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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE GUIDANCE ON EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND TAXES
September 18, 2013
New guidance released by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) clarifies that same-sex couples in legal marriages can participate in employee benefit plans, even if the state they live in does not recognize same-sex marriages. The DOL issued the new guidance following a recent U.S. Supreme ...
BLS PUBLISHES FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES FOR 2012
September 10, 2013
Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries just released show a reduction in the number of fatal work injuries in 2012 compared with 2011. Last year, 4,383 workers died from work-related injuries, down from a final count of ...
IRS TIPS ON DETERMINING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS
September 6, 2013
The IRS has released new information to help employers correctly determine whether the individuals providing services are employees or independent contractors. Employers are required to withhold income taxes, withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages ...
HIPAA FINAL RULES TAKE EFFECT SEPTEMBER 23
August 22, 2013
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule to strengthen the privacy and security protections for health information established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The final omnibus rule greatly ...
HEALTH CARE COSTS SUBSIDY CALCULATOR
August 21, 2013
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released an online subsidy calculator that allows individuals to get an estimate of what their health care premiums and savings might be on an Insurance Marketplace plan. The calculator was created by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non-profit research ...
EMPLOYER TO PAY $302,000 FOR HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION
August 19, 2013
A home healthcare provider has agreed to pay $302,500 in back pay and damages to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The suit was filed when the company terminated three women who had complained of sexual harassment by their ...
NEW OSHA RULE TO LIMIT WORKER EXPOSURE TO SILICA
August 16, 2013
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a proposed rule aimed at curbing lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in workers. The proposal seeks to lower worker exposure to crystalline silica, ...
VETS 100/100A REPORTS DUE SEPTEMBER 30
August 13, 2013
The filing deadline for VETS-100 and VETS-100A reporting is September 30, 2013. The Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) annually collects from federal contractors and subcontractors the number of employees in their workforces, by job category and ...
NLRB HAS FIVE SENATE CONFIRMED MEMBERS
August 9, 2013
For the first time in a decade, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has a full quota of five Senate confirmed members. Four new members, all nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed last month by the U.S. Senate, have been sworn into office. NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce was ...
DECEMBER 1ST HAZARDOUS COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING DEADLINE
August 5, 2013
As previously reported , in 2012 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised its “Hazard Communication Standard,” aligning it with the United Nations' global chemical labeling system. Under the revised standard, employers are required to train employees on the ...
