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Why Smart TPAs Partner with BPO Providers During Enrollment Season Surges

It’s 4:47 PM on a Friday in November. Your phone hasn’t stopped ringing for three hours. Jane from ABC Corp needs to understand why her employee’s HSA enrollment was rejected. Mike has been on hold for 20 minutes about a COBRA notice. Meanwhile, your inbox shows 47 unread emails about benefit changes – all marked “urgent.” Sound familiar? Every fall, TPAs face the same brutal reality: enrollment season hits like a tidal wave. What was

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ARCHIVE | FAQs About COVID-19 National Emergency End

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. The Biden Administration is currently expected to end the COVID-19 National Emergency on May 11, 2023. In preparation, the departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services released Q&A Part 58 on March 29. In addition to reviewing the highlights below, you are

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ARCHIVE | COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Extended Again

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. On January 11, 2023, the COVID-19 National Public Health Emergency (PHE) was extended for 90 days. The PHE was scheduled to expire on April 11, 2023. Update: On January 31, 2023, the Biden Administration announced their intent to end the Public Health Emergency on

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ARCHIVE | Where We Are: COVID-19 Relief and Health Plans

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, many relief measures have been enacted, from stimulus payments to extended deadlines to COBRA subsidies. Keeping up with these relief measures, how long they apply and what employers need to do to stay compliant can be most challenging. With expiration

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ARCHIVE | COVID-19 PPE Now Eligible for FSA, HRA, HSA Plans

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. The fight against COVID-19 has expanded to the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) items. On Friday, March 26, the IRS released Announcement 2021-7, which qualifies PPE purchased for the primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19 as medical expenses under section 213(d) of

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Reelin’ in the Year: DOL Clarifies COBRA Time Frames Related to COVID-19

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. On Friday, February 26, the Department of Labor (DOL) published Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01, a follow up to the Joint Notice published May 4, 2020. The May notice required that health and retirement plans disregard a number of deadlines for individuals during the COVID-19

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ARCHIVE | COVID-19 Outbreak Period for ERISA Plans Expires February 28

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) need to be aware of the upcoming end to the COVID-19 outbreak period for group health plans. This deadline, which ends February 28, 2021, could cause unfamiliar administrative burdens on TPAs. In May 2020, following the passage of the CARES Act,

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Dependent Care FSA and Carryover – Is Relief Coming?

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. Since early 2020, the U.S. has been reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone throughout the country has been impacted in one way or another. From economic uncertainty to school and public safety concerns, adults and children alike have had to learn to deal with

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FSA Mid-Year Elections, Grace Periods, Carryover and More: IRS COVID-19 Guidance

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. In May 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published COVID-19 guidance for employer-sponsored healthcare benefits. Drafted to address unanticipated changes in medical and childcare costs due to the COVID-19 emergency, the two Notices – Notice 2020-29 and 2020-33 – relax mid-year election changes for

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COVID-19 Claims Run Out Extension for FSA and HRA Plans

This article was published during the COVID-19 period and reflects regulations at that time. Requirements and policies may no longer be current. Please refer to official local authorities for up-to-date guidance. On April 29, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL), and other federal agencies published a final notice providing COVID-19 relief guidance on COBRA extensions. The notice also extended run out periods for health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangement

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