Ms. Heppner focuses her practice on employee health and welfare benefits.  She provides clients with practical advice on how to comply with the myriad of laws that impact these plans such as ERISA, HIPAA, ADEA, ADA, federal tax law, and various state laws.  She also represents clients before the DOL, IRS, HHS and other federal agencies.

Ms. Heppner has extensive experience including:

• Compliance with the ACA Employer Mandate and marketplace reforms;
• Preparing integrated or “wrap” plan documents to reduce annual Form 5500 filings;
• Drafting readable summary plan descriptions and benefit summaries;
• Negotiating administrative service agreements for medical, dental, prescription drug, wellness, disability, and flexible benefits;
• Preparing HIPAA business associate agreements, policies and procedures, privacy notices, and implementing firewalls between the benefit and personnel departments;
• Evaluating state and local sick leave laws;
• Evaluating state privacy breach notification laws for multi-state plan sponsors;
• Evaluating potential retiree health and welfare benefit exposure and implementing cost reduction measures;
• Advising benefit committees regarding fiduciary and settlor issues;
• Evaluating potential benefits litigation exposure and implementing procedural measures to reduce risk; and
• Assisting with the health and welfare aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

Ms. Heppner is a member of the Atlanta Track Club, and frequently volunteers at local youth distance running events.

Ms. Heppner has written extensively on health and welfare employee benefits issues and has also been a frequent speaker.  She has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for employee benefits law.

Ms. Heppner received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Louisville in 1997, and her J.D. at the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2000.  She is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia.