Paid time off plans: IRS guidelines and why they matter

Read this if you are an employer that may have to close, or has closed, due to COVID-19.

Here is a brief recap of definitions and explanations of employee retention credits found in the CARES Act. If you have questions about your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help.

Eligible employer

The term ‘‘eligible employer’’ means any employer: 

For tax-exempt organizations described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code, clauses (i) and (ii)(a) shall apply to all operations of such organization.

Generally, all organizations treated as a single employer under the controlled group or affiliated service group rules will be treated as one employer for purposes of this section.

If an eligible employer participates in the Paycheck Protection Program, such an employer is not eligible for the employee retention credits.

Amount of credit

There shall be allowed, as a credit against applicable employment taxes for each calendar quarter, an amount equal to 50 percent of the qualified wages with respect to each employee of such employer for such calendar quarter.

The amount of qualified wages with respect to any employee which may be taken into account by the eligible employer for all calendar quarters shall not exceed $10,000 (i.e., the maximum credit is $5,000 per employee).

If the credit exceeds the applicable employment taxes on the wages paid for such calendar quarter, such excess shall be treated as an overpayment that shall be refunded.

Qualified wages

The term ‘‘qualified wages’’ means:

Wages do not include amounts paid under the expanded sick/family leave provisions of the FFCRA.

Qualified wages paid or incurred by an eligible employer with respect to an employee who is not providing services may not exceed the amount such employee would have been paid for working an equivalent duration during the 30 days immediately preceding leave.

The term ‘‘qualified wages’’ shall include so much of the eligible employer’s qualified health plan expenses as are properly allocable to such wages.

CARES Act: Payroll tax payment delay

An extension of time to remit payroll taxes for the period beginning March 27, 2020 and ending before January 1, 2021 over a two-year period is allowed, with half due by December 31, 2021, and the remainder due by December 31, 2022.

If an eligible employer participates in the payroll tax delay programs, such an employer is not eligible for the employee retention credits.
 

Read this if you are a business owner, in management, or in HR at a company with less than 500 employees.

We have received many questions regarding the FFCRA and its provisions and how it affects different employers and their employees. Here are some of the questions our clients have asked the most. Please contact us if you have questions regarding your specific situation. We’re here to help.  

Besides compensation, what other costs paid by an employer are eligible for the credit (i.e., employer paid health insurance, employer payroll taxes)?
Employers can deduct the cost of providing continuing health care coverage, and the employer’s share of Medicare taxes related to the leave wages. Any compensation paid under the FFCRA is not subject to the employer’s portion of the Social Security tax.

How do you determine the total number of employees? 
In calculating the total number of employees, all full-time or part-time employees working within the US, including all US territories or possessions, are counted, including all employees on leave and temp employees who are jointly employed with another company as determined under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

How does a business know if it employs less than 500 employees and is subject to the FFCRA?
Generally, a private sector employer is subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) if it employs 50 or more employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year. The FAQs issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) indicate an employer has fewer than 500 employees if, at the time an employee’s leave is to be taken, there are fewer than 500 full-time and part-time employees within the United States, which includes any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States. 

In making this determination, an employer should include employees on leave; temporary employees who are jointly employed by you and another employer (regardless of whether the jointly-employed employees are maintained on only your or another employer’s payroll); and day laborers supplied by a temporary agency (regardless of whether you are the temporary agency or the client firm if there is a continuing employment relationship). Workers who are independent contractors under the FLSA, rather than employees, are not considered employees for purposes of the 500-employee threshold.

Where a corporation has an ownership interest in another corporation, the two corporations are separate employers unless they are joint employers under the FLSA with respect to certain employees. In general, two or more entities are separate employers unless they meet the integrated employer test under the FMLA.

Please check with your advisors if you believe the integrated employer test may apply to your businesses.

Which employees are entitled to the $511 payment under sick leave?
For an employee who is unable to work because of the coronavirus quarantine or self-quarantine or has COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis, the employee may receive sick leave wages equal to the employee’s regular rate of pay, up to $511 per day and $5,111 in the aggregate, for a total of 10 days. Note that only employers who employ less than 500 employer are required to provide sick leave payments. Such employees may also receive a refundable tax credit for sick leave paid to employees.

