Following legislative and regulatory changes to employee benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas partner Greta Cowart will present an update on health plan changes and new wellness programs during ALI-CLE’s Employee Benefit Plans of Tax-Exempt and Governmental Employers 2020 webcast. The presentation will also include insights from Kevin Knopf and Denise Trujillo of the Exempt Organizations and Employment Taxes Division of the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

The webcast will cover the following topics:

• Group health plan changes under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
• Developments impacting flexible spending, and Health Savings Accounts
• The current state of wellness programs
• Direct primary care and employer direct contracting with health care provider
• Other recent U.S. Supreme Court litigation

Held on October 15, 22, and 29, the three-part ALI-CLE webcast will feature 11 different panels in the webinars which include numerous panelists from regulating agencies addressing:

• strategies for smoothing executive retention and separation;
• alternative dispute resolution use with employee benefit plans;
• relief provided to employers and employees related to 401(k) and other tax qualified retirement plans;
• late breaking developments related to defined benefit pension plan relief;
• the new requirements related to long-term part-time employee participation and related rules for 401(k) plans;
• SECURE Act and CARES Act provided distributions and loans;
• recent developments for church plans and governmental plans;
• recent employee benefit litigation;
• 403(b) plan update; and
• ethics for benefits lawyers.

As Co-Chair of Program Planning, Greta noted, “Our focus for this year’s program will look on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak and related relief on workplaces and the impact of the SECURE Act and other legislative and regulatory guidance—related to plan administration for employee benefit plans and considering the specific considerations for tax-exempt and governmental employers. With so many radical shifts happening in the employee benefits landscape, we wanted to equip benefits practitioners and plan sponsors with guidance on how to implement and prepare for the latest legal changes impacting plan provisions, human resources, and employer operations.”

“With so many radical shifts happening in the employee benefits landscape, we wanted to equip benefits practitioners and plan sponsors with guidance on how to implement and prepare for the latest legal changes impacting plan provisions, human resources, and employer operations.”

For questions related to employee benefit plans for tax-exempt and governmental employers, please contact Greta at gcowart@jw.com. Further insights on changes in employee benefits can also be found in the following articles:

• “Payroll Tax Relief and Latest Developments in Retirement Plans and Benefits” (August 11, 2020)
• “Coronavirus Relief Guidance Continues to Cascade Out” (June 25, 2020)
• “Additional Clarity for Employers and Retirement Plan Administrators on Coronavirus Relief Under the CARES Act” (June 22, 2020)
• “Coronavirus Recovery and Relief Guidance on Employee Benefit Plans” (May 13, 2020)
• “Jackson Walker Updates FAQs on Employment Issues Arising Out of COVID-19” (April 9, 2020)
• “Highlights of Recent IRS Guidance on Coronavirus-Related Relief” (April 3, 2020)

Registration is available for one or multiple afternoons of the webinar series, which Greta co-chairs with David Powell of the Groom Group. Visit the ALI-CLE webcast page for more information.

Meet Greta

Greta E. Cowart has counseled employers for more than 30 years on best practices in human resources and employee relations issues related to benefits and executive compensation. In her practice, Greta routinely develops strategies for effective administration of claims and other disputes, including defense of grievances, and in litigation considering implications under ERISA, while also considering applicable labor and employment laws. Greta also provides fiduciary training and review of fiduciary operations to improve the documentation of the fiduciary process. Greta is a former chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the ABA Section of Taxation, and has served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services CHIP Working Group.