Articles by Editorial Staff

Free COBRA Premiums Go into Effect April 1

March 30, 2021

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Signed into law in March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes free COBRA premiums. Specifically, the ARPA contains a 100% premium subsidy so eligible individuals can receive health insurance for up to six months. The assistance is available beginning April 1st, 2021, and ends September 30th, 2021 (the Free COBRA Period). The free COBRA premiums are among the many provisions includ...

Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

DOL Reviews Rules on Tipped Workers

March 30, 2021

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On March 23rd, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking related to tipped workers. The announcement came as the effective date approaches for the "Tip Regulations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act" final rule. The recent Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) follows another NPR released earlier this month involving the prevailing wage rule. Background o...

IRS Says PPE Qualifies as Medical Expenses

IRS: Personal Protective Equipment Considered Qualified Medical Expenses

March 29, 2021

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced that it considers personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases as qualified medical expenses. Namely, examples of PPE include masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes. These items are medical care under Section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The new guidance allows individuals to seek reimbursement for those items under Flexi...

New Guidance on Employee Retention Credit

March 23, 2021

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On March 18th, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated information on its Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The ERC issues a refundable tax credit to eligible employers who have retained employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the IRS released a new notice covering health and dependent care assistance programs. Updates to the Employee Retention Credit Web Page As me...

Labor Department Announces Proposed Delay to Prevailing Wage Rule

March 23, 2021

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On March 22nd, 2021, the Labor Department proposed an 18-month delay to the effective date of a prevailing wage rule. The affected Final Rule focuses on calculating prevailing wages of certain immigrants and non-immigrant workers. The recent announcement follows the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) March proposal to rescind two other wage-and-hour-related final rules. Background of Original Final...

PPP Loan Forgiveness May Hinge on Mandatory OSHA Compliance

PPP Loan Forgiveness & OSHA Compliance

March 22, 2021

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In January 2021, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) revised the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), including PPP loan forgiveness. Later, in February, the Small Business Administration (SBA), which administers PPP loans, issued an interim final rule, addressing PPP requirements. Many employers may not know that PPP loan forgiveness provisions require the business to certify thei...

New OSHA Program Addresses COVID-Related Workplace Safety

OSHA Launches COVID-Related Workplace Safety Program

March 17, 2021

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On March 12th, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new program aimed towards improving COVID-related workplace safety. OSHA created the National Emphasis Program (NEP) in response to an Executive Order issued by President Joseph Biden in January. Overview of the NEP After announcing the COVID-related workplace safety NEP, OSHA stated that the majority of...

Biden COVID-19 Relief Package on Track to Become Law

Biden COVID Relief Package Advancing

March 17, 2021

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Updated March 17th, 2021 – (Originally Posted March 8th, 2021). On March 11th, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed the COVID-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan Act. With the President’s final approval, the $1.9 trillion package has now become law. Congress had been working to adopt a new COVID-19 relief package before certain current benefits expired on March 14th, 2021. ...

The DOL Announced Plans to Rescind Two Recent Final Rules

Department of Labor Proposes to Rescind Two Recent Final Rules

March 15, 2021

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On March 11th, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced proposals to rescind two recent final rules. These are the Independent Contractor and Joint Employer Rules. According to the DOL, these recent final rules significantly weaken protections afforded to workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). To make changes to the recent final rules, the DOL released Notices for Proposed...

Comment Period Extended for Proposed HIPAA Privacy Rule Changes

March 12, 2021

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The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced a comment period extension for proposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the OCR extended the public comment period another 45 days. The comment period allows for a public review of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). This NPRM would modify the Health Insurance Portability and Ac...

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Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

Latest EEOC Enforcement Data Shows Increased Pre-Litigation Activity

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released its FY 2025 performance and enforcement results. In a news release dated April 6th, 2026, the agency reported increased monetary recoveries for victims of employment discrimination and increased enforcement activity overall....

EEOC Pens Letter to Companies Regarding Title VII Compliance and DEI Initiatives

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a letter to 500 of the largest employers in the United States regarding Title VII compliance and potentially "illegal" DEI initiatives. Notably, the document was drafted for the chief executive officers, general counsel, and board...

NLRB Officially Reinstates Previous 2020 Joint Employer Standard

On February 26th, 2026, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officially reinstated its 2020 Joint Employer standard. Specifically, to do so, the agency needed to formally withdraw a 2023 Joint Employer standard. That final rule was to go into effect on February 26th, 2024.

OSHA Releases New Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new workplace job safety and health notice. Specifically, the OSHA Cares Job Safety and Health poster informs workers about their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Per OSHA’s poster page, employers do...

Agency Releases Newly Proposed Independent Contractor Status Rule; Seeks Employer Comments

On February 26th, 2026, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule designed to help determine independent contractor status. Overall, the new independent contractor rule would help employers better understand when a worker is an employee. Conversely, the rule will allow employers to...

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Articles by Editorial Staff