Communicating with Benefit Plan Participants in the Digital Age - COMPLETED 
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 - 1 p.m. CST 
The volume of information that employers must exchange with participants in their employee benefit plans can be overwhelming. ERISA, the tax code, COBRA, HIPAA, health care reform and other federal laws and regulations impose a bewildering array of disclosure obligations. The DOL, the IRS, CMS, the PBGC and other agencies have all issued guidance requiring a variety of notices. Plan administrators must also obtain benefit elections, consents to distributions and beneficiary designations from plan participants.
Which of these communications may be accomplished over the Internet? When is posting information on the company intranet enough? When is a paper document required? How can participants make elections and grant consent over the Internet?
In this webinar, Larry Jenab and Melissa Hinkle of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP will address the "how" of providing required participant notices and obtaining effective consents with a specific focus on the nuts and bolts of electronic communication.
PRESENTERS
Lawrence Jenab, Partner - Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
Larry is a partner in the Employee Benefits and ERISA Litigation Groups. His practice emphasizes ERISA and other aspects of employee benefits law, including tax and fiduciary matters. He also has experience successfully litigating complex ERISA pre-emption and standing issues.
Melissa R. Hinkle, Associate - Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
Melissa, a Senior Benefits Analyst, has been a member of the firm's Employee Benefits Group for 22 years. She is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), a Retirement Plans Associate (RPA), and a Group Benefits Associate (GBA).
This series is brought to you by United Benefit Advisors -- a member-owned alliance of more than 140 premier independent benefit advisory firms and one of the nation's five largest employee benefits advisory organizations -- and Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, with offices throughout the Midwest and more than a century of experience providing legal counsel.
