Photo of Joy M. Napier-Joyce

Joy M. Napier-Joyce is a principal in the Baltimore, Maryland, office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Joy counsels clients in a broad range of benefit matters, including general compliance and administration of qualified retirement plans under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. She also assists clients with welfare plan issues involving cafeteria plans, health plans, flexible spending accounts, group insurance products, COBRA and HIPAA. Joy has a particular focus on assisting employers with the various compliance requirements associated with federal health care reform and has been a frequent speaker on the topic. Her practice also includes advice on non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements and other executive compensation matters, including issues related to compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.

As part of her practice, Joy frequently assists clients with a variety of benefits issues arising in corporate mergers and acquisitions and restructurings of all forms. This includes analyzing benefits risks for buyers, handling plan corrections and terminations, strategizing and implementing benefits arrangements post-closing and advising on controlled group considerations.

Joy represents clients in dealings with the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, including EPCRS applications, private letter rulings, determination letter applications and plan audits. She negotiates with outside benefits providers, including prototype plan sponsors, third party administrators, insurers, actuaries and auditors. She also counsels both public and private clients on a wide array of tax and securities law issues in relation to equity-based arrangements.

To all those who work in the employee benefits arena, whether in legal, finance, benefits administration, payroll, tax, human resources, or many other disciplines, this is our annual reminder to celebrate the valuable and important work done for employees, beneficiaries, and Plan Sponsors alike.

This year, we focus on the increased attention on all things

With a multitude of questions surrounding implementation and administration, late on a summer Friday afternoon, the IRS issued Notice 2023-62 (Notice), providing Plan Sponsors with a transition period until 2026 to implement Roth catch-up contributions.

Catch-up contributions are a defined contribution plan feature many 401(k) and 403(b) Plan Sponsors are familiar with. Since being introduced

With another National Employee Benefits Day upon us, it is a good reminder for all involved in the world of Employee Benefits to pause (take three deep breaths) and use it as an opportunity to look back at where we’ve been over the last year and where we are going. While the challenges are many

President Biden announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the National Emergency declared by President Trump in 2020 will end on May 11, 2023.  The PHE relief issued in response to the pandemic affected group health plan coverage requirements related to COVID-19 prevention and treatment.  The National Emergency relief suspended deadlines that

Additional Tools for Employers to Encourage Retirement Savings

Matching Contributions on Student Debt Payments

One of the most eagerly anticipated provisions of the “SECURE 2.0” legislation is the ability for employers to “match” within a defined contribution savings plan employees’ payments of student debt.   This provision is just one of the many changes in SECURE

As many expected based on the draft opinion that was leaked months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court has held the U.S. Constitution does not protect the right to obtain an abortion. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392 (June 24, 2022).

Dobbs overturns nearly 50 years of precedent from the Court’s decision in 

On May 2, 2022, a draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was leaked to the press, and as a result the Court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, effectively leaving the issue of abortion rights to the states. Thirteen states currently

In our most recent summary of IRS Notice 2021-31, we noted the Internal Revenue Service provided much-needed clarity to looming compliance challenges as employers, insurers, and others race to implement the applicable COBRA premium subsidy provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).  While there are many other important clarifications made by