Upon hiring new administrators, school districts must register the following. • First year administrators (excluding superintendents) • Principal • Assistant Principal • Curriculum Administrator • Special Education Administrator • Administrators from out-of-state with previous experience; and • Administrators returning to the profession Click here to access the Beginning Administrator Registry. Registration links for TESS Credentialing and the AAEA Summer Conference on July 26-27 are included in the document.
Compliance Connection
Bene t Plan Impacts in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021, provided a third round of COVID-related direct payments. Additionally, the ARPA contains several bene ts-related provisions that will impact your employee bene ts plan 100% COBRA Premium Subsidy and Expanded COBRA Enrollment Option Individuals who lost employer-sponsored health coverage can now maintain their coverage under COBRA at no cost, thanks to a provision in the law which establishes a 100% subsidy for COBRA premiums from April 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021. Employees with a qualifying COBRA event who have lost or lose their coverage involuntarily, either by termination or a reduction in hours, are eligible for the subsidy. The termination or reduction in hours does not have to be related to the pandemic but cannot have been voluntary or due to gross misconduct. Family members and other quali ed bene ciaries may also be entitled to the subsidy if they qualify as an assistanceeligible individual under these expanded rules. The subsidy and expanded election rules apply to all group health plans subject to COBRA as well as to governmental plans subject to the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). However, this provision does not apply to Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (HCFSAs). This provision creates an additional notice requirement: anyone whose period of COBRA coverage includes any of the months from April to September 2021 must be noti ed that this premium subsidy is available and must be noti ed when it is about to expire. This includes employees who did not elect COBRA coverage when it was initially offered, or who elected coverage but discontinued it, as long as they are still within their maximum coverage period during any part of the subsidized timeframe. The special notice must be sent to eligible individuals no later than May 31, 2021 (60 days after the date the subsidy goes into effect). Model notices have recently been published by the federal agencies so you should begin plans to implement the new notice requirements immediately Dependent Care Contribution Limits Increase For 2021, employers may allow employees with Dependent Care Accounts (DCAs) to contribute up to $10,500 (for married employees ling jointly) or $5,250 (for single employees and married employees who le separately). This increase is more than double the standard annual limits of $5,000 and $2,500. The increased election amount is optional, and employers will need to amend their Section 125 Plan if they choose to allow the provision. American Fidelity has contacted employers for whom we administer Section 125 Plans. If you have not received communication and would like to adopt this provision, please contact us as soon as possible
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Column Provided by: Tom Sledge, Arkansas State Manager, American Fidelity Assurance Co.
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BAI registration for the 2021-2022 school year will open on May 3, 2021. A full description of the program will be provided in a Commissioner’s Memo but a brief outline is below.
Beginning Administrator Induction (BAI)
