Day: October 26, 2010

Trucking Firm Receives Government Waiver – Limited Benefits Approved

After going around and around with the Department of Health & Human Services, a long-haul trucking firm client of ours finally received their Approved Waiver today. You will notice it is a FORM LETTER that does not indicate the name of the employer or reference a file number.
 
This has been a most interesting experience. First, the clerk at the Office of Oversight admitted to the HR Director of the trucking firm that he was new to the job, had no desk assigned to him and did not even have an email address. His first response to the request was virtually incomprehensible (see prior posting).
 
Then, in another email (yes, he was finally assigned a government email address)  he stated that the annual benefit requested by the trucking firm, which was $50,000, could “not be less than $50,000.” So, he insisted that the plan have an annual maximum of $50,001 so that it would comply.
 
Fortunately for this employer his Application for Waiver was approved. The owner looks forward to going through the same process again next year. 
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT WAIVER – Waiver

Early Retirement Reimbursement Plan

Washington–The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released information on their website which contains the application employers must use to apply for reimbursement of claims incurred by enrollees in early retiree health care plans. The government will reimburse employers for a portion of health care claims incurred by retirees who are at least age 55 but not eligible for Medicare as well as by retirees’ covered dependents regardless of age. The Early Retiree Reimbursement Program, or ERRP, requires that participants in an early retiree plans incur a minimum of $15,000 in health care claims in a plan year and the government will reimburse the plan sponsor for 80% of claims up to $90,000. The reimbursement only applies to claims incurred June 1 or later.

Applications and additional information is available at www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/index.html#early_retiree and at www.errp.gov.