An online, clickable version of this newsletter is available at:
http://benefitslink.com/2004/2004_10_12_welfare.html

===========================================================
BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter
(Plain Text Format)

October 12, 2004
===========================================================

We thank and invite your attention to today's sponsor:

The John Marshall Law School Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits
===========================================================
Spring 2005 Information Sessions (Advert.)

   <URL:http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_10_12_welfare>
   http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_10_12_welfare

(Click on above address, or copy and paste it into your web browser, to learn more.)

The John Marshall Law School in Chicago offers the nation's only graduate 
employee benefits law programs, with 18 classes taught by leading ERISA 
attorneys and professionals, and opportunities to intern with the IRS and 
the DOL. Information sessions for January 2005 classes will be held on 
October 19 (12:45 to 1:15 p.m. and 5:15 to 5:45 p.m.) and on November 9 
(5:00 to 7:00 p.m.).  See www.jmls.edu/employee.html for more information 
about the LL.M. program and about the new Master of Science degree for 
non-attorneys available in August 2005 (you will also find information about 
a call for research papers in employee benefits law for a symposium edition of 
The John Marshall Law Review).  Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with any questions.

(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and
services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)

----------------------------------------------------------
Overview of Important Changes for Employers in New Tax Law
(PDF)

   
<URL:http://www.winston.com/pdfs/ImportantChangesforEmployersinNewTaxLaw10-05-2004.pdf>
   http://www.winston.com/pdfs/ImportantChangesforEmployersinNewTaxLaw10-05-2004.pdf

   1 page. Excerpt: "Primarily, it delays an assortment of
   automatic tax increases, amounting to a $14 billion tax
   cut for employers. For increases that have already taken
   place, the Act generally applies retroactively to the
   date of the increase. It also includes other notable
   provisions, such as establishing a uniform tax law
   definition of 'child,' extending mental parity
   requirements for group health plans, and extending
   contributions to Archer Medical Savings Accounts."
   (Winston & Strawn)

----------------------------------------------------------
Overview: DOL Proposes Regulations to Provide Guidance on
Implementing USERRA

   <URL:http://www.littler.com/nwsltr/asap_10_userra.htm>
   http://www.littler.com/nwsltr/asap_10_userra.htm

   Excerpt: "On September 20, 2004, the United States
   Department of Labor ('DOL') issued proposed rules
   interpreting the Uniformed Services Employment and
   Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 ('USERRA' or 'the Act').
   USERRA is the primary federal law that provides
   employment and benefit protection for employees who are
   absent from work because of military service." (Littler
   Mendelson)

----------------------------------------------------------
HIPAA Compliance Strategies: Privacy Audits and Privacy
Compliance: Two Case Studies

   <URL:http://www.aispub.com/Compliance/Hipaa/RPPPrivacyAuditsHands.html>
   http://www.aispub.com/Compliance/Hipaa/RPPPrivacyAuditsHands.html

   Excerpt: "Many covered entities have invested significant
   time and resources developing systems to audit their
   privacy compliance. They are finding the audit process
   to be an invaluable tool in their efforts to actually
   comply with HIPAA. Here are the details of audit
   programs that have been implemented at Piedmont Medical
   Center in Atlanta and Mercy Health Partners Metro Area
   in Toledo." (AISHealth.com)

----------------------------------------------------------
New York State Regulators Step Up Disability Benefits Law
Enforcement

   <URL:http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=hg&blurb_id=47468&ar=2>
   http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=hg&blurb_id=47468&ar=2

   Excerpt: "In recent conversations with New York regulators,
   we learned they're using a new computer system to track
   down and penalize employers that don't comply with the
   state's disability benefits law. Employers with plans
   that haven't been specifically approved by the
   regulators are often subject to penalties as stiff as
   those with no plan at all. This stepped-up enforcement
   is taking into account past, as well as current,
   non-compliance." (Mercer Human Resources Consulting)

----------------------------------------------------------
Health Premiums Jump 15%: Workers Face Higher Co-Payments
Too

   
<URL:http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0410100380oct10,1,2535089.story>
   http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0410100380oct10,1,2535089.story

   Excerpt: "Health-care premiums will surge at least 15
   percent next year, more than triple the average worker's
   pay raise. Co-pays for hospital stays or pres.cription
   drugs are going up too. Employees nationwide are getting
   their first glimpse of rate hikes in store for 2005 as
   they enter the fall open enrollment period, the time
   when workers sign up for benefits or choose among
   insurance plans." (Chicago Tribune; one-time
   registration required)

