Our Team

Education

Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
J.D. 2007
Cum Laude

— Catholic University Law Review, Associate Editor

Vanderbilt University
B.S., Mathematics and Economics, 2002
Cum Laude

Bar Admissions

State
Maryland (2007)
District of Columbia (2008)
Virginia (2018)

senior counsel

Email: ahedge@islerdare.com

Ashley Hedge is a Senior Counsel at IslerDare PC.

Ashley has over a decade of experience advising a wide range of clients on all aspects of employee benefit matters.   In her practice, she regularly advises on qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, executive compensation arrangements, and severance arrangements.  She works directly with human resources, legal, tax, and finance professionals to design, implement, and administer benefit programs to achieve business objectives in accordance with applicable law, including the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, and the Affordable Care Act.  Ashley is valued by her clients for her ability to distill complex legal issues and provide practical and actionable advice.

She routinely drafts plan documents, amendments, summary plan descriptions, and other required participant notifications and counsels clients on fiduciary obligations and reporting and filing requirements.   Ashley assists clients in identifying and resolving compliance failures, including fiduciary violations, operational errors, and plan document errors.   Ashley also counsels clients on employee benefits matters arising during corporate transactions.

Prior to joining the Firm in 2018, Ashley practiced employee benefits law with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C.

Ashley resides with her husband and three children in Potomac, Maryland.

Professional and Community Involvement

Bar Associations
American Bar Association, Section of Taxation
— Employee Benefits Committee
District of Columbia Bar, Section of Taxation
— Employee Benefits Committee

Publications

ERISA Group Health Plans: Recent Fee Litigation Creates Opportunities to Strengthen Fiduciary Oversight
Employee Benefits Update (August 2024)

Isler Dare EBU Health and Welfare Roundup
Employee Benefits Update (July 2024)

Retirement Plans: Grab Bag Guidance for SECURE 2.0
Employee Benefits Update (March 2024)

Isler Dare 2024 Benefit Plan Compliance Calendar
Employee Benefits Update (February 2024)

IRS Announces 2024 Benefit and Contribution Limits
Employee Benefits Update (November 2023)

Tri-Agencies Issue Wave of Guidance Focusing on Compliance with MHPAEA
Employee Benefits Update (August 2023)

Isler Dare EBU Health and Welfare Roundup
Employee Benefits Update (July 2023)

Roundup of Recent Developments Impacting Health and Welfare Plans
Employee Benefits Update (February 2023)

2023 Isler Dare Benefit Plan Compliance Calendar
Employee Benefits Update (January 2023)

Highlights of SECURE Act 2.0 for Employers
Employee Benefits Update (January 2023)

2022 Year-End Compliance Check-List
Employee Benefits Update (November 2022)

IRS Announces 2023 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits
Employee Benefits Update (October 2022)

No Surprises Act: Final Regulations and FAQs
Employee Benefits Update (September 2022)

Post-Dobbs: Employer and Benefit Plan Considerations
Employee Benefits Update (June 2022)

First Quarter 2022 Roundup of New Developments
Employee Benefits Update (April 2022)

Roundup of Recent Developments for Health and Welfare Plans
Employee Benefits Update (March 2022)

Dispute Resolution Procedures and Other Developments Impacting Costly Air Ambulance Claims Under Group Health Plans
Employee Benefits Update (March 2022)

2022 Isler Dare Compliance Calendar for Calendar Year Benefit Plans
Employee Benefits Update (January 2022)

2021 Year-End Compliance Checklist
Employee Benefits Update (December 2021)

IRS Announces 2022 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits
Employee Benefits Update (November 2021)

DOL Proposed Regulations Would Reverse Trump-Era ESG and Proxy Voting Rules for Retirement Plan Fiduciaries
Employee Benefits Update (October 2021)

Part II Interim Rules on Surprise Billing and Proposed Air Ambulance Regulations
Employee Benefits Update (October 2021)

Proposed Revisions to Form 5500
Employee Benefits Update (September 2021)

Delay in Enforcement of Key Requirements Under the No Surprises Act and the Group Health Plan Transparency Rules
Employee Benefits Update (September 2021)

Interim Final Regulations Issued That Prohibit Surprise Medical Bills
Employee Benefits Update (August 2021)

Significant Updates to the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System under Rev. Proc. 2021-30
Employee Benefits Update (August 2021)

