Workplace law doesn’t sit still, and neither does the paperwork behind your benefits plan. We keep Alabama employers current on ERISA, the ACA, HIPAA, and DOL requirements, and every compliance answer our clients get is backed by legal experts on retainer.
Legal Compliance
Help staying up-to-date and current with workplace laws:
- Access to top legal experts on retainer for My Advisor clients
- Legislative bulletins, briefs, and newsletters
- FMLA rights
- IRS COBRA audit guidelines
- HIPAA privacy: common questions & administration
- DOL updates and changes
- Education on plan design
- Step-by-step breakdowns of dozens of state and federal benefit laws
- A full suite of reference material on the Affordable Care Act
ACA Healthcare Reform
Multi-platform Affordable Care Act resources that make short work of healthcare-reform compliance:
- Healthcare reform compliance checklist
- Healthcare reform timeline
- Healthcare reform toolkit
- Full-time employee tracker and Pay-or-Play calculator
IRS Reporting Tools (Sections 6055 & 6056)
The Affordable Care Act requires many employers to fulfill detailed reporting requirements about the health coverage they offer, including Tax Forms 1094-C and 1095-C, where reporting errors can carry significant penalties. Our reporting workbook guides you through each step and helps you keep track of everything you need to report.
If your company averaged 50 or more full-time employees in the prior calendar year, counting full-time equivalents and related companies under common control, the ACA generally treats you as an applicable large employer, and the reporting obligation applies whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded. We keep the forms, the deadlines, and the codes straight so your team doesn’t have to become specialists.
HR Support & Solutions
Compliance doesn’t stop at benefits-plan rules, and neither do we:
- Zywave client portal: on-demand HR and benefits resources
- HR Insight series and HR Brief newsletter
- HR Q&A, including the HR hotline
- Employee handbooks and individual employment policies
- Employee communication tools: articles, e-mails, posters, payroll stuffers
Benefits design itself, from group health plans to the funding arrangement behind them, lives with our employee benefits practice.
Employee Communication & Education
Clear communication about benefits, policies, and the laws that affect your people. Your HR department gets on-the-go resources through Zywave:
- Enrollment notices, election and waiver forms
- Education articles and newsletters specific to your benefits
- Wellness campaign programs, ready to implement
- Policies-and-procedures starters your team can refine
- Social media best-practice guides for your company
Department of Labor Audit Guide
Our guide helps you organize plan records, spot compliance gaps, and prepare a response to a Department of Labor investigation: what the process looks like, a checklist of the documents investigators ask for, available resources, and sample documents. Start with our DOL audit readiness guide.
And if a Department of Labor letter has already landed on your desk, start here. Our clients assemble the response with our team, and where the question turns legal, with the counsel we keep on retainer.
Common questions
Does Alabama have a mini-COBRA law for small employers?
No general one. Federal COBRA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, and Alabama adds only a narrow continuation protection for qualifying subjects of domestic abuse. Most smaller Alabama employers face no continuation mandate, which makes coverage-exit conversations worth having before they become urgent.
Do small employers need an ERISA plan document?
Yes. ERISA has no small-employer exception to its plan document and summary plan description requirements, and carrier certificates alone usually fall short. A wrap document is the standard way to close that gap, and plan documents are commonly requested in DOL audits.
Who counts as an applicable large employer under the ACA?
Generally, an employer that averaged 50 or more full-time employees, counting full-time equivalents, in the prior calendar year, with related companies under common control counted as one employer. Applicable large employers carry the ACA's coverage-offer and reporting obligations, including Forms 1094-C and 1095-C, whether their plan is fully insured or self-funded.