----------------------------------------------------------
Three Surveys Agree: Health Care Cost Increases Are Slowing
Over Time

   <URL:http://www.aspenpublishers.com/frame.asp?source=feature1012>
   http://www.aspenpublishers.com/frame.asp?source=feature1012

   Excerpt: "Three recently released surveys indicate that
   although costs are still rising at double-digit rates,
   the health care cost trend is slowly decreasing. Mellon
   Financial reports that on average, the health care cost
   trend has decreased 1.2 percentage points since the
   first half of 2004. Findley Davies reports that
   forecasted health care costs for 2005 have receded by
   one percentage point since 2004 forecasted rates. And,
   Families USA reports a 36% increase during the past four
   years." (Spencer Benefits Reports)

----------------------------------------------------------
Study: Shopping for Pres.cription Drugs: 2004

   <URL:http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st270/>
   http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st270/

   Excerpt: "Americans spend more than $200 billion on
   pres.cription medicines each year and about $16 billion
   or more on over-the-counter ... remedies. Two-thirds of
   office visits to physicians result in pres.cription drug
   therapy, .... New drugs may offer more effective
   treatment, but they are more expensive than the drugs
   they replace. However, most patients can easily lower
   their drug bills by employing some or all of the
   strategies detailed [in this study]." (National Center
   for Policy Analysis)

----------------------------------------------------------
Obesity Cost and Health Toll Prompt Employer Action

   <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6564>
   http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6564

   Excerpt: "Seeking to reduce both the individual and
   corporate costs of obesity, employers are engaging
   creative ways to help workers fight fat, including
   employee incentives, communication campaigns,
   competitions, fitness centers and health plan design. A
   recent EBN Quickpoll reveals that employers have
   significant concerns about obesity- not surprising given
   the extent of the problem." (Employee Benefit News)

----------------------------------------------------------
Trends in Usual and Customary Prices for Frequently Used
Pres.cription Drugs (PDF)

   <URL:http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05104r.pdf>
   http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05104r.pdf

   9 pages. Excerpt: "The usual and customary price is the
   undiscounted price individuals without drug coverage
   would pay. We tracked monthly price trends from January
   2000 through June 2004 for a total of 99 drugs, which
   include 77 drugs frequently used by Medicare enrollees
   in Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's (BCBS)
   Federal Employee Program (FEP) and 79 drugs frequently
   used by non-Medicare enrollees in BCBS FEP.' Abstract at
   http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-05-104R
   (U.S. Government Accountability Office)

----------------------------------------------------------
Nurse Practitioners Take on Many of the Roles Long Played
by Physicians

   
<URL:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/10/11/financial0948EDT0038.DTL>
   
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/10/11/financial0948EDT0038.DTL

   Excerpt: "Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates, or
   Capna, is run by nurse practitioners -- nurses who are
   trained to be full primary-care providers. They diagnose
   conditions, prescribe treatments and make referrals to
   specialists -- everything traditional doctors do.
   Founded 10 years ago as a project of the Columbia
   University School of Nursing, Capna has been in the
   vanguard of changes that have brought new respectability
   to nurse practitioners." (Wall Street Journal via
   SFGate.com)

----------------------------------------------------------
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Plans to Pay Doctors
Bonus Incentives to Entice Better Care

   <URL:http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100804/met_16854846.shtml>
   http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100804/met_16854846.shtml

   Excerpt: "The state's largest health insurer will soon pay
   some Florida doctors a bonus of up to $10,000 a year for
   their performance. Jacksonville-based Blue Cross and
   Blue Shield of Florida is one of the latest insurers
   nationwide to use financial incentives to entice better
   care." (The Florida Times-Union via Jacksonville.com)

----------------------------------------------------------
MCOs' Strategies to Slow Imaging Costs Are Starting to Take
Effect, Radiology Firms Say

   <URL:http://www.aispub.com/ManagedCare/GenBus/MCWMCOStrategiesSlow%20Imaging.html>
   http://www.aispub.com/ManagedCare/GenBus/MCWMCOStrategiesSlow%20Imaging.html

   Excerpt: "Over the past few years, health insurers have
   begun introducing a variety of techniques aimed at
   slowing the sharp rate of increase in imaging costs for
   MRIs, CT scans, positron emission tomography (PET) and
   other technologies. Now, owners of freestanding imaging
   centers say these initiatives are starting to affect
   their bottom line." (AISHealth.com)