Which employees are entitled to the $200 payment under sick leave?
For an employee who is caring for someone with COVID-19, or is caring for a child because the child’s school or child care facility is closed, or the child care provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus, the employee may receive sick leave wages equal to two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate, for up to 10 days. Note that only employers who employ less than 500 employer are required to provide sick leave payments. Such employees may also receive a refundable tax credit for sick leave paid to employees.

Which employees are entitled to the $200 payment under the family leave portion of FFCRA?
For an employee who is unable to work because of a need to care for a child whose school or child care facility is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus, the employee may receive family leave wages equal to two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay, capped at $200 per day or $10,000 in the aggregate. Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the child care leave credit. Note that only employers who employ less than 500 employer are required to provide sick leave payments. Such employees may also receive a refundable tax credit for sick leave paid to employees.

What is “regular rate of pay” for purposes of the FFCRA?
For purposes of the FFCRA, the regular rate of pay used to calculate paid leave is the average of the employee’s regular rate over a period of up to six months prior to the date on which leave is taken. If an employee has not worked for the current employer for six months, the regular rate used to calculate paid leave is the average regular rate of pay for each week the employee has worked for the current employer.

If an employee is paid with commissions, tips, or piece rates, these amounts will be incorporated into the above calculation to the same extent they are included in the calculation of the regular rate under the FLSA.

You can also compute this amount for each employee by adding all compensation that is part of the regular rate over the above period and divide that sum by all hours actually worked in the same period.

What is the effective date of the sick leave/family leave provisions?
Employers must comply with the FFCRA from April 1, 2020, until it expires on December 31, 2020. Paid leave prior to April1, 2020 will not count. The IRS recently issued guidance indicating the tax credits for qualified sick leave wages and qualified family leave wages required to be paid by the FFRCA will apply to wages paid for the period beginning on April 1, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2020.

Who is considered a “health care provider”?
For the purposes of employees who may be exempted from paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave by their employer under the FFCRA, a health care provider is anyone employed at any doctor’s office, hospital, health care center, clinic, post-secondary educational institution offering health care instruction, medical school, local health department or agency, nursing facility, retirement facility, nursing home, home health care provider, any facility that performs laboratory or medical testing, pharmacy, or any similar institution, employer, or entity. This includes any permanent or temporary institution, facility, location, or site where medical services are provided that are similar to such institutions. 

This definition includes any individual employed by an entity that contracts with any of the above institutions, employers, or entities institutions to provide services or to maintain the operation of the facility. This also includes anyone employed by any entity that provides medical services, produces medical products, or is otherwise involved in the making of COVID-19 related medical equipment, tests, drugs, vaccines, diagnostic vehicles, or treatments. This also includes any individual that the highest official of a state or territory, including the District of Columbia, determines is a health care provider necessary for that state’s or territory’s or the District of Columbia’s response to COVID-19.

To minimize the spread of the virus associated with COVID-19, the DOL encourages employers to be judicious when using this definition to exempt health care providers from the provisions of the FFCRA.

For more information
If you have more questions, or have a specific question about your particular situation, please call us. We’re here to help. 

The President signed The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (hereinafter the “Act”) into law on March 18th and the provisions are effective April 2nd. You can read the congressional summary here. There are two provisions of the Act that deal with paid leave provisions for employees. Here are some highlights for employers.

The provisions of the Act are only required for employers with fewer than 500 employees. Employers with over 499 employees are not required to provide the sick/family leave contained in the Act, but could voluntarily elect to follow the new rules. The expectation is that employers with over 499 employees are providing some level of sick/family leave benefits already. In any case, employers with over 499 employees are not eligible for the tax credits. 

Employers with fewer than 500 employees are required to provide employees with up to 80 hours of paid sick leave over a two-week period if the employee:

• Self-isolates because of a diagnosis with COVID-19, or to comply with a recommendation or order to quarantine;
• Obtains a medical diagnosis or care if the employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms;
• Needs to care for a family member who is self-isolating due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or quarantining due to COVID-19 symptoms; or
• Is caring for a child whose school has closed, or childcare provider is unavailable, due to COVID-19.

