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IR-2020-201, September 3, 2020

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that Rachel Leiser Levy is the new Associate Chief Counsel, Employee Benefits, Exempt Organizations and Employment Taxes (EEE).

Levy has served as a principal at Groom Law Group in Washington, D.C., since 2015. She has an extensive background on issues including employee benefits, employment taxes and exempt organizations, including work at the Treasury Department and the Joint Committee on Taxation. She begins in her new role Sept. 29.

“Rachel brings a strong set of skills from both inside and outside the government to this critical position for Chief Counsel and the IRS,” said Mike Desmond, IRS Chief Counsel. “We look forward to her coming on board and are fortunate to have her join our staff.”

EEE provides published guidance, field support and taxpayer advice on a wide array of topic areas including qualified retirement plans, health and welfare and other employee benefits, executive compensation and fringe benefits, tax-exempt entities, employment tax, state and local governments and Indian tribal governments.

Previously, Levy was an attorney-advisor and then associate benefits tax counsel with the Office of Tax Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury, from March 2012 to February 2015. In this capacity, she developed policies and guidance related to the taxation of employee benefits, employment taxes and exempt organizations and coordinated with IRS, Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Domestic Policy Counsel on all aspects of health care reform implementation.

She also was a legislation counsel for the Joint Committee on Taxation from August 2008 to March 2012. She assisted in the development and drafting of the Affordable Care Act; the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010; the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act of 2010; the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010; the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008.

In addition to her government service, Levy has extensive private-sector experience.

In addition to serving as principal at Groom Law Group in Washington, D.C., she also was an associate with Covington & Burling LLP and with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.

Levy received her B.A. in literature from Yeshiva University and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School where she was a member of the Law Review.