Employee Benefits | Employment Law Blog in WA, OR, and CA | Vigilant

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Showing posts for: Employee Benefits

May 03 2024
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

EEOC issues regs for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued regulations and interpretive guidance to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which requires all employers with 15 or more employees to reasonably accommodate workers with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The regulations take effect on June 18, 2024 (89 Fed Reg…

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Mar 21 2024
Employee BenefitsHiringLabor Relations

Judge tosses NLRB’s 2023 joint employer rule

A federal district court judge in Texas has invalidated the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)’s 2023 rule defining when two separate companies are actually joint employers for purposes of compliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The judge issued the decision shortly before the rule was scheduled to take effect. The Board is expected…

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May 18 2023
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

WASHINGTON: Governor signs 2023 legislation

The 2023 legislative regular session ended on April 23, 2023, with Washington Governor Jay Inslee signing multiple employment-related bills into law. Please see our separate articles in today’s newsletter on two of those bills, “WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests” (regarding ESSB 5123) and “WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas” (regarding…

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Feb 16 2023
COVID-19Employee Benefits

COVID-19 benefits plan deadline extensions to end July 10, 2023

The Biden Administration recently announced that the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency will end on May 11, 2023, which means that starting 60 days afterward (July 10, 2023), various employee health plans will no longer be required to extend certain deadlines for plan participants and beneficiaries. This includes extensions to the usual deadlines…

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Dec 15 2022
Employee BenefitsEmployee ClassificationsHiring

WASHINGTON: L&I policy addresses job posting requirements

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recently released a new Administrative Policy (ES.E.1) that provides guidance on new job posting requirements. As we previously reported, employers with 15 or more employees must include specific information on wages and benefits in all job postings beginning January 1, 2023. The Administrative Policy provides informal guidance…

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Apr 07 2022
Employee BenefitsHiringWage and Hour

WASHINGTON: Employers must disclose pay info in all job postings

On March 30, 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed Substitute Senate Bill 5761, which requires employers with 15 or more employees to include the wage scale or salary range in each job posting, along with a general description of all benefits and other compensation for the job, effective January 1, 2023. The bill modifies Washington’s…

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Sep 16 2021
COVID-19Employee BenefitsLeave Laws

OREGON: Health care workers get paid leave for COVID-19 exposure

Oregon OSHA has published a temporary rule that requires employers with 11 or more employees to pay their health care workers who take time off to quarantine or isolate after a work-related exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus). This rule on “medical relief benefits” (also referred to as “medical removal protection benefits”) is effective from September 16,…

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Mar 18 2021
COVID-19Employee Benefits

EBSA continues relief for employee benefit plans due to COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01, which provides guidance on continuation of relief for employee benefit plans and plan participants and beneficiaries due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. This “outbreak period,” which began on March 1, 2020, will end 60 days after the national…

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Mar 18 2021
COVID-19DisabilityEmployee Benefits

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 impacts benefits, leaves, and more

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the latest COVID-19 relief bill, offers a 100 percent COBRA subsidy and expands eligibility for paid leave tax credits, among other provisions. The bill was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021. COBRA subsidy: Employees who lose employer-sponsored group health insurance coverage due to involuntary termination…

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Mar 04 2021
CaliforniaCOVID-19Employee Benefits

CALIFORNIA: State launches COVID-19 employer portal

The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) has launched a new portal to serve as a “one-stop hub for California employers to quickly find up-to-date state and local county COVID-19 guidance by industry.” The new site uses guidance already available from state and local sources, including information about benefits, paid sick leave, immediate steps…

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Feb 18 2021
COVID-19Employee BenefitsWashington

WASHINGTON: Unemployment benefits expand for high-risk workers

On February 8, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed SSB 5061, which expands Washington’s unemployment insurance benefits to high-risk individuals and members of their households, who voluntarily quit their jobs during a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) can begin providing benefits to those individuals starting…

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Aug 06 2020
COVID-19Employee BenefitsSafety and Health

WASHINGTON: Governor updates protections for high-risk workers

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has further extended employment protections for medically vulnerable workers for as long as the current state of emergency lasts due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). In addition, the new proclamation (20-46.2) and accompanying guidance memo clarify who is protected and change the circumstances under which employers may request medical verification from these workers….

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