Hot off the press!
When we updated you on health care reform provisions last month, the deadline to notify employees about the availability of the state exchanges was set for March 1, 2013. The Department of Labor announced today that this deadline has been moved out.
The Department of Labor has concluded that the notice requirement under FLSA section 18B will not take effect on March 1, 2013 for several reasons. First, this notice should be coordinated with HHS’s educational efforts and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance on minimum value. Second, we are committed to a smooth implementation process including providing employers with sufficient time to comply and selecting an applicability date that ensures that employees receive the information at a meaningful time. The Department of Labor expects that the timing for distribution of notices will be the late summer or fall of 2013, which will coordinate with the open enrollment period for Exchanges.
Here are a couple more posts from our blog on ACA requirements and what they mean for employee benefits communication:
P.S. Now that you have a little more breathing room to figure out how to tackle these notifications, join us for conversations on how to handle these notices and other ACA requirements at the HR Executive Health & Benefits Leadership Conference this April!