regulations whereby group health plans will be allowed to switch insurance companies and shop for the same coverage at a lower cost while maintaining their grandfathered status, so long as the structure of the coverage doesn’t violate one of the other rules for maintaining grandfathered plan status.
Fact Sheet - Amended Regs, Grandfathered Status
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
Amendment to Interim Final Regs on Grandfathered Status for Health Plans Under ACA
The modification published November 17, 2010, and linked below states that a group health plan does not lose its grandfathered status merely because the plan (or its sponsor) enters into a new policy, certificate, or contract of insurance after March 23, 2010.
Grandfathered Status Not Lost With Change of Insurers
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
Early Retiree Reinsurance Program Under the ACA
This link provides information on the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program as well as a full, alphabetical list of participating companies and an interactive state map displaying participating organizations.
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Q&A on Title II of GINA for Small Businesses
The EEOC provides this online guide to compliance with Title II of GINA for small businesses in a question and answer format.
GINA Title II - Q&A for Small Businesses
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
GINA - Background on EEOC’s Final Rule on Title II
This link to the EEOC’s website provides background information on Title II of GINA and includes a Q&A format that addresses such questions as “Who must comply with Title II of GINA?”
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
GINA - Final Regulations
On November 9, 2010, the EEOC published a final rule in the Federal Register to implement Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Genetic Information Discrimination – EEOC
This EEOC link discusses the prohibition against using genetic information under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) to discriminate against employees and applicants.
Uploaded: November 10, 2010
Affordable Care Act — FAQ #4
This is the fourth set of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website.
Uploaded: November 1, 2010
COBRA – Updated Model Notices for Continuation Coverage Assistance under ARRA
The EBSA has posted updated model notices for employees and beneficiaries covered under the ARRA continuation coverage assistance program. These models reflect the Temporary Extension Act of 2010.
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
Draft Form W-2 for Reporting the Cost of Health Care Coverage
The IRS has released a preliminary draft of the Form W-2 for reporting the cost of health care coverage.
Draft Form W-2 - Health Care Coverage Reporting
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
W-2 Health Care Coverage Reporting Relief
The IRS notice states that it is not mandatory for employers to report the cost of health care coverage on W-2 forms for 2011 as initially proposed under the Affordable Care Act.
W-2 - Health Care Coverage Reporting
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #3
This is the third set of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website.
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #2
This is the second set of frequently asked questions issued by EBSA. Topics covered include grandfathered plans, dental and vision, recisions, and preventive health as well as ACA’s effective date for individual health insurance policies.
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – Early Retirement Reinsurance Program
Health and Human Services has developed this website devoted exclusively to the Early Retirement Reinsurance Program created under health care reform.
Early Retirement Reinsurance Program
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act - Interim Procedures for Internal Claims and Appeals
DOL Technical Release No. 2010-02 provides guidelines for the internal claims and appeals process that group health plans and health insurance issuers are required to have under the act.
ACA - Internal Claims and Appeals
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
Affordable Care Act – FAQ #1
This is the first of several sets of frequently asked questions that the Department of Labor’s EBSA has available on its website. These FAQs addresses implementation topics covering compliant, grandfathered plans, claims, internal appeals, external reviews, dependent child coverage, out-of-network emergency services and highly compensated employees
Uploaded: October 19, 2010
DOL/EBSA Lifetime Income Calculator
This page on the DOL/EBSA website provides an overview, instructions and an explanation of results in connection with the Lifetime Income Calulator the Department developed in conjunction with its May 7 advance notice of proposed rulemaking. The notice focuses on retirement income projections for defined contribution plan participants.
DOL - Lifetime Income Calculator
Uploaded: May 8, 2013
DOL Fact Sheet - Lifetime Income Illustration
The DOL/EBSA published this May 7, 2013, advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding lifetime income projections for defined contribution plan participants. The Fact Sheet discusses assumptions and safe harbors plan administrators can use to develop the projections. Comments are due by July 8, 2013.
DOL - Lifetime Income Illustration
Uploaded: May 8, 2013
TDF Tips for Fiduciaries from EBSA/DOL
The Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued a brief, three-page document with general guidelines for plan sponsors with respect to selecting and monitoring target date funds.
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
IRS February 2013 Employee Plan News
This is the February 2013 edition of a periodic newsletter the IRS publishes. In this issue is information on how new revenue correction procedures affect 403(b) plans, updates on compliance projects and more.
