Today, the Social Security Administration announced in a press release that approximately 70 million Americans who receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will receive a cost-of-living adjustment (“COLA”) seeing an increase in their benefits of 5.9% in 2022.

64 million Social Security beneficiaries will see their 5.9% COLA increase in January 2022. Eight million SSI beneficiaries will see their benefits increase begin on December 30, 2021. (Please be advised that some individuals receive both Social Security and…
Continue Reading Breaking News: Social Security Administration Announces 5.9% Benefit Increase for 2022

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On September 28, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit became the first federal appeals court to address a multiemployer pension plan’s use of the “Segal Blend” for calculating an employer’s withdrawal liability, finding that the Segal Blend method violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) in Sofco Erectors, Inc. v. Ohio Operating Engineers Pension Fund.

By way of background, when an employer withdraws from a multiemployer pension plan, ERISA requires the…
Continue Reading Sixth Circuit Addresses use of Segal Blend Method in Withdrawal Liability Dispute

CEO Katja Kunzke and a distinguished group of policyholders and partners discuss making connections in this video version of the 2020 Annual Report from Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.

Take an inside look at WILMIC’s mission, purpose and policyholder commitment by clicking on the video below.

The post Check Out WILMIC’s Annual Report Video first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.
Continue Reading Check Out WILMIC’s Annual Report Video

Many of our readers are likely familiar with Eminem’s hit single “Lose Yourself.” I imagine significantly fewer are familiar with “Mom’s Spaghetti,” the underrated and amusing parody to “Lose Yourself.” In recent weeks, “Mom’s Spaghetti” made national headlines for a different reason.  A “Mom’s Spaghetti” restaurant took its “chance to blow” by opening in downtown Detroit, Eminem appeared on the restaurant’s opening day to make his “arms heavy” serving customers, local marching band performed a rendition of “Lose…
Continue Reading “Would You Capture It or Just Let It Slip?” (Eminem-Lose Yourself)

HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN DEVELOPMENTS

DOL, HHS and IRS Issue Guidance Regarding No Surprises Act Independent Dispute Resolution Process

On September 30, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released an Interim Final Rule (the Rule) regarding the surprise medical billing protections under the No Surprises Act (the Act). The Rule details the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process that will establish the applicable out‑of‑network rate for…
Continue Reading Benefits Counselor – October 2021

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City of Port Washington v. Sandra J. Koziol, 2021AP449-450-FT, 10/6/21, District 2 (1-judge opinion; ineligible for publication); case activity (including briefs)

Each year, Wisconsin’s municipal courts resolve close to half of a million cases, including traffic offenses, OWIs, and other quasi-criminal matters. See data here. A party aggrieved by a municipal court judgment has a statutory right to appeal it. This unpublished opinion resolves an issue of first impression regarding the procedure for appealing municipal court judgments…
Continue Reading Court of Appeals Takes Hard Line on Appeals from Municipal Court Decisions

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Wisconsin severance package attorneyBy: Attorney Jaclyn Kallie

Many employees encounter employment law issues involving a current or former employer, and these issues may affect their ability to find new job opportunities or earn income based on their skills and experience.  Employees are often asked to sign non-compete or non-solicitation agreements as part of an employment contract or severance package.  Before signing these agreements, employees should be sure to understand the types of restrictions that may be placed on them and whether an

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Continue Reading When Are Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements Enforceable in Wisconsin?

The Magic Language:

The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council (FAR Council) was charged with drafting contractual language to require compliance with the guidance from the SAFER Task Force (Guidance). For a more in-depth discussion of the Guidance, see our blog post from September 24, BREAKING NEWS! Guidance Issued on Biden’s Contractor Vaccine Mandate!

The FAR Council issued a memorandum on October 1, 2021 in response to Executive Order 14042 (EO), including the contract language titled “Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety…
Continue Reading Update for Federal Contractors: The Magic Language and Updated FAQs

Legal blogs and law firm websites can be great sources of legal insight and current awareness, especially on local issues.  However, this content is easy to miss if you’re not a subscriber.  Fortunately, there are a couple of useful tools to help you find this content:

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Continue Reading Searching Legal Blogs & Law Firm Websites

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Clarissa Goodell, September 6, 1866

Like most families in the nineteenth century, the Goodells experienced the premature deaths of family members, including Lavinia’s two year old niece Harriet Frost, an unnamed infant nephew,  and her twenty-three year old cousin Amanda Goodell. In 1866, Lavinia lost another cousin, thirty-seven year old Caroline Smith Ellsworth.

Caroline Smith Ellsworth

Carrie was born in 1829, the only child of Lavinia’s mother’s sister, Lois Cady, and her husband,…
Continue Reading “Aunt Lois feels Carrie’s death more and more every day.”

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WI Law in Action podcastOn the latest episode of the WI Law in Action podcast from the UW Law Library, host Kris Turner interviews Professor S. Lisa Washington, the 2021-22 William H. Hastie Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Prof. Washington previously worked as a public defender in New York City, defending clients in family court. She also supervised students in the family court defense clinic at the Cardozo School of Law. Her article, “Survived and Coerced: Epistemic Injustice …
Continue Reading WI Law In Action Podcast: S. Lisa Washington on Epistemic Injustice in the Family Regulation System

Oct. 7, 2021 – A state appeals court has ruled that a restrictive covenant prohibits Door County landowners from converting their parcel into three, single-family units, concluding that the condominium declaration was an improper land division.

The dispute arose in September 2019. Cottage Row Properties, LLC filed an application for a minor land division with Door County for a 7.44-acre tract that fronted Green Bay. Steven Kane and his wife Jacqueline Kane are the only two members of the

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Continue Reading Appeals Court Says Condo Plan Divides Land, Violates Restrictive Covenant

The Elder Law and Special Needs Section is a very collegial and welcoming section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

I know this from personal experience. I have served on committees and in a leadership position with the section for seven years. I personally witnessed that the members of the section and the board go above and beyond when it comes to sharing their expertise with new members and attorneys who are striving to expand their practice of law

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Continue Reading Diversity and Inclusion is a Top Priority of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section

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Shopko… Briggs & Stratton… Appvion (formerly Appleton Papers)… Harnischfeger… Bon-Ton… JHT Holdings… Arandell… Golden Guernsey Dairy. We tend to think of these companies as our own — Wisconsin-based, some with storied traditions here, employers of family members and friends — but all of them have one thing in common: they filed for bankruptcy protection in another state. Recently proposed congressional legislation aims to reduce the number of such extraterritorial filings.

Current Bankruptcy Venue Law

The venue, or location of…
Continue Reading Cause for Reform: The Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act of 2021