http://www.infinisource.net/Rss/Infinisource-News.ashx Infinisource News - News & Review 10 Late on March 2, 2010, the President signed into law the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (HR 4691). Among other provisions, this law extends the COBRA subsidy eligibility period under ARRA to March 31, 2010. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=dd257f91-6eb4-482e-9e62-d62bda30e888 Tuesday, March 02, 2010 In late February, the Senate passed H.R. 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) by a 70-28 vote. As of this writing, the bill had not yet become law, but was pending in the House of Representatives. If subsequently signed by the President and enacted, the HIRE Act would provide a tax break to employers who hire unemployed workers after February 3, 2010, through the end of 2010. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=fcf50af4-0c5b-4ef2-90b9-46afba79f6e8 Tuesday, March 02, 2010 The model notice provided by the DOL in February 2010 adds another notice burden on employers with group health plans. As with other benefit-related notices, Infinisource can help fulfill this requirement with our established blanket mailing notice program. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=f28b15cd-dedd-492b-b58e-09d8a5924f4c Tuesday, March 02, 2010 An employer inserted the wrong termination date on the COBRA Election Notice and paid an expensive price for doing so. The related lawsuit, Olick v. Knights of Columbus, was finally resolved in bankruptcy court with a penalty of $13,200 against the employer. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=b7b3d4ee-53d4-447b-9c72-c3fb673d206b Tuesday, March 02, 2010 More than five million Americans are believed to have Alzheimer’s disease. As this staggering number rises, so does the cost of care for families of Alzheimer’s patients. Alzheimer's and dementia triple the health care costs for Americans age 65 and older, making many ask about tax deductions for this type of medical care. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ab2ca877-090c-4936-a5c3-c99ff9270fa6 Tuesday, March 02, 2010 The Department of Health and Human Services launched its website for publicizing breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) in accordance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=4d9a9e8e-9dab-4a3b-96e8-daf8aaa7b194 Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Sales jobs can be difficult to classify as exempt or non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A recent case provides a good example of how an employer should properly make this determination. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=18ee0c8d-9640-4783-915f-0d2033d9a590 Tuesday, March 02, 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=3f8368e8-71b6-4e2e-9d1c-3c294ba59b4e Tuesday, March 02, 2010 The HITECH Act of 2009 dramatically changed the HIPAA Privacy and Security rules, increased penalties for noncompliance and added new provisions for reporting breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI). Many of the provisions take effect on February 17, 2010. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=8625dc76-d67a-43a9-b484-799cc95d7ee3 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 The DOL and IRS recently issued more clarification on the ARRA subsidy program and the changes brought on by the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 2010 (2010 DOD Act). ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=63bdc363-ceb4-4805-aa04-f5547ce87040 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 On February 4, 2010, the DOL provided a model notice for use by employers with group health plans, in accordance with the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=61783fa8-6827-4b06-9a44-1360506c7ece Wednesday, February 03, 2010 When the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA) became law, it created a new reporting obligation for group health plans. It was just last month that the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued definitive guidance on how MMSEA applies to administrators of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ed12bc9d-66d4-483f-8e0c-3b24b57fa2dc Wednesday, February 03, 2010 An individual recently wanted to have more children and hired two women (who were unrelated to him) to carry one baby each via in vitro fertilization (IVF). He thought that these IVF expenses should qualify as medical care under Section 213(d) of the Tax Code. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=9eb98711-639e-4acf-8ce7-64a75967cc3f Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Leaves of absence are often difficult to manage, and errors are easy to make. This can be an expensive lesson, as one employer learned recently. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=9b143ed2-c477-4575-b83c-0c3d3f75cdf9 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 The state of New York has a lot going for it – Niagara Falls, Broadway, outdoor recreation and post-COBRA state continuation. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=b7b220e7-073c-42b8-8430-4faa860c42e0 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Three agencies issued interim final rules under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 in late January. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=cb283d5f-e173-4ac1-bc49-16755fe7e5c6 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Infinisource, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in compliance and benefit solutions, announces the addition of John Paul “JP” Prebish to its team of accomplished professionals ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=c4345971-bc15-42bd-ab6b-78bbf80bc79b Wednesday, February 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=7d7e30e1-9d4a-4c9c-abb7-abc8141b63a4 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 On Saturday, December 19, 2009, the President signed HR 3326 (the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010, [DoDAA]), which extends the ARRA subsidy. This information became public knowledge on Monday, December 21, 2009. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=bd9807f0-c339-40e3-9bfc-49732a513c48 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Infinisource HR saves HR managers time and money by providing information and guidance on benefits, compliance, education and human resources issues right at your fingertips. Infinisource HR is a web-based human resources solution for small businesses that do not have a dedicated HR staff. It is the most thorough, expert, easy-to-use outsource service available. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=d62a1b94-3b45-48ba-bc50-6109df5626a6 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Now that the House and Senate have passed differing versions of health care reform, the looming question has moved from whether reform will pass to what shape reform will take when it does pass. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=d51b21e7-0757-4d32-b72a-72bf944f49dc Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Each year, employers must send Copy A of Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) to the Social Security Administration (SSA) to report employee wages and taxes for the previous calendar year. SSA must receive these forms by the last day of February or the last day of March if electronic filing is utilized. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=cda40ffe-1dd2-4c38-915e-f726ecb753b5 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Rules for debit card usage with Section 132 Transportation Plans have been delayed again. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=4539d2af-b0f0-416b-9df7-daf83888e2a6 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 In a Title VII retaliation lawsuit, the employer faced an increasingly common side complaint: the ex-employee never received a COBRA Election Notice. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=eef501df-a253-4032-bc12-4c69155b01b6 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 In late December 2009, President Obama signed into law the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act, which should make it easier for airline flight crews to qualify for FMLA leave. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=344d3dad-a525-45cf-9f33-bdb6e8eec03d Wednesday, January 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=06bb7405-215e-4855-a571-046131d2a471 Wednesday, January 06, 2010 On Saturday, December 19, 2009, the President signed HR 3326 (the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010, DoDAA), which extends the ARRA subsidy. This information became public knowledge on Monday, December 21, 2009. ../Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=5c4d2cac-6eda-4644-9643-1462ca6f799d Wednesday, December 23, 2009