----------------------------------------------------------
Questions on the $3.8 Billion Drug Ad Business

   <URL:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/business/media/12drug.html?oref=login&th>
   http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/business/media/12drug.html?oref=login&th

   Excerpt: "The issue of drug advertising directly aimed at
   consumers was thrust into the news recently when Merck
   withdrew its arthritis painkiller Vioxx from the market,
   citing studies indicating a risk of heart attacks or
   strokes. Critics noted the role that advertising and
   marketing played in the drug's being widely prescribed
   to patients who might have done just as well with
   ibuprofen or other inexpensive over-the-counter
   remedies." (New York Times; one-time registration
   required)

----------------------------------------------------------
Health Reform�Can a "High-Performance" Focus Make the
Difference?

   <URL:http://www.cmwf.org/aboutus/aboutus_show.htm?doc_id=229390>
   http://www.cmwf.org/aboutus/aboutus_show.htm?doc_id=229390

   Excerpt: "To build a truly high-performance health system,
   bold action is required.' Karen Davis lists the required
   steps toward health care system reform as The
   Commonwealth Fund sees it. (The Commonwealth Fund)

----------------------------------------------------------
Opinion: To Expand Health Coverage, Deregulate Health Care

   <URL:http://cato.org/dailys/10-12-04.html>
   http://cato.org/dailys/10-12-04.html

   Excerpt: "Unfortunately, there is little discussion of one
   policy response that would significantly lower health
   care costs: doing away with outmoded and questionable
   health care regulations that raise prices but produce
   little if any benefit." (Investor's Business Daily via
   Cato Institute)

----------------------------------------------------------
The 2004 Presidential Vote: HealthCare and Bush and Kerry
on the Web

   <URL:http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature59193.html>
   http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature59193.html

   Excerpt: "In an election year when the war on terror has
   taken center stage ..., the candidates' thoughts on
   healthcare have often been pulled from the forefront of
   the national debate. There are, however, several places
   on the Internet where healthcare is talked and industry
   issues are detailed. From the presidential candidates'
   official platforms to organizational outlines of the
   issues-at-hand, here are some sites worth checking out."
   (HealthLeaders News)

----------------------------------------------------------
Issue Module from KaiserEDU.org on Health Care and the 2004
Election

   <URL:http://www.kaiseredu.org/IssueModules/2004elections/index.cfm>
   http://www.kaiseredu.org/IssueModules/2004elections/index.cfm

   Excerpt: "A new KaiserEDU.org issue module discusses the
   importance of health care for the election and
   highlights a wide range of key resources and analyses."
   (Kaiser Family Foundation)

----------------------------------------------------------
Health Care Reform Returns to the National Agenda: 2004
Presidential Candidates' Proposals (PDF)

   <URL:http://www.cmwf.org/usr_doc/671_Collins_candidates_update_Oct2004.pdf>
   http://www.cmwf.org/usr_doc/671_Collins_candidates_update_Oct2004.pdf

   36 pages. Excerpt: "This report explores why the nation's
   chronic health insurance problem is back on the national
   agenda and examines the plans of the presidential
   candidates as of October 1, 2004." (The Commonwealth
   Fund)

----------------------------------------------------------
How the Health Care System Is Failing -- and Why It's Hard
to Fix

   
<URL:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/11/MNGII96CVP1.DTL>
   
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/11/MNGII96CVP1.DTL

   Excerpt: "Some 40 years after the enactment of Medicare and
   Medicaid and more than a decade after the Clinton
   administration failed in its bid to extend coverage to
   all Americans, the nation's system of funding health
   care is on the verge of breaking down." (San Francisco
   Chronicle via SFGate.com)

----------------------------------------------------------
The 2004 Vote: Oprah, Taxes and Healthcare Costs

   <URL:http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature59070.html>
   http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature59070.html

   Excerpt: "Those Oprah Show winners that have to fork over
   $7,000 to Uncle Sam or forfeit the GM car they recently
   won may be surprised to know that $1,400 of the sticker
   price used to calculate their tax bill was attributable
   to healthcare." (HealthLeaders, Inc.)

