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Like many other employers, Amazon is now facing a class action lawsuit by its retirement plan participants over their disposition of forfeited 401(k) plan contributions. In their suit, the plaintiffs allege that Amazon used forfeited retirement funds to offset company contributions to the plan rather than to benefit participants by reducing plan fees. Other companies, such as Bank of America

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, which addresses the legality of Tennessee and Kentucky state laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. If the Court upholds the law as expected, some employers may consider providing travel benefits to allow employees and their dependents to seek types of  healthcare prohibited by state law. Employers also could

Law360 (January 31, 2025, 7:50 PM EST) — The en banc Eleventh Circuit will consider whether federal anti-discrimination law bars a Georgia county health plan from refusing to cover a worker’s gender-confirmation surgery while the Second Circuit will hear from an NBA referee defending his win in a pension payout case. 
Here, Law360 looks at these and four other upcoming

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has officially launched its Retirement Savings Lost and Found database. Although the database is not complete, DOL will continue to make improvements over the next several months. DOL needs ongoing assistance and participation from plan administrators to get information on plan participants who have left their places of employment. While submission of this

A Gallup poll from early November reveals that 62% of Americans believe the federal government should ensure all Americans have healthcare coverage. Historically, support for federal provision of healthcare has wavered, with high numbers of support in the early 2000s and much lower numbers during the Obama administration, which oversaw the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, over

A federal judge in Georgia has denied Sephora’s motion to partially dismiss a former store manager’s discrimination and retaliation suit. Nixaliz Mestre alleges the beauty company fired her after she refused to use a hiring strategy that prioritized white applicants over applicants of color. The case is Mestre v. Sephora USA Inc., case number 1:24-cv-01908, U.S. District Court for the

Federal lawmakers have successfully passed the Social Security Fairness Act, which is now headed to President Joe Biden for his expected signature. The Act eliminates two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset—that prevent nearly three million people from collecting their full Social Security benefits. Previously, police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public service workers could collect

Many of the requirements for employers under the SECURE 2.0 Act, which Congress passed in 2022, already have gone into effect. However, some of the major requirements of SECURE 2.0 took effect on January 1, 2025. Specifically, covered employers must automatically enroll employees into new retirement plans, contributing at least three percent of their salary. Individuals will have access to

Traditionally, enrollment in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) by individuals under 65 has been higher when purchased directly than when provided through an employer. However, a recent National Health Statistics Report, which examined HDHP enrollment rates between 2021 and 2023, found that HDHP enrollment did not differ significantly between directly purchased and employment-based coverage. Other studies show that by 2018, the