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If employee benefits compliance doesn't sound fun to you, then you haven't listened to ERISA is a friend of mine, a podcast hosted by the Compliance Services professionals from Lockton. Join hosts Edward Fensholt, J.D., director of Compliance Services, and Scott Behrens, J.D., director of Government Relations, to learn the intricacies of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and other employee benefits laws, one hilarious topic at a time. 

 

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  2. Voluntary benefits: Walking the ERISA tightrope

Voluntary benefits: Walking the ERISA tightrope

Jun 7, 2021

More and more employers are turning to “voluntary benefits” to supplement their traditional group offerings, but what does the term voluntary benefits really mean? Aren’t all benefits “voluntary”?

Join host Scott Behrens and his trusty sidekick (at least for this episode) Ed Fensholt as they explain why some benefits are more “voluntary” than others, what’s required for some voluntary benefits to avoid ERISA, and whether what employers don’t do in order to avoid ERISA status might do their employees (and themselves) more harm than good. This episode tackles:

  • How many times did Ed try to kill Scott in one week?
  • What does the term “voluntary benefits” really mean?
  • Is ERISA’s safe harbor for voluntary benefits a refuge because a benefit is employee-pay-all, or paid with after-tax dollars?
  • The ERISA safe harbor is lost due to employer “endorsement,” but what constitutes an endorsement? Hint: it doesn’t take much.
  • Who would win the Pay-per-view showdown between the DOL, IRS and HHS?
  • Would employers (and their employees) be better off by embracing the glory that is ERISA?