COURSE DESCRIPTION: COBRA changes are coming at you fast and furious. In February Obama hit us with new guidance in the Stimulus Bill. Then on March 31, the IRS issued more changes that affect the amount your company will end up paying when "involuntarily terminated" employees elect COBRA coverage.
This conference will give participants an update on the March 31 guidance and also review the February 17, 2009 COBRA changes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Some of these changes were significant, notably a 65% government-provided COBRA tax credit that will benefit your company. You also need to be up-to-date on these changes because more employees will now be electing COBRA coverage, requiring new notices and changes to existing notices.
Join Ashley Gillihan of Alston & Bird, LLP as he provides a detailed action plan for employers under the new regulations and answers the following:
- What’s important about the March 31 guidance, including:
- What’s the definition of “voluntarily terminated”?
- Who is eligible for the premium subsidy?
- The method for calculating the premium reduction, and
- The length of the entitlement to the subsidy
- What do you need to know about the "second" election period for qualified beneficiaries who became entitled to COBRA as a result of an involuntary termination
- What does the ARRA say about COBRA, and what must HR do?
- Who qualifies as an “Assistance Eligible Individual”?
- How is an “Assistance Eligible Individual” treated under the Act?
- What period of time does the act cover?
- What do you need to know regarding the DOL’s “Anticipation of a Divorce” rule and how does it relate to COBRA?
- How do employers need to modify their notification procedures?
- What nuances should HR look out for and what can HR and employers expect in the future?
- What changes must be made to policies and procedures to remain compliant?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Ashley Gillihan is a member of the Alston & Bird’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. Mr. Gillihan represents employers and third-party administrators in a variety of health and welfare benefit plan compliance matters, including, but not limited to, consumer-driven healthcare plan design, tax qualification and other Internal Revenue Code issues, ERISA and HIPAA portability and privacy issues.
Mr. Gillihan lectures frequently and has published a number of articles on health and welfare benefit plan compliance topics. He is a faculty member for the Institute of Applied Management and Law and MCOL. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Council for the Employer’s Council of Flexible Compensation and is also a member of the Advisory Board of Editors of Benefits Compensation Law Alert. He is also a contributing author of the Flexible Benefits Answer Book by Aspen Publishers.Mr. Gillihan is a member of the state bars of Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. He is a 1996 graduate of Samford University's Cumberland School of Law.
 HRCI CERTIFICATION: This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage.
 MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE: We're so confident you'll get what you want out of this conference that we'll refund your full fee if you’re not satisfied. It's risk-free.
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