On July 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new rule (the “Proposed Rule”) that would offer group health plan administrators an additional safe harbor for electronically furnishing required group health plan disclosures to participants and beneficiaries.
As we explain in detail here, the Proposed Rule is modeled closely on a more permissive notice-and-access safe harbor, previously adopted only for retirement plans (not for group health plans) in 2020, essentially making electronic delivery of retirement plan documents the default, unless a participant requests paper copies or opts out. If finalized, the Proposed Rule will give group health plan administrators a modernized alternative to the more limited electronic delivery framework currently available.
What Plans, Individuals and Documents Would the Proposed Rule Apply to?
Covered Plans
Group health plans, as defined under Section 733(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), including… Read the complete article here...
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