September 2, 2015 Could the ACA Provision to Expand the Small-group Market be Overturned?
Insightful article discussing the legislation that could overturn the expansion of the small group market.
VBI Blog
August 24, 2015 Avoid IRS Reporting Penalties
The 6055 and 6056 tax filing has many employers up in arms for the upcoming tax filing. The increased penalty amounts announced in July are alarming. A single 1095-C form violation could result in a penalty of $500 per form, with no cap if the employer shows intentional disregard —
August 17, 2015 Record Breaking Settlement Involving Workplace Safety
Bumble Bee Foods LLC will pay $6,000,000 to settle criminal charges for a 2012 death of an employee in their Santa Fe Springs, California plant. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a press release Wednesday that the settlement was “the largest-known disbursement in a California criminal prosecution of workplace
August 17, 2015 Sending Your Kid Off to College? Make Sure They Have Insurance.
Ask any parent who has ever moved a kid off to college: When our kids move, they take a lot of stuff with them! From furniture and TV's to cell phones and PC's, they can fill a dorm room or an apartment pretty quickly. In order to protect those valuables, it's important to
August 12, 2015 California Dept of Insurance Launches Coverage Comparison Tool
The California Department of Insurance launched a Homeowner Coverage Comparison Tool to help assist Californians in making better informed decisions when shopping for Homeowners, Condo Owners, or Renters insurance policies. The tool is designed to allow consumers to compare coverage limits and features by policy type among a long
August 12, 2015 ISO Protection Class Codes: What Are They? How Are You Affected?
What Are They? The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) partners with municipal fire authorities, city managers and other community officials to evaluate local fire-protection resources. Data is gathered and evaluated prior to a Public Protection Classification (PPC) being assigned. PPCs will range from Class 1 (best) to Class 10 (worst). PPC's are more commonly known as Fire
July 28, 2015 Distracted Driving: Stay Focused to Stay Safe
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 10 people a day, in the United States alone, are killed in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. More than 1,100 people are injured in those same circumstances. Every day. Distracted driving is defined as driving while doing anything that takes your focus
July 15, 2015 Homeowners Insurance: What Affects the Premium?
Have you ever wondered how your homeowners insurance premium is determined and what factors contribute to the cost? If so, you're not alone. Many of us secure a homeowners policy during the escrow process when buying our first home. We take the first policy that we can get our hands on, and away we go. It's only later, that we stop to
July 8, 2015 Caution: Relief for Paying Employees’ Health Insurance Premium Ended June 30th!
Small employers - i.e., employers who are not applicable large employers (ALEs) -who reimburse or pay a premium for an individual health insurance policy for an employee should be aware that they may be subject to a $100 per day ($36,500 per year), per employee excise tax. Transition relief from the
July 8, 2015 WCIRB Ruling on Mandatory Sick Pay
Paying premium when there is no exposure to the Work Comp carrier. Recently I was asked a very simple and timely question by one of my long time clients. The question was: "Does Workers Compensation apply to sick leave pay?" Initially, I was going to fire back a "No" response based