The ERISA Blog

DOL Announces New Mailing Address for DFVC and Extension of Mental Health Parity Provisions

DOL has announced:

• A new mailing address for the DFVC Program. Read the News Release here. The new address takes effect April 11, 2006.
• A technical amendment extending the interim final rules under the Mental Health Parity Act ("MHPA") to December 31, 2006. Late last year, the Employee Retirement Preservation Act (P.L. 109-151) extended MHPA's sunset date under ERISA, the Code, and the Public Health Service Act to December 31, 2006. This interim amendment conforms the regulatory sunset date to the new statutory sunset date.

(The MHPA requires that annual or lifetime dollar limits for mental heath benefits be no lower than the dollar limits for medical/surgical benefits offered by a group health plan. The act applies to group health plans or health insurance coverage offered by issuers in connection with a group health plan that offers both mental health and medical/surgical benefits. However, it does not require plans to offer mental health benefits.The MHPA provisions in ERISA generally apply to all group health plans other than governmental plans, church plans, and certain other plans.)