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Marking Anniversary, Feds Call ADA Amendments ‘a Promising Start’

Federal courts are off to “a promising start” in issuing rulings under the ADA Amendments Act according to the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency. NCD says that recent rulings are a substantial improvement over pre-amendments decisions in achieving the broad scope of coverage that Congress intended. That finding is part of an […]

Black History Month: Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass […]

Final Health Reform Exchange Rules Flesh Out Privacy and Security Requirements

Final rules that will govern the state-based insurance exchanges created by health reform include more detailed privacy and security requirements for the exchanges themselves and participating insurers. These restrictions also will apply indirectly to agents, brokers and others involved in this process. In the rules, published March 27 (77 Fed. Reg. 18310), the U.S. Department […]

Harassment Policies Still #1, But Social Media Biggest Challenge (Policy Survey Results)

Harassment and discrimination policies are the still the most widely implemented policies, but social media policies are the most likely to cause a challenge in the coming year, according to a recent survey of HR policies conducted by BLR and the Daily Advisors. Thanks to all who participated! Here are the detailed results: Most Common […]

Health Benefits: New Strict Time Limits For Claims And Appeals

New Department of Labor regulations on health benefit claims and appeals procedures reduce the time allowed for processing claims and reviewing claim denials. The rules apply to claims filed on or after Jan. 1, 2002, under all ERISA-governed health plans including employer-provided health programs such as dental and vision coverage, disability plans and HMOs.

Section 503 Hiring Goal for Contractors Effective in March

The U.S. Department of Labor will finalize new Section 503 regulations Sept. 24, according to the Office of the Federal Register. The rules create several new responsibilities for federal contractors and subcontractors, including a mandate that they aim to have workers with disabilities make up 7 percent of their workforces. If the rules are published […]

Employer Match May Matter Less Than Threshold, Study Finds

By Jane Meacham Many employers match a percentage of employees’ contributions to their retirement funds. But what impact does that match have? A new academic study found that participation and contributions in U.S. employer-sponsored retirement plans increase when a matching contribution is offered but that the match’s impact on savings is less significant than other […]

Sexual Harassment: New Legislation Exposes You To Liability For Low-Level Supervisors’ Misconduct

Under California law, you can be automatically liable for harassment committed by your managers and supervisors even if you had no notice of the problem and did nothing wrong. But just who qualifies as a supervisor has long been a troubling and important question because your chances of being held responsible increase as more employees […]