It is rare that so many business and personal issues for a PEO and its clients and employees align as perfectly as they do now; let me explain.

1. The severity of the current recession has dramatically affected personal behavior in one important area – saving. A few years ago America had a negative savings rate, meaning that most spent more than they made. Today, the savings rate exceeds 7%. There is no more efficient and cost-effective way to save than through a 401k. Employees want it; soon they could be demanding it.
2. The greatest value proposition offered by a PEO is arguably the 401k. It leverages the big company benefit to the small employer virtually like no other benefit. Most small companies do not have retirement plans because of the cost, complexity and simply the hassle-factor. The PEO overcomes all of these problems.
3. In this time of shrinking payrolls and tight budgets, the PEO is vulnerable to losing clients. Our studies prove that a client company is five times more likely to stay with you than leave if our 401k plans is in place.

If your 401k plan is under-performing or is just a non-factor most of the time, you are likely missing a great opportunity to better market to new clients and retain current clients. The alignment of personal needs of employee, a greater value proposition to client company owners and finally to you in retaining clients exists right now.

John Slavic
President of Slavic 401(k)

The vaccine for H1N1 (swine flu) is expected to be available in October, and the country is gearing up for the fall flu season. What is Aetna is doing, and how can your own organization prepare?

H1N1 and Seasonal Flu Vaccines
Aetna will cover H1N1 flu vaccine administration for members whose benefit plan covers preventive services, just as we have always covered the seasonal flu vaccine. We will pay for one or two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, based on recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The federal government will pay for the H1N1 vaccines and the supplies needed to administer them. Aetna will reimburse providers for administration of the vaccine.

State and local public health departments will designate which public and private sites will be given the vaccine. Public sites could include public health clinics and clinics located in schools. Private sites could include provider offices, workplaces or retail settings. Aetna is encouraging participating providers to register with their state’s Department of Health to become vaccinators. A number of retail sites, including Minute Clinics/CVS, Take Care Health, and RediClinics, also are expected to be vaccinators. We will encourage our members to seek vaccines at any of these available outlets (note that emergency rooms are not the appropriate place to seek vaccines).

Employers can seek to be designated by their state or local public health department as vaccinators and have vaccine shipped to them, or they can hire a commercial designated vaccinator that will provide the vaccine on-site. We expect that at least some of the corporate seasonal flu shot vendors used by Aetna will be able to offer H1N1 vaccines at employer worksites, but this may vary by state. We can share more information on this once the vendors are able to register and be designated as vaccinators by the states.

It is expected that each person will need to have two H1N1 vaccines, three to four weeks apart. A separate vaccine is needed for the seasonal flu.

Primary target groups for H1N1 vaccination will be:

• Pregnant women
• Contacts of infants <6 months old
• People 6 months to 24 years old
• Health care workers/emergency personnel
• Adults under 65 years old with high-risk medical conditions
• The next group after this is healthy adults 25-64 years old
• The final group is adults 65 and older
• Aetna will rely on providers to make determinations about when an individual should receive the vaccine, in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Should any of your plan members become ill, we treat H1N1 as any other disease under all of our plans. We do cover the prescription drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, which can be used to treat the H1N1 virus.

Updated Guidance for Businesses and Employers

Your own organization is probably working to ensure it has its own plans in place to deal with H1N1. Updated federal guidelines offer businesses and employers a range of options for responding to 2009 H1N1 influenza, depending on how severe the flu may be in their communities. The guidance says business planners should assess their business functions to determine the threshold of absenteeism that would be potentially disruptive and plan ahead to take increasing measures as absenteeism escalates toward those thresholds. More information and helpful communications for employers are available at:

• CDC Guidance for Businesses, Employers, and Workplaces to Plan and Respond to 2009 H1N1 Influenza
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers

If you would like information on Aetna’s business continuity planning, please see our Overview of Aetna’s Preparedness for Pandemic. This section of the employer site on aetna.com includes a high-level look at Aetna’s business continuity plans for a pandemic, as well as frequently asked questions on our preparations and a list of resources.

A business coalition, including the U.S. Chamber and SHRM, has lost in its effort to have a court overturn the federal regulation requiring federal contractors to start using the E-Verify Program for federal contracts that are entered into or modified after September 8, 2009. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Maryland on August 26, 2009, turned down all arguments raised by the plaintiffs and has opened the door for the rule to be applicable as planned on September 8, 2009. There is no word on whether or not the decision will be appealed. The USCIS Web site has a federal contractor page as well as a series of Q&As on the rule that explains its provisions and application.

Source http://www.irs.gov

If you have not filed a prior year tax return and are due a refund, you should consider filing the return to claim that refund. If you are missing a refund for a previously filed tax return, you should contact the IRS to check the status of your refund and confirm your current address.

Unclaimed Refunds

Some people may have had taxes withheld from their wages but were not required to file a tax return because they had too little income. Others may not have had any tax withheld but would be eligible for the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit.

• To collect this money a return must be filed with the IRS no later than three years from the due date of the return.
• If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.
• There is no penalty assessed by the IRS for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.
• Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications web page of IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
• Information about the Earned Income Tax Credit and how to claim it is also available on IRS.gov.

Undeliverable Refunds

Were you expecting a refund check but didn’t get it?

• Refund checks are mailed to your last known address. Checks are returned to the IRS if you move without notifying the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service.
• You may be able to update your address with the IRS on the “Where’s My Refund?” feature available on IRS.gov. You will be prompted to provide an updated address if there is an undeliverable check outstanding within the last 12 months.
• You can also ensure the IRS has your correct address by filing Form 8822, Change of Address, which is available on IRS.gov or can be ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
• If you do not have access to the Internet and think you may be missing a refund, you should first check your records or contact your tax preparer. If your refund information appears correct, call the IRS toll-free assistance line at 800-829-1040 to check the status of your refund and confirm your address.