New Year, New Penalties | Chicago Benefit Advisors

Department of Labor Publishes Updated Penalties for OSHA Violations On January 2, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published updated, inflation-adjusted penalties for violations of various laws regulated by the DOL and its internal components or divisions, including the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). The DOL is required to adjust the level of … Continued

DOL Guidance for Benefit Plans Impacted by Hurricane Harvey | Chicago Benefit Advisors

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued compliance guidance for benefit plans, employers and employees, and service providers who are impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The guidance generally provides relief from various ERISA requirements and time limits for entities in the disaster area. This follows the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announcement extending certain filing dates, including … Continued

The DOL’s Final Overtime Rule Saga Continues | Chicago Benefit Advisors

The change in the regulations that would increase the salary threshold for overtime exemption that was all over the news for the last several months may now be decided by the end of June. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) another 60-day extension of time to file … Continued

The Overtime Rule Saga Continues… | Chicago Benefit Advisors

All the hullabaloo about the potential new Department of Labor overtime rules was for naught as the implementation of the law has been delayed again. President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) requested extensions to the appeal process to determine its strategy and finalize its standpoint on the proposed regulations. Some political experts theorize that the … Continued

Top Five Compliance Assessment Surprises | Chicago Benefit Advisors

Our Firm is making a big push to provide compliance assessments for our clients and using them as a marketing tool with prospects. Since the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) began its Health Benefits Security Project in October 2012, there has been increased scrutiny. While none of our clients have been audited yet, we expect … Continued

DOL Increases Penalty Amounts to Adjust for Inflation | Chicago Benefit Advisors

For the second time in less than a year the Department of Labor (DOL) has increased the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the DOL. The increases were announced in a final rule issued by the DOL on January 18, 2017. The increases were made pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act … Continued

Department of Labor Form 5500’s Time-Intensive and Expensive Reporting Requirements Painful for Small Employers | Illinois Employee Benefits

Proposed regulations for revising and greatly expanding the Department of Labor (DOL) Form 5500 reporting are set to take effect in 2019. Currently, the non-retirement plan reporting is limited to those employers that have more than 100 employees enrolled on their benefit plans, or those in a self-funded trust. The filings must be completed on … Continued