REGULATORY, LEGISLATIVE & COMPLIANCE .: Don’t Fall Prey to Disgruntled or Disloyal Employees and Employment Lawsuits!

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: How does it affect your Employees?
HIPAA, an acronym for what is also known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a piece of legislation that was passed under the title “Kennedy-Kassebaum Act” in 1996. It aims to aid workers who may have lost a job with an employer-funded health insurance program, and who deal with healthcare needs,...
(No rating) 4-17-2008 Views: 436

IRS Update - COBRA/FSA
COBRA requirements and Flex Plans The final IRS COBRA Regulations were issued on February 3, 1999. On the same day, the IRS issued proposed regulations that would modify the final regulations covering COBRA's application to a Health Flexible Spending Account. The effective date is for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2000. In...
(No rating) 6-8-2008 Views: 4364

FAQ Guide to FMLA
FAQ GUIDE TO THE FMLA ACT OF 1993 On February 5, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). This law became effective on August 5, 1993. The Department of Labor (DOL) issued final regulations on January 6, 1995 which became effective April 6, 1995. On February 11,...

4-22-2008 Views: 1598

Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse!
10 KEY EMPLOYMENT LAWS TO BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF For the most part, “common sense” and following the “golden rule” in our everyday lives at home and at work not only enriches our lives, but keeps us out of court, too! When you think about it, most lawsuits occur because we fail to apply common sense in a given situation, or fail to...
(No rating) 6-11-2008 Views: 1114

15 Things to Know About an Employee Handbook
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING OR EDITING YOUR EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK Each employer has unique attributes, policies, procedures and messages to relay to their present and future employees. With that said, an employee handbook is an easy, valuable way to transmit a lot of information in a comprehensive manner. Though federal and state laws...

4-21-2008 Views: 967

BEWARE - New Proposed FMLA Rules.
FMLA CHANGES ON THE HORIZON? Proposed revisions to the Family Medical Leave Act impact on a few critical areas. Definition of a serious health condition: The proposed rules would require that, in order to be a serious medical condition, two or more treatments must occur within 30 days of the start of incapacity. The ability...
(No rating) 6-10-2008 Views: 820

HIPAA Privacy Rule Requirements
Are Plan Sponsors (employers who offer/sponsor group health plans) required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rules published on August 14, 2002? While employers are not directly regulated by the new federal regulations governing the privacy of medical records, the HIPAA Privacy Rules indirectly affect employers that sponsor group health...
(No rating) 10-1-2008 Views: 740

Employee Promotions - 16 Things You Need to Know
BEFORE YOU PROMOTE AN EMPLOYEE Employee evaluation is an important part of a company’s quality assurance. Many companies formally evaluate an employee’s performance and progress after an initial trial period and then again on an annual or semi-annual basis. Although performance evaluations can improve productivity and employee morale,...
(No rating) 6-10-2008 Views: 723

OSHA Safety Compliance Starts at Home!
SAFETY IS WHERE THE HOME IS! OSHA safety rules apply to all employers in all industries and presumably you’re doing everything possible to keep your employees safe to comply with OSHA at the work place. We are all too familiar with The National Safety Council’s statistics on employee accidents on the job resulting in death and disability...

6-2-2008 Views: 257