The Wellness Compliance Institute (WCI) is focused exclusively on improving wellness compliance and ensuring that champions, organizations and communities are conducting themselves in a moral and ethical manner. As the wellness industry expands, the need to provide compliance guidance, tools, resources and support is essential.
The Wellness Compliance Institute, Inc. (WCI) is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) organization that started in 2015 to help the wellness industry achieve compliance with the various federal laws that impact wellness programming. In January 2021, WCI agreed to be acquired by the National Wellness Institute. The combined organizations provide a single source for leaders to learn from and drive a comprehensive, compliant multidimensional, multicultural high-level wellness initiative.
Wellness compliance can get complicated due to the number of federal departments that are involved, which include but are not limited to the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services. Further, specific laws that wellness compliance must follow include Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), Affordable Care Act (ACA), and others. A wellness champion needs to understand how to navigate these legal and ethical waters.
The Wellness Compliance Institute provides a very comprehensive overview of the rules and regulations necessary to maintain a legally compliant program. Developed by lawyers and compliance experts, WCI offers leaders peace of mind to know that their programs are legally and ethically driving positive change. As wellness programs continue to offer financial incentives for wellness participation and to collect individual health information through health assessments, biometric screenings, and wellness devices, it will be critical that the program designers and administrators have confidence that the program complies with the laws. WCI’s purpose is to serve as that full-service compliance resource.
Wellness Compliance Institute’s mission is to advance comprehensive, multidimensional, multicultural high-level wellness by providing compliance education, resources, and tools, as well as standards of conduct for wellness professionals and brokers/advisors .
In 2015, WCI founder Barbara J. Zabawa exposed a gap in wellness compliance education and resources after attending numerous workplace wellness events. Individuals participating in the workplace wellness industry expressed a desire for help in understanding the legal rules that apply to workplace wellness program design and implementation. Many individuals who advise workplace wellness programs are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the various rules that can impact workplace wellness programs. As a result, WCI aims to offer easy-to-understand educational tools, such as a Certificate Course that pairs with the Rule the Rules for Workplace Wellness Programs text, which aids in building knowledge of compliance for workplace wellness programs. In January 2021, WCI elected to merge with the worldwide voice of the wellness community, the National Wellness Institute. Combined, wellness leaders now have a one-stop shop for training and development, compliance, codes of conduct, community, and connections.
The courses, resources, and information provided on this website are designed for educational purposes only and should never be considered or construed to be the provision of legal advice. For individual legal advice, it is necessary to obtain legal counsel in the jurisdiction where such appropriate advice can be provided.
