Employee Benefits Program

Employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own are generally en­­titled to unemployment compensation benefits. But if an employee simply re­­­­­­­signs from one job to take a better one that never materializes, he can’t collect.

The city of Lancaster has adopted a policy that allows city employees to seek the same health care and other employment benefits for their same-sex partners that are now available to married employees and retirees.

Q. We’re a nonprofit organization and offer health insurance to our 100+ employees. If an employee is enrolled in the health plan and voluntarily resigns, are we required to offer COBRA? Or does our nonprofit status let us off the hook?

Elmhurst-based Results One Finan­cial and its co-founder Steve Salutric face charges of diverting more than $1 million from pension funds it managed.

The DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Admin­is­tra­tion (EBSA) has sued Parkland Hotel Investors—once one of the Twin Cities’ biggest commercial financiers—in an attempt to distribute the company’s 401(k) assets to 96 former employees who participated in its retirement plan.

Employees out on unpaid FMLA leave are still entitled to health insurance benefits if they were covered before going out on leave. However, if the employee was required to pay part of the premium before taking leave, that obligation continues.

American workers are less confident than ever that they’ll be able to save enough to retire comfortably, according to a new study by EBRI. Benefits professionals, take note: The finding means you have lots of work ahead of you to help employees meet their retirement goals. But a growing arsenal of online tools can make it easier for employees to take control of their retirement planning.

States that borrow from the federal government to pay regular unemployment benefits must pay back those loans, including interest. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act waived interest payments for two years, but that provision expired at the end of last year, leaving an estimated 30 states to face a financial bind. President Obama’s 2012 budget proposal contains relief for strapped states and employers.

An employee handbook can be the foundation of employee performance and a shield against lawsuits, or it can be a ticking time bomb that confuses employees and strips away your legal ...

It might feel uncomfortable to try to help an employee who might be a victim of domestic violence. But you could be saving lives if you encourage supervisors and co-workers to do so. A proactive decision to provide support to domestic-violence victims not only protects them—it also protects companies’ bottom lines.