These rules apply to all employees regardless of the length of time they have worked for the employer. The 80-hours would be pro-rated for those employees who do not normally work a 40-hour week. 

Employees who take leave because they themselves are sick (i.e., the first two bullets above) can receive up to $511 per day, with an aggregate limit of $5,110. If, on the other hand, an employee takes leave to care for a child or other family member (i.e., the last two bullets above), the employee will be paid two-thirds (2/3) of their regular weekly wages up to a maximum of $200 per day, with an aggregate limit of $2,000.

Days when an individual receives pay from their employer (regular wages, sick pay, or other paid time off) or unemployment compensation do not count as leave days for the purposes of this benefit.

Family and Medical Leave Act

Employees who have been employed for at least 30-days also have the right to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Act requires that 10 of these 12 weeks (i.e., after the sick leave discussed above is taken) be paid at a rate of no less than two-thirds of the employee’s usual rate of pay. Any leave taken under this portion of the ACT will be limited to $200 per day with an aggregate limit of $10,000.

Exemptions

The Secretary of Labor has the authority to issue regulations exempting: (1) certain healthcare providers and emergency responders from taking leave under the Act; and (2) small businesses with fewer than 50 employees from the requirements of the Act if it would jeopardize the viability of the business.

Expiration

The provisions of the Act are set to expire on December 31, 2020, and unused time will not carry over from one year to the next.

Tax credits 

The Act provides for refundable tax credits to help an employer cover the costs associated with providing paid emergency sick leave or paid FMLA. The tax credits work as follows:

• A refundable tax credit for employers equal to 100 percent of qualified family leave wages paid under the Act.
• A refundable tax credit for employers equal to 100 percent of qualified paid sick leave wages paid under the Act. 
• The tax credits are taken on Form 941 – Employer’s Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return filed for the calendar quarter when the leave is taken and reduce the employer’s portion of the Social Security taxes due. If the credit exceeds the employer’s total liability for Social Security taxes for all employees for any calendar quarter, the excess credit is refundable to the employer.

For more information

We are here to help. Please contact our benefit plan consultants if you have any questions or would like to discuss your specific situation. 

When it comes to offering non-qualified deferred compensation to executives of not-for-profit organizations, there aren’t many options. Your organization must follow the rules and related guidance outlined in Internal Revenue Code Sections 457 and 409A. There are two types of non-qualified deferred compensation plans: Eligible (457(b) plans) and ineligible (457(f) plans)

• 457(b) plans operate very similarly to 403(b) or 401(k) plans and have an annual benefit limit.

• 457(f) plans have no annual benefit limit but the participants must include the benefits in taxable income when the substantial risk of forfeiture lapses.

Changes are on the table
And that's largely a good thing.The proposed regulations provide guidance in several key areas used to determine whether a substantial risk of forfeiture exists or not. For the most part, the proposed guidance is welcome news and provides an employer with more flexibility than originally expected.

Earlier this year, the IRS issued proposed regulations which describe just what constitutes a substantial risk of forfeiture under an ineligible 457(f) plan and what types of benefits are not considered to be ineligible 457(f) plans. Because of the tax implications to the executive, this is important for your organization to understand and communicate.

What the proposed regulations cover:

1. Non-compete agreements
2. Rolling risks of forfeiture (e.g., rolling vesting schedules)
3. Determining the present value of accrued benefits
4. Plans that are not considered 457(f) plans, including bona fide severance pay plans

In each of these areas, the proposed regulations provide employers with specific rules to follow in order to design and operate a plan, whether it's an existing plan or one adopted before or after the rules are finalized. Current plans will not have grandfathered status. 

What you need to do
For existing deferred compensation arrangements or employment contracts that provide for severance pay for deferred compensation arrangements,you must:

• Take inventory of the types of benefits you provide (e.g., severance pay, 457(b), 457(f) plans)
• Review plan provisions and determine the changes you need to make in order for them to be in compliance with the guidelines. 
• Make the appropriate changes to the plan or employment contract provisions before the final regulations are effective.
• The final regulations generally will not be effective until 90 days after they've been published. You may rely on them in the interim.

