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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, recently issued a pair of opinions highlighting disability discrimination issues that employers often stumble over in the hiring process.
The U.S. Department of Labor has launched http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/, a new online resource to promote disability awareness. The site is a collaborative effort across multiple federal agencies and includes information on employment, health care and other topics. It contains a resource section for employers, with guidance on legal responsibilities regarding disabled employees and applicants and links to […]
After being flooded with more than 11,000 comments from the public about proposed changes to federal health care privacy rules, the government has now released new privacy regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Generally, the new rules require health plans and providers to take steps to safeguard an individual’s PHI, or […]
Sacramento lawmakers are debating a host of proposals that would impact employers. We’ll look at some of the key legislation that’s on the table.
Most employers know they need to consider a disabled worker’s request for reasonable accommodations, which could include reassignment to another job. But does an employee’s demand for a particular accommodation trump your seniority rules? Not in most cases, according to a new U.S. Supreme Court decision that brings needed clarity to this question. But the […]
Typically, workers’ compensation is the only remedy for an employee who is injured on-the-job. But a California Court of Appeal now says that if the injury stems from your not reasonably accommodating an employee’s disability, the employee can bypass workers’ comp and sue you for damages. Disabled Employee Injured At Work Marilyn Bagatti was an […]
Because of recent national events, many employers have been developing or revising their emergency procedures to help ensure that employees can be evacuated safely. One issue that arises is that some employees with medical conditions may need special assistance in an emergency. To help you plan more effectively to help these workers, the federal Equal […]
The state Legislature’s newly approved workers’ comp reform bill (A.B. 749) imposes steep benefit hikes for injured workers that will likely hit employers hard in the pocketbook. After vetoing similar measures three times before, Gov. Davis has now signed the bill into law. We’ll run down the new law’s major provisions.
In the first of three cases the U.S. Supreme Court is considering this term that involve the Americans with Disabilities Act, the high court has issued a ruling that will make it harder for workers to prove they are entitled to reasonable accommodation under federal disabilities law. However, as we’ll explain, the new decision, which […]
Under federal law, employers with 20 or more employees must offer continued health plan benefits, at the workers’ expense, for a period of time after employment ends. And in California, employers with fewer than 20 employees must also do so. However, under both federal and state regulations, you don’t have to offer this COBRA coverage […]