Welfare Benefit Plans

Our employee benefits attorneys focus on guiding employers through the intricacies of welfare and fringe benefit plans, such as group health plans, life and disability plans, tuition assistance and student loan repayment plans, transportation plans, and cafeteria plans. The compliance requirements for group health plans have increased exponentially in the past 15 years and our team provides comprehensive services to navigate the complexities of these rules and regulations. Our focus extends to counseling clients on benefit and health plan design, minimizing penalties under Acts such as the ACA, HIPAA, FMLA, USERRA, and COBRA and complying with Mental Health Parity and transparency requirements

Our services encompass a wide range of areas, including assisting employers in navigating ACA's employer shared responsibility mandate, designing essential documents like Section 125/Cafeteria Plans, ERISA wrap documents, and summary plan descriptions. We also provide guidance on privacy and security compliance under HIPAA, including assisting with risk assessments, preparing notices of privacy practices, policies and procedures, business associate agreements and response and mitigation to breaches.  We represent clients in audits and investigations with IRS, DOL, and HHS, advise on health plan benefits for expatriates, and ensure compliance with ACA's reporting requirements.

We also provide support to health insurance brokers, consultants and other welfare plan service providers so that they can provide comprehensive and accurate guidance to their clients.

With a foundation in tax law, accounting, and a practical understanding of human resources legal issues, our attorneys are dedicated to benefit cost containment for clients. Emphasizing competitively designed welfare programs, we strive to enhance employee recruiting and retention, recognizing the pivotal role of these programs in the overall employee benefits landscape.