Employers

Compliance from Plan Selection and Administration to Employee Communications

Attorney Linda Ursin has more than 25 years of experience helping employers keep their plans compliant with complex, ever-changing IRS, DOL, and PBGC rules. So for-profit and not-for-profit employers, including municipalities, trust our help with the design and administration of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and health and welfare benefit plans.  

Plan Design/Administration/Communication. The benefit plans you offer and how you administer and communicate them affect your employee relationships as well as your financial position. Plan design should fit with corporate objectives and plan administration should ensure you are compliant with the myriad of rules and regulations. Effectively communicating plan availability and features is critical – so your employees use and appreciate the benefits you provide for them.

• Retirement plans - pension, profit sharing, 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans

• Nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, including supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs)

• Health and welfare benefit plans including cafeteria/125 plans, FSAs, HSAs

• Deferred retirement option programs (DROP) for municipalities

How We Can Help. We help you with all these important business issues: 

• Regulatory Changes. Advise you about changes in employee benefit law that impact plan design or administration, identifying changes that may be required.

• Fiduciary Issues. Advise you on fiduciary matters to minimize exposure to regulatory sanctions and employee disputes.

• Plan Audits. Conduct plan audits to identify and correct noncompliant document provisions or plan administration processes before IRS and/or DOL initiate an audit.

• Corrective Filings. File for corrections under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) or Voluntary Fiduciary Correction (VCP) Program to minimize penalties before an IRS/DOL audit.

• Consulting. Respond to questions regarding interpretation and administration of plan provisions, nondiscrimination testing, reporting and disclosure.

• Employee Communications.  Prepare employee communications, including developing and presenting employee seminars, on accumulating and distributing retirement assets.

• QDROs. Review qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs) and provide written confirmation qualifying the order or detailing required changes, so you don’t accept an order that puts the plan at risk of litigation to determine its obligations.

• Plan Documentation.  Provide plan documents/trust agreements, board resolutions, summary plan descriptions, administrative forms and notices.