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News Notes: Self-Insured Employer On The Hook For Insolvent Insurer’s Portion Of Workers’ Comp Benefits

As some workers’ comp insurers struggle to stay afloat, you may be wondering what would happen if yours became insolvent. In a recent case, a Denny’s employee’s work-related cumulative injury occurred over a one-year period that overlapped two months with the time Denny’s was self-insured for workers’ comp. During the other 10 months, Denny’s was […]

Bulletin Item: New Cash Balance Regulations Proposed By The Treasury Department

The proposal would protect older workers during cash balance conversions by, among other measures, imposing a five-year hold harmless period. During this period the benefits earned by any employee would have to be at least as valuable as benefits under a traditional plan. The new regulations would also provide that cash balance plans do not […]

DOL Proposes Rule To Reveal 401(K) Plan Fees

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule that would force 401(k) plan administrators to report compensation they derive directly and indirectly from their services. In addition, the rule would require plan administrators to disclose in writing potential conflicts of interest to plan fiduciaries, namely employers. The regulation’s main purpose is to […]

News Notes: NIOSH Recommends Ways To Prevent Work-Related Roadway Deaths

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published a new report with practical recommendations for how employers can prevent work-related roadway crashes, which have become the leading cause of job-related fatalities nationwide. The tips are useful not just for companies that employ full-time professional drivers such as truckers but also for employers […]

Wage/Hour—Good News (Courts Losing Patience), Bad News (No One’s in Compliance)

There’s good news (sort of) and bad news for employers in the outlook for 2012, say attorneys from theEmployers Counsel Network. They covered new developments in wage/hour compliance during a presentation at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Nashville and Las Vegas. Wage and Hour—‘No One Is in Compliance’ No one is in […]

News Notes: EEOC Launches New Employer-Based Mediation Program, Investigations Web Page

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced the implementation of a voluntary mediation pilot program in which private-sector bias charges filed with the EEOC will be referred back to an employer’s internal dispute resolution program. To participate, the dispute resolution program must be voluntary and free to employees. 

News Notes: New Guidance Available On Health Care Privacy Rules

As we reported in an earlier article, the government recently released new privacy regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As the April 14, 2003, compliance deadline approaches, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidance (available on our website), including frequently asked questions, explaining significant aspects of the […]

News Notes: Aging Hollywood Writers Get Green Light For Lawsuits

  A California appeals court has ruled that a group of Hollywood screenwriters can proceed with 23 class action age-bias lawsuits against the major studios, television networks, talent agencies, and production companies. The lawsuits, filed by the Writers’ Guild of America, allege that the studios, networks, and production companies crafted a “youth-oriented corporate culture that indiscriminately […]