Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Most HR professionals (and a lot of laymen, too) are at least familiar with Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) in general terms. We know that it gives employees the chance to continue their former employer’s insurance coverage for a while after leaving a job. But what law is this part of? And how long […]
On procedural grounds, a federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against an employer that had conditioned health coverage on participation in a wellness program.
Does your workplace offer any type of flexible work arrangements for employees? Or are your employees requesting more flexible options? With ever-improving technology, more and more jobs can be performed from any location, which opens up a lot of options for employers looking to provide this sought-after benefit for employees. What options are most common?
Federal government enforcement lawsuits brought by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)—including those centered on Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) violations—continued at an aggressive pace in 2016 but were less effective in terms of number of filings and recoveries when compared with previous years, according to annual report on workplace class action litigation.
by Lisa Higgins, Contributing Editor
According to IMS Health 2015 Report of Use of Drugs in the US, 35%–40% of pharmacy-related costs for employers can be attributed to specialty medications, even though they are used to treat just 1%–2% of pharmacy benefit members. That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the dollars involved.
Generally speaking, money contributed to a health flexible spending account (FSA) in any plan year can be used only to reimburse qualified expenses incurred during that year; money not used to reimburse eligible medical expenses incurred during the plan year is forfeited.
More than any other concern as it relates to hiring and retention, finding and hiring top tech talent keeps executives up at night—more than keeping the team they have in place and more than staying competitive with regard to salary and bonuses. According to the Harris Allied Tech Hiring and Retention Survey for 2017, half […]
The practice of allowing employees to work from home—known as telecommuting—is a growing trend. Today’s technology allows many employees to work from anywhere. Telecommuting can be a plus for both you and your employees. Your company benefits because you pay less in fixed overhead costs when you don’t have to provide a traditional office for workers, and employees often enjoy the flexibility of working from home.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed to shift the definitions of qualified matching contributions (QMACs) and qualified nonelective contributions (QNECs) to employer-sponsored retirement plans to apply at account allocation, not at the initial plan contribution stage.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), has announced the first Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) settlement based on the untimely reporting of a breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI).