Sandra Mihok focuses on employee benefits and related areas, including plan design and drafting, tax compliance, fiduciary and investment issues, and HIPAA privacy compliance. She regularly represents clients in matters involving the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor. Representative Matters · Assists employers in the design, drafting, operation and communication of tax-qualified retirement plans, pension plans; cash balance plans; 401(k) plans; profit sharing plans; employee stock ownership plans; health, disability, life, severance and other welfare benefit programs; · Assists in the design and implementation of executive deferred compensation arrangements and in tax issues relating to such plans, including Code Section 409A compliance; · Specializes in medical privacy and data security issues under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for employers and health care providers; · Assists governmental employers in federal and state law compliance of employee benefit plans; · Assists the firm's litigation department in ERISA litigation matters. Professional Affiliations Women's Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania Worldwide Employee Benefits Network Pittsburgh Business Group on Health Community Involvement Adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University School of Law Articles/Speeches/Presentations · "Beyond the Biometrics," co-presented with Andy Quesnelle at the Eckert Seamans Human Resources Forum, November 2011. · "Multiemployer Plans: a Legal Perspective," co-presented with Brandon Richards at the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Construction Industry Conference, October 2011. · "New requirements for pension plans," co-authored with Malzorzata Kosturek for Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Spring 2011 and Eckert Seamans' Legal Update, Summer 2011. · "Does your health and wellness plan violate GINA?" Eckert Seamans' Legal Update, Spring 2010. · "Healthcare Reform and HIPAA," presented to Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, July 2009. · "Employee Benefits in a Down Market," co-presented with Kathryn English at CEBS Conference, May 2009. · "Healthcare Initiatives of Presidential Candidates," presented at Eckert Seamans' Continuing Legal Education program, August 2008. · "Spousal and Third Party Interests in Retirement Plans," presented to National Business Institute, Inc., March 2008. · "The Most Common HIPAA Privacy Mistakes Employers Make," Workforce Management Magazine, July 2008. · "HIPAA For Employers and the Litigators Who Defend Them," co-presented with Allison Feldstein at Eckert Seamans' Continuing Legal Education program, August 2007. · "Medicare Law Offers Employers Tax Incentives To Cover Retiree Prescription Drug Costs," Dynamic Business, April 2005. · "How Good Are Your Employee Benefits?," presented at Eckert Seamans, CLE Program, August 2002. · "Summary of HIPAA Privacy Rules," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, July 2002. · "Fiduciary Responsibilities," presented to UBF Financial Seminar, Summer 2002. · "Keep Voluntary Employee Benefits Out of ERISA," Eckert Seamans' Legal Update, Vol. 3 No. 2. |