http://www.cobracs.com/News-Channels.aspx Infinisource News & Review Highlights - RSS Channels 10 Determining whether a position is exempt or non-exempt from overtime is one of the most critical employment-related decisions an employer can make. The determination is not always easy. Two recent cases involving the same position for the same employer had different outcomes. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=398aea80-4823-4656-b06a-05b03716b6e9 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 On Thursday, July 8, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released an advance copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on changes to the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Enforcement Regulations due to the HITECH Act, which was passed as part of ARRA in February 2009. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=687348b0-3db8-40e7-9887-f5f5e475e816 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are subject to a new reporting requirement on October 1, 2010, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently explained more fully how Responsible Reporting Entities (RRE) should comply. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ba608a61-0dcf-45cc-a4c9-3a4a7d40e081 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 In June, the IRS, DOL and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two sets of Interim Final Rules on various provisions of health care reform. The first rule relates to grandfather status; the second rule relates to what is commonly referred to as the Patient’s Bill of Rights. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=76be8d21-f24b-4c6f-bc0f-915844213e2f Wednesday, July 07, 2010 The lack of a federal definition for gross misconduct has caused a lot of confusion for employers who believe an employee has acted in such a manner that constitutes gross misconduct and therefore do not offer COBRA to the employee. In many situations, the judicial system makes the determination in the end. This however, can lead to conflicting results such as the situation in two different cases where employers won and lost the gross misconduct battle. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=bb34ece7-0e44-48b2-b27b-6ce2c20b62ad Wednesday, July 07, 2010 In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Golden Gate Restaurant Association vs. City and County of San Francisco, a long-litigated case related to San Francisco's Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ddc96db1-0b3d-4b14-a5d3-6d2f67f3b015 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 There’s some uncertainty that follows with FMLA administration. One of those areas includes how FMLA applies when other adults have a relationship that is similar to parent-child. In late June, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division released Administrator’s Interpretation No. 2010-3, providing guidance on this often confusing area of the law. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ffa5386e-5134-43eb-a623-8fcd81a315b4 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Infinisource, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in compliance and benefit solutions, has announced the acquisition of ABCO Payroll Services, Inc. based in Bradenton, Florida, on June 1, 2010. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=9b863140-140d-4cbc-8f03-912daf723e46 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits, and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=e813ea3b-3b71-4106-a69f-234c209a3ac4 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 In early May, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed into law Public Act 10-13, which increases the maximum continuation coverage period from 18 to 30 months for some qualifying events. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=2851bddd-088e-4d09-84cb-24a8d476a47d Thursday, June 03, 2010 The DOL, Department of Treasury and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acted swiftly in providing guidance related to several provisions in the Affordable Care Act, which was enacted in March 2010. In mid-May, the three departments issued Interim Final Rules on dependent coverage of children up to age 26. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=bf5ab591-c211-4e90-a8b3-3154b1a6d33f Thursday, June 03, 2010 An April tax court case emphasized the importance of timely filing Form 941 and paying employment taxes. One employer tried to avoid the resulting penalties, but the plea of clemency went unheeded. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=a2b37391-973c-437f-aa74-e4924447d3b3 Thursday, June 03, 2010 The Department of Treasury recently published a report on how the ARRA COBRA subsidy has helped a lot of middle class families, praising the subsidy as “especially important for maintaining health insurance coverage for middle-class families during the recession.” Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=29f0fd73-b9d4-4ee3-9e51-561a7d465435 Thursday, June 03, 2010 The IRS recently issued an updated payroll tax form for employer use in claiming the special payroll tax exemption. The exemption applies to employees hired during 2010 under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=a5a1a664-1180-4d2d-a6ca-7c4533b330f5 Thursday, June 03, 2010 For businesses with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, the Affordable Care Act provides current incentives for offering group health coverage in the form of the small employer health care tax credit. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=1a640063-e74a-4323-825d-93a4f480f28d Thursday, June 03, 2010 The month of May brought two pieces of good news for those who work with HSAs. The IRS announced that the key HSA limits for 2011 will remain at 2010 levels. Also, a major survey reported continued growth in HSA-qualified High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=fbe435b0-3928-4422-a5e8-033ca48de25e Thursday, June 03, 2010 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=e87904bc-b455-4fde-90b9-1023770a18e6 Thursday, June 03, 2010 The IRS has made several changes to forms because of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, which was passed on March 18, 2010. In addition, the IRS has provided information on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, which is a result of health care reform under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was passed on March 23, 2010. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=cc575284-8446-4418-9d75-585703382fa7 Thursday, May 06, 2010 One major change to flexible benefits will take place on New Year’s Day next year: over-the-counter drugs will no longer be reimbursable unless they are prescribed by a physician. Work is already underway to comply with this new rule. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=c61784f6-8ec8-44d8-af51-8d5cee946c82 Thursday, May 06, 2010 ARRA affords a Qualified Beneficiary the special right of a DOL expedited review in the event of a subsidy denial. A recent court case clarified that this is a required first step before any lawsuit is filed. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=8590f25d-88fc-458e-ab2a-d72b08332c86 Thursday, May 06, 2010 In April, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued its final regulations on the interaction between employer-sponsored health coverage and TRICARE, the health care program for active duty military, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees and their families, survivors and former spouses. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=2796ef10-f40e-4714-8a7f-d23ee15d2285 Thursday, May 06, 2010 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced what the standard Medicare Part D benefit will look like in 2011. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=c5b47b9d-8e52-4961-bc9f-66a48426f587 Thursday, May 06, 2010 The U.S. Supreme Court decided an ERISA benefits case in April that gives benefits professionals welcome relief in fixing plan-related mistakes. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=96dfe3c6-f7b6-4837-83a7-80eacdb64677 Thursday, May 06, 2010 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=f0b9cd85-a553-4da1-b90a-4efb1aea19da Thursday, May 06, 2010