Biden’s new vaccine plan announced on Thursday, September 9th, has come out of left field for many Americans, leaving several questions about what this mandate will mean for our workforce. Employers and employees alike are feeling every emotion from fear and outrage, to hope and relief given the sensitive news. While the information we’ve received is very little so far, here is everything we know about the Vaccine Plan and how it will affect businesses and HR departments when the time comes to enforce these policies.

On March 18, 2020 the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law. This legislation expands FMLA and Paid Sick Leave benefits for most organizations with under 500 employees and will take effect on April 1, 2020.

Check out the infographic below for a breakdown on this new law and how it impacts you and your people.

In 2013, the Cole Memorandum, which advised U.S. attorneys to refrain from prosecuting state-licensed marijuana businesses unless they violated a federal law was signed by the Obama administration. The Cole Memorandum has since been rescinded in 2018 causing uncertainty among the industry.  

A Spiceworks survey shows that 62% of organizations currently use biometric authentication technology in the workplace and that an additional 24% plan to implement biometric technology within the next two years.

Employees are quick to ditch memorizing long, lengthy passwords and HR is on board to implement biometric technology to help accomplish a wide of range of objectives in the workplace, specifically employee labor reporting validation and overcoming daily people challenges like buddy punching.

Since 2016, skilled nursing providers have been required to submit Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a way to drive industry standards and ensure high quality care for patients.

CMS has been very clear from the start that PBJ data would eventually affect a providers’ Five Star Quality Rating, but it was never certain when that date would be, or how PBJ data would replace the current method of data capture.

2018 is off to a start and the next big question many employers are facing is: Should we adhere to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements, or go under the assumption that the law will be repealed and no longer enforced?

The 60 accusations of varying degrees of harassment on Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein have sparked up conversations in the workplace.

Although each sexual harassment situation is unique, it’s critical that all employees closely review company handbooks, policies, and government laws to better understand their rights and what actions or behaviors are classified as sexual harassment.

In this recent letter, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they will begin posting Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) public use files on November 1, 2017. You will be able to access the files at https://data.cms.gov.[i]

The first posting will include data that was submitted for the reporting period of the first two calendar quarters in 2017. These files are the raw number of hours that providers have submitted and will include:

Last September, the Federal Register posted the final rule, Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers. This rule went into effect on November 15, 2016 and will be implemented on November 15, 2017. [i]

The final rule establishes national emergency preparedness requirements to ensure healthcare providers and suppliers affected by the rule are adequately planning for both natural and man-made disasters and coordinating with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency preparedness systems. In addition, the final rule sets guidelines for how providers and suppliers can adequately prepare to meet the needs of patients, residents, clients, and participants during disasters or emergency situations. [ii]

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has put in place PBJ as a way to ensure consistency of care and to develop higher standards throughout the industry. The next PBJ Reporting deadline is August 14, 2020.