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How July 1 HIPAA Changes Affect Your Wellness Program

It’s obvious the government loves workplace wellness programs. That’s why the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has exceptions that allow them. But those exceptions have just changed. Here’s how: When laws change, the traditional dates for making those changes are January 1 and July 1. Such was the case recently as the U.S. […]

Proactive Approach to Social Media Control

In yesterday’s Advisor, Alison Davis discussed rant sites—the dark side of social media. Today, she shares proactive practices for controlling social media use. Plus, we’ll take a look at a unique one-stop source for solving HR problems. The best approach to keeping former employees quiet, Davis says, is to tie agreements about future behavior, non-disclosure, […]

Leave: San Francisco Sick Leave Ordinance Poster Now Available

On Feb. 5, 2007, the landmark San Francisco law (Proposition F) requiring paid sick leave for all employees in the city and county of San Francisco takes effect. The law, which was approved by San Francisco voters during last November’s election, requires employers to provide covered employees with one hour of paid sick leave per […]

Tip Four: Recertify

–Have the employee recertify the condition as often as you can, in many cases, as often as every 30 days. This is at the worker’s expense and has proved a strong deterrent to bogus leave claims. Go to Tip Five

Hot List: New York Time’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times’s with data from Nielsen BookScan on October 18. 1. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh. The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented […]

Reasonable Accommodation: Court Examines Limits to Employer’s Obligation to Engage in Interactive Process with Disabled Employee

When Pacific Bell service technician Clarence Allen became disabled, his doctor told the company the disability prevented Allen from performing anything other than sedentary work. Allen then asked Pacific Bell to accommodate his disability by allowing him to return to his service technician position without requiring him to climb poles and ladders. Requested Accommodation Denied […]

Final HITECH Omnibus Rules Tighten Breach Notification

The HITECH Act is now here in full. The whole litany of tighter privacy and security requirements is in the long-awaited, long-delayed “omnibus” rules finalized Jan. 17 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and most of these will have to be met by this Sept. 23. The omnibus rules also include changes […]

COBRA

Court Recasts ERISA/Tax Claim Under PHSA, Allowing COBRA Notice Case to Proceed

By Gwen Cofield Governmental employers and the benefit plans they sponsor are generally exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provisions but are still required to offer COBRA coverage to qualified beneficiaries under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA).