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Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

We help clients design, draft, implement and administer employee benefit and executive compensation plans, comply with complicated laws, and provide representation in audits and other proceedings

Employers strive to offer attractive employee benefits in addition to competitive salaries and wages. We help you comply with complicated laws that affect your plans and correct mistakes and other problems with your plans under voluntary compliance programs, and we can represent you in audits and other proceedings before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. In addition, we can represent you in mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and liquidations involving employee benefit plans.

Employee Benefits Litigation

Varnum represents employers and multiemployer plans in ERISA litigation matters. We have litigated a broad range of issues, from individual claim matters to class action retiree health care disputes. Varnum also provides in-house training for purposes of enhancing understanding of the claim appeal and litigation process.

Employee Benefits Experience

  • Pension plans, including Social Security alternative plans for governmental employers
  • Profit sharing plans, including cross-tested and age-weighted plans
  • Retirement savings or 401(k) plans
  • Employee Retirement Income Security Act compliance
  • ERISA litigation
  • Employee stock ownership plans
  • Tax-sheltered annuity or 403(b) plans
  • Health care plans, including high-deductible health plans, health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements, and compliance with Health Care Reform, COBRA and HIPAA
  • Wellness programs
  • Cafeteria and flexible benefits plans
  • Non-qualified deferred compensation and other executive compensation plans

Who are our clients? Public and private sector employers, third-party administrators, and trustees of single and multiemployer pension and health care plans, among others. We also counsel individuals who are planning for retirement and pursuing their rights under employee benefit plans.

“Varnum is very knowledgeable regarding all aspects of employee benefits, including very helpful insights regarding some of the most technical areas of IRS and DOL regulations.”

Vice President of Human Resources, global furniture manufacturer

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