DOL Cybersecurity Guidance and Audit Initiative
Employee Benefits Update (August 2021)

FAQs on the COBRA Subsidies and Election Rights Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Employee Benefits Update (May 2021)

DOL Releases Guidance Regarding Missing Participants
Employee Benefits Update (May 2021)

Benefit Plan Changes in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Employee Benefits Update (March 2021)

IRS Releases Guidance and Additional Relief for FSAs under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 with Notice 2021-15
Employee Benefits Update (March 2021)

2021 Compliance Calendar
Employee Benefits Update (January 2021)

Key Implications of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 on Employee Benefit Plans
Employee Benefits Update (January 2021)

IRS Announces 2021 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits
Employee Benefits Update (November 2020)

Deferral of Employee Social Security Taxes – Q&A
Employee Benefits Update (October 2020)

IRS Guidance on New Retirement Plan Features Under the SECURE Act
Employee Benefits Update (September 2020)

DOL Proposes Registration Requirements for Pooled Plan ProvidersEmployee Benefits Update (September 2020)

DOL Releases Interim Final Rule on Lifetime Income Illustrations
Employee Benefits Update (September 2020)

DOL Issues Guidance on Investment Duties of Retirement Plan Fiduciaries
Employee Benefits Update (July 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 8
Employee Benefits Update (July 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 7
Employee Benefits Update (July 2020)

Department of Labor Finalizes New Retirement Plan Electronic Disclosure Rules
Employee Benefits Update (May 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 6
Employee Benefits Update (May 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 5
Employee Benefits Update (May 2020)

New Model COBRA Notices and COVID-19 Extensions to COBRA Deadlines
Employee Benefits Update (May 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 4, Employee Benefits Update (April 2020)

Roundup of Recent Developments Affecting Health and Welfare Plans, Employee Benefits Update (April 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 3, Employee Benefits Update (March 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Employee Benefit Plans: Part 2, Employee Benefits Update (March 2020)

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Medical and Retirement Plans, Employee Benefits Update (March 2020)

2020 Compliance Calendar, Employee Benefits Update (January 2020)

Congressional Spending Bills Repeal Cadillac Tax and Other ACA Taxes and Pass Retirement Plan Changes, Employee Benefits Update (December 2019)

2019 Year-End Compliance Checklist, Employee Benefits Update (November 2019)

IRS Announces 2020 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits, Employee Benefits Update (November 2019)

U.S. Department of Labor Proposes New Electronic Disclosure Rule, Employee Benefits Update (October 2019)

IRS Releases Final Regulations Regarding Hardship Distribution Rules, Employee Benefits Update (September 2019)

DOL Releases Updated CHIP Notice, Employee Benefits Update (September 2019)

Retirement Plans News and Issues, Employee Benefits Update (September 2019)

New Developments Regarding Healthcare Plans and Retirement Plans, Employee Benefits Update (August 2019)

Recent Legal Developments for Employee Benefits Plans, Employee Benefits Update (May 2019)

Changes to Hardship Distribution and 403(b) Relief, Employee Benefits Update (January 2019)

2019 Compliance Calendar, Employee Benefits Update (January 2019)

2018 Year-End Compliance Checklist, Employee Benefits Update (November 2018)

IRS Announces 2019 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits, Employee Benefits Update (November 2018)

DOL Narrows Standards for Selecting Socially Responsible Retirement Plan Investments, Employee Benefits Update (June 2018)

The Elusive Search: Considerations for Locating Missing Retirement Plan Participants, Employee Benefits Update (April 2018)

Professional / Continuing Education Presentations

IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: What Benefit Plan Professionals Need to Know for 2024 (May 2024)

IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022: What Employers Need to Know (March 2023)

IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: Managing Fiduciary Risk For Your Retirement Plans in Today’s Inflationary and Litigious Environment (May 2022)

IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: Employee Benefits During the Pandemic: 2021 Trends and Developments (March 2021)

IslerDare Presentation to WATRA: Trends and Traps for the Unwary in Defined Contribution Plans, and New Developments including the SECURE Act (January 2020)

IslerDare Breakfast Briefing: 2019 Trends and Traps for the Unwary (March & April 2019)

IslerDare Breakfast Briefing: Fees, Benchmarking, and Best Practices: Steps You Should Take to Protect your Retirement Plans (May 2018)