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Employers Must Consider Transferring Employees Who Require Specialized Medical Care

Employers must consider transferring employees with disabilities so they can be close to medical care, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Sanchez v. Vilsack (No. 11-2118 (10th Cir. Sept. 19, 2012)). Clarice Sanchez worked as a secretarial employee for the U.S. Forest Service. When she fell at work, she sustained brain damage […]

Health Insurance—What Are Best Employers Doing to Control Costs?

Health insurance costs. We’ll wager that every employer—and every employee—is concerned. So how are companies coping? Let’s ferret out best practices; what’s working in the real world? For years, BLR has surveyed HR and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your participation in our monthly series of brief, targeted benefits surveys. Today’s […]

New Website Launched to Combat Comp Fraud

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has unveiled a new website aimed at combatting workers’ compensation fraud by spotlighting workers’ comp fraud convictions. The commissioner says the site will be updated monthly with new conviction data.

High Court to Review Employee Reimbursement Ruling

Recently, a California employer was hauled into court by an employee because the employer refused to reimburse its workers for their actual automobile business expenses. Instead, the employer paid an increased commission that it contended was fully sufficient to cover an employee’s business use of his or her personal vehicle. An appeals court took the […]

Race Bias Charges and Lawsuits Result in Costly Settlements

A federal judge recently granted final approval of a settlement resolving a class action race bias lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Walgreens Co., the nation’s largest drugstore chain. Under the settlement, Walgreens will pay over $24 million to approximately 10,000 African-American workers who charged they were discriminated against in […]

Litigation Trends: More Regulation, More Investigations, (A Little) Less Litigation

Regulatory actions and internal investigations are climbing, according to the 2011 Fulbright & Jaworski Litigation Trends Survey; however, businesses faced slightly less litigation in 2011 than in 2010. More than one-third of respondents report there has been an increase in external regulatory inquiries directed at their companies, and more than one-quarter of respondents expect the […]

Government Proposal Refines Reform Fees on Health Plans

A proposed rule put on public display Nov. 26 adjusts Transitional Reinsurance Program rules and tries to put out fires left burning by the ever-moving target of health care reform. For example, it proposes a lower contribution level insurers and self-funded plans would pay in 2015 to a transitional reinsurance fund, and gives employers the […]

Survey Says: Health Costs Boggle, But Employers Won’t Cut Coverage

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Nearly 70 percent of respondents to a recent BLR/HRHero survey on health insurance benefits said they expect their health insurance costs to rise in 2012, but an equal number believe that health insurance is too important a part of the compensation package to consider eliminating it. […]