Articles by Girish Anand

March 22, 2012

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Blue Cross Blue Shield First to Settle Over HITECH Breach Enforcement

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST) has become the first company in the nation to settle over a medical data security breach, agreeing to pay $1.5 million to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The settlement stems from new security breach rules and fines imposed by 2009's Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Blue Cross Blue Shi...

March 21, 2012

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BusinessUSA Site Opens to Consolidate Government Information for Entrepreneurs, Business Owners

Eleven federal agencies are working together to aggregate government information necessary for America's "small businesses and exporters" onto one platform, which is now Business.USA.gov -- a Web site in beta testing and open to further suggestions and input from users. The site's "About Us" page explains: BusinessUSA implements a “no wrong door” approa...

March 20, 2012

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OSHA Releases New Hazard Communication Standard Incorporating GHS

To better protect workers from hazardous chemicals, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations' global chemical labeling system. The new standard, once implemented, will prevent an estimated 43 deaths and result in an estimated $475.2 million in enhanced productivity for ...

March 16, 2012

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IRS Urges Small Businesses to Take Advantage of Health Insurance Tax Credit

With business tax-filing deadlines fast approaching, the Internal Revenue Service this week encouraged small employers that provide health insurance coverage to their employees to check out the small business health care tax credit and then claim it if they qualify. The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit page on IRS.gov is packed with information and resources designed to help small em...

March 15, 2012

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DOL Steps Up to Help Combat Unemployment Insurance Fraud

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the availability of new tools to support state agencies in detecting, preventing and recovering improper Unemployment Insurance (UI) payments as well as combating UI fraud. The Fraud Tips and Leads Gateway, a new online tool, provides the public with a portal to report fraud. It will help states act quickly to aggressively investigate tips and le...

March 14, 2012

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Health Insurance Rebates Kick in Aug. 1, Providing....

Rules from the Department of Labor (DOL) that kicked in Jan. 1 mandate that health insurers rebate to plan participants any money left over if they fail to achieve the goal of spending 80 to 85 percent of every premium dollar on medical care or health care quality improvement. The first payments would commence Aug. 1, 2012. The spending goal is part of the reforms initiated under the Patient Pr...

March 12, 2012

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HHS Issues Final Rule on State Insurance Exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services today announced policies to assist states in building health care insurance exchanges. Starting in 2014, these one-stop marketplaces will allow consumers and small businesses to choose a private health insurance plan and offer the public the same kinds of insurance choices as members of Congress. The HHS final rule will help states in designing ...

March 12, 2012

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DOL Sues Postal Service Over Retaliation Against Whistleblower and Co-worker

The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the U.S. Postal Service, alleging discrimination and retaliation against a safety specialist who provided information to an employee wishing to file a safety complaint with OSHA. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, resulted from an investigation by OSHA that found the Postal Service had violated the whistleb...

March 8, 2012

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EEOC Meeting Focuses on Pregnancy and Caregiver Discrimination

At a time when most pregnant women want and need to work, and more American workers struggle to balance work and family, discrimination against pregnant women and workers with caregiving responsibilities remains a significant problem, experts told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at a public meeting recently. The meeting follows up on commission meetings in 2007, when the...

March 6, 2012

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OSHA Chief Begins Oversight of Whistleblower Protection Program

Moving forward with continuing efforts to strengthen employees' voices in the workplace, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a major restructuring of its Office of the Whistleblower Protection Program. The program will now report directly to the agency's Office of the Assistant Secretary instead of to its Directorate of E...

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About author

Girish Anand

Recent Articles

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

U.S. Department of Labor Officially Restores Prior Overtime Exemption Rules

On May 14th, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it has officially rescinded the 2024 overtime exemption rules. Specifically, the WHD published a technical amendment to restore previous 2019 regulations that dictated overtime exemptions for...

NLRB General Counsel Takes Action to Tackle Current Case Backlog

On May 6th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and NLRB General Counsel Crystal Stowe Carey announced the bulk transfer of thousands of labor practice cases. Specifically, this action fulfills an initiative signed by the NLRB General Counsel earlier this year. Overall, the initiative...

Privacy Agency Invites Comments from Businesses on the CCPA’s Usage of Personal Data

Recently, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a call for comments on the current state of personal data collection under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Specifically, the invitation to deliver remarks was issued on April 20th, 2026. The information provided by the...

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule To Unify Standards Under Federal Labor Laws

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to establish a single, clear standard for determining when joint-employer status applies under three major federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal...

DOL Updates Enforcement Approach for Employee Benefit Plans: What Employers Should Know

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a significant change in its enforcement of employee benefit plan rules. The DOL will now focus more closely on serious violations that harm workers and retirees, meaning compliant employers may face less scrutiny under the updated approach.

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Articles by Girish Anand