Look Backward to Plan Forward | VA Benefits Agency

We have entered Open Enrollment season and that means you and everyone in your office are probably reading through enrollment guides and trying to decipher it all. As you begin your research into which plan to choose or even how much to contribute to your Health Savings Account (HSA), consider evaluating how you used your … Continued

Federal Employment Law Update – August 2018 | Virginia Benefit Advisors

IRS Permits Student Loan Repayment Benefit as Part of Employer’s 401(K) On August 17, 2018, the federal Internal Revenue Service released a private ruling letter (Number 201833012) concluding that an employer may amend its 401(k) plan to provide student loan repayments (SLR) nonelective contributions under the program without violating the “contingent benefit” prohibitions of 26 … Continued

Affordable Care Act Individual Mandate Update | Virginia Benefit Agency

Recently, the President signed a bill repealing the Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate (the tax penalty imposed on individuals who are not enrolled in health insurance). While some are praising this action, there are others who are concerned with its aftermath. So how does this affect you and why should you pay attention to this … Continued

5 Employee Handbook Mistakes to Avoid | Virginia Benefit Brokers

Gary Wheeler, partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, a well-respected national employment law firm and legal partner to ThinkHR, explains five mistakes he sees frequently in his clients’ employee handbooks. It’s too long, inconsistent, or redundant. Like with your house, when you live with an employee handbook for a while, you collect things … Continued

Price Shop Healthcare | Virginia Benefit Advisors

As the costs of health care soar, many consumers are looking for ways to control their medical spending. Also, with the rise of enrollment in high deductible health plans, consumers are paying for more health care out-of-pocket. From medical savings accounts to discount plans for prescriptions, patients are growing increasingly conscious of prices for their … Continued

Ask the Experts: Electronic Delivery of ERISA Notices | Virginia Benefit Advisors

Q. Can we provide summary plan descriptions (SPDs) electronically? A. Yes. However, just sending them is not enough to meet ERISA requirements; you must ensure the intended recipients are actually getting them. Specifically, ERISA requires SPDs to be furnished using “measures reasonably calculated to ensure actual receipt of the material” via “methods likely to result … Continued