by EEOC regulations proposed in the final days of the Trump Administration would, if finalized, reduce the permissible incentive for participatory wellness programs to a de minimis amount – such as a water bottle or T-shirt. The current incentive cap is equal to 30% of an individual group health premium, which works out to around $180 per month. The Biden Administration has withdrawn the proposed regulations from publication in the Federal Register under a regulatory freeze pending review. Although they may not be finalized in their current form, the proposed regulations reflect the thinking of the EEOC on how small an incentive must remain (answer: very small) in order to preserve the voluntariness of a participatory wellness program. As such, employers cannot afford to ignore them. Below are some key questions and answers about the proposed measures.
Q. 1: What wellness programs are subject to the de minimis incentive limit?
A. 1: “Participatory” wellness programs would be subject to the de minimis limit, if it is published in final form. A participatory wellness program requires no physical activity or health outcome in order to receive the incentive. For instance, completion of a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) or undergoing biometric testing, with no requirement to improve the results, are examples of participatory wellness activities.
Q. 2: What types of incentives qualify as de minimis?
A. 2: The proposed regulations give the example of a water bottle or gift card of modest value, and indicate that premium surcharges of $50 per month ($600 per year), an annual gym membership, or airline tickets would be more than de minimis. If a water bottle suffices, presumably other low-cost items such as a t-shirt, towel, or stress ball would also work. “Modest value” gift cards probably mean $10 or $15 or less. See Q&A 7 below, re tax treatment of de minimis incentives.
Q. 3: What is the safe harbor exception to the de minimis incentive limit?
A. 3: An incentive may be more than de minimis under a health-contingent wellness program that is part of, or that qualifies as a group health plan. Let’s break that down. “Health-contingent” means that the program conditions the reward either on a physical activity (such as completing a walking program), or on satisfying a standard related to a health factor, such as reducing blood pressure or cholesterol levels. As for “comprising part of, or qualifying as a group health plan,” the proposed regulations list four factors that, if present, may indicate when this is the case: (1) the wellness program is offered only to employees who are enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan; (2) the wellness incentive is tied to cost-sharing or premium reductions (or increases) under the employer’s group health plan; (3) the wellness program is offered by a vendor that has contracted with the employer group health plan (or, in the case of an insured plan, with the insurance carrier); and (4) the wellness program is a “term of coverage” under the group health plan. It is not very clear what is meant by the last criteria. It may mean that the terms of the wellness program are set forth in the group health plan documentation, for instance. More clarification from EEOC would be welcome.
Q. 4: What is an example of a wellness program that can continue to use a higher incentive under the safe harbor?
A. 4: An example of a wellness program that might qualify for the safe harbor exception, and be able to offer a more than de minimis incentive, would be a biometric testing program that awards a premium reduction to participants who successfully lower their blood pressure and cholesterol readings, that is administered by a vendor of the health insurer that provides the coverage, and under which participation is limited to employees who participate in the group health plan. Another example would be a program of walking or exercise, that also meets the other criteria listed. Note also that the de minimis rule, and EEOC regulations in general, do not apply to wellness programs that do not include disability-related questions or medical examinations, so would not apply to wellness programs that provide general health and educational information, such as classes on nutrition or smoking cessation. Note also that both HIPAA and EEOC regulations require that an alternative means of earning a wellness incentive be made available to persons who are prevented from meeting (or attempting to meet) the original criteria due to medical conditions or issues.
Q. 5: What is the maximum incentive under the safe harbor exception?
A .5: Under EEOC regulations, the maximum incentive that may be offered under a health-contingent wellness program is an amount equal to 30% of the individual premium under the most affordable group health plan option, or 50% if the program is designed to reduce or stop tobacco use. This is consistent with HIPAA regulations; note however that HIPAA regulations would not impose any maximum cap on incentives to take part in participatory wellness programs.
Q. 6: I want to offer employees a PTO day if they get a COVID-19 vaccination. Am I subject to the de minimis incentive limit?
A. 6: Probably not. Vaccination programs are participatory programs for purposes of the proposed EEOC regulations. And a day’s wages, even at minimum wage, is more than a de minimis amount. However, if you are offering a PTO day to employees who seek out their own COVID-19 vaccine from a third party, you are not administering a medical exam (i.e., the vaccine) for purposes of the EEOC voluntariness requirement and arguably the de minimis exception would not apply. Conversely, if the vaccinations are offered through a clinic your company sponsors, then arguably the de minimis rule applies. This a fact-intensive inquiry, however, so get individualized legal advice regarding the specific facts of your situation.
Q. 7: Must I treat de minimis incentives as taxable income to my employees?
A. 7: That depends upon whether the item qualifies as a de minimis fringe benefit under Internal Revenue Code Section 132(a)(4). This may be the case for a water bottle, t-shirt, and similar small items. With regard to gift cards, however, note that he IRS has taken the position that gift cards that are redeemable for general merchandise, even if of nominal value, are treated as a cash equivalent and are taxable.
Q. 8: Do the EEOC’s proposed wellness regulations make any other changes?
A. 8: They suggest potential changes to notice requirements. The 2016 EEOC wellness regulations require issuance of a written notice that describes the types of medical information that the wellness program will collect and the purposes for which it will be used. In the proposed regulations the EEOC opines that the notice no longer is necessary under the de minimis incentive standard, but requests public comment on whether the notice should be required nonetheless.
Q. 9: What do the proposed GINA rules require?
A. 9: Proposed regulations under the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act accompanied the wellness regulations. The proposed regulations under GINA would limit, to a de minimis amount, wellness incentives offered for information about manifestation of a disease or disorder in all family members – not just spouses, as was the case in 2016 GINA regulations. The regulations continue prior prohibitions, under GINA, of questioning an employee about the employee’s family medical history or other genetic information.
Q. 10. Is there a backstory to the EEOC’s de minimis incentive limit?
A. 10: How much time to do you have? It all starts with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which permits employers to make disability-related inquiries (such as are set forth in an HRA) or require medical examinations (such as biometric testing) as part of employee health programs, so long as employees’ participation is “voluntary.” 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(4)(A). Initially the EEOC simply stated that “voluntary” meant that participation was neither required, nor penalized. A number of years went by. In 2014, the EEOC sued several employers, including Honeywell, on the grounds that their participatory wellness programs were not voluntary because the incentives were too large (one program conditioned payment of 100% of the monthly premium amount on participation in biometric testing and completion of the HRA). These suits largely failed, and in final regulations published in 2016, the EEOC defined “voluntary” according to the 30% and 50% limits described above. The AARP sued the EEOC over the regulations, arguing in relevant part that the 30% limit was arbitrary and too high. As a result of the litigation, the EEOC ended up withdrawing the incentive portion of the regulations, and since that time (December 2018), the question of what constituted a “voluntary” wellness incentive under the ADA has remained open. As mentioned the proposed regulations may be modified by the Biden Administration; certainly guidance that lessens the now considerable permissible incentive gap between de minimis, on the one hand, and approximately $200 per month, on the other, would be welcome.
Note: The above information is a brief summary of legal developments that is provided for general guidance only and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the author and the reader. Readers are encouraged to seek individualized legal advice in regard to any particular factual situation.
(c) 2021 Christine P. Roberts, all rights reserved.
Photo Credit: Hello I’m Nik, Unsplash
E is for ERISA 
That was a nice overview. Thanks