Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

March 21, 2017

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HHS Launches Page to Explain Benefits of ACA 'Replace and Repeal'

This week the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department launched a new page on HHS.gov highlighting the regulatory and administrative actions the department is taking to relieve the burden of the current healthcare law and support a patient-centered healthcare system. “We’re taking action to improve choices for patients, stabilize the individual and small-group insurance markets, and expand a...

March 20, 2017

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Disney to Pay Costume Characters $3.8 Million in Back Wages

Walt Disney World in Florida has been hit with wage theft and other allegations and has agreed to pay $3.8 million in back wages to 16,339 of its costume characters, such as Mickey, Goofy and the like. This comes after the Department of Labor (DOL) found that Disney was deducting the cost of the costumes from the employees' paychecks. Such deductions are legal under the Fair Labor Standards Ac...

March 19, 2017

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Comment Period on DOL Fiduciary Rule Delay Closes

The public comment period on the proposal by the Department of Labor (DOL) to delay implementation of its Fiduciary Rule came to a close Friday afternoon, with at least 565 letters received. The proposal, if it becomes final, will push back the April 10 start date for the Fiduciary Rule by 60 days, or to June 9. The Fiduciary Rule requires investment advisers marketing retirement plans to put ...

March 19, 2017

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E-Verify Records from 2006 to Be Purged March 31

Employers who have employee records on the E-Verify database dating to Dec 31, 2006, and earlier are advised that these records will be purged on March 31. The system is designed to purge records once they reach 10 years in age to avoid any possible compromise of information. Through March 31, employers can download a record of the employee files that are being purged. With that record, they c...

March 16, 2017

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Amid Repeal and Replace Talk, Obamacare Enrollments Crater

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed this week that enrollment in Obamacare health plans dropped half a million from the year before, and came in 1.7 million below expectations, with 12.2 million enrollees by the Jan. 31 end of open enrollment. Expectations were for 13.8 million. Four of every five who signed up for health plans received subsidies, i.e., 10.1 million of ...

March 14, 2017

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EEOC Launches Online Inquiry and Appointment System

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that five of its offices have launched a new Online Inquiry and Appointment System. The system will allow individuals to electronically submit initial inquiries and requests for intake interviews with the agency. Initial inquiries and intake interviews are typically the first steps for individuals seeking to file a charge of discrimi...

March 11, 2017

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DOL to Honor Gap of Enforcement of Fiduciary Rule

On Friday, March 10, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on enforcement of its Fiduciary Rule, which was set to be implemented on April 10 but for which the agency has proposed a 60-day delay. In its guidance, the department says it basically won't enforce the rule from April 10 through the proposed 60-day delay on June 7, whether or not it ultimately decides to delay implementation....

March 8, 2017

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OCR Releases Guidance on Protecting ePHI from Cyber Threats

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the entity within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that enforces the Privacy, Security and Breach rules of HIPAA, has released new guidance advising covered entities and business associates on best practices for preventing and reporting cyber attacks. "Reporting and Monitoring Cyber Threats" advises companies that maintain ePHI (electronic pr...

March 8, 2017

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Repeal of Contractor 'Blacklisting' Rules Awaits Trump's Signature

Both houses of Congress -- the Senate by a single vote -- have agreed on a joint resolution to void President Obama's Executive Order 13673, dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Rules, which require federal contractors to routinely disclose any labor law or safety violations their companies experienced, thus earning the executive order the onerous nickname "blacklisting rules." President Tru...

March 7, 2017

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House Republicans Release Obamacare Replacement Plan

On Monday (March 6), Republican leadership in the House of Representatives unveiled their plan to replace Obamacare with a program that relies heavily on tax credits and expanded options with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Under the plan, no one can be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition, and adult children can stay on their parents' policies through age 26. The plan w...

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