Articles by Girish Anand

February 12, 2018

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EEOC Announces Strategic Plan to Combat Discrimination and Promote Inclusion

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has approved its Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2018-2022. The Strategic Plan serves as a framework for the commission in achieving its mission to prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination and advance equal opportunity for all in the workplace. Implementation of the new Strategic Plan will begin in February ...

Federal Contractors to Be Audited for Affirmative Action Compliance

February 12, 2018

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) this month sent out 1,000 Corporate Scheduling Announcement Letters (“CSAL”), informing the recipients that their companies would be audited for compliance with affirmative action rules. The letters are not formal audit announcements, but just a notification that the companies receiving them had been neutrally selected for auditing t...

February 9, 2018

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Near Death a Month Ago, CHIP Now Has Guaranteed Life Through 2028

When the federal fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, 2017, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) saw its authorization and funding expire. Through late January, several states struggled to keep their CHIP initiatives afloat while Congress failed to agree on permanent funding. Then came the government shutdown. Arising from the ashes of that disaster, a six-year CHIP funding provision was...

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Obamacare Enrollment Tops Out at 11.7 Million

February 8, 2018

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With California being the last state to report its Obamacare enrollment figure for 2018, the final tally for the nationwide effort came in at 11.7 million sign-ups. The HealthCare.gov site after end of enrollment. California was among the last of the 11 states and District of Columbia to close their enrollment on Jan....

NLRB Updates Bench Book to Reflect Recent Procedural Rules

February 6, 2018

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The Judges Division of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued an updated Bench Book, which replaces an earlier version issued in November 2016. This edition of the Bench Book was edited by NLRB Judge Jeffrey Wedekind and substantially revises the previous edition. The Bench Book serves as an NLRB Trial Manual, and is designed to provide NLRB judges with a reference guide during...

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Indiana Joins Kentucky in Requiring Work for Medicaid

February 5, 2018

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On Friday, Feb. 2, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved the Healthy Indiana Plan requiring some 130,000 state residents on Medicaid who aren't already in compliance to work, enroll in school, undergo job training or volunteer for at least 20 hours a week over eight months each year. HHS Secretary Alex Azar ...

Idaho First to Offer State-Based, Non-ACA Health Plans

February 4, 2018

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Without obtaining federal permission, Idaho has announced plans to allow health insurers to offer policies that do not adhere to the standards of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), provided they also offer ACA-eligible plans. According to the Idaho Department of Insurance: Governor C.L. 'Butch' Otter and Lieutenant Governor Brad Little issued Executive Order No. 2018-02 on January 5, 2018, dire...

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Firm Settles for $3.5 Million for 5 HIPAA Breaches

February 3, 2018

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Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), which operates health care facilities throughout the nation, has settled for $3.5 million for a series of five breaches it reported in 2012. This was the first settlement of the year announced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces HIPAA breach violations. Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., FMCNA is a provider of products and services...

OCR Issues Newsletter Warning about Cyber Threats to PHI

February 1, 2018

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The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in January published a newsletter concerning cyber threats to entities storing PHI (protected health information), which is covered by the privacy and security rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The newsletter begins by nothing that "Organizations that provide necessa...

January 31, 2018

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NLRB Extends Commentary Period on Representative Elections

To aid in the consideration of the issues involving the 2014 Election Rule, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is extending the time for filing responses to the Request for Information Regarding Representation Election Regulations published in the Federal Register. The submission window is currently open and interested parties may file responses on or before Monday, March 19, 2018. The o...

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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