Products March 12, 2015

HR360 Offers 2015 Group Health Plan Notices Calendar

HR 360 Inc. updated its Group Health Plan Notices Calendar to reflect 2015 requirements and deadlines.
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The attorney-developed 2015 Group Health Plan Notices Calendar from HR 360 Inc. provides critical information on required notices, disclosures and filings for health benefit plan sponsors—including who must provide or receive them, and when specific notices are due.

The notices are based on requirements prescribed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), together with other federal laws that set minimum standards for the operation of employee benefits plans. HR 360 Inc. says the calendar features all the major federal notice requirements for group health plans, as well as downloadable model notices, in one easy-to-understand chart.

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Sponsors using the calendar will find guidance on health care reform notices, including model exchange notices; COBRA notices; HIPAA notices; SPD requirements and Form 5500; and special health care notices related to women’s health and cancer rights, mental health parity and addiction equity.

Lillian Shapiro, president of HR 360 Inc., says it can be particularly hard for companies to stay on top of all the different required notices.

“We have over 20 notices featured in the calendar,” she explains. “We hope businesses will take advantage of this convenient tool to help them stay compliant.”

Requests for a free copy of the 2015 Group Health Plan Notices Calendar can be directed to sales@hr360.com.

HR 360 Inc. also encourages employee benefit and human resources professionals to subscribe to its HR library of current federal and state laws and updates, step-by-step guidelines for compliance, as well as how to hire, interview and terminate employees.

Deals and People March 12, 2015

ASPPA Becomes the American Retirement Association

The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries has rebranded as the American Retirement Association.
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After some 50 years of operations, the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) has taken a new name, the American Retirement Association (ARA), to reflect an expanding mission.

The ARA and its affiliated organizations represent more than 20,000 members across nearly all retirement industry professions—including actuaries, consultants and administrators, insurance professionals, financial advisers, accountants, attorneys and human resource (HR) managers.

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The ARA’s roots extend back to the 1966 founding of the American Society of Pension Actuaries. Today its members work with retirement plans of all types, from traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans to 401(k)s, 403(b)s and 457 plans.  

Brian Graff, executive director and CEO of the ARA, says membership has seen strong growth in recent years. “This new name and structure allows us to better acknowledge and represent the distinct perspectives of an expanding array of retirement plan professionals in a dynamic and complex legislative and regulatory environment,” he says.

Based in the Washington, D.C., area, the ARA is a nonprofit organization with the goals of educating retirement benefit professionals and “creating a framework of policy that gives every working American the ability to have a comfortable retirement.”

The organization is composed of four distinct retirement industry associations. These are the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA); the ASPPA College of Pension Actuaries (ACOPA); the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA); and the National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA).

As part of the launch of the American Retirement Association, a new logo and brand identity have also been developed for each of its member associations. 

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