Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Joseph C. Pettygrove Employers are increasingly looking at the feasibility of scanning hard copies of various types of employment documents and retaining only the electronic copies in the routine course of business. Generally speaking, you are allowed to do that if you ensure that your electronic record maintenance systems are secure, accurate, reliable, and […]
Federal and state governments require multiple notices to employees, but do they also require them in foreign languages for non-English-speaking workers? The short answer … maybe. Because you’re conscientious about employment law, you’ve put up the required safety and health, family leave, USERRA, and other postings. And you’ve supplied your employees with required information under […]
Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851) into law. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate by a 59-38 vote and the U.S. House of Representatives by a 289-112 vote yesterday, extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The new […]
President Obama has signed legislation extending the deadline for COBRA continuation coverage subsidies, allowing workers who are involuntarily terminated in March to qualify for the program. The Senate approved the legislation, the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (H. R. 4691), late on Tuesday.
In today’s world of corporate belt-tightening and budget cutbacks, you might find yourself wondering whether the expense of an HR staff is actually justified by the benefits. After all, HR doesn’t create revenue for the company — it doesn’t operate the machinery that produces the widgets, and it doesn’t drive sales. In fact, the perception […]
The Obama administration proposed another extension of COBRA premium subsidy benefits on Monday, according to Business Insurance. President Barack Obama included this latest extension in his proposed federal budget for the fiscal year 2011. The proposed extension would reportedly extend the 65 percent premium subsidy to individuals whose employment is terminated between March 1, 2010, […]
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was enacted in February 2009. Among other things, the ARRA provides a COBRA premium subsidy for employees who are laid off or terminated. The subsidy requires employers to pay for 65 percent of a separated employee’s COBRA premium, which the federal government then reimburses to employers.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) just released updated COBRA Model Notices that reflect the COBRA subsidy extension that was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. The new COBRA subsidy legislation extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 […]
Last week, President Barack Obama signed legislation into law that extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The legislation extends: the total allowable time an individual could receive the COBRA subsidy by six months (from nine to 15 months); and the subsidy to individuals who […]
President Barack Obama signed legislation into law today that would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The legislation was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 3326), a bill that appropriates funds for the Department of Defense. The bill passed the U.S. […]