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Few people know what the acronym COBRA actually stands for, but most know basically what it does.  From Wikipedia:  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (or COBRA) is a law passed by the U.S. Congress on a reconciliation basis and signed by President Ronald Reagan that, among o...

The majority of today’s workforce is already using mobile technology, as close to 78 percent of American adults are regularly operating some kind of mobile device to learn, have fun and get things done. Instant access to information provides the capability to access and manage work-related tasks fro...

Most good employers want to provide a strong benefit package, and they want to do it in a way that complies with legal requirements. But the increasingly complex nature of benefits – especially since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – is making that more difficult. Even an employe...

January 31, 2016 seems so far away, doesn’t it? Yet the very preparation for that day should have begun no later than January 1, 2015. Regulations from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect on this date that would require marketplaces, issuers and providers of insurance, as well as Applicab...

Employee wellness is much more than a workplace buzz phrase. Companies have been discovering the multiple advantages of helping their employees take important steps toward maintaining optimum physical and mental health. As the programs have become more popular, governmental oversight has been sought...

In late 1988, Congress passed TAMRA (Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988) which provided guidelines for judging an employer’s COBRA compliance. By meeting the TAMRA guidelines beforehand, an employer stands a strong chance of being judged in a favorable light by the IRS, thus potentially...

Many employers offer Dependent Care in conjunction with their Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to help employees save money on dependent care expenses.  Contributions to the Dependent Care account are made with pre-tax dollars, resulting in paying fewer taxes, increasing take-home pay and savin...

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) requires that former employees be able to continue participating in the company’s health insurance coverage for a specific length of time. Some employers may think their obligations end when the employee leaves, but believing this may be as...

It the not so distant past, this sounded like science fiction:  use your fingerprint or retina to gain access to the super computer that rules the world!  But over the last decade or so, biometrics has become the must-have technology of employers wanting better workforce management. From adoption t...

In Part 1, we reviewed the far reaching affects the ACA has had on numerous laws, requiring changes to procedures and compliance programs.  Here we will review the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA The FLSA law was passed in 1938 to protect both a worker’s pay and working hours.  There are thr...

Part 1 It is no secret that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is burdensome and complex.  Employers, insurance brokers, vendors and anyone else who provides or services any insurance product, funds an insurance product or needs one has been effected either positively or negatively by this law.  It’s be...

High HCM demand Employers that utilize cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions quickly experience faster processing and reduced support demands while benefiting from anywhere, anytime accessibility through desktop, laptop or mobile devices.  Comprehensive HCM solutions are rapidly repl...

In Does Your Time and Attendance Add up, we reviewed the difference between hard and soft dollars and their effect on ROI.  In conclusion, we’ll review the time and attendance benefits and savings a system can produce.     Playing favorites Using a manual time system increases the risk of favoritis...

To ROI or not ROI?  That is the question. Although return on investment (ROI) is frequently quoted and even the deciding factor in some issues, ROI is poorly understood and often misused.  Most ROI calculators ignore the difference between hard and soft dollars and almost none provide a Net Present...

Every workday finds us with questions, many of which can be answered automatically, without wondering if we are correct.  There are others, however, that do require more research to uncover that answer.  Whatever our question, we can rest assured someone else needs to know the same thing.&...

What seems right one day, may be wrong the next.  If you answered a question early last week regarding employer payment plans or whether a legal same-sex spouse is recognized under FMLA, your answer could be different today. On February 18, 2015, the IRS released Notice 2015-17 that addressed five...

New benefit plans for 2015.  Check.  Open enrollment.  Check.  Updating payroll deductions.  Check.  Plan for ACA compliance and reporting.  Check.  Updating plan documents.  Che … wait, what? In the frenzy of open enrollment and year-end, it’s easy to overlook the plan documents that make your pla...

Prior to the year 2000, the average number of Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lawsuits hovered near 1,500 cases annually.  Since that time, we have seen a fairly dramatic increase to over 7,000 lawsuits in 2012 alone.  The millions of dollars in penalties continue to pile up, and the list of...

“Because I said so!”  Who hasn’t heard that in their lifetime?  When we’re kids, it may work, but for people in HR, Payroll and Benefit roles, it’s a dangerous way to manage a workforce and may cause issues with FLSA and ACA Compliance. In October 2013 when the Marketplace Notice became due, there...

In order to reduce the burden on employers to file and report on the retroactive increased exclusion for 2014 transit benefits ($130 to $250), the IRS released Notice 2015-2 that explains how employers can correct FICA tax overpayments and report proper amounts on Forms 941 and the W-2.  Althou...

Resolutions abound on January 1 each year only to be broken or forgotten in a matter of weeks or months.  Since March 23, 2010, employers have continually resolved to keep up with the changes and stay in compliance. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) resolutions for 2015 will be harmful for the weary emp...

Biometrics has been all the rage for the past few years. From time clocks to sophisticated security systems, some type of biometric device is often involved.  In time and attendance systems, utilizing biometrics helps reduce fraud, frequently referred to as buddy punching.  You might be ab...

Despite a controversial past and an uncertain future, the national health care law referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) demands immediate attention and action by most businesses, especially those of specific sizes and structures.  Employers cannot afford to risk waiting to see what potential...

Many of us ring in the New Year with resolutions to change or improve our life.  Although it’s not a personal resolution,  many states are raising the 2015 minimum wage as a result of either inflation or legislative action, affecting workers nationwide. New York’s minimum wage will increase to $8.7...

The US DOL found that employees with at least one year experience receive an average of eight paid sick days per year.  That number jumps to eleven days for employees with over 25 years of service.  While providing paid sick days for employees might seem costly to employers, not having sick leave av...