Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced yet another 30-day extension of the exemption for the physical inspection of Form I-9 documents, until Sept. 19, 2020. This exemption applies only to employers and workplaces that are operating remotely. The original news release explains how to obtain, remotely […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released a new model Employer CHIP Notice with information current as of July 31, 2020. As a reminder, employers with group health plans that cover participants in states that provide premium assistance subsidies through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are required to notify their employees annually, […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued questions and answers (Q&As) on when federal contractors must include Service Contract Act (SCA), Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) or Executive Order 13706 fringe benefits or their monetary equivalent for workers taking leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The SCA and DBA require certain federal contractors to […]
On August 8, President Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Treasury to defer collecting certain payroll taxes from September 1 to December 31, 2020. Because the order is for a deferral, the unpaid taxes will need to be recouped later, unless the Department can find an avenue to eliminate the obligation to pay the taxes. […]
On August 8, President Trump signed a series of executive orders and memorandums intended to provide financial relief to employees and those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the presidential actions called on regulators to allow a weekly supplemental unemployment benefit of up to $400, with $300 to be […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published new frequently asked questions (FAQs) about whether employees qualify for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in different school reopening situations, including those that offer hybrid learning, which blends in-person with distance learning. The FFCRA allows certain employees to take up to two […]
In a case brought by the New York attorney general, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has vacated portions of regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). It is not yet known whether the DOL will appeal the decision, whether […]
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the production of certain Employment Authorization Documents (Form I-766, EAD) is delayed. As a result, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that employees may use Form I-797, Notice of Action, with a Notice date on or after December 1, 2019 through and including August 20, 2020 informing […]
On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the agency’s publication of additional questions and answers about the operation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in workplace situations involving COVID-19. The DOL’s new guidance on COVID-19 and the FLSA addresses […]
The NY Forward, phased guidelines include training requirements that employers must adhere to when reopening their workplaces. However, employers who operate in other states should know that there is considerable variation by state when it comes to the requirements of employer-provided COVID-19 safety training. More than a dozen states currently require employers to provide COVID-19 safety […]
