Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and other developments in the public and private sectors signal that the use of cryptocurrency is starting to gain a substantial foothold in employment and compensation. For employers of all sizes and stripes, this trend should call for both excitement and caution.

First, last month the DOL’s

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Benefits Security Administration, (EBSA),  on March 10, 2022 released Compliance Assistance Release No. 2022-01, 401(k) Plan Investments in Cryptocurrencies.

The DOL indicates that it has become aware of firms marketing investments in cryptocurrencies as potential investment options for 401(k) plan participants. The DOL cautions plan fiduciaries to

A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court (8-0, Justice Barrett recused) overturned a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit which had dismissed a case brought by plan participants involving the fiduciary obligations of an ERISA plan sponsor in the selection of funds in its 403(b) plans. The case is remanded and will

The IRS has now proposed regulations for delivering Affordable Care Act (ACA) 1095-C reporting forms to employees at the start of 2022 and future years. Here are a few insights from the proposed regulations:

30-Day Extension for Furnishing Forms 1095-C. For calendar years beginning after December 31, 2020, the proposed regulations grant an automatic 30-day

Premium discounts and surcharges on employee contributions to employer-sponsored health plans based on COVID-19 vaccination status has become a hot topic. On October 4, 2021, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury issued FAQs regarding the application of the HIPAA wellness program rules to vaccine-related premium surcharges and discounts.

HIPAA prohibits group

Plan administrators have until September 15, 2021 to distribute notices of the approaching end of the COBRA subsidy period under the American Rescue Plan Act (“Rescue Plan Act”), which by law expires after September 30, 2021.

As we previously discussed in March and April of this year, the Rescue Plan Act requires that Assistance Eligible