Feb. 2013 IRS Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
IRS February 2013 Employee Plan News
This is the February 2013 edition of a periodic newsletter the IRS publishes. In this issue is information on how new revenue correction procedures affect 403(b) plans, updates on compliance projects and more.
Feb. 2013 IRS Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: March 6, 2013
IRS Chart of Significant Changes to EPCRS
This chart on the IRS website lists changes to the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System introduced by Rev. Proc, 2013-12. It identifies the sections where they are to be found and describes the change from prior procedures.
Uploaded: January 9, 2013
IRS Updates Error Correction Program for Retirement Plans
The new procedure updates and expands the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), the comprehensive system of correction programs for sponsors of retirement plans that have failed to meet one or more requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.
Uploaded: January 9, 2013
Guide to Common Qualified Retirement Plan Requirements
This page on the IRS website, updated in October, 2012, lists some of the more important retirement plan requirements to ensure that employer-sponsored plans maintain their qualified status under IRS rules.
Qualified Retirement Plan Requirements
Uploaded: November 26, 2012
IRS 401(k) Resource Guide - Filing Requirements
This page on the IRS website provides a checklist of when various 401(k) Plan filings are due. It also provides links to the forms listed.
IRS 401(k) Compliance Checklist
Uploaded: November 14, 2012
2013 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
This table on the IRS web site lays out the 2013 contribution limits for qualified retirement plans.
IRS 2013 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
Uploaded: October 23, 2012
Participant Fee Disclosure – Clarification on Brokerage Windows
On July 30, 2012, EBSA issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2012-02R to clarify the fee disclosures that are required for investments participants make brokerage windows. The Department’s original guidance, issued in May, caused an uproar among professionals in the retirement industry and plan sponsors who complained the disclosures were needlessly burdensome and would overwhelm participants. The Bulletin is in a Q&A format; question number 13 addresses this specific issue.
Fee Disclosure - Brokerage Accounts
Uploaded: August 2, 2012
Participant Fees and Expense Disclosure - Model Comparative Chart
The DOL/EBSA has prepared a model that plan sponsors can use to develop a comparison chart of plan investments and fees for 401(k) plan participants.
Participant Fee Disclosure - Model Chart
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Participant-Level Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure - Final Rules
This EBSA Fact Sheet summarizes the fee information to be disclosed to participants in 401(k) and other participant-directed employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Fact Sheet-Participant Retirement Plan Fee Disclosures
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Before It’s Too Late - A Retirement Security Update
EBSA’s bi-weekly online publication by Assistant Secretary of Labor Phyllis Borzi. The newsletter highlights current issues in employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Bi-Weekly EBSA Retirement Newsletter
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
May 14, 2012 Issue - Before It’s Too Late - A Retirement Security Update
This inaugural email by the head of EBSA, Phyllis Borzi, is a bi-weekly publication that highlights the DOL’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for retirement security. Links within the email give access to EBRI’s 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey and information on EBSA’s public forums on retirement security being offered around the country.
Bi-Weekly EBSA Retirement Newsletter-14May2012
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
Participant-Level Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure Regulation - FAQs
This Field Assistance Bulletin (No. 2012-02) from Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration contains frequently asked questions and answers about the Department’s participant-level fee disclosure regulation (29 CFR § 2550.404a-5). It also answers questions about related plan-level disclosures under 408(b)(2).
Participant Fee Disclosure - FAQs
Uploaded: July 17, 2012
IRS Employee Plans News - March 2012
The March 2012 issue has articles on new guidance encouraging plans to offer lifetime income options, an update on the Determination Letter Program, the IRS’ 401(k) plan projects and other employer plan-related topics.
Uploaded: April 17, 2012
EBSA - Fee Disclosure Failure Notice
This page on the EBSA website outlines action a plan sponsor can take to avoid a prohibited transaction when a plan service provider fails to disclose fee information it is required to under 408(b)(2). The page contains a link to a model notice of covered service provider’s failure to comply as well as links to a 408(b)(2) Fact Sheet and Final Regulations.
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA - Model 401(k) Plan Fee Disclosure Form for Plan Sponsors
This 11-page model 401(k) fee disclosure form helps plan sponsors identify all of the fees associated with their retirement plans. A glossary is included to help clarify terms.
401(k) Model Fee Disclosure Form
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA – Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expense
EBSA has provided an easy-to-read article for retirement plan sponsors on its website in conjunction with the February 2012 publication of 408(b)2 plan-level fee disclosures. The article includes explanations of the major categories of plan fees as well as basic information on investment fees. There are also links to several other supporting publications, most notably a link to a model 401(k) plan fee disclosure form.
