United Benefits knows this is a difficult time and as the situation around COVID-19 evolves, we’ll keep you informed. Our Coronavirus (COVID-19) News Center offers news and legislation updates affecting businesses and employees and will be updated on a regular basis.
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Insights
DECEMBER 7, 2022 Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long covid. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months,…
JANUARY 4, 2023 OKLAHOMA CITY — By the summer of 2021, Phil Maytubby, deputy CEO of the health department here, was concerned to see the numbers of people vaccinated against covid-19 slipping after an initially robust response. With doubt, fear, and misinformation running rampant nationwide — both online and offline — he knew the agency…
NOVEMBER 18, 2022 ELKO, Nev. — When Elko County commissioners rejected a $500,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could have helped the county create a health department or health district, Kayla Hopkins pleaded with them to reconsider. Hopkins, who has lived for nearly nine years in the sprawling rural…
NOVEMBER 9, 2022 When Josephine Cabrera Taveras was infected with covid-19 in the spring of 2020, she didn’t anticipate that the virus would knock her out of work for two years and put her family at risk for eviction. Taveras, a mother of two in Brooklyn, New York, said her bout with long covid…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has prepared a list of FAQs to educate the public on various aspects of COVID-19 vaccination. This article features some of these FAQs.  Vaccine Development  How many COVID-19 vaccines are under development?  Currently, two vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19:  Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine…
On July 23, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Alex Azar, declared the Public Health Emergency, scheduled to end on July 25, 2020, will once again be extended for an additional 90 days. As a result, numerous temporary benefit plan changes remain in effect. Important Definitions Emergency Period. HHS Secretary Azar issued…
On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the agency’s publication of additional guidance on applying federal employment laws in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance adds information to sets of Q&As the agency issued earlier in the year about the operation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act…
July 17, 2020 | FFCRA Update The IRS issued Notice 2020-54 to help employers properly report 2020 emergency paid sick leave and expanded family medical leave wages paid to employees under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRAâ€). Employers with less than 500 employees who provided benefits under either leave program will need to…
July 13, 2020 | FFCRA Update With the summer season officially upon us, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“the Departmentâ€) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin (“FABâ€) 2020-4 to clarify when benefits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRAâ€) may be available due to a summer camp or enrichment program being closed…
On June 23, 2020, the Departments of Labor, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services (“HHSâ€) (collectively, “the Departmentsâ€) issued FAQ Part 43, which includes certain guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRAâ€) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Actâ€), as well as other COVID-19 health plan issues. …
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused employers to make significant changes to their business practices, including onboarding. Managers and new hires across the country are navigating the unchartered waters of remote onboarding. The onboarding process—which is designed to cultivate a long-term relationship between the employer and the employee while fostering a feeling of…
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has interrupted many businesses across the country. While it’s unclear how long COVID-19 will continue to affect organizations, many employers are looking to the future of employees returning to work. Echoing public health officials’ sentiments, a return to normalcy won’t be like flipping a switch, but rather a continuous effort. In…
On April 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance for discontinuing home isolation following a COVID-19 diagnosis. The CDC also issued guidance for what essential workers should do following exposure to COVID-19. CDC Guidance for Discontinuing Isolation Following a COVID-19 Diagnosis The decision to discontinue isolation should be made…
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented changes for many industries. As social distancing is encouraged, gatherings with over ten people are banned, and stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders for all nonessential employees are issued. Many employers ask their employees to work from home. For some employees, working from home is business as usual.…
On June 11, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued more guidance concerning COVID-19 and return to work. This article compiles some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) from the new guidance. As a best practice, and in advance of having some or all employees return to the workplace, are there ways for…
On April 28, 2020, the Departments of Labor (DOL) and the Treasury (Departments) issued deadline relief to help employee benefit plans, plan participants, and plan service providers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. This Compliance Overview summarizes the participant deadline extensions affecting COBRA continuation coverage, special enrollment periods, claims for benefits, appeals of denied claims, and…
On June 17, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued an additional answer to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how employers should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while also observing all applicable emergency workplace safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. The new FAQ, which addresses antibody tests (see A.7), was added…
Under most state workers’ compensation (WC) laws, COVID-19 may be a compensable, work-related condition only if an employee can show that: He or she contracted coronavirus while performing services growing out of and incidental to their employment; and The disease arose out of that employment (work-relatedness). As of June 30, 2020, however, several states…
On June 18, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released guidance to help employers plan how to reopen nonessential businesses. The guidance also addresses issues employers should consider as they ask their employees to return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. OSHA’s publication of guidelines for reopening nonessential businesses includes charts, examples,…
The uncertainty wrought by COVID-19 has left employers at an increased risk of exposure to employment-related claims alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, among others. As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, there has been a massive upheaval of the American workplace. Employers have found themselves drafting and implementing policies and…
The novel coronavirus (officially called COVID-19) is believed to spread from person-to-person, primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus is also believed to spread by people touching a surface or object and then touching one’s mouth, nose, or possibly the eyes. Employers and workers should follow these general…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued temporary regulations to implement the paid leave mandates of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The regulations provide direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). This action is intended to…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) that address which employers are covered by the paid leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA requires covered employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to…
Small and midsize employers may begin using two new refundable payroll tax credits to obtain reimbursement for the costs of providing coronavirus-related leave to their employees, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on March 20, 2020. According to IRS Notice 2020-12, these credits are available for qualified leave wages…
The regulations, published April 6, 2020, clarify and explain the employee leave provisions under the FFRCA’s Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) and Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA). While the corrections mainly address minor drafting errors in the regulations, some of the changes may impact employers’ implementation of the law. Substitution of…
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, provides federal funding to expand the availability of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. Under this law, virtually all types of workers, even those who otherwise would not qualify for UI benefits, may receive payments for…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued temporary regulations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA created new employer requirements to provide paid sick leave and partially compensated, expanded FMLA leave for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulations include important clarifications to the law and earlier DOL guidance on…
Under the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), eligible employers that keep employees on their payroll for specified reasons related to COVID-19 are eligible for employee retention tax credits. This Compliance Bulletin provides the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on how the CARES Act retention tax credits…
As part of sweeping legislation—the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)—signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020, two laws were enacted that provide workers with paid leave for reasons related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The “Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act†allows 12 weeks of partially compensated FMLA leave to…
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread, employers may get questions from employees about their health plan’s coverage for COVID-19 testing, including whether they will need to pay a deductible or copayment. This is a rapidly evolving issue, with many health insurance issuers announcing that they will voluntarily waive any cost sharing for COVID-19…
In light of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, the Department of Labor (DOL) has published answers to frequently asked questions on how employers can stay in compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which regulates wage and hour conditions for employees. When responding to pandemics or other public health emergencies,…
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued Q&As on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus) and other health emergencies. The Q&As explain that under the FMLA, covered employers must provide eligible employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons, which may include…
As the number of reported cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to rise, employers are increasingly confronted with the possibility of an outbreak in the workplace. Employers are obligated to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for their employees, but are also subject to a number of legal requirements protecting workers. For example,…