If you have questions or concerns
We've helped many not-for-profit organizations design and develop executive compensation packages, including deferred compensation plans. Our Benefits Compensation experts are well versed in the rules that apply to deferred compensation and severance pay plans and can help guide you through the process to:

1. Create a plan that meets the needs of your executive and your organization
2. Determine if any changes must be made to the benefits you’re currently offering

Contact Bill Enck if you have questions or need help.

This article is the first in a series to help employee benefit plan fiduciaries better understand their responsibilities and manage the risks of non-compliance with ERISA requirements.

On Labor Day, 1974, President Gerald Ford signed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, commonly known as ERISA, into law. Prior to ERISA, employee pensions had scant protections under the law, a problem made clear when the Studebaker automobile company closed its South Bend, Indiana production plant in 1963. Upon the plant’s closing, some 4,000 employees—whose average age was 52 and average length of service with the company was 23 years—received approximately 15 cents for each dollar of benefit they were owed. Nearly 3,000 additional employees, all of whom had less than 10 years of service with the company, received nothing.

A decade later, ERISA established statutory requirements to preserve and protect the rights of employees to their pensions upon retirement. Among other things, ERISA defines what a plan fiduciary is and sets standards for their conduct.

Who is—and who isn’t—a plan fiduciary?
ERISA defines a fiduciary as a person who:

1. Exercises discretionary authority or control over the management of an employee benefit plan or the disposition of its assets,
2. Gives investment advice about plan funds or property for a fee or compensation or has the authority to do so,
3. Has discretionary authority or responsibility in plan administration, or
4. Is designated by a named fiduciary to carry out fiduciary responsibility. (ERISA requires the naming of one or more fiduciaries to be responsible for managing the plan's administration, usually a plan administrator or administrative committee, though the plan administrator may engage others to perform some administrative duties).

If you’re still unsure about exactly who is and isn’t a plan fiduciary, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Disagreements over whether or not a person acting in a certain capacity and in a specific situation is a fiduciary have sometimes required legal proceedings to resolve them. Here are some real-world examples.

Employers who maintain employee benefit plans are typically considered fiduciaries by virtue of being named fiduciaries or by acting as a functional fiduciary. Accordingly, employer decisions on how to execute the intent of the plan are subject to ERISA’s fiduciary standards.

Similarly, based on case law, lawyers and consultants who effectually manage an employee benefit plan are also generally considered fiduciaries.

A person or company that performs purely administrative duties within the framework, rules, and procedures established by others is not a fiduciary. Examples of such duties include collecting contributions, maintaining participants' service and employment records, calculating benefits, processing claims, and preparing government reports and employee communications.

What are a fiduciary’s responsibilities?
ERISA requires fiduciaries to discharge their duties solely in the interest of plan participants and beneficiaries, and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits for them and defraying reasonable plan administrative expenses. Specifically, fiduciaries must perform their duties as follows:

1. With the care, skill, prudence, and diligence of a prudent person under the circumstances;
2. In accordance with plan documents and instruments, insofar as they are consistent with the provisions of ERISA; and
3. By diversifying plan investments so as to minimize risk of loss under the circumstances, unless it is clearly prudent not to do so.

A fiduciary is personally liable to the plan for losses resulting from a breach of their fiduciary responsibility, and must restore to the plan any profits realized on misuse of plan assets. Not only is a fiduciary liable for their own breaches, but also if they have knowledge of another fiduciary's breach and either conceals it or does not make reasonable efforts to remedy it.

ERISA provides for a mandatory civil penalty against a fiduciary who breaches a fiduciary responsibility under ERISA or commits a violation, or against any other person who knowingly participates in such breach or violation. That penalty is equal to 20 percent of the "applicable recovery amount" paid pursuant to any settlement agreement with ERISA or ordered by a court to be paid in a judicial proceeding instituted by ERISA.

