DOMA – What Employers Need To Know
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. Windsor, found that section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. This section prohibited the federal government from acknowledging marriages between same-sex couples. Same-sex marriages were recognized as legal by 12 states and the District of Columbia at the time of the ruling.
Employer Alert! Health Care Law (PPACA) Postponed Until January 2015!
President Obama announced a one-year delay (January 1, 2015), in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) employer mandate. Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (employees who work 30 or more hours per week) must provide health care coverage or pay steep penalties.
The Potential of Workplace Violence
Workplace violence or occupational violence refers to violence, usually in the form of physical abuse or threat, that creates a risk to the health and safety of an employee or multiple employees. The following article outlines the scope of potential workplace violence...
Workplace Stress: Are Your Employees Performing?
The 2013 Work Stress Survey, (Everest College, April 2013), found that 83 percent employees surveyed are stressed by at least one thing at work. That’s up 10 percentage points from the same survey released in 2012. Major stressors found in the survey: Pay For the...
2014 IRS HSA Contribution and Out-of Pocket Limits
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced higher limits for 2014 on contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs) and for out-of-pocket spending under high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) linked to them. A comparison of the 2014 and 2013 limits is shown below:...
Understanding Legal Use of Credit/Criminal Background Checks.
Background/Credit Checks are covered by two federal laws: Title VII and the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Some states also have their own laws regarding the background/credit checks so employers need to understand the implications between the federal and...
Legalized Marijuana: A Workplace Nightmare!
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have now legalized medical Marijuana use. The state laws vary greatly and present employer with a workplace nightmare! Employers and Human Resources professionals are finding themselves rewriting their employment policies...
What are Examples of Reasonable Accommodations under ADAAA?
On May 15, 2013, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided specific types of reasonable accommodations for people with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and intellectual disabilities. The EEOC also noted that since Congress enacted the ADA Amendments Act of...
