At Fall River we receive many questions regarding disability policies, and COVID-19 has introduced a plethora of new inquiries. Since disability provisions can be confusing and can vary between carriers, we’ve gathered a list of the most common questions our clients have posed to us. 

We are thrilled to announce that effective March 1st, Fall River Employee Benefits joined Alera Group, the nation’s 11th largest privately held employee benefits firm. This is a big step for us, and we are extremely excited to be part of a national company that shares our passion for innovation and collaboration! 

The rules and regulations around ERISA compliance can be challenging to navigate. Many mistakes are made because a provision is omitted or misunderstood, which can be costly because the fines for non-compliance are staggering, even for small employers. To dispel the fiction out there about ERISA, we’ve created this list of common myths that are keeping employers from fully complying.

There is no doubt that navigating business and everyday life during this unprecedented time is challenging. Here at Fall River, we have been proactively gathering the most useful resources to help us make the best internal decisions and to share with our clients. We have also been conversing with the carriers to find out how they are handling the benefits situations that have arisen from the pandemic.

A proposal for paid family and medical leave (FAMLI) has undergone substantial modifications, but its future on the Colorado legislative agenda this year is anything but certain. In 2019, the Colorado legislature created a task force to study paid FAMLI programs, which provided recommendations in January to legislators for a plan covering Colorado workers. 

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, allows employees to continue their group health insurance at their own cost after they’ve been terminated from employment. COBRA is an employer law and there are significant penalties for non-compliance (up to $100/day for single coverage and $200/day for family coverage). Because of the substantial risk of those fines, Fall River highly recommends paying a TPA to administer COBRA. For those companies that choose to administer COBRA on their own, there are ten common mistakes made. 

Are you wondering how to start an impactful wellness program? Or maybe you are frustrated that your existing wellness program doesn’t seem to be getting traction? Perhaps you are missing a key ingredient in the recipe for success. Come learn how to shift the wellness paradigm within your organization during our upcoming webinars “The Missing Ingredient in Wellness Programs.” 

President Trump signed a budget deal on the 20^th of December. Some highlights included expanded parental leave for federal workers, a newly-created Space Force, an increase in the smoking age, and border wall funding. The deal also contained a major repeal of health care taxes and fees.

Another year and renewal season have zoomed by, and while it’s tempting to sit back and relax until the next renewal period, there are several benefit-related projects that you should tackle before then.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released their 2019 Annual National Employer Benefits Survey. The survey has been tracking benefit statistics from private and non-federal public employers in the United States for the last 21 years.