DOL overtime rules seen as financial, regulatory burden to employers

Proposed regulations from the Department of Labor that aim to boost the number of workers eligible for overtime pay will likely increase the cost of doing business and may disproportionately affect some sectors, say legal analysts and industry groups. Last year the White House directed the DOL to update the overtime rules for salaried white-collar […]

SCOTUS ruling on ACA subsidies ‘a call to action’ for employers

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding federal subsidies for approximately 6.4 million Americans who have obtained health coverage through a federally-facilitated exchange  sends a clear message to employers that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. In a 6-3 vote, King V. Burwell is the second U.S. Supreme Court ruling to uphold ACA legislation […]

Which workplace benefits are on the rise (and which aren’t)

LAS VEGAS—Don’t even think about considering wellness programs as just a flash in the pan. New research from the Society for Human Resource Management finds that wellness programs are continuing to grow in prevalence in workplaces around the country. The organization’s annual survey, released Monday during SHRM’s annual conference in Las Vegas, found a significant […]

Health reform and employer reporting: Another mountain to climb

Most employers subject to the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate have focused on identifying full-time employees and ensuring they receive offers of adequate coverage. But the vast majority of employers are not prepared to meet — and some remain simply unaware of — the employer mandate’s complex reporting obligations. Whether your company has already reached […]

DOL updates FMLA definition of ‘spouse’

Workers in legal, same-sex marriages – no matter what state they live in – will now have the same rights as those in opposite-sex marriages to federal job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Department of Labor announced this week. The move updates the FMLA definition of the term “spouse” so that […]

Marriage ruling streamlines benefits administration

Friday’s landmark ruling on gay marriage could pose both challenges and benefits to employers, as the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision irons out the patchwork system of laws across the country, but brings up new questions on current domestic partnership policies. In a 5-4 ruling, the court determined that states must issue marriage certificates to same-sex […]

Employers will maintain ‘business as usual’ post SCOTUS decision

The time of “what-ifs” for employers ended Thursday as the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling upholding the state subsidies challenged in King v. Burwell, and employers should maintain business as usual going forward, according to most industry observers. The court ruled 6-3 that contested language in the Affordable Care Act allows the administration to […]

SCOTUS upholds subsidies, industry shifts attention to other ACA fixes

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that subsidies used to purchase health insurance on the federally facilitated marketplace are legal. The 6-3 decision in King v. Burwell means that tax credits continue to be valid in the 34 FFM states. Now, it’s time to shift the conversation about the Affordable Care Act to focus on substance, Department of […]

Treasury releases regulations for multiemployer pension plans

The U.S. Department of Treasury today released proposed and temporary regulations in support of the implementation of the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The controversial law, passed as part of the government’s omnibus spending bill in the waning hours of the last Congress, established a new process for the most critically underfunded multiemployer […]