Most Popular

Medicare Payment Does Not Trump Plan Exclusion: Specialty Rx Denial Stands

A federal district court blocked an effort to force an ERISA health plan to pay secondary for an expensive specialty drug that was excluded from coverage because it wasn’t filled at an in-network provider as required by plan terms. The U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois rejected the plaintiff‘s argument that whenever Medicare covered a […]

Lots of LinkedIn Connections Means Lots of LinkedIn Results

[Go here for tips 1 to 5] 6. Build Connections It’s important to have a lot of connections, Serdula says. This is because first connections can look at each other’s first connections. You get to see their updates/posts, and if they know someone you want to know, you can ask for an introduction via LinkedIn. […]

Workers’ Compensation: Court Upholds WCAB Decision That Employer Terminated Employee Because of Industrial Injury; Practical Tips to Help You Avoid Retaliation Claims

Appliance installer Morton Wong injured his elbow while employed at Crown Appliance in Modesto. Wong claimed he always had a good working relationship with Crown’s owner, Mary Sanchez, but that things went downhill when he returned to work following the injury. Eventually, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) found that Crown illegally discriminated against Wong […]

Are You Using Stay Interviews?

Turnover costs employers more than they’d like to admit. On average, an employee stays at a position for 4.6 years. Additionally, many employers believe that their college graduates won’t stay more than 2 years. How can you deal with this problem, especially in a climate of talent shortages? The answer just might be the stay […]

Communicating Healthcare Benefits Isn’t Easy, But It’s Essential

One of the most difficult communication challenges for Human Resources professionals is explaining healthcare benefits.  With healthcare options consistently changing and the list of medical acronyms forever expanding, it’s no wonder developing these communications can be frustrating. Yet, employees need help understanding the issues, which is why developing a strong healthcare benefits communications effort is […]

Mariano Rivera—Nothing but Class

Dan Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered his thoughts on what leaders can learn from Mariano Rivera in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter . Here are his thoughts. Either you love the New York Yankees or you hate them. I’m a hater. I grew up hating them. They were the antithesis of my beloved […]

Suspicion of FMLA Abuse Does Not Justify Firing, Says Court

Just when you may have thought the road was clear to an “honest belief” defense that linked employee termination to suspected leave abuse under the Family and Medical Leave Act, a ruling has put the brakes on that notion. A California appellate court has issued a decision against a large auto retailer that should cause […]