The coronavirus and ongoing COVID-19 outbreak have required state disability and leave programs to remain flexible and take action. We’ve been watching and sharing analysis as states quickly expand provisions to accommodate the new realities their wo…
On March 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed emergency legislation guaranteeing job protection and pay for New Yorkers who have been quarantined as a result of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The law requires job-protected, employer-provided paid sic…
As we continue to track updates to workforce absence-related laws to support coronavirus (COVID-19) absences, we have created a statutory state chart as a resource to help make sense of the changes. The matrix includes scenarios to identify which ben…
UPDATE ALERT: Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. CST. Today, the Senate passed HR 6201 as approved by the House yesterday. President Trump signed into law at 8:30pm eastern. The bill will become law within 15 days. Within that time, rules will be…
For employers operating in multiple states — and even in single states — it’s become more challenging to effectively manage employee benefits. Many bills have been introduced that have components impacting paid leave benefits, such as cha…
Determining a reasonable accommodation for an employee with medical needs while adhering to the laws under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be a complicated process for even the most intellectual among us. ADA rules include far more face…
It’s no secret that intermittent leave, whether under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is difficult for employers to track and manage, but it is also an area that can spark lawsuits. What are the i…
Human resources and benefit managers will have excellent opportunities to demonstrate their expertise in 2018. The complexity of issues they address on a daily basis continues to grow and evolve. Federal, state, county and city laws that govern emp…
Because of its relevance at the intersection of workers' compensation, leave of absence and federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the accommodation process requires a careful and thou…
April the Giraffe has been quite the internet sensation! Some 20 million people around the world have followed her seemingly endless pregnancy since February. Although currently closed for the season, the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New …
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal addressing health, health policy and health care - including cost, quality and access. Since the early 1980s, health research published in the journal has been used to shape policy nationally. To my…
The power of the process Consistently using the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) in workers’ compensation return to work management is a good industry practice, but there’s power in taking a step beyond. Investing additional time to fully unde…
Brian Gifford, PhD, Director of Research for IBI, discusses paid parental leave trends. On January 18, I attended the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) Paid Parental Leave and LOA Regional Event in San Jose, California. The topic of the day was th…
A recent ruling by the California Court of Appeal (Castro-Ramirez v. Dependable Highway Express, Inc. (2016) 2 Cal. App. 5th 1028) increases the sphere of influence of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to include reasonable accommo…
Today I have the fortunate opportunity to present at RIMS 2016 with Scott Daniels, Director of Disability, Comcast on the topic of Achieving balance: Managing mental health and stress-related issues in the workplace. Mental illness is a leading cause…