The Internal Revenue Service has issued Notice 2009-27 (.pdf), providing new guidance relating to the COBRA subsidy made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Notice 2009-27 provides guidance on the definition of involuntary termination and assistance eligible individual. It also provides more detail on calculating the subsidy and determining the election … Read more »
Category: Human Resources
Limiting Access to the Courts in a Collective Bargaining Agreement
The United States Supreme Court handed a clear win for employers in 14 Penn Plaza LLC v. Pyett. Members of the Service Employees International Union, were employed to provide security services to a New York City office building owned and managed by 14 Penn Plaza. A provision in the collective bargaining agreement prohibited discrimination, but … Read more »
The New COBRA Subsidy: An Update for Employers
The Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group at Bingham McCutchen LLP put together a nice summary of the steps employers need to take in light of the changes to COBRA under the the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. They dive into many of the details of who is eligible for the subsidy and … Read more »
COBRA Expansion and Premium Subsidy Under The 2009 Stimulus Act
Jack Eiferman, Director, Goulston & Storrs, specializes in healthcare and Adrienne Markham, Director, Goulston & Storrs, specializes in employment law gave this webinar and I thought I would share my notes. Adrienne pointed out that federal COBRA is only for companies with more than 20 employees. Massachusetts, like many other states, have a mini-COBRA that … Read more »
Model COBRA Subsidy Notices Released
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included some relief for laid-off employees. One of the biggest is a 65% subsidy for the payment of health plan payment from the government for certain eligible participants in COBRA health plan continuation coverage. ARRA mandates that health plans notify certain current and former participants and beneficiaries … Read more »
Ex-Employees Admit to Stealing Company Data
You ex-employees are probably stealing your company’s data on their way out the door. In a study by Symantec Corp. and Ponemon Institute, they found that 59 percent of ex-employees admit to stealing confidential company information: More Than Half of Ex-Employees Admit to Stealing Company Data According to New Study. That employees are taking data … Read more »
More Guidance on Extended COBRA Coverage under ARRA
As part of the enormous stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal government included some relief for laid-off employees: COBRA Coverage Under ARRA. Some of the unanswered questions are starting to be answered. The IRS has posted information: COBRA Health Insurance Continuation Premium Subsidy, with COBRA: Answers for Employers. … Read more »
How Not To Fire Someone for Workplace Fraud
Staples fired sales director Alan S. Noonan was fired for padding his expense report. Executive Vice President Jay Baitler sent an e-mail to approximately 1,500 employees explaining the reason for the firing. The e-mail contained no untruths, but Mr. Noonan sued for defamation anyhow. Unfortunately for Staples, truth is not a defense in Massachusetts if … Read more »
COBRA Coverage Under ARRA
As part of the enormous stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal government included some relief for laid-off employees. Mark Spring discusses the COBRA subsidy in ARRA over at the California Labor and Employment Law Blog: The Stimulus Bill’s Impact on COBRA. The biggest change to COBRA is a … Read more »
Recent Changes to the ADA and FMLA
Goodwin Procter presented a webinar on recent changes to the Americans with Disability Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Rob Hale moderating the presentation. Heidi Goldstein Shepherd led off with a background on the ADA. The key concept for employers is that it is up to the employee to request a “reasonable accommodation” … Read more »