The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has updated its “COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act Questions and Answers” web page, originally published in 2020. As before, the Q&As explain that—under the FMLA—covered employers…

President Biden announced a paid leave tax credit for small- and medium-sized businesses to allow employers to fully offset the cost of paid leave for employees to get vaccinated and recover from any after-effects of the vaccination. Eligible employers include…

Preliminary approval of the Settlement in the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Antitrust Litigation has been granted. Plaintiffs claimed that BCBS Association and Settling Individual Blue Plans violated antitrust laws by entering into an agreement not to compete with each…

The Premium Assistance Plan provides: 100% premium subsidy for the time period of April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021 for COBRA Qualified Beneficiaries who lose (or lost) their employer’s group health plan coverage (and/or dental and vision coverage) due…

The New Hampshire Insurance Department announced today that all three health insurance companies offering plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace (Healthcare.gov) will offer deductible and out-of-pocket maximum expense credits for consumers who want to change plans within the same company…

On March 29, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2021-21, which extends tax deadlines for filing Form 1040 series returns and other deadlines to May 17, 2021. The Notice, issued as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, follows…

The portal for private-sector employers to submit equal employment opportunity (EEO-1) workforce data from 2019 and 2020 will open on April 26, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)  announced March 29, 2021. The agency also announced that the…

Congress has passed the PPP Extension Act of 2021, a 60-day extension of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Payment Protection Program (PPP), which was set to expire on March 31. The bill will be sent to President Joe Biden…

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enacted March 11, 2021, includes changes to emergency paid sick leave and paid family leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The ARPA extended tax credits through Sept. 30, 2021, for employers…

On March 23, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is extending access to a special enrollment period (SEP) through Exchanges on the federal www.HealthCare.gov platform due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Originally available through…

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, Amazon announced an upcoming expansion of its health care service, Amazon Care. Amazon Care has been servicing Amazon employees in Washington state since late 2019. The service puts individuals in touch with health care professionals…

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring forth a variety of questions for businesses. Employers can take a number of preventive steps to help keep employees safe, but they should also prepare to respond to various situations that can occur in…