27 Mar

Posted at 15:37h in Compliance White Papers, COVID-19, HR and Operations by . .

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has directed its field staff to observe a temporary nonenforcement period for the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Issued on March 24, 2020, the DOL’s Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-1 (FAB) indicates that the agency will not take any enforcement actions against FFCRA-covered […]

26 Mar

Posted at 20:17h in White Papers by . .

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.

These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.

26 Mar

Posted at 15:37h in Employee Benefits White Papers, HR and Operations, Risk Management, Risk Management White Papers by . .

Safety Matters HeaderCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has spread from China to many other countries around the world, including the United States. Depending on the severity of COVID-19’s international impacts, outbreak conditions—including those rising to the level of a pandemic—can affect all aspects of daily life, including travel, trade, tourism, food supplies, and financial markets.

To reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak conditions on businesses, workers, customers, and the public, it is important for all employers to plan now for COVID-19. For employers who have already planned for influenza pandemics, planning for COVID-19 may involve updating plans to address the specific exposure risks, sources of exposure, routes of transmission, and other unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., compared to pandemic influenza viruses). Employers who have not prepared for pandemic events should prepare themselves and their workers as far in advance as possible of potentially worsening outbreak conditions. Lack of continuity planning can result in a cascade of failures as employers attempt to address challenges of COVID-19 with insufficient resources and workers who might not be adequately trained for jobs they may have to perform under pandemic conditions.

26 Mar

Posted at 00:32h in Compliance White Papers, COVID-19, Employee Benefits, HR and Operations by . .

As business closures increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are faced with questions about compensation and health benefit coverage for their employees. Government relief measures may provide compensation for businesses and individuals in certain situations. In other cases, existing rules on employee rights will apply.

Paid leave may be required for some employees by federal or state law. Also, some state insurance regulators are requiring insurance carriers to provide policyholders with additional flexibility regarding premiums and coverage, and some carriers are making similar changes independent of state requirements. This Compliance Overview provides a summary of the issues that employers may encounter when terminating or suspending employment due to COVID-19.

25 Mar

Posted at 17:35h in Compliance White Papers, COVID-19, HR and Operations by . .

Legal Update HeaderOn March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued guidance explaining the paid leave requirements under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The FFCRA expanded the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow partially compensated employee leave for child care purposes related to COVID-19. The FFCRA also provided for employee paid sick leave for specific COVID-19-related reasons, including an employee’s own illness or quarantine. The Act included other measures to address the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on workers.