HR Companies & HR Consultants in Scranton, PA

DeHEY McANDREW is a human resources and employee benefits consulting firm based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988, it has spent three decades supplying administrative, managerial and support work to employers that run their own HR departments and benefit programs. Its clients come from both the public and private sectors and range from small organizations to sizable employers. Much of its specialized work is aimed at school districts, colleges, hospitals and other nonprofit institutions.

What distinguishes the firm from many benefits advisors is its independence. DeHEY McANDREW has deliberately stayed clear of large network affiliations and does not act as an insurance broker. Because it takes no commissions, its recommendations are tied to the interests of the employer it serves rather than to any carrier or product vendor. Buyers who want an objective outside resource rather than a sales-driven benefits agency may find this model a useful point of comparison.

Retirement plan compliance for nonprofits

A major area of expertise is retirement plans governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b). After the IRS overhauled the 403(b) rules for plan years following 2008, sponsoring employers became directly accountable for the administration, compliance and fiduciary oversight of these tax-deferred retirement arrangements. The firm helps sponsors absorb that workload. Its support includes:

• Drafting the required written plan document
• Applying the universal availability requirement and running nondiscrimination testing
• Reviewing orphan plans left over from prior employers
• Tracking participant contribution limits, catch-up provisions and special maximums
• Helping select investment providers and meet fiduciary duties
• Handling Roth accounts, distributions, loans, hardship withdrawals and QDROs
• Explaining regulatory changes to plan participants
• Setting up early retirement incentives funded with employer 403(b) contributions

Cafeteria plans and flexible spending

The firm also builds, qualifies and runs flexible benefit programs under Section 125. These range from basic salary conversion arrangements to benefit exchange plans and fully flexible designs with multiple options. Plan design can be shaped around medical cost containment. The firm uses managed care choices, deductible and copay structures, and payroll pricing to influence how employees enroll.

Alongside these plans, it administers medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts with its own staff rather than outsourcing them, so employers deal with a single firm for both plan design and account handling.

Background and approach

The firm's capabilities rest on its Senior Partner's roughly 35 years of experience in human resources, labor relations, regulatory compliance and benefits financing. Over its history it has implemented management strategies, compliance measures and benefit plan structures built to satisfy Department of Labor and IRS requirements, EEOC rules, affirmative action obligations and ERISA.

Its website also has sections on health reform, health reimbursement arrangements and its professional affiliations, which reflects a practice centered on the technical side of benefits administration. For Pennsylvania employers, particularly those in the northeastern part of the state, it is a long-established, commission-free partner for benefit plan compliance and HR administration.