Section Newsletters

Articles on Employee Benefits

Division of retirement assets series, part II: Issues affecting QILDROs By Veronica A. Silva Family Law, November 2016 The second in a three-part series dedicated to discussing divisions of retirement plan benefits.
Plan administrators are obligated to inform claimants of plan-imposed limits for judicial review in denial of claim notices By Patrick Colgan Employee Benefits, October 2016 In Mirza v. Ins. of Am., Inc., The Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court ruling and held that a plan administrator must include information regarding the plan’s statute of limitations in its claim denial letter.
Types of retirement plans By Bernard G. Peter Employee Benefits, October 2016 A look at the different types and characteristics of retirement plans.
2015 Affordable Care Act form 1094 and 1095 deadlines extended By Maria Hiltunen & Kal Goren Employee Benefits, May 2016 In Notice 2016-4, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) delayed the deadlines for a number of Affordable Care Act reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056 for the 2015 tax year only. 
Department of Treasury releases final DB funding regulations By William H. Mayer Employee Benefits, May 2016 Applicable for plan years beginning on and after January 1, 2016, the final regulations are substantially the same as the proposed regulations, but there a few changes to consider.
DOL issues groundbreaking fiduciary investment rules By Maria Hiltunen & Ken Sachs Employee Benefits, May 2016 On April 6, 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its long-awaited conflict of interest final rule imposing fiduciary standards on investment professionals regarding their relationships with retirement plan participants, IRA participants and related fiduciaries.
IRS issues proposed regulations regarding applicability of normal retirement age to governmental pension plans By Bernard G. Peter & Kal Goren Employee Benefits, May 2016 In a change that would impact government employers with retirement plans, the IRS has proposed a rule to address whether the normal retirement age under a governmental plan satisfies the requirements to preserve tax-qualified status.
IRS retirement plan limitations for 2016 By Bernard G. Peter Corporate Law Departments, December 2015 A look at the new limitations and a table of previous years' limitations for comparison purposes.
IRS retirement plan limitations for 2016 By Bernard G. Peter Employee Benefits, December 2015 A look at the new limitations and a table of previous years' limitations for comparison purposes.
Now trending: The myRA By Roman A. Basi & Marcus S. Renwick Employee Benefits, December 2015 There is a new retirement program available now, and employers are not required to participate.
Proposed EEOC wellness program regulations reduce regulatory anxiety; Compliance complexity remain By Derek A. Schryer Employee Benefits, October 2015 A look at the EEOC's proposed regulations.
Paid sick time laws sweep the nation By Jenni Field Employee Benefits, April 2015 Employers with locations in multiple jurisdictions with paid sick leave laws will have to craft separate sick leave policies for each location.
Federal case update By Michael Bartolic Employee Benefits, January 2015 Recent cases of interest.
2015 retirement plan limitations By Bernard G. Peter Corporate Law Departments, December 2014 The complete list of the IRS 2015 dollar limitations for benefits, compensation and contributions.
Smith v. Aegon Companies Pension Plan: Enforceability of venue selection clauses By Nancy G. Ross & Samuel P. Myler Employee Benefits, December 2014 While some district courts, such as the Northern District of Illinois in Coleman v. Supervalu, Inc. Short Term Disability Program have agreed with plan participants that venue selection clauses are inconsistent with ERISA, the Sixth Circuit’s recent 2-1 decision in Smith v. Aegon Companies Pension Plan lends strong support for the prevailing view among the district courts that such clauses are enforceable.
Constitutional challenges made to the Pension Reform Act By Aaron B. Maduff Labor and Employment Law, October 2014 This article starts with a discussion of the state of the law prior to the Constitutional Convention of 1970 and what led to the addition of the Pension Protection Clause in the Illinois Constitution. It then proceeds to discuss the various challenges made to the law, and finally provides an update on the status of the suits, including the order of injunctive relief entered by the Court on May 14, 2014.
Employer reporting requirements finalized By Joy Sellstrom Employee Benefits, June 2014 A discussion of the Department of Treasury's published final rules addressing two reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
Extension and clarification of expatriate health plan exception under ACA By Janel Brynda Employee Benefits, June 2014 Global employers with mobile employees may be able to take advantage of the “expatriate health plan” exception to exclude certain employees for purposes of determining the “pay or play” penalty under the Affordable Care Act.
Pro bono legal opportunities By Bernard G. Peter Corporate Law Departments, June 2014 The author outlines various projects that need your help! 
New rules, continued non-compliance: Protecting business owners and plan participants in the changing 401k plan climate By Kurt Winiecki Employee Benefits, May 2014 A look at some of the common non-compliance issues related to 401k plans, including new fee disclosure rules that are often ignored.
Pro bono legal opportunities By Bernard G. Peter Employee Benefits, May 2014 The author outlines various projects that need your help! 
Federal case update By Michael Bartolic Employee Benefits, February 2014 Recent cases of interest to employee benefits practitioners.
New IRS guidance sheds light on the impact of same-sex marriage decision on employee benefits By Alison Wright & Chris Guldberg Employee Benefits, February 2014 Following the United States Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor, the Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on how that decision impacts the Internal Revenue Code.
Pension relief By Douglas A. Darch Employee Benefits, February 2014 Illinois state pension law is a complex web of built-in extra benefits that costs taxpayers billions. In Hooker v. Retirement Board, the Supreme Court limited eligibility for one of those extra benefits.
SB1 Pension Reform By Lori Cowdrey Benso & John Lowder Employee Benefits, February 2014 A closer look at the changes.
A summary of the anti-cutback rule By Patrick M. Colgan Employee Benefits, February 2014 A brief overview of some of the components that have been included in a court’s analysis of the anti-cutback rule including examples of that analysis.
Federal caselaw update Employee Benefits, September 2013 Recent federal cases of interets to employee benefits practitioners.
Supreme Court invalidation of DOMA provisions may require retirement and health plans to extend spousal benefits to Illinois civil union partners; May extend federal tax benefits By Adam M. Fleming Corporate Law Departments, August 2013 In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision in U.S. v. Windsor, which invalidated Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the full ramifications of the Supreme Court’s holding are just beginning to come into focus.
Federal successor liability under ERISA and the MPPAA By Donald S. Rothschild & Brian M. Dougherty Labor and Employment Law, July 2013 This article will explore the history of ERISA and the MPPAA, how successor liability has evolved under federal law and what needs to be proven in order to hold a successor company liable for withdrawal liability.
Is an Illinois resident’s inherited IRA protected from bankruptcy creditors? By David F. Rolewick & Justin J. Karubas Trusts and Estates, July 2013 There is a split in the circuits regarding whether or not inherited IRAs are protected from bankruptcy creditors. The Fifth Circuit has held that a Texas resident’s inherited IRA is protected from bankruptcy creditors. The Seventh Circuit has held that a Wisconsin resident’s inherited IRA is not protected from bankruptcy creditors. Both Wisconsin and Texas have not opted out of the bankruptcy exemptions. Therefore, federal bankruptcy exemptions apply.

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