Taft attorneys Patricia Beaty and Rachel Pappenfus will present at a Lorman webinar titled “DOL Update on Multiple Employer Retirement Plans” on Jan. 21. They will discuss the final rule issued by the DOL in response to Executive Order 13847, “Strengthening Retirement Security in America,” issued by President Trump in August 2018.

Beaty is a partner in Taft’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. She regularly counsels employers and benefit committees on fiduciary matters, best practices for plan governance and oversite as well as the avoidance of litigation. Beaty also advises employers on plan design, including new comparability or cross-tested plans, and compliance matters for all employee benefit programs, including defined benefit, cash balance and 401(k) plans as well as executive compensation arrangements. In addition, she counsels employers on defined benefit plan de-risking and plan termination, PBM arrangements, Specialty Drug issues, HIPAA, Medicare Secondary Payer rule, Wellness Plans, Mental Health Parity, COBRA, VEBA, HRAs, HSAs and all related tax issues. She represents clients in inquiries and audits by the IRS and the Department of Labor and assists clients with the correction of both plan document and operational failures under the IRS correction program as well as fiduciary matters under the Department of Labor fiduciary correction program.

Pappenfus is an associate in Taft’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, and Labor and Employment groups. She advises both public and private employers in various industries to ensure compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as well as federal and state employment laws. Pappenfus counsels clients on all aspects of compensation and benefits, including plan design, plan administration, plan correction issues, and compliance with various federal and state laws and regulations.