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Health Benefits: New HIPAA Nondiscrimination Rules for Wellness Programs

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has published final rules regarding compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for wellness programs. The rules will be effective on the first day of the plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2007. For calendar year […]

Hot List: The Library Journal’s Best Business Books of 2009, Part 3

In its 133rd year of publication, Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field, with review sections evaluating nearly 7000 books annually, along with hundreds of audiobooks, videos, databases, web sites, and systems that libraries buy. Recently, Library Journal released its list of the 32 best business books of 2009, dividing the books into nine categories. Here are the final three categories.

Why Are Women Paid Less? Our Readers Talk Back

HRDA readers respond to our CEO’s suggestion that the gender pay gap isn’t  decreasing faster because women simply often don’t know how to ask for more. A few Fridays ago, our CEO, Bob Brady, ignited a bit of a firestorm in this space with his column on why … and to what degree … women […]

News Notes: Revised 401(k) Rules Reduce Need For Waiting Periods

A little-noticed law that goes into effect on January 1, 1999, may enable companies to eliminate or reduce waiting periods for new hires who want to participate in 401(k) plans. Many employers are reluctant to immediately allow new employees to join 401(k) plans. The primary reason is that their typically lower contributions can pull down […]

Ruling on Reformation Opens More Adjustments of Plan Terms

A federal appeals court agreed with a retirement plan plaintiff that he did not have to show “actual harm” to seek a retirement plan reformation after alleged inadequate communication about a change in his former employer’s defined benefit plan. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Geoffrey Osberg and other plaintiffs in Osberg […]

Car Washes Cleaned Out for $350K in Labor Violations

The DLSE has issued 47 citations for a grand total of $356,200 to car wash businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The citations stemmed from a two-day enforcement sweep in which DLSE investigators visited 72 car washes in those counties and found violations that included employing minors without proper work permits, not providing itemized […]

Were Overseas Employees Properly Classified as Hourly Workers?

By Kevin C. McCormick, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP In a recent unpublished decision, the 4th Circuit—which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia—held that several employees who worked for an American company overseas were properly classified as hourly employees despite some confusion about the offer letters describing their compensation.

Romney: Repeal and Replace Health Reform Law With More Consumerism, Tax-based Incentives

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently provided more details on his own health reform plan, stating that if elected, on his first day in office, says he will issue an executive order for the federal government to issue health reform waivers to all 50 states, and immediately work on repealing the health reform law passed […]

Employers Will Bear Burden of Filling Reform Fund to Stabilize Individual Market

Employers that sponsor health plans are bracing themselves for a significant tax hit under health reform. Health reform’s transitional reinsurance program, which will require insurers and self-funded plans to pay billions of dollars to partly reimburse commercial insurers writing individual policies for patients with very high medical costs, imposes large costs on employers to further […]

Privacy: New Restrictions on Using Social Security Numbers in Mailings; Public and Private Employers Now Covered

In July 2002, a law took effect restricting the display of consumer Social Security numbers (SSNs) by California businesses. Although the law wasn’t targeted at the workplace, it had implications for employers’ use and display of worker SSNs. On Jan. 1, 2004, a follow-up law will further limit SSN use in mailings. Here’s what you […]