----------------------------------------------------------
Mellon Submits Comments to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services on Medicare Regulations (PDF)

   <URL:http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_10_05_04b.pdf>
   http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_10_05_04b.pdf

   1 page. Excerpt: "On August 3, 2004, the Centers for
   Medicare & Medicaid Services issued proposed regulations
   to implement the new pres.cription drug benefit under the
   Medicare Pres.cription Drug, Improvement, and
   Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). Mellon's HR&IS has
   submitted comments on certain employer-related issues
   arising under the proposed regulations." (Mellon
   Financial Corporation)

----------------------------------------------------------
The ERISA Industry Committee Letter to Treasury Secretary
Snow Re: FSA Rollovers

   <URL:http://www.eric.org/forms/documents/DocumentFormPublic/viewDoc?id=32C500000000>
   http://www.eric.org/forms/documents/DocumentFormPublic/viewDoc?id=32C500000000

   Excerpt: "We are writing to urge the Treasury Department to
   use its authority to modify the 'use it or lose it' rule
   that applies to health flexible spending arrangements
   (FSAs). As you know, the 'use it or lose it' rule was
   created administratively through proposed regulations
   that were never finalized." (The ERISA Industry
   Committee)


==========================================================
Links To Items on Executive Comp, Benefits In General

----------------------------------------------------------
Congress Passes New Rules for Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation (PDF)

   
<URL:http://www.sablaw.com/files/tbl_s10News/FileUpload44/13351/LegalAlertEmpBen1011.pdf>
   http://www.sablaw.com/files/tbl_s10News/FileUpload44/13351/LegalAlertEmpBen1011.pdf

   3 pages. Excerpt: "These new rules will require changes to
   many executive compensation plans, including individual
   arrangements or agreements, as well as other NQDC
   arrangements such as those covering non-employee agents.
   The definition of NQDC employed in the new legislation
   is a broad one, covering elective deferred compensation,
   non-elective arrangements such as supplemental executive
   retirement plans ('SERPs'), restricted stock units
   ('RSUs'), stock appreciation rights ('SARs') ..."
   (Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP)

----------------------------------------------------------
Overview: the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (PDF)

   <URL:http://benefitslink.com/articles/deloitteETI041008.pdf>
   http://benefitslink.com/articles/deloitteETI041008.pdf

   52 pages; includes 'New Rules for Nonqualified Deferred
   Compensation Plans', 'Withholding and Reporting',
   'Employer Deductions,' and 'Qualified Plans and Health
   Coverage." (Deloitte)

----------------------------------------------------------
A Legal Update on the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Legislation (PDF)

   <URL:http://www.dechert.com/library/EmpBenExecComp_Issue28.pdf>
   http://www.dechert.com/library/EmpBenExecComp_Issue28.pdf

   3 pages. Excerpt: "The Act defines 'nonqualified deferred
   compensation plan' very broadly to mean 'any plan that
   provides for the deferral of compensation, other than
   (i) a qualified employer plan, and (ii) any bona fide
   vacation leave, sick leave, compensatory time,
   disability pay, or death benefit plan.'" (Dechert LLP)

----------------------------------------------------------
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Reforms Headed to
President for Signature

   <URL:http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=hg&blurb_id=47462&ar=2>
   http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=hg&blurb_id=47462&ar=2

   Excerpt: "The Senate has [passed] a final corporate tax bill
   (HR 4520) [on October 11, 2004] that includes sweeping
   nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) restrictions.
   The bill now heads to President Bush for his expected
   signature after the elections. The NQDC reforms,
   generally effective January 1, 2005, will affect
   virtually all NQDC plans, .... The bill also contains
   miscellaneous employee benefit provisions, including a
   relaxation of section 420 qualified retiree health
   transfers." (Mercer Human Resources Consulting)

----------------------------------------------------------
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans Provisions in the
HR 4520 Conference Report (PDF)

   
<URL:http://www.eric.org/forms/uploadFiles/32C100000002.filename.ManagersStatementNQDC.pdf>
   
http://www.eric.org/forms/uploadFiles/32C100000002.filename.ManagersStatementNQDC.pdf

   19 pages. Excerpt: "The document contains only the NQDC
   portions of the conference report: Treatment of
   nonqualified deferred compensation plans (sec. 671 of
   the House bill, section 671 of the Senate amendment, and
   new sec. 409A and secs. 6040 and 6051 of the Code)" (The
   ERISA Industry Committee)

----------------------------------------------------------
Summary of Deferred Compensation Legislation and Action
Steps for Employers

