SPDs for Health and Welfare Plans

A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparation and Distribution

Available immediately

ERISA requires virtually every health and welfare plan to distribute summary plan descriptions (SPDs) to employees and others. Courts view the SPD as the “primary vehicle” for informing employees about their benefit plans, and the list of required SPD contents is long. Join us for this 90-minute web seminar and let our experts walk you through a checklist of the legal requirements and provide a step-by-step guide to preparing, revising, and distributing SPDs.

Originally presented on June 11, 2009.

Seminar Level


Intermediate Difficulty

Topics Covered

Here’s some of what was covered:

  • Who is responsible for SPDs? Can an employer rely on an insurer, TPA, or other service provider to prepare and distribute SPDs?
  • How do the requirements differ for fully insured versus self-funded plans? Do insurer certificates or booklets satisfy the SPD requirements?
  • Who must be furnished with SPDs? When and how must SPDs be distributed? When is electronic distribution a realistic option?
  • How much information must appear in a welfare plan SPD? What additional requirements apply to health plans?
  • What additional information might be advisable and what are some of the most commonly misunderstood provisions?
  • How and when must SPDs be updated? What are the consequences of having SPDs that are out of compliance? What are some common SPD flaws to avoid?

Please note: SPDs for pension and retirement plans will not be covered.

Details

Speakers: Darcy L. Hitesman and and Kyle T. Murray. Ms. Hitesman is an attorney and principal shareholder of Hitesman & Associates, P.A., in Minneapolis. She is a longtime Contributing Author of EBIA’s ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans manual. Mr. Murray is an attorney and Editor at EBIA. He is the Editor and a Contributing Author of EBIA’s ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans manual.

Handouts: A handout of the seminar slides and other information is provided through download.

Viewing Details

Accessing the recorded web seminar: After you purchase a recorded web seminar, you will receive an email with access information. You and your co-workers may then view the recording as many times as you wish for 60 days. An internet connection is required to view the recording; it can be stopped and started as needed and has a table of contents for easy navigation.

Recordings are accurate as of the date presented: Our recordings are accurate as of the presentation date of the live seminar. We supplement handout materials with articles from the EBIA Weekly covering significant later developments. You must check the table of contents at your access link for updates before viewing a recorded seminar.

Please respect our copyright: Do not record the web seminar, share the access link, or duplicate materials. For details on our copyright policy, please visit our Copyright page.

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EBIA uses WebEx technology for the seminar. You may wish to view system requirements, test your system and download any necessary WebEx software here:

http://www.webex.com/lp/jointest/

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