ERISA also permits a civil action to be brought by a participant, beneficiary, or other fiduciary against a fiduciary for a breach of duty. ERISA allows participants to bring suit to recover losses from fiduciary breaches that impair the value of the plan assets held in their individual accounts, even if the financial solvency of the entire plan is not threatened by the alleged fiduciary breach. Courts may require other appropriate relief, including removal of the fiduciary.

Over the coming months, we’ll share a series of blogs for employee benefit plan fiduciaries, covering everything from common terminology to best practices for plan documentation, suggestions for navigating fiduciary risks, and more.

Read this if your company is seeking assistance under the PPP.

With additional funding for the PPP pending, we’re updating this blog post with more recent information.

This information is current as of April 21, 2020.

The Treasury Department has issued guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions that alters some of the original assumptions around PPP:

1. At least 75% of the forgiven amount should be used for payroll (changed due to anticipated high demand for program)
2. Repayment of non-forgiven amounts are now repaid over 2 years at 1.0% interest (not 2 years and 0.5% as previously stated or 10 years and 4% as in the CARES Act)

Although the “covered period” is February 15, 2020 to June 30, 2020, forgiveness of the loan is based on expenses (primarily payroll) during the eight-week period after the loan is received. Loan amounts should be disbursed within 10 calendar days of being approved.

Important to note:

1. Questions around size:
   1. 500 employees. The SBA has clarified that it measures employees consistent with the existing 7(a) loan program guidance. See CFR Section 121.106 for details.
   2. The SBA has also clarified that if a business meets both tests in the “alternative size standard”, it qualifies to participate in the program
      1. Maximum tangible net worth of the business is not more than $15 million.
      2. Average net income after Federal income taxes for the two full fiscal years before the date of application is not more than $5 million. 
   3. If the existing SBA definition of a small business for your industry (found on SBA websites) has over 500 employees, your business may qualify if you meet that expanded definition. 
2. The CARES Act states that loans taken from January 31, 2020, until “covered loans are made available may be refinanced as part of a covered loan.”
3. People may want to tap into available credit now. If they are granted a covered loan (PPP loan), they can refinance. Given anticipated demand, it may take time to get the PPP loan processed.
4. Participation in PPP (Section 1102 and 1106 of the CARES Act) precludes participation in the Employee Retention Credit (Section 2301).
5. The IRS clarified that companies may still defer Payment of Employer Payroll Taxes (Section 2302) even if participating in PPP until a decision on forgiveness is reached by your lender. This is a change from our prior understanding.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)

EIDLs are available through the SBA and were expanded under section 1110 of the CARES Act. Eligible are businesses with 500 or fewer employees, including ESOPs, cooperatives, and others. Up to $2 million per loan. Up to 30 years to repay. Comes with an emergency advance (available within 3 days) of $10,000 that does not have to be repaid – even if your loan application is turned down. This $10,000 does not impact participation in other programs/sections of the CARES Act. Some portion of the EIDL may reduce your loan forgiveness under PPP, but receiving an EIDL does not preclude you from participating in the PPP.

From the Treasury: Small business PPP

The Paycheck Protection Program provides small businesses with funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. More details at treasury.gov.

Fully forgiven

Funds are provided in the form of loans that will be fully forgiven when used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll). Loan payments will also be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required. Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees.

Must keep employees on the payroll—or rehire quickly

Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease.

All small businesses eligible

Small businesses with 500 or fewer employees—including nonprofits, veterans organizations, tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors— are eligible. Businesses with more than 500 employees are eligible in certain industries.

When to apply

Starting April 3, 2020, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply. Starting April 10, 2020, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply.

How to apply

You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, or Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating. All loans will have the same terms regardless of lender or borrower. Find a list of participating lenders and additional information and full terms at sba.gov.

The Paycheck Protection Program is implemented by the Small Business Administration with support from the Department of the Treasury. Lenders should also visit sba.gov or coronavirus.gov for more information.

BerryDunn COVID-19 resources

• CARES ACT impact on SBA loans
• COVID-19 resource page

We’re here to help. If you have questions about the PPP, contact a BerryDunn professional.

