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A health insurer agreed to pay $1.5 million and adopt a detailed corrective action plan to resolve HIPAA security allegations stemming from a 2009 data breach. This is the first HIPAA enforcement action to result from the breach reports now required by the HITECH Act. Like many data breaches that have been making the news […]
The California Labor Commissioner has scheduled a public forum to discuss meal and rest period issues. The forum will be held tomorrow, August 2, in Sacramento. For those who cannot attend, the Labor Commissioner will accept written comments until August 31, 2007. Also, an second forum is being planned for the Southern California area, although […]
After a 13-year wait, the Internal Revenue Service has just released its comprehensive regulations covering COBRA health benefits continuation coverage. The new regulations-which are a complex mix of final and so-called proposed rules-clarify several gray areas of the law but don’t change the basic COBRA mandates, including the detailed notice requirements. Even though the rules […]
The Treasury Department and the IRS have announced that certain over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can be reimbursed through employers’ flexible spending accounts (FSAs). This means that reimbursements by FSAs and other employer health plans allow employees to make their purchases with pretax dollars.
As an employer, you’re allowed to require an employee to provide certification of the need for requested medical leave. But the details of obtaining these certifications can get tricky.
by Christopher J. Pyles Many (many) years ago when I was in college, I spent Thanksgiving Day with a bachelor uncle at a football game. In celebration of the season, we bought a frozen turkey on the way home . . . and sadly discovered that you can’t just toss a turkey in the oven […]
You’re going to find out interesting things about potential employees online, says attorney Eric Meyer—like how often they update FaceBook—and some of what you find is going to be information you would NEVER ask about in an interview. What are you going to find out online? Gender is typically no surprise, says Meyer. It’s likely […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Edward M. Richters offered some salient truths about going to court. Today, how a typical court appearance might go, and an introduction to the best approach for making sure your managers aren’t begging for a lawsuit. Richters’s comments came at a workplace law symposium sponsored by national employment law firm Jackson […]
Let’s look at a fast-growing trend in corporate benefits of helping employees who are saddled with education-related debt. Today, we outline the main design elements that will structure leadership’s approaches to the perk.
It’s now official: The effective dates regarding fiduciary and participant fee disclosure regulations for retirement plans have been extended. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a final rule (which becomes effective July 15) providing that: Fiduciary-level Fee Disclosure Regulation: The effective date for the interim final rule is extended from July 16, 2011, […]