BenefitsWire

“Today, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule that would create a new, optional electronic disclosure safe harbor specifically for group health plans.” MORE >>

Source: Groom Law Group

“Nonpartisan seniors’ group The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) predicts this year’s COLA to be 3.8%, unchanged from last month’s forecasts but still 1% higher from 2026’s official figure of 2.8%. If TSCL’s projected 2027 COLA went into effect today, average benefits would increase by $73.62, or from $1,937.53 to $2,011.15. Meanwhile, Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare analyst, forecasts the 2027 COLA at 3.7%, as inflation dropped for the month of June.” MORE >>

Source: 401(k) Specialist

“Quick Hits The NPRM, titled, “Removal of Reporting Requirements,” seeks to rescind and remove the requirements to file EEO reports, specifically the filing of EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4, EEO-5, and EEO-6 reports and the report-specific recordkeeping and record preservation requirements.” MORE >>

Source: Ogletree Deakins

"This proposed rule sets forth a new, additional safe harbor for group health plan administrators to use electronic media (e.g., email or web portal) to furnish documents and information to participants and beneficiaries of plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)." MORE >>

Source: Federal Register

“On July 21, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to approve a proposed rule which would rescind a series of agency demographic reporting requirements, most notably the EEO-1 Form, which private employers of 100 or more employees have been required to file for decades. The agency also proposed to repeal similar requirements for unions (the EEO-3 report), state and local governments (EEO-4), public-school systems (EEO-5), and institutions of higher education (EEO-6) (collectively, the “EEO Reports”). Finally, EEOC has proposed rescinding the related recordkeeping and record preservation requirements supporting these reports.” MORE >>

Source: Littler

“The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday proposed a rule that would make electronic delivery the default for most required investor communications, replacing a decades-old system that generally requires paper delivery unless investors affirmatively opt into electronic communications. The proposed Regulation E-Delivery, announced today, would permit issuers, broker/dealers, investment advisers and other regulated entities to satisfy federal securities law delivery requirements by electronically providing required documents, while preserving investors’ ability to continue receiving paper copies upon request. The proposal would cover a broad range of disclosures, including mutual fund” MORE >>

Source: PLANADVISER

“Announcement 2026-07 from the IRS and Treasury Department states that certain parts of future final regulations concerning required minimum distributions (RMDs) under section 401(a)(9) are anticipated to apply for distribution calendar years beginning no earlier than six months after the final regulations are published. In the interim, taxpayers must apply a reasonable, good-faith interpretation of the relevant statutory provisions.” MORE >>

Source: irs.gov

“As previously discussed in our earlier blog post “Medicare’s New NPI and Attestation Rules for Hospital Off-Campus Departments: Preparation Starts Now,” beginning January 1, 2028, Medicare will not pay under the OPPS for services furnished by an off‑campus hospital outpatient provider-based departments (PBDs) unless: (1) each off-campus PBD has its own National Provider Identifier (NPI), separate from the NPI of the main provider, (2) within two years before services are billed, the main provider provides an initial attestation that the off-campus PBD meets existing provider-based requirements as described in 42 C.F.R. § 413.65, and (3) the main provider submits subsequent attestations.” MORE >>

Source: Foley & Lardner

“The rule pitched Wednesday would make it easier for group health plans regulated by ERISA to share mandatory notices with their members. A DOL official called the proposal a “big step forward.” First published on DOL estimates the proposal could save insurers $3.9 billion over a decade by lowering the costs of printing and sending paper disclosures to their members. Group health plans currently print and mail up to 11 billion sheets of paper each year, regulators said. Moving to e-delivery will also more convenient and secure for beneficiaries, according to DOL, though people can still request to receive their disclosures physically if they prefer. It’s “a win for participants and beneficiar” MORE >>

Source: HR Dive

“The United States of America continues to experience a mental health and substance use disorder crisis. In the almost 16 years since the enactment of MHPAEA, disparities in coverage between mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits and medical/surgical (M/S) benefits have persisted and grown. These final rules aim to further MHPAEA's fundamental purpose – to ensure that individuals in group health plans or group or individual health insurance coverage who seek treatment for covered MH conditions or SUDs do not face greater burdens on access to benefits for those conditions or disorders than they would face when seeking coverage for the treatment of a medical condition or a s” MORE >>

Source: cms.gov

“On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a significant final rule titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media,” that fundamentally changes the administration of F-1 student status and makes important changes affecting J exchange visitors and I representatives of foreign media.” MORE >>

Source: Faegre Drinker