   <URL:http://www.groom.com/articles_display.asp?display=301>
   http://www.groom.com/articles_display.asp?display=301

   Excerpt: "On Thursday, October 7, 2004, the House approved
   far-reaching changes in the federal tax laws that apply
   to nonqualified deferred compensation plans. These
   changes are included in the American Jobs Creation Act
   of 2004 (the 'Act'). The Senate is expected to pass the
   Act, and the President is expected to sign it into law,
   shortly." (Groom Law Group)

----------------------------------------------------------
Common Misconceptions About Employee Stock Options

   <URL:http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2004/1004/perspectives/p17.htm>
   http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2004/1004/perspectives/p17.htm

   Excerpt: "In their article 'Employee Stock Option
   Valuation: New Source of Litigation Risk for Auditors'
   (Perspectives, August 2004), authors Cindy W. Ma, Algis
   T. Remeza, and Daniel LaGattuta posit a myth about
   employee stock option (ESO) valuation: that there is a
   disconnect between the value of option-based
   compensation to employees and the cost of the same
   compensation to the company. This is not the first time
   I have heard this distinction being raised, and its
   perpetuation is troubling." ( The CPA Journal)

----------------------------------------------------------
US Airways Wins Loan Extensions

   
<URL:http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B997B3009-1A83-4943-ADBF-DC2A9995C981%7D&siteid=google&dist=google>
   
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B997B3009-1A83-4943-ADBF-DC2A9995C981%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

   Excerpt: "US Airways Group Inc. has won extensions from two
   principal lenders that could help the bankrupt airline
   avert liquidation, according to a media report Tuesday.
   The extensions to assist the nation's seventh-largest
   air carrier would replace interim agreements due to
   expire Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported in its
   online edition." (CBS Marketwatch)

----------------------------------------------------------
Overview: Miller Bill Would Freeze Executive Benefits for
Five Years

   <URL:http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=ret&blurb_id=47425&ar=1>
   http://wrg.wmmercer.com/showarticle.asp?ppc=&pc=ret&blurb_id=47425&ar=1

   Excerpt: "Companies that convert to cash balance plans or
   shift unfunded pension liabilities to the PBGC would be
   barred from paying nonqualified pension benefits to top
   executives for 5 years under a bill introduced by Rep.
   George Miller (D-CA). The prohibition would begin on the
   date of any notice of intent to terminate or date of
   adoption of a cash balance amendment (with a one year
   look-back) and would apply to an array of executive
   benefits ...." (Mercer Human Resources Consulting)

----------------------------------------------------------
Overview: California State and New York City Domestic
Partner Developments (PDF)

   <URL:http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_10_05_04a.pdf>
   http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_10_05_04a.pdf

   3 pages. Excerpt: "Issues surrounding the provision of
   domestic partner benefits continue to arise on the state
   and local levels. New York City has enacted a law
   requiring that as a condition of entering into a
   contract with New York City or its agencies, companies
   must provide domestic partner benefits to their
   employees. California has enacted a law clarifying the
   extent to which insurance carriers must offer coverage
   to domestic partners of California employees." (Mellon
   Financial Corporation)

----------------------------------------------------------
Contracting Laws Push Domestic Partner Benefits

   <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/finance/detail.cfm?id=6537>
   http://www.benefitnews.com/finance/detail.cfm?id=6537

   Excerpt: "New York City recently joined seven other cities,
   two counties and the state of California in requiring
   that contractors doing business with them offer
   employees domestic partner benefits, including extending
   those benefits to same-sex couples. If unchallenged, the
   New York rule goes into effect this month. Contracting
   requirements for domestic partner benefits, known as
   equal benefits laws, have spread across the country
   since San Francisco's law passed in 1996." (Employee
   Benefit News)

----------------------------------------------------------
Massachussetts Employers Not Affected Much by Same-Sex
Marriage Issues

   <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/law/detail.cfm?id=6601>
   http://www.benefitnews.com/law/detail.cfm?id=6601

   Excerpt: "Same-sex marriage may be a touchy topic in this
   year's presidential campaign, but employers in
   Massachussetts -- the one state where it's legal --
   aren't finding the issue to be very costly for benefit
   programs, according to a study by The Segal Co."
   (BenefitNews Connect)

----------------------------------------------------------
Deciphering Companies' Same-Sex Benefits Policies

   <URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18397-2004Oct8.html>
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18397-2004Oct8.html