Over the last few weeks, CMS and the President have enacted legislation and released guidance to assist the senior living industry in coping with the impact of COVID-19. We recognize the elderly residents of our country are the most vulnerable population and your days are filled caring for your population’s needs and health. Our senior living professionals have written this article to highlight new regulations impacting the industry and offer practical tips for guarding your facility's financial health through the COVID-19 outbreak.

Amidst rapid hourly changes in contending with the coronavirus and its far-reaching impacts, the way you run your facility has changed. Along with this change comes an increase in expenditures. To ensure that your facility is getting much needed financial relief and being properly reimbursed for the full impact of COVID-19, we recommend tracking your expenditures related to the coronavirus. Expenditures related to COVID-19 go beyond the cost of additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), they will likely include additional direct care staffing, along with housekeeping, dietary and laundry staffing, and supplies needed to maintain the heightened level of hygiene required to combat the spread of COVID-19 in your facility.

CMS issues waiver of 3-Day Stay and Spell of Illness
On March 14, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two waivers to aid skilled nursing facilities in addressing the national COVID-19 outbreak. CMS is waiving both the 3-Day Stay and Spell of Illness requirements. Read the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration.

Key provisions to consider with regard to 3-midnight qualifying stay requirement:

• The exception applies to traditional Medicare coverage only (Medicare Advantage plans may or may not follow this exception);
• It is in effect as of March 1, 2020, and will only be in effect while public health emergency is declared;
• Applies only to beneficiaries affected by the emergency or who experience dislocations;
• Providers have to document medical necessity and clinical reasons for not meeting 3-midnight requirement, understanding that the intent of this provision is to free up hospital beds and reduce potential risk of exposure to the patient;
• Providers are to use condition code “DR” on the claims. 

Read additional AHCA clarifications and guidance regarding the waivers of 3-Day Stay and Spell of Illness requirements.

MDS completion and submission waivers
CMS is waiving 42 CFR 483.20 to provide relief to SNFs on the timeframe requirements for Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments and transmissions. CMS has yet to issue technical guidance on how to implement.

On March 22, 2020, CMS announced temporary administrative burden relief related to Quality Reporting which includes certain SNF-specific changes:

• Quality Reporting Program (QRP) April/May deadline for 10/1/19 - 12/31/19 data submission is optional for those facilities that have not yet submitted data;
• Facilities do not need to submit 1/1/20 - 6/30/20 data for purposes of compliance with QRP;
• CMS will not use any data for the first 2 quarters of 2020, 1/1/20 - 6/30/20, in its calculations;
• Claims for 1/1/20 - 6/30/20 will be excluded from calculation of all-cause readmission measures that result in value-based purchasing adjustments.

Read the full CMS press release.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
On March 18, 2020, the President signed into law, H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The legislation eliminates patient cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and related services, establishes an emergency paid leave program, and expands unemployment and nutrition assistance. Moreover, the bill provides a temporary 6.2% increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) for each calendar quarter occurring during an emergency period.

FMAP is the federal portion of funds for state Medicaid programs. With this temporary increase states can use the increased federal funds for any portion of the state Medicaid program. Due to significant increases in unemployment from business closures, the increase may be used to provide Medicaid coverage for the newly unemployed and uninsured. This would result in less funding for provider rate increases to cover COVID-19 related costs. However, on March 21, 2020, the federal government also announced that it is considering a special enrollment period for Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Exchange coverage. A special enrollment period would offer lower cost coverage to individuals with reduced incomes and could influence how the FMAP increase will be used, possibly resulting in more being allocated to covering provider rates. As of today, it is still unclear how states will use the increased funds.

A table released by AHCA on March 14, 2020, provides estimates of the increase in Federal Medicaid funding from FMAP assuming the increase is in effect January through December 2020. 

There are two provisions of the FFCRA that deal with paid leave provisions for employees. BerryDunn's employee benefits consultants provide insight and clarity on the paid leave provisions for employees.

