Benefits Compliance Solutions

Benefits Compliance Solutions We help benefits consultants use compliance as a powerful tool to grow their business. benefitscompliancesolutions.com

bcspro.com

06/11/2026

A good COBRA administrator doesn’t just send notices. They track when coverage should end early too.

When a COBRA participant enrolls in a new employer’s plan, that’s a termination event. The administrator has to identify it and notify both the employer and participant promptly.

When that process breaks down, coverage continues longer than it should and everyone has a problem. Know what your clients’ administrators are actually doing.

06/09/2026

Eligibility rules mean nothing if they’re not administered consistently.

If a plan limits coverage to certain dependent categories, that language has to be precise and followed exactly. Inconsistent administration creates claims disputes and discrimination concerns.

The gap between what the plan document says and what actually happens in practice is where the exposure lives. Help your clients close it.

PlanSponsor

06/04/2026

Domestic partnership benefits aren’t just an HR policy decision. In some states they’re a legal requirement.

California, Maine, Nevada, and others formally recognize domestic partnerships. In those states insurers may be required to offer coverage on the same terms as spousal coverage, and the tax implications add another layer on top of that.

Multi-state employers need to be watching these rules closely. What’s required in one state isn’t necessarily the standard in another.

StateBenefitsLaw

06/02/2026

The ERISA voluntary plan safe harbor has six conditions. All six have to be met.

Participation must be voluntary. No employer premium contributions. No pre-tax cafeteria plan payments.

Employer involvement limited to collecting and remitting premiums. No endorsement or promotion. No profit from the arrangement.

Missing even one pulls the employer out of the safe harbor. Make sure your clients know what they’re actually agreeing to when they rely on it.

BenefitsCompliance

05/28/2026

ERISA’s fiduciary rules aren’t new. They’ve existed since 1974. What’s new is the scrutiny.
The CAA 2021 made it clear that checking a box isn’t enough. Plan sponsors have to document decisions, monitor vendors, and prove that fees are reasonable.

Act like a fiduciary. Be prepared to prove it. That’s the standard now.

PlanSponsor

05/21/2026

Self-employed individuals can enroll in group coverage. But they can’t participate in a Section 125 cafeteria plan or an HRA.

That means no pre-tax FSA contributions, no DCAP, and no HRA. They can still get coverage, but every dollar they contribute is post-tax.

It’s a detail that gets missed at enrollment all the time. Set the expectation before they find out the hard way.

HRA BrokerLife

05/19/2026

Section 125 elections lock in at the start of the plan year. Mid-year changes are only allowed when a qualifying event occurs. Marriage, birth, loss of other coverage. That’s it.

No qualifying event means no change until open enrollment. Employers who bend this rule aren’t being flexible. They’re creating a compliance problem.

Make sure your clients understand where the line is.

05/14/2026

Compliance can’t sit with one person.

Every client-facing role has a part to play. Account managers and producers are talking to employers throughout the year. That puts them in the perfect position to catch issues early, follow up on notices, and reinforce compliance touchpoints before they become problems.

Delegating compliance means distributing awareness and accountability. The responsibility doesn’t transfer. The culture does.

Build a team where everyone knows what to look for. That’s what separates good agencies from great ones.

05/12/2026

Wrap documents simplify ERISA compliance. But they can also create a Form 5500 filing obligation that wasn’t there before.

When benefits are consolidated under a wrap, participant counts combine under one plan. That combined count can push an employer over the 100 participant threshold even when no individual benefit would have on its own.

If you’ve placed clients in a wrap arrangement and haven’t revisited their Form 5500 obligations, that conversation’s overdue.

BrokerLife

05/07/2026

Small employers aren’t exempt from compliance. Their obligations are just different.

20 or more employees means COBRA applies. Pre-tax benefits mean a Section 125 plan document and non-discrimination testing are required. Level-funded arrangements bring their own compliance layers on top of that.

The brokers who help small employers understand and navigate all of this aren’t just checking boxes. They’re building the kind of trust that keeps clients for years.

Don’t let your small groups assume someone else is handling it.

BrokerLife

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