Articles by Girish Anand

February 5, 2016

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Obamacare Exchanges Sign Up 12.7 Million

On Jan. 31, Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage ended, with about 12.7 million plan selections through the Health Insurance Marketplaces, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reporting. Of the 12.7 million consumers enrolling in marketplace coverage, more than 9.6 million came through the HealthCare.gov platform and 3.1 million selected a plan through state-based marketplaces. It...

February 4, 2016

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Revised Form I-9 On the Way after Commentary Period Closes

A 60-day commentary period on proposed changes for the employment verification Form I-9 ended on Jan. 25, enabling the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to proceed with its new "smart" version of the form. The "smart" Form I-9 is not a true electronic form per se since employers will still have to print out hard copies and retain them on file. Instead, the smart form i...

February 3, 2016

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6 Million Eligible for Medicaid Haven't Signed Up

Some six million Americans living in states with expanded Medicaid rolls have so far failed to sign up, even though their incomes qualify them, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. Another three million are not covered because they live in states that did not expand their Medicaid services under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the states with expanded benefits, to be eligible for Medicaid ...

February 2, 2016

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OSHA to Hold Public Meeting on Safety, Health Program

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is hosting a day-long roundtable discussion on the agency's draft of updated Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines on Thursday, March 10, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Labor's Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C. Those wishing to attend must register here by March 3. Attendees can choose from sev...

January 31, 2016

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FTC Upgrades IdentityTheft.gov Website

For the first time, identity theft victims can now go online and get a free, personalized identity theft recovery plan as a result of significant enhancements to the IdentityTheft.gov website of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) . The new one-stop website is integrated with the FTC’s consumer complaint system, allowing consumers who are victims of identity theft to rapidly file a complaint ...

January 31, 2016

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HIPAA Audits Resume

If this past December were any indication, then the HIPAA Privacy Rule audits commencing this year could snare covered entities and their business associates big time. At the end of 2015, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued some $5 million in fines for HIPAA violations to just three firms, one a small stand-alone pharmacy. After an initial round of audits a few years back, which revealed ...

January 30, 2016

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FLSA Lawsuits Break Record in 2015

According to the Federal Judicial Center, lawsuits arising from violations of the wage and hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) totaled 8,781 in the fiscal year ending this past Sept. 30. That was up from 8,160 in FY 2014, a 7.6 percent increase. Legal observers expect the total to keep rising this year as social media, an aggressive Department of Labor (DOL) and savvy attorn...

January 29, 2016

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EEOC Proposes Adding Pay Data to EEO-1 Report

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today made public a proposed revision to the Employer Information Report (EEO-1) to include collecting pay data from employers, including federal contractors, with more than 100 employees. This new data will assist the agency in identifying possible pay discrimination and assist employers in promoting equal pay in their workplaces, according t...

January 27, 2016

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Seattle Franchise Owners Seek SCOTUS Help on $15 Minimum Wage

The International Franchise Association (IFA) yesterday appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal court ruling that let stand a city minimum-wage provision lumping franchise owners in with their national franchisers. As a result of that provision, Seattle franchisees are on the hook to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour faster than companies with fewer employees. Businesse...

January 21, 2016

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WHD Administrator Issues Joint Employer Interpretation

Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Administrator David Weil yesterday issued guidance on joint employers that will allow more employees to fall under the protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), advising: "When two or more employers jointly employ an employee, the employee’s hours worked for all of the joint employers during the workweek are aggregated and considered as one employment, in...

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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