28 May

Posted at 17:36h in COVID-19, Employee Benefits by . .
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HR Compliance Bulletin header image On May 28, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated and additional answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how employers should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal fair employment laws while also observing all applicable emergency workplace safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new and updated FAQs address whether employers may require or provide incentives for employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. They were added to guidance that the EEOC first issued on March 18, 2020, and then updated several times. The last update was made in December 2020.

21 May

Posted at 16:04h in COVID-19, Employee Benefits by . .
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Legal Update Header On May 18, 2021, the IRS issued Notice 2021-31, a guidance document on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) subsidy for continuation health coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA).

The Notice discusses the background of the subsidy and includes 86 questions and answers (Q&As) about its application.

14 May

Posted at 17:28h in COVID-19, Employee Benefits by . .
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HR Compliance Bulletin header image The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has updated its “COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act Questions and Answers” web page, originally published in 2020.

As before, the Q&As explain that—under the FMLA—covered employers must provide eligible employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons. Additionally, employees on FMLA leave are entitled to the continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms that were in effect before they took leave.

29 Apr

Posted at 23:13h in COVID-19, Employee Benefits by . .
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News Brief header In a joint statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended lifting a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

On April 13, the agencies recommended a pause on the J&J one-dose vaccine after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the vaccine. Reports of adverse events following the use of the J&J vaccine suggested an increased risk of a rare adverse event called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Nearly all reports of this serious condition, which involves blood clots with low platelets, have been in adult women under the age of 50.

16 Apr

Posted at 19:58h in COVID-19, Employee Benefits by . .
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HR Compliance Bulletin header image On April 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) premium assistance for health insurance continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) and similar state mini-COBRA programs.

The DOL’s FAQs are reprinted in this Compliance Bulletin.