On April 3, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an alert to covered entities and business associates. Evidently, one or more individuals are posing as OCR Investigators and contacting HIPAA covered entities and business associates in an attempt to obtain protected health information (PHI). The individual identifies on the telephone as an OCR investigator,
Do Employers Count Employees of Foreign Affiliates When Determining Eligibility Under the Paycheck Protection Program?
Applicants in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Business Loan Programs (which include the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)) are generally subject to the affiliation rule in 13 CFR Section 121.301, subject to certain statutory waivers. These rules provide that in determining a concern’s size, the SBA counts the employees of both the concern whose size is
Beware! Internet Scammers Out to Capitalize on COVID-19 Scare
Law enforcement is alerting businesses and the public that during the ongoing COVID-19 federal and state emergencies and stay-at-home orders to be extremely vigilant about email and internet scams being perpetrated by wrongdoers trying to capitalize on the scare.
According to the FBI:
“Scammers are leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic to steal your money, your personal
OSHA Issues New Enforcement Guidance on Respiratory Protection
Earlier today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Directorate of Enforcement Programs issued a new memorandum and interim guidance (“Enforcement Guidance”) on enforcement of the respiratory protection standard, 29 CFR § 1910.134, and certain other health standards, in light of the severe shortages in respirator availability. Consistent with the agency’s March 14, 2020 enforcement
Filings for H-1B Visas Up 25% from Previous Year
Between March 1 and March 20, 2020, 275,000 individuals were entered into USCIS’ new electronic pre-registration system to obtain an H-1B for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. This is a nearly 25% increase over last year’s filings.
While it is hard to judge what led to the apparent increase in demand, the change may be a
More OCR Guidance on COVID-19 and HIPAA Relief – Business Associates
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been moving swiftly to provide guidance on addressing key regulatory issues to aid in the fight to contain and defeat COVID-19. Some of the latest developments include exercising its enforcement discretion on certain good faith disclosures of protected health information (PHI) by business associates, adding FAQs for telehealth
#UnitedAsOne Campaign: NCAA and Its Member Schools Create Resource for COVID-19 Information, Updates
Out of the uncertainty and chaos of the cancellation of the NCAA Winter championships and Spring seasons caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, digital and social media leaders at a small group of 50 schools came together to launch the #UnitedAsOne campaign to show unity and support for all student-athletes in college sports.
In less
NBA May Reduce Players’ Salaries Due to COVID-19 Shutdown
On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Now, the League is considering reducing or withholding players’ salaries after the April 1, 2020, payday.
The NBA originally hoped to resume its season at some point in June, possibly without fans in attendance. However, as COVID-19
FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 Pandemic
As large numbers of people turn to video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to stay connected in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, reports of VTC hijacking (also called “zoom-bombing”) are emerging nationwide. The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language.
For example, two schools in Massachusetts reported
The CARES Act Effect on Retirement Plans
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The Act largely stabilizes fragile industries, provides loans and tax credits to businesses tied to their retaining their workforces during these uncertain times, and offers additional unemployment relief to employees hurt by COVID-19. But the CARES Act