Published August 2011 New York State’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage is the latest notice to employers that providing benefits to married employees is getting more complicated. And unless employers monitor their state’s marriage and partnership laws and keep their benefits policies up-to-date, the employers risk violating laws and discriminating against newly-protected employees and their […]
Published August 2011 Since 1989, failures to comply with the continuation coverage requirements of COBRA have potentially triggered excise taxes under IRC § 4980B on those responsible for the error, equal to $100 per affected person, per day. However the Internal Revenue Service rarely imposed and collected the tax and there previously has been no […]
Published August 2011 The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is championing the cause of the employee who allegedly lost her job because of online postings on a social media Web site. It appears to be the first case of its kind to proceed this far. An administrative law judge is scheduled to hear the case […]
Published August 2011 Despite efforts by some members of Congress, the burdensome 1099 reporting requirements for businesses and rental property owners were not repealed as part of the new law passed on December 17, 2010. And Congress has adjourned for the year so a repeal of the requirements will now have to wait for the […]
Published August 2011 BASIC sponsors a LinkedIn FMLA Blog dedicated to providing an open forum for discussion, advice, claim management, and regulatory update for the FMLA. The blog is for information exchange exclusive to FMLA with Sales and promotions of services and products restricted. A labor attorney who is a member of this blog recently wrote “this […]
Published August 2011 Q. I’m using my personal car in my business. How much can I deduct on my tax return for the car? A. There are two basic ways to write off expenses for business-related travel: The standard mileage method. This provides a basic deduction for mileage and provides built-in depreciation. For 2011, the […]
Published July 2011 The IRS has just announced it increased the standard mileage rate for qualified business drivers for the second half of 2011. The adjustment reflects rising costs at the gas pumps this year. It is accompanied by a hike in the standard mileage rate for medical and job-related moving expenses. (IRS Announcement 2011-40) […]
Published July 2011 A recently filed class-action lawsuit against Huffington Post asserts that up to 9,000 unpaid bloggers for the Web site are illegally being denied pay. This class-action lawsuit raises an important question for all employers: When is work, work? When is activity – and even inactivity – by individuals work that legally requires […]
Larry Grudzien July 27, 2011 When any qualified beneficiary (including the covered employee) first becomes entitled to Medicare after electing COBRA coverage, his or her COBRA coverage can be terminated early (i.e., before the end of the maximum coverage period). This rule does not, however, affect the COBRA rights of other qualified beneficiaries in […]
Larry Grudzien June 20, 2011 A release from America’s Health Insurance Plans: AHIP Urges Policymakers to Prevent Disruption for HSA Policyholders Washington, DC – More than 11.4 million Americans are covered by Health Savings Account (HSA)-eligible insurance plans, a more than 14 percent increase since last year, according to a new census released today by America’s […]
