May 2020

As the public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic eases and some states begin to open the economy, physician practices and other health care services will begin to prepare to welcome their patients back to their offices to provide non-COVID-19 health care services. In anticipation of the re-opening, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…

The updated M-274, Handbook for Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9, from USCIS offers some interesting substantive clarifications and developments.

Changes to match the most recent Form I-9 revisions include:

  1. Section 2.0 clarifies that any person can serve as an authorized representative of the employer to complete, update, or make corrections to Section 2

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The flurry of federal, state, and local laws hastily passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the workplace in ways employers have not seen before. Now, as employers seek to reopen their businesses, in-house counsel and Human Resources professionals tasked with navigating these uncharted waters should bear in mind which decisions could give…

Before the COVID-19 crisis, there were limited paid leave entitlements in California for employees requiring time off to deal with childcare and school closures. California Labor Code 230.8 required that employers of 25 or more employees working at the same location were required to provide employees with up to 40 hours of unpaid leave within…

Recently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its technical assistance questions and answers for employers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The added questions elaborate on advice for disability accommodation requests and harassment and adds a section regarding employees returning to work after the pandemic.

In the new “Return to Work” section, the EEOC included…

The Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal regulators released updates and clarifications related to employee benefits, including updates to model COBRA notices and an extension of certain statutory deadlines intended to minimize the possibility of participants and beneficiaries losing benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights the DOL’s recent changes and updates relating…

Meat processing and packing facilities around the United States have emerged as hotspots for COVID-19.  While handling and processing meat and poultry does not expose workers to coronavirus, close contact with coworkers and supervisors may contribute to their potential exposures.  A number of facilities have had to temporarily close down operations due to outbreaks of…

Guidance issued by the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration (SBA), the federal agency that administers the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), demonstrates that the PPP loans, as originally thought, were too good to be true.

PPP was established by section 1102 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Public Law…

Following the cancelation of the winter sports championships and the calendar of spring athletic events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA is hoping to reset for the 2020-2021 academic year with a full slate of college football and other fall sports in September. While the NCAA and its members have been focused on student-athlete…