Prioritization of survey activities
CMS released guidance prioritizing and suspending most federal and state survey agency (SSA) surveys, and delaying revisit surveys, for the next three weeks beginning on March 20, 2020, for all nursing homes. Standard surveys and non-Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) related onsite surveys will be suspended for three weeks. Complaints and facility-reported incidents that are considered at the IJ level will be conducted during this time. Facilities are encouraged to use the CDC developed COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes. Get additional CMS guidance. 

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
On March 25, 2020, the US Senate unanimously approved the $2 trillion CARES Act (The “Act”). It is anticipated that the House of Representatives will vote on the Act today, March 27, 2020. The White House has signaled that it will sign the measure as approved by the Senate. 

Major provisions of the proposed legislation include:

• The Medicare 2% sequester will be temporarily suspended starting in late May 2020. 
• $150 million for modifications of existing hospital, nursing home, and “domiciliary facilities” undertaken as part of COVID-19 response.
• $65 million for housing for the elderly and people with disabilities for rental assistance, service coordinators and support services for the more than 114,000 affordable households for the elderly, and more than 30,000 affordable households for low-income people with disabilities.
• $2.8 million to provide staff treating veterans living at Armed Forces Retirement Homes with the personal protective equipment they need. The funding provides this and other necessary equipment and staffing support to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus among residents.
• $955 million for the Administration for Community Living to support nutrition programs, home- and community-based services, support for family caregivers, and expand oversight and protections for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
• $200 million for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to assist nursing homes with infection control and support states’ efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in nursing homes.

Practical tips for monitoring and maintaining your organization’s financial health 
As we navigate these next few months, facilities will face challenges to maintain the health and safety of their residents and staff as well as the financial health of the organization. Some things you should be doing now:

• Calculate your working capital and cash position weekly or bi-weekly.
• Perform cash flow projections for the next few months. Be sure the timing of your cash receipts will cover payroll and supplies expenditures each week. 
• Contact your lenders to obtain or increase available working capital lines of credit.
• Ascertain if you can release any investment balances if needed.

We are here to help
Please contact the BerryDunn senior living team if you have any questions, or would like to discuss your specific situation.

The IRS announced plans to conduct examinations of the universal availability requirements for 403(b) plans (Plans) this summer. Noncompliance with these requirements results in operational errors for Plans―ultimately requiring correction. Plan sponsors should review their Plans for proper inclusion and exclusion of employees. Such review can help you avoid costly penalties if the IRS does conduct an examination and uncovers an issue with the Plan’s implementation of universal availability.

Universal availability requires that, if you permit one employee to make elective deferrals into a 403(b) plan, then all other employees must receive the same opportunity. There are a few exceptions to this rule. Plan sponsors may exclude employees who meet one of the following exceptions:

• Employees who will contribute $200 annually or less
• Employees eligible to participate in a § 401(k), 457(b), or other 403(b) plan of the same employer
• Employees who normally work less than 20 hours per week (the equivalent of less than 1,000 hours in a year)
• Students performing services described in Internal Revenue Code § 3121(b)(10)

Of these exceptions, errors in applying the universal availability requirements are typically found with the less than 20 hours per week exception. Even if an employee works less than 20 hours per week (essentially a part-time employee), if this employee works 1,000 hours or more, you must allow this employee to make elective deferrals into the Plan. Further, you can’t revoke this permission in subsequent years―once the employee meets the 1,000 hour requirement, they are no longer included in the less than 20 hours per week employee class.

We recommend Plan sponsors review their Plan documents to ensure they are appropriately applying elected eligibility provisions. Further, we recommend Plan sponsors annually review an employee census to ensure those exceptions (listed above) remain appropriate for any employees excluded from the Plan. For instance, if you note that an employee worked 1,000 hours during the year, who was being excluded as part of the “less than 20 hours per week” category, you should ensure you notify this employee of their eligibility to participate in the Plan. In addition, you should retain documentation regarding the employee’s deferral election or election to opt out of the Plan. Such practices will help ensure, if your Plan is selected for IRS examination, it passes with no issues.

For more information: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/403b-plan-fix-it-guide-you-didnt-give-all-employees-of-the-organization-the-opportunity-to-make-a-salary-deferral