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IRS to Rewrite ‘Minimum Value’ ACA Rules to Include Coverage for Hospitals, Doctors

The IRS is asking the public for input into a rule that will determine when an employer-sponsored health plan is offering “substantial coverage” of inpatient hospital and physician services. This will be part of new rules defining minimum value in employer-sponsored health coverage. Employer-sponsored coverage must meet two tests to comply with the employer mandate: […]

Financial Wellness Impacts Other Benefits, Too

In this article, we’re going to discuss employee wellness, but not in the way you might expect. Employees today often suffer financial ill health, so financial wellness is the topic. And financial wellness can cover a lot of ground in your benefits program and, more importantly, in your workforce. Read more.

Cafeteria Plans Can Help Employers Avoid Pay-or-Play Penalties

Employer contributions to a Section 125 cafeteria plan can be deducted from the employee’s cost of a health plan for purposes of determining the affordability of coverage, final IRS rules on minimum essential coverage published on Nov. 26 (79 Fed. Reg. 70464) stipulate. In order to be deducted, the café plan benefit must not be […]

Business Travel and the Zika Virus

By Catherine Morton Gray, JD, BLR Senior Managing Editor The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Zika virus a “public health emergency of international concern.” According to WHO, the virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and is linked to a spike in birth defects in cases where the mother contracted the virus during pregnancy. Also, […]

Disability-Related Questions And Medical Exams, Part 1: EEOC Releases Guidance On When You Can Get Health Information From Employees

Five years ago, the EEOC issued rules explaining which medical exams you could require and what health questions you could ask job applicants without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now, newly released guidance from the EEOC helps clear up some of the uncertainty employers face when these types of issues come up […]

Employers Increasingly Offer PTO for Adoption (Infographic)

Employers are increasingly offering paid time off for adoptions, according to a new report from consulting group Mercer. The benefit is likely an attempt to meet the needs of a workforce in which the definition of “family” now includes same-sex parents, the firm said. While employees in the U.S. have access to 12 weeks’ unpaid […]

Is Every Employee Disabled?

By Michael E. Barnsback That was the question we received at the conclusion of the ADA Compliance Virtual Summit, which I conducted with Audra Hamilton on June 15, 2011. The question was reasonable after conference participants learned that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) new regulations emphasize that the focus of the Americans with Disabilities […]

Performance Appraisals 2013–What’s Happening in the Real World?

Everyone admits that performance appraisals are important—but few are pleased with the effectiveness of their process. What’s happening with performance management in the real world? What’s working? What are your competitors up to? Let’s find out! Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful […]

‘Free Choice Act’ Is Deceptive Labeling, Lawyer Says

Attorney Phillip Russell, a speaker at the upcoming National Employment Law Update conference, says the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is laden with pitfalls for employers and employees alike. Heading toward passage? While many experts predict that the EFCA will pass Congress and become law—even in modified form—some are deriding the Act as a case […]