United States: Employee Benefits & Compensation

Directs the Department of War and Department of Veterans Affairs to establish continuous sharing of military personnel and medical records, deploy AI-enabled tools to streamline veterans...

The DOL's latest MHPAEA guidance provides plan sponsors with a practical roadmap for mental health parity compliance reviews, highlighting three key enforcement focus areas and identifying red flags in both written plan provisions and operational practices. While offering limited nonenforcement relief for certain portions of the 2024 Final Rule, the agency emphasizes continued enforcement of core statutory requirements...

California's statewide minimum wage is set to increase to $17.40 per hour on January 1, 2027, raising the salary threshold for exempt employees to $72,384. With numerous cities and counties imposing even higher local minimum wage rates, how should employers prepare for these cascading changes across the Golden State?

Seasonal hospitality businesses like theme parks, cruise lines, and mountain resorts are breaking attendance records while struggling to staff the experiences those records depend on. Most operators see a hiring problem, but few recognize the deeper workforce crisis hidden behind operational dashboards that show parks opening and ships sailing. The real challenge lies in understanding why labor costs belong on the CEO agenda and what leading operators are doing differently to address specialized shortages,

The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury have issued new guidance addressing long-standing questions about health-contingent wellness programs, particularly regarding retroactive rewards and notice requirements. This enforcement relief provides plan administrators with greater flexibility in administering tobacco cessation programs and other wellness incentives...

Maryland's Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program has officially opened registration, with Governor Wes Moore urging employers to register as soon as possible. Employers with at least one Maryland-based employee must register through the state's portal and indicate whether they will participate in the State Plan or an approved private plan. Payroll deductions begin January 1, 2027, with benefits becoming available in January 2028.

A Minnesota federal court has again dismissed a proposed class action under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Former worker Thomas Matula accused Wells Fargo of improperly using forfeited funds from its 401(k) plan.

Illinois employers face two fairly significant changes to state employment law beginning January 1, 2027. New legislation will require many employers to pay employees for time spent serving on jury duty, and a separate enactment will revive disparate impact liability under the Illinois Human Rights Act at a time when federal enforcement of that theory has receded.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) issued Opinion Letter FLSA2026-10, which addresses whether a field service engineer must be paid for time spent receiving employer-dispatched pages, calling clients to schedule service appointments, and driving from home to the first client location.