Understanding Retirement Plan Fees
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA – Final 408(b)(2) Plan-Level Fee Disclosure Rules
EBSA published the final rules covering 408(b)(2) plan-level fee disclosure rules in the Federal Register on February 3, 2012. The full text is available below in PDF format.
Uploaded: February 29, 2012
EBSA - Detail of Changes to Final 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
The DOL’s EBSA has provided information detailing the changes made to the interim 408(b)(2) fee disclosure rule that was published in July, 2010.
Changes to Final 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
Uploaded: February 3, 2012
EBSA Fact Sheet – Final Rule on 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure Rule
The DOL’s EBSA has created a Fact Sheet summarizing the service provider fee disclosure requirements. The deadline for implementation was pushed back from April 1, 2012, to July 1, 2012.
EBSA Fact Sheet – Final Rule on 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure
Uploaded: February 3, 2012
IRS Fall 2011 Retirement Plan Newsletter - Employers
The Fall edition of this IRS newsletter has articles on 2012 salary deferral contributions, paying retirement benefits and an update on the IRS’s 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Project.
Uploaded: January 17, 2012
IRS Employee Plans Newsletter - December 2011
This issue of the IRS Employee Plans Newsletter outlines significant changes to the Employee Plans Determination Letter Program and also provides a cumulative list of changes in plan qualification requirements for 2011.
IRS December Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: December 20, 2011
IRS Employee Plans Newsletter - October 2011
This issue of the IRS Employee Plans Newsletters contains a number of articles of interest to employers, including a 2011-2012 Priority Guidance Plan.
IRS October 2011 Employee Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: December 20, 2011
IRS Summer 2011 Retirement Plan Newsletter - Employers
The IRS’ summer 2011 newsletter for employers who sponsor retirement plans contains articles on avoiding and correcting compensation errors in retirement plans and on withholding federal income tax on plan distribution. The newsletter also contains useful links to IRS educational materials for plan sponsors as well as links to the DOL/EBSA website.
IRS Summer 2011 Retirement Plans Newsletter
Uploaded: August 24, 2011
Form 5500 – Summary of 2008 Data – December 2010
This report is the most recent for which plan data is available. Total assets held in retirement and pension plans decreased by $1.4 trillion, 23%, in 2008. Assets in 401(k) plans declined by 25.2%, from $3 trillion in 2007 to $2.2 trillion in 2008.
Uploaded: January 10, 2011
Raising the Retirement Ages Would Have Implications for Older Workers and SSA Disability Rolls
This report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office discusses the impact proposed changes to early and full retirement age would have on workers. In particular, the report cites the likely affect that raising the age would have on the number of people applying for and receiving disability insurance because of the health or physical challenges they face.
Raising Social Security Retirement Age
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Proposed Rule on Annual Funding Notice for DB Plans
In November 2010, the DOL published a proposed rule in the Federal Register for annual funding notices required under ERISA. The proposed rule discusses the funding notices that all DB plan administrators must furnish to the PBGC, participants and beneficiaries.
DOL Proposed DB Annual Funding Notice
Uploaded: November 26, 2010
Final Rule to Improve Transparency of Fees and Expenses to 401(k) Participants
This is the published version of the DOL’s final rule regarding fee and expense disclosure at the participant level.
Reporting Fees and Expenses to 401(k) Participants
Uploaded: November 21, 2010
IRS Employee Plans Focus - 2011
This online publication by the IRS spells out the agency’s seven operating priorities in its 2011 Work Plan.
Uploaded: November 16, 2010
COLA Increases for Dollar Limitations on Retirement Benefits and Contributions
The IRS table of cost-of-living adjustments applicable to dollar limitations for pension plans and other items for tax year 2012.
Uploaded: October 29, 2010
Lifetime Income Options Joint Hearing - Videos
DOL/EBSA has a recording of the webcast of the Lifetime Income Options Joint Hearing from September 14, 2010. This link enables you to select the portion of the webcast that interests you.
Lifetime Income Options - September 2010 Hearings
Uploaded: October 25, 2010
EBSA’s Proposal for Broadening the Definition of Fiduciaries Under ERISA
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued this proposed rule October 22, 2010, expanding ERISA’s definition of “fiduciary” for employee benefit plans. The broader definition proposed is designed to protect plans and plan participants from conflicts of interest and self-dealing from persons who give investment advice.
Proposed New Definition of ERISA Fiduciary
Uploaded: October 21, 2010
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