Coronavirus Stimulus Direct Payments FAQ

Congress is close to passing a $2 trillion stimulus bill to help offset the financial burdens created by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Engaging Remote Employees During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented changes for many industries. As social distancing is encouraged, gatherings with over 10 people are banned and stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders for all nonessential employees are issued, many employers are asking their employees to work from home.

OVERCOMING LONELINESS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

As public health officials work to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many have recommended social distancing and self-quarantining. Some states across the country have issued orders for people to stay at home unless it’s essential they leave, and some employers have had to send employees home or ask them to work remotely. While these actions can help slow the spread, they can have negative effects on your mental health.

Tax Day Moved to July 15

The Treasury Department and the IRS issued new guidance related to federal tax payments and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Best Practices for Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the number of U.S. COVID-19 cases grows daily, businesses across the country are developing and implementing plans to keep their employees and customers healthy. Some of those plans include creative measures designed to prevent the pandemic from affecting their organizations, which are outlined below.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE SICK WITH COVID-19

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a type of coronavirus that can spread from person to person and cause respiratory illness.

The majority of patients with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate respiratory illness with the following symptoms:

OSHA Guidance on COVID-19

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act) was enacted to regulate workplace safety and health. The Act is administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Act and its accompanying regulations identify a significant number of recognized hazards and establish safety and health standards to address them. However, even when no standard specific to a recognized hazard applies, the Act requires employers to look after their employees’ general safety and health
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For this reason, from time to time OSHA has published guidance for employers on dealing with various general health concerns, including epidemics and infectious diseases. This Compliance Bulletin provides OSHA’s guidance on how employers can prepare for and deal with COVID-19.

Employers subject to OSHA should become familiar with OSHA’s interim guidance on COVID-19.

In addition, these employers should also:

þ  Continue to monitor COVID-19 developments;

þ  Review their workplace safety reporting and recording policies to ensure they are ready to respond to COVID-19 workplace issues;

þ  Determine whether and how remote work policies may affect their obligation to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment; and

þ  Review employee anti-retaliation protections for reporting workplace hazards and concerns.

Overview

The evolving coronavirus outbreak was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Since its identification, this virus has spread to a growing number of other countries, including the United States. The latest situation summary updates are available on CDC’s COVID-19 webpage.

At this time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is emphasizing that the risk to individuals is dependent on exposure. Because of their proximity to infected individuals, workers in certain industries are at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19. A higher exposure risk also exists for individuals who travel to areas where the virus is spreading. According to OSHA, industries posing an elevated risk of worker exposure to COVID-19 (and other infectious or communicable diseases) include:

·         Health care

·         Death care

·         Laboratories

·         Airline operations

·         Border protection

·         Solid waste and wastewater management

In addition to OSHA’s guidance, employers and workers should consult CDC guidance specific to COVID-19. The CDC also provides tips on what the general public should do during the ongoing outbreak.

OSHA Interim Guidance

OSHA’s interim guidance on COVID-19 includes information on:

·         Hazard recognition;

·         Affected OSHA standards;

·         Control and prevention tips; and

·         A list of additional resources employers may use to understand, prepare for and deal with COVID-19.

Employers are encouraged to visit and review this information often to stay up to date with developments on this global concern. The sections below provide a high overview of the information mentioned above.

Hazard Recognition

According to the CDC, the risk of COVID-19 infection for most people in the United States is currently low. However, workers in the industries mentioned above may be at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Employers in these industries should take additional steps to protect their employees.

The hazard recognition section provides practical advice and tips employers can use to detect possible workplace outbreaks and identify affected individuals.

Affected OSHA Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, directives (instructions for compliance officers) and other related information that may apply to worker exposure to COVID-19.

While there is no specific OSHA standard covering COVID-19, some OSHA requirements may apply to preventing occupational exposure to COVID-19. Among the most relevant are OSHA’s personal protective equipment standards and the general duty clause. Employers should visit OSHA’s COVID-19 website to review a table of affected federal OSHA standards.

State Standards

There are 28 OSHA-approved State Plans, operating state-wide occupational safety and health programs. State Plans are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA's, and may have different or more stringent requirements.

Employers affected by an approved OSHA state plan should check with their local OSHA offices for updates on how state-specific standards may be affected by COVID-19.

Control and Prevention

This section addresses measures for protecting workers from exposure to, and infection with, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. To prevent worker exposure to COVID-19, OSHA recommends that employers adopt infection control strategies based on a thorough hazard assessment, using appropriate combinations of:

þ Engineering and administrative controls;

þ Safe work practices; and

þ Personal protective equipment.

Some OSHA standards that apply to preventing occupational exposure to COVID-19 may also require employers to train workers on elements of infection prevention, including personal protective equipment.

Workers’ Rights and Employers’ Responsibilities

The Act prohibits employers from retaliating against workers for raising concerns about safety and health conditions.

In addition, OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program enforces the provisions of more than 20 industry-specific federal laws protecting employees from retaliation for raising or reporting concerns about hazards or violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, securities, and tax laws.

OSHA encourages workers who suffer such retaliation to submit a complaint to OSHA as soon as possible in order to file their complaint within the legal time limits, some of which may be as short as 30 days from the date they learned of or experienced retaliation. An employee can file a complaint with OSHA by visiting or calling his or her local OSHA office; sending a written complaint via fax, mail, or email to the closest OSHA office; or filing a complaint online. No particular form is required and complaints may be submitted in any language.

OSHA provides recommendations intended to assist employers in creating workplaces that are free of retaliation and guidance to employers on how to properly respond to workers who may complain about workplace hazards or potential violations of federal laws. OSHA urges employers to review its publication: Recommended Practices for Anti-Retaliation Programs (OSHA 3905 - 2017).

Source: Zywave, 2020.

Does my FSA have a grace period or $500 rollover?

As an FSA user, you know just how important end of year spending is to maximizing the potential of your account. However, while the "use-it-or-lose-it" rule is still in effect and many account holders must spend their funds by the end of each plan year, there are 2 vital deadline extensions that all FSA users should be mindful of: the $500 rollover and the 2.5 month grace period.

Trends Driving Social Inflation and How to Respond

As an insurance buyer, you may have heard the term “social inflation” used by your insurer to explain the factors driving up the cost of coverage in today’s market. In general, social inflation refers to the rising costs of insurance claims that are a result of societal trends. Trends such as increased litigation, broad insurance policy interpretation, plaintiff-friendly legal decisions and larger jury awards all drive social inflation in the insurance space.

Factors Driving a Hard Insurance Market and How to Respond

From an insurance buyer’s perspective, it can sometimes feel as if premium prices change on a whim. But the truth is that the insurance market is cyclical in nature, fluctuating between soft and hard markets:

PROTECTING WORKERS DURING A PANDEMIC

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak and can be caused by a variety of agents, including influenza and coronaviruses. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace not only from patients to workers in healthcare settings, but also among co-workers and between members of the general public and workers in other types of workplaces.

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to ACA

On March 2, 2020, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The case involved is Texas v. Azar, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ACA’s individual mandate. 

NLRB Issues New Joint-employer Final Rule

On Feb. 25, 2020, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced a new joint-employer final rule, which  becomes effective Apr. 27, 2020 and applies to labor issues related to the National Labor Relations Act.