As health and welfare benefit plans remain to be a complex and increasingly regulated industry, your company will need an experienced legal team to help you navigate this ever-changing landscape. Because our Employee Benefits attorneys are exclusively focused on the benefit needs of our clients, we are able to provide the highest level of service in all aspects of plans including design, compliance, fiduciary advice and audits.
Focused on Clients
Employers of all kinds — public, privately held, tax-exempt, and governmental — rely on Friday, Eldredge & Clark to handle their unique employee benefit needs. Our clients based in this state and beyond represent a “who’s who” of leading employers and include:
- A leading energy utility
- Banks and bank holding companies
- A large nationwide department store retailer
- Food processing companies with regional and national reach
- The top Arkansas health systems and hospitals
- Family business interests that own dozens of companies
- Educational institutions and other not-for-profit organizations (including the State of Arkansas deferred compensation plan)
Focused on Services
Our attorneys have extensive experience in designing and implementing group health plans (self-insured and fully-insured), cafeteria plans, wellness programs, wrap plans and other welfare benefit arrangements. We regularly advise our clients on the ongoing administration of their benefits programs in order to maintain compliance under the Affordable Care Act, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, GINA, ADA and other applicable laws. Our services include the review and negotiation of third party services agreements, PBM contract, Business Associate Agreements and other implementing contracts and agreements of third-party service providers. We are also qualified to assist in navigating the complex health care reform laws including 1094/1095 reporting and employer shared responsibility requirements and have assisted numerous clients in the abatement of penalties before the Internal Revenue Service. Our attorneys can also work directly with the employer to review and process claims and appeals and to implement processes designed to ensure compliance with ERISA and ACA claims regulations.
Our attorneys can handle any issue that arises concerning health and welfare benefit plans including:
- ACA reporting and shared responsibility
- Drafting of health and welfare benefit plans including wrap plans
- Participant communications including summary plan description and summary of benefits and coverage
- Drafting and negotiating third party agreement including business associate agreements
- Design and review of employer-sponsored wellness incentives and programs
- Compliance with ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, GINA, and ADA
- Fiduciary advice and training
- Audit and investigation
- Regulatory compliance
- Claims and appeals
- HIPAA privacy and security training and compliance
Focused on our Team
The Employee Benefits Practice Group has a combined total of more than 150 years of experience working with employers on their employee benefits needs. The group focuses exclusively on the tax and ERISA (Employee Retirement and Income Security Act) concerns of your unique benefits plan and compensation needs. Every member of the group has a Master of Laws in Taxation and many are certified public accountants (inactive). Most members of the Employee Benefits Practice Group are recognized for their work in The Best Lawyers in America, and several have received special recognition from such authoritative organizations as Chambers and Partners and the American College of Tax Counsel.
Newsletters / Alerts
January 16, 2020 - SECURE Act