   Excerpt: "No federal law prohibits discrimination against
   workers for their se.xual orientation or gender identity.
   Only 14 states and the District have such a law that
   extends to both public and private employers. Courts and
   state legislatures have become battlegrounds for
   disagreements between employers and employees on such
   laws and how they will work." (The Washington Post;
   one-time registration required)

----------------------------------------------------------
SEC Chairman Donaldson Expects Rule Changes on Executive
Pay and Benefits

   <URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25455-2004Oct11.html>
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25455-2004Oct11.html

   Excerpt: "In the flood of corporate reform unleashed by
   recent business scandals, one issue has been largely
   ignored, shareholder activists say: the stratospheric
   level of executive pay and the nearly impossible task
   investors face in trying to figure out who is getting
   how much." (The Washington Post; one-time registration
   required)

----------------------------------------------------------
Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated October 5,
2004

   
<URL:http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/legislative_updates/united_states/qg_index.htm>
   
http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/legislative_updates/united_states/qg_index.htm

   Excerpt: "Hewitt's Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides
   short updates on federal legislation that is currently
   under active consideration by Congress or has recently
   been enacted into law regarding health and welfare
   benefit plans, retirement plans, and human resources and
   employment law." (Hewitt Associates)

----------------------------------------------------------
Pension Fund Employee Perks Upset Retired Ohio Teachers

   <URL:http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=2410700>
   http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=2410700

   Excerpt: "Retired Ohio teachers ... believe their pension
   fund is spending too much on employee perks at their
   expense. The State Teachers Retirement System has spent
   more than $2 million in tuition reimbursements to its
   employees since 1999, double what Ohio's four other
   pension systems have spent combined. Retired Chillicothe
   schools Superintendent Dennis Leone, ... said the
   disparity is further evidence that the pension fund's
   administrators 'don't have a lick of sense.'" (AP via
   Ohio News Network)


==========================================================
Newly Posted Events

401(k) Plans
   in Ohio on October 19, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38833>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38833

401(k) Plans
   in Texas on November 2, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38840>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38840

Cafeteria Plans
   in Ohio on October 20, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38832>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38832

Cafeteria Plans
   in Texas on November 3, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38839>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38839

COBRA Compliance for Group Health Plans
   in Ohio on October 22, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38829>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38829

COBRA Compliance for Group Health Plans
   in Texas on November 5, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38836>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38836

Consumer-Driven Health Care & Fringe Benefits
   in Ohio on October 21, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38834>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38834

Consumer-Driven Health Care & Fringe Benefits
   in Texas on November 4, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38841>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38841

ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans
   in Ohio on October 21, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38831>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38831

ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans
   in Texas on November 4, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38838>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38838

HIPAA Portability & Privacy
   in Ohio on October 22, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38830>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38830

HIPAA Portability & Privacy
   in Texas on November 5, 2004
   presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38837>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38837

Special Program and Reception with Donald Korb, Counsel for the Internal Revenue 
Service
   in Ohio on October 26, 2004
   presented by WEB (Worldwide Employee Benefits Network) Cleveland Chapter
      <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38835>
      http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38835

Post yours!
   http://benefitslink.com/events/eventmaint.php


==========================================================
Newly Posted Press Releases

SunGard Corbel Pension Seminars Earn HRCI CE Approval for SHRM Professionals


   (SunGard Corbel)
   http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38392

Symposium To Address Issues Around Distribution Of Mutual Fund Settlements To 401(k) 
Participants 
   (RG Wuelfing & Associates)
   http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38391

Post yours!
   http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php


==========================================================
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings

TPA Specialist - Western Region
   for Transamerica
   in CA
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40290

Advanced Consultant
   for Hewitt Associates
   in MN
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40736

Retirement Services District Manager No. California
   for ADP Retirement Services
   in CA
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40749

Relationship Manager (Retirement Plans)
   for Mutual of Omaha
   in ANY STATE
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40750

Supervisor, Client Services
   for BISYS Retirement Services
   in PA
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40751

Compliance Analyst
   for Transamerica
   in CA
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40753

Supervisor, Sales Support
   for BISYS Retirement Services
   in PA
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40756

Pension Administrator
   for The Nolan Company
   in KS
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40757

Retirement Professionals
   for BeneTemps, Inc.
   in CT, MA, NY, RI
   http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40758

Post yours!
   http://benefitslink.com/jobs/post_help_wanted.html


===========================================================
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