A few weeks ago, stories of Canadian citizens being refused admission to the U.S. as individual or blanket L applicants requesting an additional period of stay in the U.S. started to increase. The sheer number of reports suggests a possible new policy versus an errant occurrence at certain ports of entry along the Canadian border …
Debunking SPD Myths, Part 4: Know Your Alternative Methods of Distribution for Terminated Participants and Beneficiaries
The summary plan description (“SPD”) and disclosure regulations provided by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) are spread across six regulatory sections. They are voluminous. One section, however, provides an alternative method of compliance for providing retirement plan SPDs and summaries of material modification (“SMMs”) to terminated participants and beneficiaries receiving benefits if certain requirements are …
The Patchwork of State Paid Leave Laws
There are a number of state specific paid leave laws that fall into two main categories: (1) sick leave, which entitles employees who work for covered employers to accrue paid sick leave; and (2) family leave, which entitles employees who work for covered employers to be compensated for attending to family caregiving needs, such as …
The Michigan Court of Appeals Addresses Sexual Harassment and Mandatory Arbitration Agreements
Mandatory arbitration agreements for employment claims have been increasingly criticized, but that criticism has increased dramatically for sexual harassment cases. The #MeToo movement has generated significant pressure to exclude sexual harassment claims from mandatory employment arbitration agreements, and proposed legislation federally and in various states seeks to bar mandatory arbitration agreements or at least to …
Debunking SPD Myths, Part 3: Your Insurance Contracts and Summaries of Benefits and Coverage are Not SPDs for Your Health or Other Welfare Benefits Plan
One common response we hear from employers when asked to provide a copy of their health or other welfare plan summary plan description (“SPD”), is whether providing a bundle of insurance certificates and/or summaries of benefits and coverage (“SBCs”) is good enough. While these documents may provide critical information and are certainly important, they are …